If you’ve ever been to New York City you’ve seen the classic three-card monte scam. But how does it work? If you have been following the “Understanding Magic” series, you are now familiar with a number of techniques that magicians use with cards. The three-card monte scam lets you learn a new one, as shown [...]

Lennart Green is a master magician, as you can see in the following TED video. The first four minutes are a little slow, but by minute five he is rolling: There are a dozen or more separate techniques displayed in this video, so let’s pick one. It’s called the snap deal, as demonstrated in this [...]

Here is a very simple card trick that could earn you a lot of money in bar bets. Really. And it doesn’t involve any sleight of hand at all. Watch him perform the trick, and then pause the video when he gets done, at the 2 minute point: Admit it – it is a good [...]

This is another card trick that looks impossible. Yet, with just a little instruction in a sleight-of-hand maneuver, anyone can learn to do it: How does this trick work? The key, as discussed in the video, is the use of a technique called the Elmsley Count. It is explained in this video: Another explanation of [...]

The following trick is described as the best card trick in the world, and it truly is a great card trick: Watch it. Then watch it again if you like. Stare at the blue card the whole time and see if he somehow obscures it or switches it. It is an amazing trick – perfectly [...]