Easy Magic: Finding a Spectators Card

Effect: A classic plot in magic, you ask a spectator to select a card. You lose the card in the deck and then later find it. We teach a basic technique for locating a spectator's card.

Secret: You remember another card in the deck and place it near the spectator's card. Later, when you want to find the spectator's card, you simply look for your memorized card. Once you’ve identified the card, you can reveal it, or perform a magical effect such as the rising card. Magicians refer to the use of a card to track another as a "key card."

Materials: A deck of cards.

Preparation: Before you perform the trick, look at and remember the bottom card of the deck. In this case, the bottom card is the nine of spades.