211 entries in Cards / Effect Themes / Location / Twenty-One Card Trick
Creators Title Comments & References Year Source Page AA Categories
Second Method 21 card trick, also with general number
Variations 1876 43
Another Mode of Discovering a Card Thought of twenty-five cards, different dealing pattern
1876 55
A Card having been thought of, to make such Card Vanish from the Pack, and be Discovered wherever the Performer pleases twenty-seven cards, card palmed out and multiple endings suggested (pocket, transformation, on chair, ...)
1876 83
First Method - To discover a card mentally selected
  • Second Method
1889 68
Another Method 27-card trick with card-to-any-number table
1889 87
Sixth Method
Inspired by 1890 23
The ''Twenty-Seven Card" Trick "To cause a Card selected by one Spectator to appear at such number in the Pack as another Spectator may indicate"
piles picked up according to a table so thought-of card ends up in any position
1890 32
Vingt-un Twenty-One Card Trick, but card is at the end palmed out and an envelope with a duplicate from an envelope index presented
1896 97
Charles T. Jordan The 49-Card Trick twenty-one card trick with forty-nine cards
Related to 1921
The Four Full Hands (Issue Four Full Hands of Card Tricks)
17
Friedrich "Fritz" Hügli Gedanken-Fischerei
1927 37
Friedrich "Fritz" Hügli Die elfte Karte
1930 95
Audley Walsh The 32 Card Mystery
Also published here 1936
The Jinx (Issue Winter Extra 1935/36)
86
Victor Farelli Three Sevens Variation on 21 card trick, card ends up in magician's pocket, meant to catch knowledgeable spectators off-guard
1936 20
Victor Farelli Variation Alternative handling to Three Sevens to get rid of side steal
1936 21
George C. Hanneman New Card Math binary sorting with sixteen cards
Mar. 1938
The Jinx (Issue 42)
289
Charles T. Jordan Forty-Nine 21 card trick with 49 cards and two dealing rounds, see also page 524 for idea to do it as telephone trick by Lloyd Jones
Feb. 1940
The Jinx (Issue 78)
513
Kent Arthur Eerie Cards using eight cards, card finally spelled to
Related toVariations 1940
The Jinx (Issue 101)
615
H. G. Cleveland The Triple Deal improved 21 card trick
1941
The Jinx (Issue 130)
748
Shaman 21 Plus spectator guesses in which row his card is, in the end the card is found by spelling "This is the card you took"
Related toAlso published here Dec. 1942
The Phoenix (Issue 24)
101
Frederick Braue Incredo Thought new dealing pattern
1943 25
Audley Walsh The 32 Card Mystery
Also published here 1943 13
Bert Allerton You Remember This One with eighteen cards
Also published here 1946 44
George G. Kaplan Twenty-One Cards - A Double Prediction using in the hands anti-faro
1948 175
Eddie Joseph Mystic Fifteen fifteen cards, dealt into five piles
  • Hiding the Principle
1949 8
Stewart James A Bridge Trick with full deck
1949 12
Ben Berger No Prep card thought from half the deck vanishes and is found under newspaper or table cloth
1949 43
L. Vosburgh Lyons, James A. Fowler Howdy Knowit! with 27 cards, three piles, performer knows selection and position
Aug. 1950
The Phoenix (Issue 210)
840
Martin Sunshine The Twenty-One Card Spelling Trick No. 135, 21-Card Trick using Spelling for Revelation
Also published here 1950 261
