Setup: All you need is a regular deck of cards. Place one joker card at the top of the deck and the other at the bottom. These two jokers will act as your key cards. A well-known principle in card magic…“key cards” help the magician locate other nearby cards. When the spectator places their cards back on top of the deck and makes a cut, their card packet will be sandwiched in-between the two jokers. Later, when you spread the cards face-up, simply look between those two jokers to see what cards they had chosen.

Pro Tip: The spectators can remove any number of cards they want. However, we recommend limiting them to less than five at the start of the trick to make the reveal process easier for you. For example…if they chose more than ten cards, it might become obvious you’re using a method to track the entire stack in the center of the deck when you spread them onto the table at the end.

Rudy Hunter demonstrates a wide variety of effects in this series: Encyclopedia of Card Tricks.” Check out more great courses on the platform next: “Expert Card Magic,” “False Shuffles,” and “Legends with Cards.”