Learn The World’s Easiest Best Card Tricks

Learning a few easy card tricks is one of the best ways to amaze friends and family. It’s also a ton of fun! This is why so many celebrities are also magicians, like Neil Patrick Harris and Muhammad Ali.

Yet, the idea of visiting a magic shop, learning sleight of hand or learning magic tricks from magic books can be daunting for some. That’s why we’ve compiled some of our favorite simple magic card tricks for kids and adults.

magician jeff mcbride teaches easy card trick

These card magic tricks can be learned in less than 60 seconds and will make you look like a wizard at school or your next card game night (although, you might want to avoid showing off magic tricks at the poker table since some people might think you know how to cheat at cards).

Get ready to learn the world’s easiest best card tricks.


The Easiest Card Trick Ever

All you need is an ordinary deck of cards, like Bicycle Playing Cards or any of these best playing cards for magic tricks, to perform this amazing card trick.

  1. Allow your friend to shuffle the deck of cards.

  2. As they hand the deck back to you, quickly peek at the bottom card of the deck (we’ll use the 2 of Clubs as an example). Don’t stare. A quick glance is all you need.

  3. Fan the cards face down and allow them to select a card and memorize it.

  4. Cut the cards around the middle of the deck and place the top half on the table.

  5. Have them place their selected card face down on top of this half.

  6. Take the remaining cards in your hand and place them on top of everything. This secretly places the card you memorized (known as the “Key Card”) right above their chosen card.

  7. Look through the cards with the deck facing you and find the card to the RIGHT of your “Key Card”. This is their selected card.

  8. Pretend to struggle slightly before dramatically pulling the card from the spread and revealing that you impossibly found their chosen card.

easy card trick secret revealed


The Harry Potter Card Trick

This quick magic trick can be done anywhere with any deck of cards. Combine it with a few other easy magic tricks with coins or bar tricks and people will think you’re a real-life Harry Potter.

  1. Before the trick begins, you must secretly find out what card is on the top of the deck. You can either memorize it beforehand or let an audience member shuffle the cards, and then peek at the top card when you fan out the deck to show it’s been fairly mixed.

  2. Ask you friend to say a number between 0 and 10 out loud.

  3. Tell them that they’ll deal down that many cards

  4. As you tell them this, demonstrate it by quickly dealing down the number they said (e.g. 5). Then, pick up that pile and place it back on top of the deck. This secretly puts the card you memorized in the 5th position (or whatever number they chose).

  5. Hand them the deck and have them count down to their number and remember the card they land on (the card you secretly already know).

  6. Now, you can read their mind. But, don’t just blurt out the card. Slowly describe it in pieces as if you’re getting the information from their brain bit by bit. (e.g. “It’s a red card”, “It’s a heart, no wait, it’s a diamond!, “It’s a high card”, “Is it the Jack of Diamonds?”)



The Psychology of Card Magic

famous mentalist derren brown

Did you know that if you asked the average person to name any random playing card in a deck of cards, the majority of people would likely name the Ace of Spades or Queen of Hearts?

With a little creativity, you could use this information to turn a card trick into an easy mentalism trick that makes you look like a famous mentalist like Derren Brown or a mind reader like Patrick Jane from the TV show The Mentalist.



The Simple Card Trick Prediction

You can predict the future with this easy card trick for kids and adults that uses a basic card force known as the “Cut Deeper Force."

cut deeper force card magic basics

  1. Take your favorite playing card and secretly place it on top of the deck before the trick begins. Then, either write it down on a piece of paper, text it to a friend or find another creative way to make a prediction (e.g. posting an Instagram Story or TikTok video with the card in it).

  2. Put the cards on the table face down and instruct your volunteer to cut off about ¼ of the cards and turn them over, placing them face up back on top.

cut deeper card force secret revealed

  1. Then, instruct them to cut off a packet that is a little bit bigger than their first one. Once again, turning the whole pile over and placing it face up back on top.

  2. Push aside all the face-up cards until you reach the first face-down card (this will be the card you secretly know).

  3. Instruct them to turn over the card they cut to before revealing your prediction and proving you knew what playing card they would choose all along.


How to Learn Magic Tricks for Free

Looking to learn more about how to do magic tricks with cards? We got you covered!

Young male magician teaches young girl a magic trick

Check out these other helpful articles on how to learn card tricks and then register for our free card magic beginner course where you’ll learn a variety of card magic basics and amazing card tricks:

Free Beginner Card Magic Course