Simple Card Trick – Red or Black?

This is a really simple magic trick. While it isn’t the most advanced trick in the book, in fact its pretty elemental, it still works great for small parties and what not.

The Preparation:

Take a deck cards and split it into two piles. One pile of reds, and one pile of blacks. Take the red pile and bend it backwards along the middle, just very slightly. Next do the same with the red cards, only bend them forwards slightly. The important thing here is to make the bend as slight as you possibly can, but still visible to you.

The Setup:

Inform the audience that you work with playing cards so much that you can actually tell whether a card is black or red, just by looking at the back of it. Shuffle the deck, then fan out the cards challenging an audience member to choose a card. Ask them to lay their card on the table, face down. Concentrate on the card, and then declare if it is black or red.

The Trick:

Thanks to your preparation, you know whether a card is black or red based on the way it bends. Practice, practice, practice, and then practice some more, so that you can tell this easily with only the slightest bend.

Looking for even more simple magic tricks? I find that the best way to learn is through video instruction, and I highly recommended this video series that teaches you how to do 15 simple magic tricks.