How is card trick done where you toss a card in front of someone & have that someone correctly guess it?

Question

I am specifically asking about a trick done by Gerard Senehi as described in the article in NY Magazine at http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/culture/features/n_8629/ It says: [I quote article] "Senehi pulls out a deck of cards and lingers in front of Dan for a moment. Then, in a grand, deliberate motion, he throws a card face-down on the table.

“I want you to try to name that card.”

Dan looks up at Senehi and then back at the card.

“No way . . . ”

“Name it. Don’t think. Just name it.”

Dan defiantly takes his time. Then he looks Senehi in the eye. “Three of clubs.”

“Turn it over.”

“No way . . . ”

“Turn it over.”

It’s the three of clubs.

“No way. No way, no way, no way.”

Senehi is giggling helplessly. [end of quote]

It seems the most simple yet impossible card trick ever. I have spent about 2 hours googling and yahooing it with key words and cannot find anything. Anyone have any idea? Thanks

Answer 1

There is a trick much like this one that I do a lot on the street. I have someone pick a card randomly from the center of the deck. I make sure that NO ONE not even them, has seen it. I tell them to place it in their pocket, and I put the cards back in my pocket. Then I tell them that they are going to predict the card they've chosen. I ask a few questions, and tell them to name the card in their pocket. They name a card and It is ALWAYS the card in their pocket. Totally amazing trick! People go absolutely nuts.

I well tell you how to do it only through email. You can get mine from my profile.

Answer 2

There are many ways such a trick could be done, but the most obvious is that Dan knew before hand what card was going to be thrown down.

The article didnt come up for me, but I am assuming that Dan is the reporter. You see, this is how magicians create the myth of great magic tricks.

Another example of such a myth is David Copperfield making the statue of liberty disappear. He never did it. Everyone in the audience was a plant in that trick and the whole thing was basically fake. However, to the viewing audience who could see that the live audience was amazed, and it appeared to them it was a success, it seemed amazing. The flaw in thinking is that it must be real, because the live audience looked stunned.

Involving members of the audience, especially ones that noone would expect, like the reporter covering the trick, is a great way to perpetuate the myth of such an amazing trick.

Answer 3

I don't know how it works but

somehow sometimes I can guess

cards correctly again and again

without seeing them I practiced to get this skill

It doesn't seem logical but maybe there are parts

of our brain we normally don't use I don't understand it

myself