Card on Chalkboard

Here's a trick you can perform in front of your whole class! Join magician Ryan Oakes as he shows you the incredible Card on Chalkboard trick. You might even stump your teacher with this one!

A normal deck of cards with a Joker
A duplicate card of your choosing from another deck
Double-sided tape
Standing blackboard or wall
Scissors

SOMETIMES WE USE MATERIALS THAT REQUIRE ADULT SUPERVISION…LIKE SCISSORS SO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE FRIENDS AND FAMILY AROUND WHENEVER YOU DO MAGIC TRICKS!

1. To prepare, select a card from your deck, then select a duplicate of that card from another deck. For this example, go with the nine of diamonds.
2. Take a piece of double-sided tape and stick it to the face of one of the nines of diamonds. Place it to the side so that you can hide it with your hand when you hold up the card later.
3. Stick the card somewhere on your chalkboard or a nearby wall completely out of site. Try to choose a place in the bottom corner behind where your friend will be standing.
4. In order for the trick to work, you’re going to have to secretly force your friend into choosing the other nine of diamonds. Take your Joker and cut the top right and bottom left corners so that they’re a little bit smaller and more rounded than the rest of the cards in the deck.
5. Place the Joker at the bottom of the deck, followed by the nine. Because of the now-rounded corners on the Joker, you’ll be able to flip to it anywhere in the deck.
6. To perform the trick, show the cards to your friend, with the Joker and nine secretly at the bottom. Cut the deck in the middle, bringing the bottom part of the deck to the top. Now you’re Joker and nine are in the middle of the deck.
7. Flip through the deck with your thumb until you reach the Joker. You’ll know you've hit it when you hear a slight 'pop.' You can also ask your friend to tell you when to stop and try and time it so you reach the Joker when he or she says it.
8. Remove the top part of the deck, taking the Joker with it, and ask your friend to choose the card on top of the bottom part. This will be the nine of diamonds.
9. After your friend looks at the card, flip through the deck again and ask your friend to tell you when to stop. Have him or her place the nine back into the deck where you stop.
10. Cut the cards a few more times to further lose the nine in the deck. At this point, it doesn’t matter where it is anymore because it has served it has purpose for the trick.
11. Next, throw the cards towards the blackboard over your friend’s shoulder. You can either throw the whole deck as one or you can curl the cards forward with your thumb and fingers, causing them to spring out towards the board.
12. When your friend turns around to follow the cards, he or she will notice one sticking to the board. Remove the card from the board, concealing the tape on it with your fingers.
13. Ask your friend what his or her card was, and then reveal the nine of diamonds to their amazement!