Do you consider yourself to be something of a “whizz” when it comes to casino table games, be it the ever-popular Texas Hold’em online or blackjack in person? If so, whether you’re a fan of online casino games and online poker or if you’ve had plenty of practice playing blackjack at a casino, you probably know your way around a deck of cards. You also probably have a signature shuffle outside of the casino that always leaves your friends and relatives in awe. But how many clever and cool card tricks do you currently have up your sleeve?

If your strategy and your poker face are up to par but your card tricks are lacking, here are a few ideas for some impressive, fun and easy card tricks for beginners to add to your arsenal. It’s never been simpler to impress your fellow gamblers with cardistry (the art of card flourishing) by learning how to do card tricks!

The impossible three-card trick

This easy card trick will have your participant believing that you’ve actually managed to read their mind when all you’ve really done is applied a bit of logic, stayed focused and been just a little bit sneaky.

1. Take the ace of spades, queen of hearts and ace of clubs out of the deck and put them face-up on the table in that specific order from left to right.
2. Turn away from the person and ask them to mentally select one of these three cards.
3. Next, ask them to pick up the two remaining cards, show them to the audience (if anyone else is watching) and switch their positions before turning all the cards face down.
4. Turn around to face the person and request that they mix all three of the cards casino-style, being careful to keep your eye on the card in the middle.
5. Once they’re done, flip over that middle card. If it’s the ace of clubs, you can deduce that they chose the ace of spades. If it’s the ace of spades, then they selected the ace of clubs, and if it’s the queen of hearts, then they mentally selected the queen of hearts.
6. Flip over all the remaining cards and ask the person to visualize their chosen card once again as you “read their mind.” After a few seconds, to their astonishment, hand over their selected card.

Do as I do

This is a true classic card trick that is easier to master than it seems. To perform it, you’ll need two decks of cards, preferably different brands with different designs.

1. Remove all jokers from both decks.
2. Place the decks on a table and ask your participant to choose the one they prefer.
3. Ask them to “do as I do” as you start shuffling the cards.
4. Take a moment to quickly look at and take note of the bottom card of your deck. Let’s say it’s the queen of diamonds, for example.
5. Inform your participant that you’re not using a trick deck or any sleight of hand and exchange decks with them as proof.
6. Next, tell your participant to cut off half the deck and place those cards to their right. Note that you should perform all these instructions alongside your participant using your new deck.
7. Ask them to take the top card from the other pile, memorize it and put it on top of the cards to their right.
8. They should then grab the pack on the left and put the cards on top of the half-deck on their right. It sounds complex, but this will result in the participant placing their chosen card strategically right next to your memorized card (the queen of diamonds) from the very beginning of the trick.
9. Swap decks once again and tell the participant to find their memorized card in their deck, remove it and place it face down on the table. You’ll do the same, looking for the queen of diamonds so that you can remove the card to its right – the card selected by your participant – and place it face down in front of them.
10. With a flourish, turn over both cards to show how you’ve both chosen the same card from the two different decks.  

Amazing Aces

Aces aren’t only amazing in poker tournaments and in our tips and strategies for beginner poker players. They’re also great in this sleight-of-hand illusion. This trick is extremely simple, although quite easy to figure out if your participant stops to think for a bit! Regardless, it’s still sure to be impressive in the moment and heaps of fun.

1. Before your participant arrives, take out the four aces and put them right at the bottom of the deck.
2. To begin the trick, hand the deck over to your participant and ask them to deal the cards into four separate piles one at a time and in sequence – i.e., one card per pile per round.
3. Once they’re done, instruct them to turn over the top card of each pile. If done correctly, the participant should reveal all four aces.

Pick a card, any card

If you’ve ever watched a magician at work, chances are good that you’ve witnessed this classic card trick! Now it’s time to learn how to perform it yourself.

1. Start the card trick by presenting a fanned-out deck of cards to your participant, instructing them to “pick a card, any card.”
2. Tell them to memorize their selected card as you close up the fan and split the deck in half, taking a split second to glance at the bottom card of the top half.
3. Request that the participant returns their card to the top of the bottom half of the deck before placing the other half on top.
4. Turn the deck around and fan the cards out once again, this time facing you.
5. Go through the deck until you spot the card you saw earlier. Your participant’s card will be the one next to it, closest to the bottom of the deck.
6. Pull it out and revel in their amazement!

The one-handed cut

A list of cardistry would not be complete without card shuffling tricks. We’ve kept it simple with the one-handed cut (also known as the Charlier Cut,) a relatively simple but still great shuffling trick to add to your card skills.

1. Begin with a deck in one hand with your palm facing upwards.
2. The next step is to raise the deck from your palm by squeezing the ends together gently, and then hold it using a claw grip. That is your thumb on the one side, two of your fingers on the opposite side, your pinky along the bottom and your index finger along the top.
3. Using your index finger, split the deck at the desired location from the top while slightly releasing pressure along the cards in the bottom half with your thumb. Let the bottom half of the deck fall into your palm while maintaining a firm grip on the top half.
4. Using your index finger, slowly start to push the edge of the bottom half of the deck that’s closest to your fingertips up and along the bottom of the top half of the deck. This will result in a “V” shape if done correctly.
5. Finally, let the top half of the deck (the half of the deck you’ve been supporting with your two fingers and pinky) fall into your palm and let the bottom half of the deck (the half of the deck you’ve been supporting with your thumb and palm) fall on top.

Play the best casino games at Borgata Online

Once you’ve got your card trick skills down pat, you might be keen to spruce up your other card skills by playing a few online casino games at an online casino of your choice. Here at Borgata Online, we specialize in casino table games and live dealer games to keep you entertained whenever the mood takes you. It’s the perfect place to learn how to play casino card games like online poker, blackjack, baccarat and more.

Register via our convenient mobile portal to get started.