Jack Yeager 54 Card Trick done with 54 cards, sentence spelled to find card
Also published here
  • Jack Yeager's "Second Portfolio of Tricks"
1951
Ireland's Yearbooks (Issue Yearbook 1951)
3
Marty Williams Four Four Four sixteen cards and four piles
1952 48
Edward Marlo 21 Card Trick Streamlined
Also published here 1953 134
Shaman 21 Plus spectator guesses in which row his card is, in the end the card is found by spelling "This is the card you took"
Also published here 1956 104
Shaman 21 Plus spectator guesses in which row his card is, in the end the card is found by spelling "This is the card you took"
Also published here Feb. 1956
The New Phoenix (Issue 336)
154
Bert Allerton Streamliner with eighteen cards
VariationsAlso published here 1956
The New Phoenix (Issue 337)
158
Joseph Diez Gergonne From Gergonne to Gargantua Chapter intro, describes Gergonne's Pile Problem, which is basically the 21 card trick using twenty seven cards, see following entries
Related toVariations 1956 33
Naming the Position of the Card 21 card trick with twenty seven cards, spectator can assemble the piles in any way
1956 34
Bringing the Card to a Named Position 21 card trick with twenty seven cards, spectator can name what the final position of the selection should be in the packet
Variations 1956 35
Thomas Walker Walker's Method Easier method for Gergonne's Pile Problem, lets spectator name the position of the selected card
Inspired by 1956 36
Naming the Card 21 card trick with twenty seven cards, magician can name the selection at the end
1956 38
Mel Stover Relation to Ternary System 21 card trick with twenty seven cards, mathematical relation to ternary counting system
Variations 1956 39
Mel Stover Gargantua's Ten-pile Problem 21 card trick but done with TEN BILLION PLAYING CARDS
Inspired by 1956 40
Rolf Andra Ein automatischer Kartentrick with 32 cards
1957
Hokus Pokus (Vol. 18 No. 3)
502
Bert Allerton The New 21 Card Trick with eighteen cards
Also published here 1958 31
Alex Elmsley Mathematics & Mentalism one of sixteen cards thought of with its position, during reverse faros the spectator says in which half his card is, selection ends up on top (and force card brought to original position)
Related toVariationsAlso published here Sep. 1958
Ibidem (Issue 14)
17
Edward Marlo The Acrobatic 21
1968 63
Gaston "Gasbor" Borgeaud Un vieux tour de cartes! done with twenty-seven cards, inspired by a trick from an old book
1971
Hokus Pokus (Vol. 32 No. 2)
30
Edward Marlo 21 Plus Subtlety for correction see reference
Related toAlso published here July 1972
Kabbala — Volume 1 (Vol. 1 No. 7)
57
Humbert "Rilax" Terzi 3x7=11 spelling to find card
1972
Hokus Pokus (Vol. 33 No. 3)
44
Edward G. Brown, Trevor H. Hall Modernism in Mentalism and the Clueless Card Trick comments about think-a-card effects
Inspired by
  • Ralph Hull's "Modernism in Mentalism"
1973 115
Stephen Minch The Magician's Choice 21 card trick, with tarot cards
1974 5
Gaston "Gasbor" Borgeaud Wiederum der 21 Kartentrick! mathematics behind the 21 card trick, with different amounts of cards
1974
Hokus Pokus (Vol. 35 No. 2)
30
Pascal Kennen Sie den 21-Kartentrick?
1974
Hokus Pokus (Vol. 35 No. 2)
34
Tenkai Ishida Japanese Mental Card Effect using only eight cards
Also published here
  • in "Genii".
