Q&A for How to Do a 21 Card Card Trick

Start by hopping onto YouTube or searching online for "beginner card tricks." You'll find a variety of tutorials waiting for you. Additionally, check out various online magic stores. While many brick-and-mortar magic shops have disappeared, there are still plenty of big online companies with extensive catalogs. They're stocked with decks of cards and beginner-friendly tricks just waiting for you to master. If you're lucky enough to have a magic shop nearby, pay them a visit. You might find decks of cards that come with predetermined tricks.

I'm afraid there is no "easy" way. This is one of the easiest card tricks, requiring no sleight of hand at all. To simplify the steps, remember deal by rows, have contestant choose a column, repeat 3x, and in the final selected column, the fourth card is theirs.

When you pick up the cards the first time it puts the volunteer’s card in the middle 7 of the pack. Then the cards are dealt again, and those 7 are split up further with 2 in the first pile, 3 in the middle, and 2 in the last pile. That narrows it down to 2 or 3 cards. The last deal splits those 2/3 into different piles, and by picking up the cards correctly you have put the volunteer’s card into the middle of the middle of the middle of the pack.

Yes! But it will make the trick harder if you take a bigger multiple of 3 than 21. So, it’s better to take 21 cards for your trick.