The Next Next Card

by Chris M. Wilcox

This effect is my personal variation of “The Next Card”, the classic card trick in which dealing is stopped at the chosen card, via key card. I have found that it has the ability to amaze and entertain any audience when performed properly. It may be a good follow-up to “The Next Card”; I haven’t tried that yet. Practice the presentation on this one; there aren’t really any hard moves to master. Good luck!

Effect

A card is chosen by a spectator and returned to the deck. Cards are dealt face up onto the table. The magician stops dealing and reveals that the next card is the spectator’s card. He puts that card face down on the pile of face up cards. The half of the deck still in the magician’s hand is given a quick shuffle and the magician begins dealing cards face up on top of the face-down chosen card. The magician tells a spectator to stop his dealing whenever he wants. The spectator does so and the remaining portion of cards in the magician’s hands is once again shuffled. The magician turns over the top card of the packet in his hand, showing that it is the chosen card. When the spectator searches through the pile of cards for his face down card, he finds that it has changed. It must be magic!

Method

Have a card selected and shown to the audience. Pull the bottom half of the deck out from under the top half. With the cards held in your hand, use the index finger to motion for the spectator to return his card on the original top half. As you do this, your pointing hand should be holding the cards with their backs toward the spectator in a vertical position. In this position, it is simple to do the glide, thus sighting the second card from the bottom. All this should be done in a matter of seconds. Once the spectator has returned the card, drop the original bottom half on top of it. You should now have one card between the spectator’s card and the card which you glimpsed.

Holding the cards face down, deal cards onto the table, flipping them face up as you deal. Once you reach the glimpsed card stop dealing. Do a double lift, showing the spectator’s card. Replace it on the deck and deal the top card (which seems to be theirs) face down on the face up pile.

Do a short overhand shuffle, bringing the spectator’s card to the bottom. Continue to deal cards face up on the pile, covering what seems to be the spectator’s card. When an audience member calls stop, stop dealing and give the pile of cards in your hand another overhand shuffle, bringing the spectator’s card to the top. Deal this card face up on the table and watch the amazed looks appear on the audience members’ faces. Have the first spectator search through and find the face down card in the pile on the table. When he does, he will find that it is not his card.

Notes

I’ve found that the trick is strengthened by making it seem as though, once you’ve stopped at the selected card, the trick has ended. The last part, dealing face up cards on top, should be done as an afterthought, so to speak (“Hmm, maybe we could try something else here….”).

To avoid having the card flash when it’s on the bottom of the portion held in the hand, peel off the top and bottom cards together in the first shuffle, sending the card to second from the bottom, and shuffle off. Continue with the dealing procedure, as described above, then repeat the shuffle, peeling top and bottom cards together. The chosen card is back on top. Finish as described. This can be very effective in suspicious company.