Look Out, David Blaine! 10 Easy Card Tricks You (And Your Kids!) Can Learn To Do at Home

Stephanie Osmanski

January 29, 2023 at 2:02 AM·15 min read

Get ready to make some magic.

At the start of a new year, it's fun to think about new habits and also new hobbies. Whether you're challenging yourself to learn a second (or third or fourth) language, are learning how to cook, or find yourself solving a Rubik's Cube, there are plenty of new things to try in 2023. So, why not learn a few easy card tricks? Here are a few easy-to-learn card tricks, including simple card tricks for kids and easy card magic tricks!

What's cooler than emerging from the hibernation of winter as an amateur magician? Nothing. Keep reading for 10 easy card tricks anyone (kids and adults) can learn to do at home.

10 Easy Card Tricks

1. Make a Prediction

With this trick, the dealer (in this case, that's you) makes a secret prediction. You pull out a card, leaving it face down and challenge the trickee to cut the deck into three. Turn over the top card on each deck. Then you count out three cards and put one card on each of the remaining cards. You do this twice, then count out five cards and add them to the remaining piles. Now, turn over the secret prediction. In this case, it was a seven. Now, turn over the top three cards of the deck and they should be the other three other suites of that same number. So, in the example above, the secret prediction was the seven of spades and the remaining three cards he flipped over were the seven of hearts, seven of clubs, and seven of diamonds.

Make sense? Now for the how-to: Pull out any four of a kind of your choice. Take out a five and three random cards. The five goes on top of the deck, followed by the three random cards, then followed by three of the four of a kind. (So, if we're going with the above example, you'd put three of the sevens here, leaving one seven out.) Place the three sevens at the top of the deck, then put the fourth seven in the middle of the deck.

Now, shuffle without disturbing the first seven cards of the deck. Tell the trickee that you're making a prediction. Pull out the fourth four of a kind (in this case, it's the fourth seven) and turn it upside down so neither of you can see. Next, the trickee divides the deck into three equal decks. Now, turn over the top card of each deck. Whichever number each card is how many cards you will count and then put on the remaining piles. It's time to show your hand: Turn over the secret prediction card, then the three top cards of the three other decks. Each card you turn over should be one-fourth of the four of a kind you chose in the beginning.

2. Impossible Card Trick

Believe it or not, the Impossible Card Trick isn't that impossible. What makes it seem impossible though is the fact that the trickee is doing most of the work. (At least, that's what it looks like.) In this trick, you'll have the trickee shuffle the entire deck, then cut it in half. Place the other half of the deck off to the side; you don't need it. Now, you can cut that deck into three separate piles that are roughly even. The trickee now picks a pile, then mentally selects one card from that pile.

Now, you the card trickster (magician?) don't know what the card is. But, thanks to the 27 Card Trick, you're going to figure it out real quick. This trick starts by cutting the deck in half so that you have 27 cards total. Now, deal them in threes, three times each, making three piles of nine cards each. The trickee picks a pile at random then mentally selects a card from that pile. You have no way of knowing what is, but the trick is still going to work!

The trickee shuffles, then you deal the cards into three alternating piles in the shape of a triangle. The trickee chooses the pile they think their card is, then says "yes" if it is. (If it's not and they say "no," that's ok; just keep going until they find it.) Once you know which pile is theirs (you still don't have to know which card), make sure that pile ends up on top of the other piles each time you shuffle.

Now you redo the same thing the same way. Deal them out two more times, they guess which pile is theirs two more times, and you put their pile on top of the other piles two time again as you shuffle. Because of the 27 Card rule, the card the trickee mentally picked will always be the seventh card from the top of the deck.

3. Pick a Card, Any Card

This looks like the hardest trick of all time, but once it's broken down it's actually surprisingly simple. So, at the beginning of the trick you ask the trickee to shuffle the deck. Then, as you very slowly put each card down one at a time, they mentally choose a card. At the end of the trick, the trickee has told no one the card they've mentally chosen, you have no idea what it is, and everyone's mind gets blown. With a little bit of math and a little bit of psychological warfare, you're going to find the card they mentally chose.

Basically, you want to go by six. After the trickee shuffles the deck, there are six random cards at the top of the deck. You don't know what they are and you don't have to. Tell them to mentally choose a card, then very slowly show them each card and put them down on the table. When you pull out the sixth card, ask if they've chosen a card. Chances are they say yes. If they say no? No problem. Slip those six back to the bottom of the deck and do six more (very slowly).

Now, with a few more tricks up your sleeve—something called a pinky break and a double undercut and a little bit of full-blown mentalism—you can achieve this magic card trick. But we won't attempt to explain it in full! Just watch the rest of the video for the whole tutorial.

4. Card Spelling Trick

This one gets a good reaction every time! To pull it off, you'll need a key card, which is a card you always go back to. In this example, it's the nine of hearts. To start the trick, have the trickee pick a random card. Cut the deck into three piles, then have the trickee place the card on top of one of the piles. (See the video for how to cut it depending on which pile they place it on.)

Now, the nine of hearts, which is the key card in this scenario, is placed on top of the card that they chose. So, when you see the nine of hearts, you know that the following card is the one they chose. Start dealing the cards into piles, turning them face up. Make one small pile of about five or six cards, then another small pile of about five or six cards, then in the third pile, you're going to turn the cards over until you find the nine of hearts. After the nine of hearts, start a new pile. The first card in that pile is the card they chose. In this example, it's the eight of clubs. Turn a few more cards over on top of the eight of clubs then start a new pile.

