How to Perform a Card Force Trick

Co-authored by Zach Waldman

Last Updated: April 15, 2024

Whether you’re looking to build a business network, make friends or just be the life of the party, magic can be a unique way to break the ice. One basic illusion that’s sure to impress is a card force trick. By performing a card force trick, you’ll guess a card a volunteer has drawn from a normal deck at random. You can accomplish this a few different ways.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Setting the Stage

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1
Find your audience. You'll need someone to perform your magic trick for. Search out a group of people to amaze.
- Look for people who seem friendly and open to your performance.
- Avoid people who seem reclusive or groups in the middle of serious conversation.
2
Approach your audience confidently and introduce yourself. Be sure to smile warmly so they feel relaxed in your presence. When addressing a group, position yourself so everyone can see you.
- Speak loudly enough for them to hear you.
- Make eye contact as you talk.
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3
Pick a volunteer. Politely tell your audience that you’d like to perform a magic trick for them. Tell them you’ll need a volunteer. Learn the relationship between the people in your crowd. If they're coworkers, you'll likely want to pick the boss. Confident people tend to make better volunteers and will play along to entertain their employees.
- Find out your volunteer's name and introduce her to the crowd to make her feel like part of the show. Say "This is Anna (her name), and she'll be helping me perform today."
- Be firm when choosing a volunteer. Point at them and say "I want you to help me." Don't give them a chance to say no or the rest of the audience will think they can say no as well.
4
Fan the cards. Say “As you can see, these are in no particular order.” Sneak a peek at the last card in the fan. That’s the card you’ll be forcing on your volunteer. Shuffle the cards a few more times but be sure to keep the force card last in the fan.
- With your cards fanned out face up, the force card will be at the bottom.
- Remember your force card, it's the card you'll be making your volunteer choose later on.
5
Reform the deck. Flip it over so that the cards are now facing down. The force card is now the top card in the deck.
- Now that you know the position of your force card, you're ready to perform the force.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Performing a Count Force

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1
Have the volunteer pick a number between one and ten. Say, “Do exactly as I do. Count down off the top of this deck like one, two, three, four, five (the number they choose) and deal a card face down for each number that you count.”
- People will rarely pick one. If they do have them pick again.
- The idea behind having your volunteer choose a number is making her feel like she is in control of the outcome of the trick.^{[1]
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2
Pick up the pile of cards you have just dealt. Keep them face down. Put them back on top of the deck. If your volunteer has chosen the number five, your force card will now be the fifth card in the deck.
- By rearranging the cards, you are creating the illusion that you are further randomizing the order of the cards.
3
Make the volunteer repeat your actions. She will be reversing what you have just done and bringing the force card back to the top of the deck. Have her place her stack back on top of the deck.
- Talk to your audience during this part of the trick not only to keep them entertained but also to distract them from the fact that your volunteer has just reversed your actions.
- Jokes can be a great way to distract your audience during this part of the trick, but don’t force it. Showcase your personality.^{[2]
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4
Have the volunteer take the card on top of the deck. Tell her to look at the card. Let her show it to the crowd. If you've done the trick correctly, she will be holding your force card.
- Make sure she doesn't let you see the card. You can even hide your eyes. You want it to be clear to the audience that you cannot see the card.
5
Guess her card correctly. In a magnificent gesture, ask her, "Is the card you're holding the three of spades (your force card)?" The crowd will be amazed!
- Exclaim the card loud enough for everyone to hear you. Make a production of it.
- This is your big moment, play it up.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Performing a Riffle Force

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1
Position your hands. Hold the deck face up between your thumb and ring finger with your first two fingers gently grasping the force card. Hold your deck so that there is a one inch slant separating the top card from the bottom card.
- The top card should be angled towards you and the bottom card should be angled away from you.
2
Pull your force card towards you. With the cards face up, your force card will be the bottom card in the deck. Gently pull it until it is parallel with the top card in the deck. Don't let your audience see you separate the force card from the rest of the deck. Hold your other hand lightly around the cards to help hide your movements.
- Limit the movement of your fingers.
- This requires finger dexterity. See the movement from your audience's viewpoint by trying it out in the mirror over and over again until it looks believable.
3
Say, "tell me when to stop." Riffle through the slanted part of the deck over your forefinger. Go slowly to give your volunteer plenty of time to stop you. Continue to keep your force card hidden as you riffle through the deck.
- Typically, you want your volunteer to stop you somewhere in the middle of the deck.
4
Place your first two fingers on the bottom of your force card and your thumb on top of the deck. When she says stop, pull the cards in your top hand out of the deck along with your force card. Use your other thumb to hold the rest of the cards in place.
- Be smooth. Your force card should meet the other cards in midair.
- This action requires speed in performance, but try it in slow motion several times alone and then increase pace.^{[3]
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5
Flip the cards you have just riffled through, along with your force card, so that they are facing downward. Put them on the table. Take the remaining cards out of the deck and set them aside. The force card should now be on top of the deck.
- This must be a very quick motion so that your audience doesn't see you have added the force card.
6
Have your volunteer take the card on top of the deck. Have her look at the card. Tell her to show it to the crowd. If you've done the trick correctly, she will be holding your force card.
- Remind her not to tell you what it is. Make sure it's clear to the audience that you cannot see the card.
7
Guess her card. In a brilliant display, ask her, "Is your card the three of spades (your force card)?" The audience will erupt with applause!
- A brief pause can be used to build suspense.
- Be a showman. Act like you're reading your volunteers mind and tease her whenever possible.

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Tips

Always speak in an excited tone. If your speech levels don’t vary, your audience will become bored.

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Finger work is everything.

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Be sure to thank your volunteer. Say "Let's give Anna a round of applause for being such a good sport."

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Warnings

Tell jokes, but don't say anything that could be offensive.

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Helpful 25 Not Helpful 7
Don’t panic. If for some reason things don’t go as planned, laugh it off.

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Grow thick skin. If you don’t get the response you’re looking for, don’t take it personally.

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Be aware of where you are. There are places where impromptu magic is inappropriate.

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