HOCUS POCUS

Baffle your friends with this simple and automatic card trick.

Effect

Twenty-one cards are dealt on to the table and one is thought of by the spectator. After a short process of dealing the cards, the magic words “Hocus Pocus” are used to find the selection.

This is one of the best known card tricks, but it amazes everyone who sees it.

Method

Although the principle and method are mathematical, it requires no skill or mathematics on the part of the magician. Better still, it works every single time as long as the steps are follwed in the correct order. Try this out with the cards in hand and you may even amaze yourself!

Deal three cards face up from left to right.
	Deal another three cards in exactly the same way.  Continue until you have three columns of seven cards - 21 cards in total.  Ask the spectator to remember any one of the cards.  In our example, the chosen card is the the Jack of Spades.
Ask the spectator to tell you which column the chosen card is in.  (In our example, it is in column number three.)  Pick up one of the other piles, then pick up the chosen pile and place it on top.  Finally, pick up the last pile, adding it to the others.  Remember, the golden rule: the chosen pile must be placed in the middle of the other two.
	Deal three cards from the top of the packet, as you did in the beginning.
Continue dealing until all the cards have once again been dealt.
	Ask the spectator to confirm which column their card is in this time. As before, pick up all three columns, ensuring that the chosen column goes between the other two.
Re-deal the cards in exactly the same fashion as before. Ask the spectator one final time which column contains their card. Collect the cards as before.
	Turn the cards face down and explain that to find the selected card you need to use the ancient magic words “Hocus Pocus”.  Deal the cards on to the table, spelling out loud one letter for each card. The very next card will be the one selected. Ask for the name of the chosen card and turn the top card over to show that the selection has been found and that the magic word has worked.

Tip

After the process of dealing has been repeated three times, the mentally selected card will automatically be the eleventh card down from the topof the face-down packet.  This means you could use any word with ten or eleven letters to find the selection, so with a little thought you can personalize this trick.  You may be able to use your name, your spectator’s name or the name of your company.

You could also use any 21 uniquely identifiable items instead of playing cards.  For example, birthday cards at a birthday party or perhaps even people at a large gathering where there is sufficient available space, such as a hall or garden.