BEST Card Magic Tricks Ever... REALLY!

SEE ALSO: BEST Card Magicians!
SEE ALSO: EASY Card Tricks

ALSO: BEST Card Magicians!
ALSO: EASY Card Tricks

Card magic tricks were once described by the great card magician Johann Hofzinser as the "poetry of magic". Yes, they can be horrible with your kid brother asking you to count seven cards in three piles but they can also be sublime. That's the breadth of card magic poetry. Check out the two above links if you're looking to learn a few easy ones or want to see what great card magicians can do in their hands. The following list highlights ten (and a few honorable mentions) of what we believe are the greatest and most amazing classics of the genre. Enjoy...

by Roland Sarlot

Honorable Mention

• 5 Card Repeat

  Let's just say first off that there are endless variations of this repeating card trick and you don't always have to show just five cards. 6 cards and 10 cards are also standard versions. This little trick packs A LOT OF MAGIC in a very short amount of time. One of the great characteristics of this magic trick (that is very rare among card magic tricks) is that it can be performed standing up so more than just an audience at a table can experience it. In this performance, Wayne Dobson performs a stellar version of this classic trick as an opener in front of the Queen of England! A great trick and a fabulous performer!!!

• McDonald's Aces

  This classic trick has four aces seemingly vanish before your eyes and then reappear in one spot. On the surface, McDonald's Aces (or in Copperfield's case Grandpa's Aces) appears to be just like any other four-ace card trick but Copperfield brings a story to the trick that centers on learning magic from his grandpa. What really sets this trick apart is how Copperfield handles the cards with a poetic tenderness to strong music which creates a powerful sleight of hand trick. He masters this trick with his typical finesse, down to how the Aces first appear out of the deck, and then miraculously vanish before your eyes. Stunning!

• Disappearing Deck

  A staple for every magician, the Disappearing Deck uses expert sleight of hand with misdirection to astonish the participant. In this case, an unsuspecting morning show news anchor is wowed by "Grand Prix World Champion of Magic" Shawn (aka. Steve, haha) Farquhar who, with a snap of his fingers, makes the deck THAT IS IN THE PARTICIPANT'S HANDS disappear. It is unbelievably replaced by a clear, plastic square the same size as the deck! Watch the newscaster flip out.

• Torn and Restored Card

  Tearing things up and destroying items such as newspaper, napkins, dollar bills and cards, and then making them one piece again, is a classic magic trick. A great trick to do with smaller audiences or just a few people. While not the most dynamic performance of this trick, Guy Hollingworth performs his amazing version of a torn and restored playing card. He calls it "The Reformation" and it ups the ante by using A SIGNED CARD. He rips the card in FOUR PIECES and then piece by piece puts the card back together. No glue, no tape, no camera tricks! Clever, and oh so very difficult to do.

Top 10 Best Card Tricks Ever

• 10. Cards Across

  There are so many great card tricks and it is such a difficult choice to rate these tricks but we did NOT want to leave this trick out. This is performed by Las Vegas Magician Mac King and is a standard piece from his repertoire. (BTW, when you're in Nevada next, he has one of the best magic shows in Las Vegas and by far the best value. Period!) Like most of the tricks on this page, there are endless variations but here Mac has three magically vanish and reappear. A great trick and GREAT PRESENTATION! (Be sure to watch his bonus 30 second finale but don't blink...)

• 9. Card in Box

  The highly-respected and creative magician among magicians Tommy Wonder sits unsuspecting guests at a table and shows his guests a small box and then pulls out a deck of cards. (Jump to minute 3 in the video.) After some shuffling and announcing that one card is missing, the magician asks one guest to choose a card and flip it over from a neatly spread deck. Low and behold, the chosen card is the same as the one in the.. You guessed it. In THE box! Not just the same card but THE SIGNED CARD as well. Truly mind-bending!

• 8. Out of this World

  The all around magician Michael Ammar, in this unbelievable trick, takes a normal deck of cards, has a participant go through them, and with his mighty power of impression, works some magic. (Jump to second 25 on the video.) While using the participant's power of impression to correctly place face-down cards into piles of red and black, the cards unbelievably match the piles "except for two" the two cards the magician wrote down would be misplaced BEFORE the trick even started. It's pretty awesome.

