'Flipper'

Today's trick is one I like to call 'Flipper' hence the title of the blog post. Good ol' David Blaine performed this card trick on one of his TLC specials. If you haven't noticed, I really like doing the tricks that he does. Flipper is a trick that everyone who sees it gets to take part in it. So it is not just a one on one trick but could be a one on countless people trick. If you don't understand what I mean, I will explain in a bit.

This was one of David's opening tricks where the spectators who he was doing it for were the viewers at home. The trick is a simple one but captivates everyone who sees it. He holds the deck of cards up to the video camera and tells the viewers to think of the card they see first as he flips through the deck. He flips through the deck very quickly, to fast for anyone to really see a specific card, so he does it again. This time, everyone at home picked a card. David than reveals the card we saw. Look at the video below to check it out.



Setup: So for the setup of the trick you need 52 of the exact same cards... but not really. You see, the only setup you need for this trick is to shave off a bit of the top of a card and place it in front of a card you want the spectators to see. You usually want to pick a very distinguishable card like the 4 of Hearts or queen of diamonds. The card you are shaving doesn't have to be any specific card.
It is best to put the 2 setup cards near the top of the deck as well.

Performance: Now I'm not going to lie, there will be on occasion where someone does see a different card. But 9 out of 10 times, they will see the one you want them to. So, the performance is a pretty easy one. Someone who has never attempted any kind of magic trick can do this one. It is best to flip through the deck pretty quickly the first time and ask them if they gt a card. When you do it the second time, because one of the cards is shaved at the top, you will stop for a split second on the card you want them to see making them choose it. From this point forward, you could do a little acting job by asking them to tell you their card in their head and pretend to actually receive it.
You could narrow it down by saying things like" Now, I know its not a black card so that leaves us obviously with a red one. I couldn't fully hear what you said in your head but from what I got from it, it wasn't a face with a number on it. That leaves us with 4 choices and what I understood was you said diamonds. I believe the card you saw was the Queen..the Queen of Diamonds."

You can finish the routine which ever way you want. If your not into making up a bunch of stuff you could just say what their card was right off. It is completely up to you. There will be times when the pick the wrong card, but the best thing you can do is just move on to someone else and to not fret about it. But when this trick is done, and everything goes the way it is suppose to, than you have a sweet trick to use on your hands.

practice,practice,perform The 3 P's
And to be afraid to click on some of the magic ads on the side and down below. They are from Google so don't worry, they are not viruses. Definitely check out the card around body link. I will upload a video and explanation of how to do it later on.