1974 50
Gerald Kosky 21 Plus or Minus
1975 69
Eddie Joseph Hocus-Pocus No. 45, three five-cards packets, spectator thinks of a card, deals out five packets, pockets the one with selection and performer extracts it
1976 68
Charles "Cicardi" Scott Mind Boggler with ten symbol cards, testing spectators abilities of precognition three times
1976
Magick (Issue 152)
759
David Stahl An Old Card Trick Made New
Also published here 1978 15
John F. Mendoza An Old Card Trick Made New spectator cuts off packet, remembers bottom card, shuffles and deal packet in three piles, card immediately named
Related to 1979 94
John Cornelius Fake 21 card trick fake for magicians
1980 6
Howard A. Adams Matheight principle, Ace to Eight of a suit are used, mentally chosen card is found after three deals, then both piles have same total, removed card can be named
Inspired by 1981
OICUFESP (Issue 7 - Matheight Miracles)
1
The Twenty One Card Trick
1982 50
Edward Marlo Nouveau 21-Card-Trick
  • The Work
  • Third Phase
  • Fourth Phase
  • Fifth Phase
  • Sixth Phase (Gag)
  • Blow-Off Phase I
  • Blow-Off Phase II
Related toVariations 1983 146
Edward Marlo The 27-Card Trick: Streamlined
1983 171
Stephen Tucker 21-5 = Immortality with 16 cards
Aug. 1983
Spell-Binder (Vol. 3 No. 28)
535
Philip T. Goldstein Out of Sorts thought-of card (from eight) found and named with back turned
Variations 1984 5
Steve Draun Draun's Swindle 21-Card Trick one phase
Related toAlso published here 1984 146
Barrie Richardson Less Is More mixed with the gestalt of the 21 card trick
May 1985
Pabular (Vol. 8 No. 10)
1287
Steve Draun The Twenty-One Card Trick Routine three phases
Related toAlso published here 1987 31
Peter Duffie Home Computer three packets of ten cards, reverse faros
1987 19
Karl Fulves This Is It! with sixteen cards and two deals into four rows
1989 12
Bob King Comeback
1989 12
Edward Marlo Math Applied sixteen cards and reverse faros, four effects
Related to 1990 55
Simon Aronson Memorized Math on memorized deck in combination with mathematical principles
  • Stay Stacks
  • Counting
  • Interlocking Chains (also with one-way backs)
  • Duck and Deal (with formulas)
Related to 1990 113
Alex Elmsley Mathematics and Mentalism one of sixteen cards thought of with its position, during reverse faros the spectator says in which half his card is, selection ends up on top (and force card brought to original position)
Also published here 1991 378
Chris Kenner Must be 21 to enter streamlined
Related toVariationsAlso published here 1992 145
Charles T. Jordan The Projected Thought card thought of, dealing procedure multiple times with full deck, card and its position predicted
Aug. 1992
Magic (Vol. 1 No. 12)
49
Steve Draun Twenty-One Again three phases
Also published here 1993 128
Edward Marlo, Lee Freed Lost Twenty-One Card Trick using reverse faros
Also published here 1993
The Olram File (Issue 14)
1
Peter Duffie The Eighteen Card Trick streamlined
1993 7
Edward Marlo, Vicente Canuto De Paquete a Paquete card from packet of twenty one is selected and cards dealt into three piles, spectator names pile with card and card travels from packet to packet
1993 271
Chuck Smith Imaginary 21 Card Trick in effect a card is chosen under table and named by magician
VariationsAlso published here 1994 12
Philip T. Goldstein Van John
Inspired by
  • Tom Seller's "The Name Speller" (Immediate Magic)
Also published here
1994 99
John Scarne Scarne Card Problems
  • 21 Card Trick with two selections
  • Diagonal Palm Shift with two of three cards
1994
Verbatim (Issue 10)
145
Roger Crosthwaite Think-a-Card - Opening Remarks thoughts and references