• 7. Oil and Water

  The great Argentinian sleight of hand master René Lavand not only performs this astounding trick but does it ONE-HANDED!!! Although he is not speaking English, the magic speaks for itself. He sits at a table with his closest friends (or bitter enemies) when he busts out a deck of cards, cuts the deck then selects six cards; three black and three red. He mixes the six cards in a red-black pattern, face-down and then flips them over to show they're actually in groups of red or black and not a pattern. He repeats the trick again and again, only slooowwer for those of us at home. The last time, he does the trick with the whole deck and the entire deck is perfectly aligned by color. Unbelievable! Check out René on the Best Card Magicians Ever list.

• 6. Sam the Bellhop

  An ancient plot in card magic but Bill Malone (master teacher and glitterati performer) wows the table of guests with a delightful story of Sam the Bellhop and the 654 Club. (Jump to second 20 in the video to get started.) As the story goes, Malone and guests shuffle the cards LOTS yet each face-down top card matches numbers in the story, with repeat numbers of 6, 5 and 4. A fun and super astonishing trick.

• 5. Card on Ceiling

  Michael Ammar is at it again... (Jump to minute 2:30 in the video above.) He starts by having an unsuspecting spectator choose a card and sign it. He has the card put back in the deck and rubber bands the deck together, locking in the chosen card. The audience's attention is called to the ceiling before the magician throws the deck at the ceiling causing the signed card to stick... to... the... CEILING! Somehow, it escaped the rubber banded deck AND somehow stuck to the ceiling! WHAT?!?!?

• 4. Chicago Opener

  "The Magician's Magician" Daryl demonstrates this classic by shuffling a deck of cards and turning it face down, then ask an audience member to choose a card (any card, really!) The chosen card is shown to the audience but not the magician, then placed back into the deck face down. Daryl declares that one card will change color. Sure enough, when spreading out the cards, face down, one card has a blue back in the red deck. And the odd card? The same one that was chosen but originally had a red back!!! Then the trick is repeated for a very surprising finish. Watch carefully!

• 3. Invisible Deck

  This episode of the Ellen Show has an audience member do an amazing card trick. It all starts with the magician asking Ellen to shuffle an imaginary, some would say, invisible deck of cards. Ellen chooses an imaginary card and returns it face-down to the face-up "INVISIBLE" deck. The magician, who magically has an actual box of cards in his hand, (say what!?!?) asks Ellen what card she chose. Miraculously, the chosen card is face down in the middle of the deck. A true miracle and true classic of card magic with the presentation directly from Don Alan 60 years ago!

• 2. Card to Impossible Location

  One of the greatest card magicians EVER, Jimmy Grippo shuffles a deck and has a participant choose a card from the deck and show everyone before returning it and shuffling the deck again. (Start at minute 4:10 on the video.) Through an honest feat of magic, Jimmy declares the right card will fly up his sleeve. And like some kind of wizard, he pulls the chosen card from his inside jacket pocket. The trick is repeated with a signed card with equally amazing results. Check out Jimmy on the Greatest Card Magicians list! This is one of Jimmy's examples of "card to impossible location".

  SOOOooo, are you ready for the Best Magic Card Trick ever? DRUM ROLL, PLEASE...

• 1. Card through Glass

  YOU MUST WATCH THIS VIDEO to experience the Greatest Card Trick of ALL TIME!

  On a Japanese magic tv series, TV Star Cyril Takayama has a participant choose a card and show everyone including the magician (yes, it's part of the trick.) (Jump to second 24 in the video.) The participant signs the card then returns it to the deck. (Yes, yes, you've seen up to this part a million times.) The magician then throws the deck at a fish tank and one card appears to stick to the INSIDE of the tank. And guess what? It's the signed card!!! THEN, he retrieves the card in an amazing way...

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There are a plethora of amazing card magic tricks and this list contains ten of our favorite classics. If you would like to experience the larger side of magical effects, check out the Best Magic Tricks of all time.

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