Magic Tricks

I'm a pro and despite being able to entertain for hours with an ordinary deck, I always open with this.

It has so many virtues.

-It's versatile.
-Seems to happen in the spectator's hands (with the right blocking and scripting)
-Can be as short as 20 seconds, or several minutes of entertainment

It's best if you get the participant to name 3 or more cards before finally deciding on one.

Doing this prevents the explanation, "Oh, everyone must think of 2 of spades." Of course that's an absurd explanation and not the method, but you don't want to give your spectator any such "I might know how that was done" feeling.

Getting them to name multiple cards first also affords you the ability to involve the whole group.

I got this idea from magician Whit Hayden in Chicago Surprise. At the end of that excellent book (only the first edition), there was his patter for Brainwave deck.

Something about getting them to think of multiple cards before finally deciding on one really seems to cement the impossibility of this.

I get this black deck version because black bicycles look very classy. A little more "grown up" than reds, and much more grown up than the blues.

I still use an ordinary red bicycle deck (in a black bicycle box), and I don't worry AT ALL about anyone noticing the discrepancy. After hundreds of professional performances, not a single person has noticed (apparently).

Also, I use Bicycle Elite Edition Playing Cards (Red 12 Deck Brick) which I get on Penguin. They are about $3 per deck, and they are decidedly better than standard bicycle cards. If they came in black, then I'd get them in black, but they come in red or blue.