Magic 21 2/5 (1)

Effect: Spectator chooses a card in a pile of 21, puts it back, and shuffles it. After a series of maneuvers, you somehow magically have their card!

Method

Take a pile of ordinary cards, and take out 21. The spectator takes 1 card, memorizes it, and shuffles it back in anyway they want.

You then separate the cards into three piles: put the first card on pile one, second on pile two, third on pile three, fourth on pile one, fifth on pile two… and so on, making sure they overlap each other a bit. (This makes it easier.)

Tell the spectator to pick which pile his/her card is on. Taking care to keep the cards in order, place the spectator’s pile in the center. Repeat two more times, three times in total. Then, place the cards, face down, any way you want. Count to the number 11, and that card is their card. Tell them to draw a line through the spaces between the cards, and take away the section that does not include the card. Repeat until there is only one card left. The spectator flips it over… and it is their card!