# How do they do this magic trick? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 5, 2000, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-do-this-magic-trick/21419 "2000-06-05T04:52:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-do-this-magic-trick/21419/21 "2000-06-06T04:25:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > Actually, the first is not unlikely at all. I’ve seen footage of it being done, very professionally and rapidly (on the order of a cycle every second-and-a-half). Had I not been told by the narrator what was being done, I would have sworn it was a normal shuffle. > \*\* Yes, these shuffles are done (the second is called a Faro shuffle, BTW), but they’re fairly difficult and not all card guys can do them. The ones that can are certainly not going to waste it on something as mundane as pick a card–put it back–produce it. > [@](#): > > **After 13 shuffles, the deck is in reverse order, and after 26, it’s back to the original.** Are you sure? I thought that it took 8 out Faros (retaining the top and bottom cards) to return it to normal. Not that I can do it–that’s what I read. Dr. J ---
**Author:** ![Silo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@Silo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silo)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-do-this-magic-trick/21419/22 "2000-06-06T04:32:44Z")
I can think of about fifteen ways (off the top of my head) to do that trick. Some methods are really challenging and look spectacular, while others most anyone can do with a few practice trials. Since I used to be a magician–I don’t revel secrets–unless there is money on the table. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-do-this-magic-trick/21419/23 "2000-06-06T12:08:39Z")
Once again, there’s a million ways to do this. If he’s a skillful magician, then he’s using a basic tool called a “force.” Basically, he knows what card you’re gonna get before he even starts the trick. Any stnadard magic book will walk you through the fan force, the riffle force, and some other one I can’t think of. The riffle force is a beautiful one if it’s done correctly. Basically you hold the deck in your left hand, curl your fingers over and riffle with your right from the bottom to the top of the deck. You tell the person “Tell me when to stop.” When the person says “Stop!” you bring your left hand forward at the cut and slip the top card of the deck (which your fingers are covering) onto the top of the cut. It takes a little practice, but once you get it, it’s undetectable. As for the aforementioned orange trick, you start with the force. Then you take the card and tear off a corner. You put the corner in an envelope, and then you burn the card. Beforehand, you have prepared an orange with a card from a duplicate deck stuck inside. It’s not that difficult actually. Just roll it up and squish it in at the end where it joins the tree. Before you do this, tear off a corner and keep it with you. This corner that you keep you swap with the corner in the envelope. Now, the fruit force. Easiest way of doing it is you present four fruits. Ask them to pick two. If the orange is in this group say “Good. Now choose one.” If the orange is not in this group say “Good, now this eliminates these two. Choose one.” You get the picture. Oldest force in the book, but actually seems to work, curiously enough. Then, open the orange, reveal the card; open the envelope, match the corners, voila! ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-do-this-magic-trick/21419/24 "2000-06-06T17:48:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > Once again, there’s a million ways to do this. If he’s a skillful magician, then he’s using a basic tool called a “force.” > \*\* Not necessarily. I know many skillful magicians (Including myself) that prefer to do the feat having a card FREELY selected. Personally, I’ll start with a freely selected card, then do a different type of routine with a forced card, then go back to have another freely selected card. It works for me. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-do-this-magic-trick/21419/25 "2000-06-06T18:00:56Z")
pulykamell, I think my way was much easier. In Bricker’s case, he said that he lets the “mark” look at the card they picked. So if my understanding of your description is correct, you didn’t accurately explain his trick. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-do-this-magic-trick/21419/26 "2000-06-06T18:17:52Z")
Sorry, Arnold, I’m not sure I understand exactly what I missed explaining…the mark in my trick also gets to look at his card, but it’s a different start than the four on the table. This force can also be effected with the psychological fruit force I explained, or by laying down 4 of the same card or whatever means you have up your sleeve. But you are right. The genetically modified orange is a much cleaner solution to the problem than physically insert a card into an ordinary Valencia. Dragwyr– Whoops. Didn’t mean to over-generalize! What I meant is that a skillful magician can do it with an ordinary pack of cards, and not need special trick cards (eg. all cards the same, or beveled cards or the like) to force. Doing tricks with freely selected cards is also the mark of a skillful magicians. I would not imply otherwise, and I apologize for the misstatement. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-do-this-magic-trick/21419/27 "2000-06-06T18:31:14Z")
puylykamell, I understand now. When you say “As for the aforementioned orange trick, you start with the force.”, you mean that you are going to make the “mark” pick the same card as the one you have previously hidden inside the orange. I get it now! I’m a little slow. :o ---
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2000, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-do-this-magic-trick/21419/28 "2000-06-07T12:14:13Z")
As some heavy thought, it could be that the OP trick was the one where someone chooses a card, and then you randomly say a cards name. It works 1 out of 52 times, I’ve found. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2000, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-do-this-magic-trick/21419/29 "2000-06-07T14:16:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > As some heavy thought, it could be that the OP trick was the one where someone chooses a card, and then you randomly say a cards name. It works 1 out of 52 times, I’ve found. 🙂 > > \*\* Oh, Tomcat, if you only knew. My wife used to to this dumb card trick where you tell the person to pick any card. Once the person has it memorized you then shuffle the cards as much as you want, let the other person shuffle them too if you want. Then when you get the deck stacked neatly she’d say "Not only has your card risen to the top of the deck, BUT IT’S CHANGED TO THE [insert card name here]!!! It was always good for a few laughs. WAIT THIS GETS BETTER! She pulling this card ‘trick’ on a friend of hers. They spread the cards out on the table and shuck them around (think dominoes) (dominos?) anyway, the cards are really mixed up. She get to the part where she says “Not only has your card risen to the top” and she flips the card over and is getting ready to say “…But it’s changed!” when her friend yells out “Oh my God, that’s the most amazing trick I’ve ever seen!” Yep, you guessed it. Her card had somehow been the one that was turned over! We still laugh about that one. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2000, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-do-this-magic-trick/21419/30 "2000-06-08T20:56:38Z")
DAVE0071 said: > [@](#): > > I can’t believe how cynical you people are! Did it ever occur to any of you that maybe it really is magic? Right. Someone has the ability to read minds, teleport small objects, make things vanish and appear at will, and all he thinks to do with it is a cheapo card trick. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-do-this-magic-trick/21419.md?page=1)