Unrecognizable Card


Effect: Spectator picks a card from the deck and memorizes it. He then puts the card back in the deck and shuffles as much as he likes. Next, ask the spectator if s/he would recognize the card if they saw it again. Then show the spectator the bottom card, s/he will respond that's not it. So, put it face down and burn a card to the top. Repeat this until there are four face down cards on the table. Put the deck aside and reassure the spectator that s/he will get to see the cards one more time--ju
t to be sure.

Show him/her the bottom card of the stack and ask if that's the one. They respond no, so put it down and put one on top. Repeat this once so there are two cards face down on the table. Now, show them the two cards in your hand and ask if either is it, they say no. Then flip over their card on the table.

*This is a stunning effect at really close range. There are two basic sleights used in this trick: a force and a glide.*

Steps

First, I force the top card by riffling through the deck until the spectator says stop. Then, by grasping the deck firmly, pull out all the cards with my right hand leaving the top card on top of the deck and taking out all the rest.

After forcing the first card, have them memorize it and put it in the deck and shuffle as much as they feel is necessary. I often turn my back while they do this. Then I turn around and take the deck and under the pretense of counting the cards to make sure they put the card in, I find their card and count three cards down. I make a cut such that there are three cards, then the spectators card on the bottom of the deck. I then show the bottom card and ask if that is the spectator's card. They reply no. So, I put it face down on the table and put the next bottom card on the top. I then show them the bottom card again. It isn't theirs, so I glide the next-to-bottom card (which is the spectator's) to the table face down on top of the other card. I then place the bottom card that the spectator just saw on top of the deck. I repeat the first step twice more showing a card and burning a card. This leaves four cards face down on the table (two random cards, the spectator's card, then another random card). Put the deck aside and swear that the spectator's card is in the pack on the table. And you go through them again. Show him/her the bottom card and it isn't the right one. Glide the spectator's card one last time to the table facedown and burn the card to the top of the small pack. Show the next card, put it next to the spectator's card. Then show the spectator the two cards in your hand and ask if the card is there. Then reveal the card on the table. This is really startling and can be done at really close range.



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