The Connection Card Trick

Effect: The magician invites a couple (a man and a woman) to assist with a card trick. The magician goes on to tells them he can use a deck of playing cards to test how well they are connected. The magician gives each of them a blank face cards with a red heart drawn on them. The couple is given a marking pen to write their name on their heart card. The following steps are both effect and directions to perform the trick.

Step 1: The magician (falsely) shuffles the deck of cards and gives the deck to the woman. She is told to start dealing cards one at a time, face down, on the table. The man is instructed to say stop anytime he wants his partner to stop dealing cards. When the man says stop, the magician places the man’s heart card face up on the women’s dealt cards. The magician takes the remaining cards from the women and places them face down on top of the face up heart card and squares the deck.

Step 2: The deck is given to the man, and he is instructed to do the same; dealing cards face down and the women saying stop. The magician places the women’s heart card face up on the pile dealt and adds the remaining cards face down on the face up heart card and squares the deck.

Step 3: The magician spread the deck face down on the table to expose the two inserted face-up heart cards. The magician removes the 2 heart cards plus the face-down card on top of each heart card.  The magician tells them they were not using a regular deck of cards as he spreads the deck face-up to reveal that it is made up of blank cards with the names of men and women written on them. The magician goes through several of the face up cards pointing out the different names on the cards.

Step 4:  The magician points out the couple was in complete control and randomly stopped each other from dealing cards.  The magician turns over the face down cards on their face up heart cards to reveal she stopped him on a card with his name on it and he stopped her on a card with her name on it. Proving they have a strong connection.

Needed:  A deck of blank face cards. Red and black marking pens.

On 2 of the blank cards, draw large hearts with the red making pen, filling in the heart.

On 23 of the blank face cards write common names of men and on another 23 cards write common names of women. If you can’t come up with names, go on the internet and google men and women names. Keep the remaining 6 blank cards to add names if needed.

Set-up:  Knowing the couple you plan on using, find their names in the deck (or print them on the extra blank cards. Place the man’s name on the bottom of the deck and the women’s name on the top of the deck.

Performance: To perform the trick, follow the 4 steps above and the outcome will be automatic with the set up.

Note: Instead of using cards with heart on them, alternatives would be pictures of man and women or bride and groom depending on the couple you will be entertaining.

by Henry Holava