62. 2 Card Prediction
class: tweener | impressiveness: 4/5 | factors: ballsy maneuver, big payoff | requires: cards, business cards, marker, large group | watch full episode
This one’s so quick, simple and easy that you’ll be tempted to think it won’t fool anyone. Trust me: every time I’ve pulled this one, it’s gotten a strong reaction. The method is so simple you can do it right in front of them without anyone having so much as a clue.
The Trick: Have a deck of cards thoroughly shuffled. Grab the deck, and as you double-check to see if they want to shuffle any more, secretly glimpse the top and bottom cards in the deck as shown.
Then pull out a business card to make your secret prediction. Jot down your prediction (which will be the two cards you just glimpsed on the top and bottom of the deck), then hand the business card (prediction-side-down) to another volunteer and ask her to slide the card in anywhere she wants in the deck.
To be even more fair, turn to yet another volunteer and ask if she wants to move it somewhere else. They can take as many times as they want to keep moving the business card. Once they’re satisfied, spread the cards and separate the deck right where the business card sits.
Square up each half of the deck in each of your hands, and make sure to keep the prediction card prediction-side down on top of the packet in your left hand. To prove that you really did make a prediction, turn to just one person and show her what you wrote. But here’s the important part: turn over the prediction by rolling the business card over from the top of your left hand pack onto the top of your right hand packet.
Once she’s seen it, flip the prediction back over, but leave it on the right-hand packet. As you recap how fair everything’s been, drop the packet from your left hand onto the right-hand packet. What you’ve done is actually move the prediction from wherever they originally put it to the spot right between the top and bottom cards. It’s now sitting right between the two cards that match the prediction!
Watch Demonstration (External link)
This is such a bold maneuver, you might be certain people will catch it. Trust me: as long as your moves are natural, and as long as you keep the conversation afloat, nobody will notice.
After a few seconds of time delay, you can spread the deck, remove the prediction and the cards above and below it… then show that all three match!