  • The Selection of the Card
  • The Location of the Card
  • The Revelation of the Card
1994 37
Ted Lesley, Philip T. Goldstein The Out of Sorts Variations thought-of card (from eight) found and named with back turned, two variations
Inspired by 1994 52
Chuck Smith Imaginary Twenty-One Card Trick in effect a card is chosen under table and named by magician
Also published here Feb. 1995
Magic (Vol. 4 No. 6)
58
Doug Conn Another Invisible 21-Card Trick spectator pockets card, it is named
Inspired byAlso published here 1996 9
Randy Shaw Tangled Web sixteen business cards with pictures are used, one is selected and stack divided into two piles, spectator names pile where image is, repeated three times and then picture is divined
1998
Syzygy (Vol. 4 No. 6)
290
James Swain The Twenty-One Card Trick
VariationsAlso published here 1999 23
Andrew Wimhurst How to Cheat at 21
1999 19
Milton Kort The Off-color Twenty-one-Card Trick twenty-one card trick with a color changing back ending, done as a magician gag/fooler
1999 49
Doug Conn Impossible 21 Card Trick spectator pockets card, it is named
Inspired byAlso published here 1999 105
Ellis Stanyon The Twenty-one Cards No. 6
1999 4
Ellis Stanyon The Twenty-one Cards (Variations) No. 10, incorporating sleights
1999 6
Ellis Stanyon The Twenty-seven Cards No. 9, selection ends up at named position, rules for collecting the piles
Variations 1999 60
Ellis Stanyon To Detect Chosen Card Amongst Thirty-five No. 15, dealing seven rows of five each
1999 66
Ellis Stanyon To Detect Chosen Card Amongst Fifty-two No. 16, thirteen rows of four each
1999 66
Ellis Stanyon The Square of Twenty-five Cards No. 17
1999 67
Ellis Stanyon To Discover Card (or Cards) Amongst Sixteen, After the Fourth Deal No. 25
1999 72
Ellis Stanyon To Name a Card After Dealing Four Times No. 20, using the sixteen cards return to original order after four deals in two piles, position of a selection named
Related to 1999 92
Ellis Stanyon To Discover a Card Chosen from Twenty-five No. 21, variation of referenced trick
Related to 1999 93
Ellis Stanyon To Discover a Thought Card and Name It No. 27, with stack, selection divined at the end
Inspired byRelated to 1999 96
Ellis Stanyon The "Twenty-seven" Card Trick without a "Key" No. 28
1999 97
Justin Higham Direct 15-Card Trick applying Pre-determined Estimation to fifteen-card trick
  • Marked Version
  • With 21/24 Cards
Inspired byVariations 1999 77
Steve Beam The Of-Age Card Trick 21 card trick without dealing the cards multiple times
Also published here 2000 56
Steve Beam Pile Driver card is found by spelling
Also published here 2000 58
Steve Beam Turning 21 imitating the 21 card trick
  • 2-Selection Version
  • Infusion
Also published here 2000 60
Ramón Riobóo 21-Card Salute
Mar. 2000
Magic (Vol. 9 No. 7)
71
Andrew Wimhurst How To Cheat At (the) 21 (card trick)
2001 4
David Malek The Malek Famous Twenty-One Card Trick parody, false card found which changes into right one with gag
2001 57
Eckhard Böttcher, Nursikoglu Eine von 27 card ends up at any position
  • Die neue Variante
2001
Intermagic (Vol. 24 No. 3-5)
164
Jim Steinmeyer The Princess in a Crowd fifteen card matrix trick, no-touch
Variations 2006 5
Ramón Riobóo The 52 Card Trick approach for the 21 card trick, using complete deck
2006 34
Ramón Riobóo Stock Pile approach for the 21 card trick, using more cards, similar to The 52 Card Trick
2006 35
Jon Racherbaumer 21 and Counting... basic procedure
  • Spelling Ending
  • Elaborate Ending
Nov. 2006
Antinomy (Vol. 2 No. 4)
5
Jon Racherbaumer, Edward Marlo After Coming of Age...