For the new pile, you're going to spell it out: E-I-G-H-T-O-F-C-L-U-B-S, flipping over one card for each letter. Finish making another, final pile then put the pile that spells eight of clubs underneath the pile with the eight of clubs. Every other pile follows. Now, the fun part: pick a fake card and have them correct you. They tell you, "That's not my card. My card is the eight of clubs!" Then you spell out E-I-G-H-T-O-F-C-L-U-B-S, flipping over one card for each letter. The next card you flip over after spelling it out will be their card, which in this case was the eight of clubs.

5. Pick a Number Between One and 10

Nothing like a Jedi mind trick! This Pick a Number Between One and 10 trick is pretty impressive and is guaranteed to get some good reactions. Why? Because. you don't turn over any cards or really do anything. You start by putting a key card on the top. Have the trickee pick a number between one and 10; they tell you the number, then you'll count out that card in the deck, deal it down, then have them count it out, too.

Related: 100 Fun Crafts

So, if they pick five, you count out one, two, three, four, five. Then deal it back down so the key card is the fifth card. They will then count out one, two, three, four, five. That fifth card is their key card. They show the camera (or their friends) but not you. Now, since you know the key card you started with, you don't have to cut the deck or count or anything. Just ask them the color. Was it red? Now, ask them the suite. It was a heart, right? It was the eight of hearts. They'll be amazed.

6. Reverse Turn Card Trick

The Reverse Turn Card Trick basically asks the trickee to pick a card out of the deck. You then place it in the middle of the deck and using an amazing trick, you're going to flip every other card in the deck around... except for the card they chose.

To achieve this trick, flip the very bottom card of the deck around. While the trickee looks at the card they've picked, you flip the deck around so that the faced-in bottom card is now the top. Now, add their card into the middle face-down. It will be the only card turned around.

Tell the trickee to clap their hands and you'll turn all their cards around. When they clap their hands, slap your hand down on the deck and slide top card away. Now, the whole deck looks like it flipped. Sort through the deck until you find the one that's turned around. That's their card.

Related: Free Learning Apps for Kids

7. Face to Face Aces

All you need is a bit of set-up. Set up any four of a kind of your choice: two on the bottom and two on the top of the deck. Now, ask the trickee for a number between one and 30. Whatever number they give you, count it out, flipping over one card for each number.

Tell them to pick those cards up, then have the trickee deal all the cards out (alternating) the rest of the pile. While they deal the rest of the cards out, you're going to slide one of the four of a kind to the top. Turn over the top two cards of the piles they selected. It will be two of the two of a kind. (In this case, two aces.)

Now they give you another number. Deal out that number, then put the first ace (or four of a kind) on top of the new pile. (The other ace is going right on top of it.) Add the rest of the deck on top of that pile. Next, they give you another number. Deal out that number, then add the other ace on top of it. (The fourth ace is on top of it.)

Shuffle until you find the cards that are face to face. Take out the ace and the card on top of it, then take out the other ace with the card on top of that one. Flip over the two face-down cards and you'll reveal the four of a kind.

8. No Set-Up Trick

With no set-up required, you're going to have the trickee shuffle the deck. They pick any card out of the deck and you both look at it. Put it back into the middle of the deck. Ultimately, you're going to let the trickee call "stop" at a random spot, that's really going to be the exact spot where their chosen card is.

After the trickee chooses a card, you both look at the card then you "lose" it in the deck. But really, you're not going to lose it. You're going to actually control it back to the top. Make a thumb break to mark where the card is in the deck, then transfer it to a pinky break, marking the card. Cut the top of the deck twice so that their card is now on top of the deck.

9. Nine Cards

Have the trickee shuffle the deck, then take out any nine cards. They don't have to be consecutive cards. Now, have the trickee mix up those nine cards while you put the rest of the deck off to the side. This card trick only works with nine cards, so make sure they counted correctly. The trickee selects any one of those nine cards, then shows the camera (or their friends) but not you. Add it back to the nine cards, but before mixing them up again, take note of where they put their card: In the second, third, fourth, fifth spot, etc.?

Your job now is to control the card to the fifth position.

Now, you're going to ask them a series of questions. They can lie or tell the truth; but they have to tell the truth on the last question, when you ask them, "Was this your card?" So, start by asking, "Was your card diamonds, clubs, a heart, or a spade?" Make sure "heart" and "spade" are not plural. Spell out the suite they give you. Then get rid of the top and bottom cards, off to the side. "Was it a number card or ace card?" Spell out "ace" or "number." Get rid of the top and bottom card. Was your card a one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, jack, queen, or king? Spell it out, then take out the top and bottom card. "Yes or no, did you lie to me?" Spell out "Y-E-S" or "N-O." The card that's left is their card.

As long as the card they picked stays in the middle at all times, this card trick will work!

10. Power of Four

Have the trickee shuffle the cards then cut the cards wherever they want. Now, spread out the cards to "show" them that it's not a trick deck. What you're really doing here is taking note of the card in the fourth position from the bottom. If it's the ace of hearts, remember by saying the name of the card to yourself mentally.

Now, shuffle, keeping that ace of hearts in the fourth position. The trickee cuts the deck wherever they like, but you know that the fourth card down from the top of the original deck is the ace of hearts. So, now on the other the deck (the one without the ace of hearts), count one, two, three four. Peek at what it is and remember it. In this case, it's the seven of clubs. You're going to say that the card (without naming) just showed you what the fourth card down in the other deck is. (It's obviously the ace of hearts. Count one, two, three four, and bam! There's the ace of hearts.

Now, to keep it going, riffle shuffle the two decks, keeping the four cards from the other deck on top. The trickee cuts the deck again. Count one, two, three four, to the other deck (the one without the seven of clubs). Peek at it and remember it. Tel the trickee the card just told you the fourth card on the other deck is the seven of clubs. Count one, two, three, four on the other deck and bam! There's the seven of clubs.

Since you peeked at the fourth card down on the other deck, you can repeat this trick again and again.

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