October is here, and with it comes the season of the strange and mysterious. Ghost sightings are regular, urban legends run rampant and witchcraft rules the alleyways. In this season of dark magic, you can now amaze your friends with some magic of your own.
It doesn’t matter who they are; people like card tricks. Whether the card flies out of the deck or stares them in the face, a well executed trick will amaze anyone. Contained in this article is a step-by-step guide to a trick for any skill level, called “The Mind-Reader,” that is sure to be a hoot at any social gathering.
For this trick, you only need access to a deck of cards. You will want a completely normal deck (not a trick deck – those are for experts). Before you find a willing volunteer, you will need to practice this trick a few times first. Simply perform the role of your volunteer when practicing.
1) The first step of the trick is to give the deck a good shuffle. This will give the impression that you have no idea where any certain card is. In truth, you will actually know what the bottom card of the deck is. Either make sure to keep that card on the bottom while you shuffle, or sneak a peek afterwards. Make sure you remember it, or the trick won’t work.

2) Fan out the deck facedown in front of you. Have the volunteer pick a random card from the fan. While they memorize their card, gather the rest of the deck together in your hand. When your volunteer is done with their card, have them put it on top of the deck.

2.5) Once you’re a bit more comfortable with the trick and deck handling, you can give the deck a few more shuffles here, but make sure to keep the top card on the top and the bottom card on the bottom!

3) Ask your volunteer where they want to cut the deck. Grab the deck at the indicated position, and put the bottom half on top of the deck. The audience still doesn’t know where their card is, but you now know exactly what to look for.

4) Flip the deck over and begin to thumb through the cards one at a time. Tell your volunteer that you will read their mind and know when they see their card. In reality, you are actually going to be looking for the card you memorized earlier. It was on the bottom, but will now be sitting on top of the volunteer’s card (since you cut the deck). When you see your card, the card before it will be your volunteer’s. Show a few more cards, then drop their card on the table and finish with the classic, “Is this your card?”

Once you have your trick down, find a willing volunteer for your trick; a friend or family member who isn’t too cynical is a good choice. Pull out your deck and get ready to wow them with some simple yet impressive magic. You are now on your way to wizardry.