The field guide
The Principles
Card magic runs on a small set of gorgeous ideas. Learn the secret behind the secret, and the whole library starts to make sense.
The Key Card
Know one card, and you secretly know its neighbour.
The Force
Free choice that isn't — the spectator takes the card you want.
The Spelling Principle
Deal one card per letter and a card's own name finds it.
Mathematical Placement
Self-working arithmetic that runs the trick for you.
The Glimpse
Secretly learn a card's identity in a fraction of a second.
The False Shuffle
Shuffle in full view while the order never changes.
The Pre-Arranged Stack
Secretly order the pack and miracles run themselves.
The Nikola Card System
A full memorized deck for an evening of impossibilities.
One-Way Back Design
Backs that point one way betray any reversed card.
The Reversed Card
One card face-up in a face-down pack — pure drama.
The Short Card
One card trimmed a hair short becomes a built-in locator.
The Slick (Slippery) Card
A polished card the pack slides apart at on its own.
The Diachylon (Adhesive) Principle
A whisper of stickiness makes two cards behave as one.
The Double-Back Card
A card with two backs and no face — a perfect liar.
The Double-Face Card
One card that is two cards, depending which way it falls.
The Svengali Principle
Every other card the same, secretly short — instant forces.
The Mene-Tekel Principle
Secret duplicate pairs and short cards that find any choice.
The Stripper (Tapered) Pack
A tapered pack you can strip and cut to chosen cards by touch.
The Dual Principle ('You Do As I Do')
Two packs, one secret glimpse, an impossible match.