How to Perform the ESP Card Trick

How to Perform the ESP Card Trick Magician: Do you have any psychic ability? Female: Me? No. Magician: But you do have a little misintuition? Female: Oh yeah. I got plenty of that. Magician: I will use that. Female: Okay. Magician: Shuffle the cards please. Female: All right, shuffling. Is that good? Magician: That’s fine. I'm going to cut the pack lastly. And whenever you like, just tell me to stop. Female: Stop. Magician: Okay, get the card. Alright. Can you please get the pack of complete cut? Female: Complete cut? Magician: Maybe, cut in again. Thank you. And my wish, just concentrate on your card. Female: Okay. Magician: Alright? Let me just spread the deck. Spread the deck. Now, if you should see your card, do not tell me. Female: Okay. Magician: Do not to make it obvious. Alright. I'm going to go with my fingers across the cards. Magician: And when my finger passes you card, say it to yourself, not verbally but to yourself. Say, “That’s my card.” Female: Okay. Magician: Okay. Did you see your card? Female: Uhuh. Magician: I do hear your mind screaming. Spades? Female: Oh my — yeah. That’s my card. Magician: Thank you. Female: Thanks. Magician: Okay the secret to the ESP effect with the playing cards is based upon a very classic principle. That’s called the principle of the indicator. Now, an indicator means that there’s one card of the deck that you are aware of, mainly the card on the bottom. After the girl has finished the shuffling, you just glimpse the bottom card. Let’s say the bottom is seven of hearts, okay? So now what I do is I hold the pack in this position you see? And I cut the pack in small stacks from the top to the bottom. Look. I cut and I drop. I cut and I drop. So matter what happens, I don’t disturb the bottom card. I cut and I drop. As she stops it any position she wants — so let’s just say she stops at the ten of diamonds. I just dropped everything on top so my indicator card goes on top so I know her card is below the seven of hearts. So once again, she can cut through her heart’s content. It’s like it’s disturbed or anything. So when I spread the deck, all I do is look for the seven of hearts and I know the ten of diamonds is below and the rest is presentation. And the business about moving the finger over having your aim to the card is a little presentation and then I just look for the seven, go below it and her card is a ten of diamonds.