Mental Tricks

These are the tricks where you don’t just find the card, you seem to read it straight out of someone’s head. Mind reading, predictions and a little bit of theater. They’re some of the strongest things you can do with a deck, because the spectator never sees you do anything.

Behind the curtain, the methods are often simple. A glimpsed card, a choice that only looks free, a prediction you write after you already know the answer, or a friend who knows a secret code. In tricks like ESP and On Tap your partner leaves the room and still picks out the right card, thanks to a signal nobody notices.

What really sells mental tricks is your manner. Slow down. Look at the spectator, not the cards. Act like it’s hard work, and occasionally get a detail “almost” right before you nail it. Practice the talking as much as the method, and if you’re working with a partner, rehearse your signals until they’re invisible.

Start with Mind Reader, which uses a sneaky choice that always lands where you want, then try Psychic Prediction and The Predictive Ace. For tricks that lean more on remembering than reading, have a look at Memory Tricks.

The Teleporting Joker – A Stunning Intermediate Card Trick Intermediate — October 24, 2024
A chosen card appears to teleport across the deck with the help of a joker. The trick rewards smooth misdirection and a good story.
The Predictive Ace – A Powerful Mind-Reading Card Trick Easy — October 24, 2024
You convince the audience you have predicted the future when their freely selected card matches your written prediction. It is easy to learn and needs no advanced sleight of hand.
The Impossible Location – A Stunning Mentalism Card Trick Intermediate — August 15, 2024
You memorize a few cards while shuffling and spread the deck face up. A spectator only thinks of a card, and you name and locate it with uncanny precision.
The Time Traveler’s Triumph – A Mystical Card Trick Intermediate — April 5, 2024
A spectator’s chosen card disappears and then reappears somewhere unexpected, as if you bent time. No advanced sleight of hand is needed.
The Mirrored Mind Reader – A Card Trick that Amazes Intermediate — March 30, 2024
A spectator places a card on the deck and cuts, losing it in the shuffle. You then appear to read their mind and reveal the card they chose.
The Mathematical Mind-Melder – A Card Trick That Defies Logic Easy — February 14, 2024
A spectator selects a card and you apparently read their mind through counting and calculation, then reveal their card as the next one in the deck.
ESP Easy — December 7, 2018
A card is chosen from nine face down while your assistant is out. They return and tell which one was chosen, reading your thumb.
Telepathy Easy — December 1, 2018
A spectator’s card is returned at random, and then you count off a few cards and reveal the one they were thinking of. It looks like true telepathy.
Think About It Intermediate — October 12, 2018
After the deck is cut, a spectator takes a card and looks at it without showing you. You use mind reading to name it. It needs a prearranged deck.
Easy Eights Easy — October 7, 2018
Eight cards are laid out in the pattern of an eight. A spectator chooses one and the accomplice correctly names it with a bit of pointing.
Keith’s Trick Share Easy — July 15, 2018
A spectator picks a card from the piles while you are out of the room. When you return, you find it from a hidden signal given by your assistant.
Deck Predictor Easy — June 7, 2018
After the deck is mixed, a spectator cuts it and looks at one card. The magician then uses mind-reading to tell them exactly what it was.
On Tap Easy — June 1, 2018
Nine cards are laid in a three-by-three grid and a spectator chooses one. Your assistant returns to the room and picks out the chosen card.
Mind Reader Easy — May 1, 2018
You secretly look at the top card, and a spectator makes a series of choices that appear free. They always end up choosing the very card you were looking at.
Psychic Prediction Intermediate — February 19, 2018
A spectator stops you anywhere in the deck, yet you name the card at that spot. It looks like pure mind reading but is much easier than it sounds.
Paper and Predictions Intermediate — February 16, 2018
A folded prediction is handed to a spectator before anything happens. After a random cut and a count, the last card turned over matches it exactly.
Calling The Shots Intermediate — January 30, 2018
A guest draws cards from the top of the deck unseen, and the magician calls out the identity of every card before it is turned over.
Mind Reader II Intermediate — January 21, 2018
A spectator chooses suits and groups of cards in a sequence of apparently free choices. In the end the deck is narrowed to a single card, which you reveal.
9 Cards Easy — January 18, 2018
A spectator picks one of nine cards while one magician is away. When he returns, he names the card from the other magician's questions alone.
Assistance Needed Intermediate — January 5, 2018
An assistant leaves while an audience member points to one of ten cards. Back in the room, the assistant names it correctly as you point to cards.