The Online Magic Store Blog: Card Magic

A deck of cards sitting on the edge of a table with a pencil and notepad

How to do the down-under deal card trick

Learn the self-working down-under deal card trick, where a chosen card survives a simple “one down, one under” deal, and the maths behind i…

A wooden stage floor with chalk marks and a single top hat

Magic tricks for your first open mic: a buyer’s guide

How to choose and plan a short magic set for your first open mic night, with four pieces from our shelves and two free books on presentatio…

A deck inside a wooden practice tray with a felt lining

Card magic for intermediate magicians: a buyer’s guide

How to choose your next step in card magic once the basics feel easy, with four card books from working professionals and two free classics…

A deck and a cup of black coffee on a café table in morning light

Magic tricks you can do sitting down: a buyer’s guide

How to choose magic you can do seated at a table, with four close-up picks from our shelves and a free book on the cups and balls.

a deck cut into two halves on a mat, both packets squared

How to do a two-card transposition

Learn a classic two-card transposition: two cards swap places, one of them under the spectator’s own hand, using the double lift.

a pair of hands squaring a deck, soft rim light

How to do cards to pocket

Learn cards to pocket, the classic routine in which ten cards travel invisibly from your hand to your pocket one at a time.

a spotlight beam cutting through haze over an empty stage

How to do a card trick for a big audience

Learn a self-working card trick for a big audience: a cross-cut force and a large written prediction that everyone in the room can see.

a deck and a single face-up ace on a leather close-up pad

How to do the reversed card trick

Learn the reversed card trick with any deck: a chosen card turns face up in the pack, with an easy no-sleight method, history and common mi…

A single card held between two fingers against a black background

How to make a card float

Learn how to make a card float under your palm with a ring and a toothpick, plus what it takes to make a card float freely in the air.

One hand cutting a deck with the other hand waiting, overhead view

How to do the Sybil cut

What the Sybil cut is, where it was first published, the grips and swing cut you need first, and how the flourish is built stage by stage.

A hand spreading cards between both hands in a wide arc

How to do the waterfall card flourish

Learn the waterfall card flourish: bend the deck, ease the pressure and let the cards cascade one by one into your other hand, then make th…

A card sticking out of a squared deck, jogged halfway

How to crimp a card to find it again

Learn how to crimp a card: put a small secret bend in a corner, then find the chosen card again by sight, touch or a cut, even after the de…

A deck in dealer’s grip in one hand, thumb on the top card

How to glimpse the bottom card

Learn how to glimpse the bottom card of a deck secretly: when squaring, passing it between hands and other natural moments, plus timing tip…

A fan of cards held in one hand, backs showing

How to do the clock card trick

Learn the clock card trick: a spectator hides some cards, and their card appears at the matching hour on a clock of twelve cards. Steps and…

Three face-down cards in a row on a mat, the middle one slightly lifted

How to do the four burglars card trick

Learn the four burglars card trick: four jacks go into different parts of the deck and end up together on top. Setup, story, tips and histo…

A squared deck on a green close-up mat, top card slightly pushed off

How to do the princess card trick

Learn the princess card trick with an ordinary deck: someone thinks of a card, you pocket one, and theirs is gone. Setup, steps, tips and h…

Cards dealt into four neat face-down piles on a green close-up mat

How to do the twenty-card trick: Mutus Nomen Dedit Cocis

How to do the self-working twenty-card trick, where four Latin words let you find any remembered pair of cards.

A card rising out of a deck

How to do the rising card trick

Learn the impromptu rising card trick with any deck, from Professor Hoffmann’s classic hand version to presentation tips, history and commo…

Hands doing an overhand shuffle

How to do the overhand shuffle

A friendly guide to the genuine overhand shuffle: the grip, the motion, running single cards and fixing a messy shuffle.

Hands holding a red-backed playing card up to a laptop webcam in warm lamplight

How to do magic on a video call

How to choose, frame, light and pace magic tricks for Zoom, FaceTime or Google Meet, so they still land on a small screen.

One hand holding a red-backed deck from above while cards drop flat into the open palm below

How to dribble cards: grip, release and practice

A beginner-friendly guide to the card dribble: the grip, the release, how high to go, what it’s used for and the mistakes to avoid.

Decks of red-backed playing cards squared, spread and held on a dark wooden table

Best playing cards for magic: how to choose a deck

What to look for in a regular deck for card magic, from finish and size to back design and colour, with our picks.

A hand lifting the top card of a face-down deck over a green close-up mat

How to do the Ambitious Card routine

How a beginner builds and performs an Ambitious Card routine, from the signed card to a clean finish, using the double lift and a simple co…

A deck of cards and a glass on a round wooden table in a dim club library

Who was Dai Vernon? The Professor who fooled Houdini

Dai Vernon, known as The Professor, fooled Houdini with a card trick and shaped modern close-up magic from his base at the Magic Castle.