Tips on how to Carry out the Clock Card Trick (No Sleight of Hand)

This intelligent time-based card trick appears like pure magic — and it is easy to study with zero sleight of hand.

The Clock Card Trick makes use of a spectator’s freely chosen card, the present time, and a “clock” of playing cards to foretell their choice in a approach that appears utterly random. But behind the scenes, it is all about intelligent card placement, easy misdirection, and a little bit of timing.

You can carry out this trick flawlessly for those who can management a card to the highest of the deck and observe the hour and minute fingers on a clock. Use it to wow pals, begin conversations, or degree up your newbie magic abilities.

🎥 Watch the total tutorial to see how the trick is carried out and revealed.

The setup

Before beginning the trick, be aware of the present hour on a clock or telephone. This can be key to positioning the spectator’s card.

Begin by shuffling the deck and letting your spectator choose any card. As they memorize it, secretly management it to the highest of the deck. The video makes use of a Mahatma management, however any methodology that brings their card to the highest will work.

Once their card is on the high, carry out just a few false shuffles to keep up its place, then deal one card facedown onto the desk — this would be the first of 12 playing cards forming your “clock.” Deal 11 extra playing cards, every chosen as if at random, till you may have 12 playing cards whole in a round association on the desk.

The trick (aka ‘The Clock’)

Now that you’ve your 12 playing cards specified by a clock form, assign positions: the primary card is 12. Then, depend clockwise via 1 to 11, ending again at 12.

Ask the spectator to examine the time on their telephone. Use the hour and rounded minute hand to type a 2-digit quantity — for instance, if it is 4:53, deal with it as “4:55.” You’ll use this quantity to “find” their card.

• The hour (e.g., 4) is your prediction — that is the place the place their card will find yourself.

• The minute (e.g., 55) helps promote the randomness — decide the closest quantity on the clock face to that worth (on this case, 11), and level to that card too.

At this level, nudge your spectator to freely place their hand on one of many two highlighted playing cards. Regardless of which one they decide, you reveal their choice — by utilizing equivoque (magician’s selection), you may guarantee the right card is all the time revealed.

The secret

The trick works since you management the place their card leads to the clock format. If your objective is for the cardboard to seem on the 4 o’clock place, you place their chosen card because the fourth card dealt throughout setup.

To do that easily:

1. Count out the primary few playing cards as filler (positions 12, 1, 2, 3).

2. Deal the spectator’s card as place 4.

3. Continue dealing the remainder of the playing cards (positions 5–11).

This ensures their card is strictly the place you need it. Because you’ve got already appeared on the time, you may regulate the deal order in actual time.

Final reveal

Once your spectator chooses one of many two “time-based” playing cards, use magician’s selection to verify the right one is turned over. If they select the mistaken one, take away it and say, “That leaves this card — your choice.” If they select the correct one, rejoice the right prediction.