Inspired byAlso published here Nov. 2006
Antinomy (Vol. 2 No. 4)
6
Ian Baxter Deceitful 21-card Trick eighteen-card version
2007 68
Harry Lorayne Even More Deceitful eighteen-card version
2007 70
Michael Raeburn 80/21 80% success chance
2007 318
Tom Craven The 27-Card Trick
2007 452
Jack Parker Sunken 21 twenty-one Card Trick Variation
Inspired byAlso published here 2007 185
Jack Parker, David Solomon Invisible 21 card vanishes from packet of twenty-one cards, and reappears in packet
VariationsAlso published here 2007 188
Jack Parker Fake 21 twenty-one Card Trick (magician fooler)
2007 191
David Solomon The 21 Card Trick
  • Phase One: The Twenty-One Shuffle
  • Phase Two: Pure Twenty-One Card Vanish
Inspired byAlso published here 2007 47
Jon Racherbaumer Introduction credit information on the Twenty-One Card Trick
2007 7
The Old Gray Model standard method
  • Spelling Ending
  • Elaborate Ending (equivoque to let spectator locate his selection in layout)
2007 14
Jon Racherbaumer Distribution of Cards in the 21-Card Trick explanation of principle
2007 16
Jon Racherbaumer Obvious Avenues to Take
2007 18
Bert Allerton Streamliner with eighteen cards
Also published here 2007 19
Edward Marlo 21 Card Trick Streamlined
Also published here 2007 20
Edward Marlo 21 Plus Subtlety
Also published here 2007 23
Steve Draun Swindle 21-Card Trick
Also published here 2007 25
Bruce Cervon Streamliner II
  • An Extra Idea
Inspired by 2007 26
Edward Marlo, Jon Racherbaumer Post-Graduate 21 Card Trick
Inspired byAlso published here 2007 28
Jack Parker Invisible 21 card vanishes from packet of twenty-one cards, and reappears in packet
Also published here 2007 31
Jack Parker Sunken 21
Also published here 2007 37
Jason Alford Alford's Mess Up idea
2007 41
Simon Aronson Tongue-in-Cheek 21-Card Trick
2007 41
Edward Marlo Colorful 21-Card Trick selection changes back color
2007 42
William Goldman Club 21
2007 46
Martin Sunshine The 21 Card Spelling Trick
Related toAlso published here 2007 48
Peter Duffie The 18 Card Trick
2007 49
Philip T. Goldstein Van John
Also published here 2007 50
Michael Powers The 7-Card 21 Card Trick with spelling
  • Telephone Method
2007 52
James Swain The 21 Card Trick optional spelling
Also published here 2007 56
Gene Castillon Random 21 Spell
Related to 2007 59
Steve Bryant The World's Most Obscene 21-Card Trick filthy spelling
Inspired by 2007 63
Ramón Riobóo Millennial 21-card Trick
2007 67
David Stahl An Old Card Trick Made New
Also published here 2007 70
Chris Kenner Must Be 21 to Enter
Also published here 2007 71
Ramón Riobóo 21-Card Salute
2007 73
Jon Racherbaumer Clubbed 21
Inspired by 2007 75
Edward Marlo, Lee Freed Lost 21 Card Trick reverse faros
Also published here 2007 77
Bruce Cervon Mental Streamliner
Inspired by 2007 79
Paul Gordon When I Was 21
2007 82
Lewis Jones Son of the 21 Card Trick
2007 84
Steve Beam Turning 21
  • Two Selection Version
  • Infusion
Also published here 2007 86
Steve Beam Pile Driver card is found by spelling
Also published here 2007 92
Steve Beam The Of-Age Card Trick
Also published here 2007 95
David (Foote) Drake Twist on the 21 Card Trick card vanishes and travels somewhere
Also published here
  • The Linking Ring (July 1984)
2007 98
Brent Braun Princess 21 Card Trick card to pocket ending
2007 99
Jon Racherbaumer Moe's 21 move-a-card with twenty-one cards
2007 100
Jon Racherbaumer X-Rated 21 Card Trick selection has X on its back at the end
2007 101
Jack Parker Fake 21
2007 106
Jack Parker Invisible 21 card vanishes and reappears
Also published here 2007 110
Jack Parker Open 21 spectator finds his card again via Open Prediction theme
2007 114
Jack Parker Royal 21 selection vanishes
2007 118
Jack Parker Victor 21 with Eleven-Card-Trick phase, Queens appear at end
2007 120
Jack Parker Discarded 21
2007 123
Chuck Smith Imaginary 21 Card Trick in effect a card is chosen under table and named by magician
Also published here 2007 130
Doug Conn Impossible 21 Card Trick spectator pockets card, it is named
Also published here 2007 133
Gene Castillon Castillon Dissertation
  • Introduction
2007 138
Gene Castillon "Odd Chance" 21 Card Trick two selections
Inspired by 2007 140
Gene Castillon Random Spell & Odd Chance 21 Card Trick two selections
Related to 2007 143
Gene Castillon Triple Odd Chance 21 Card Trick three selections
Variations 2007 145
Gene Castillon Colorful Triple Odd Chance 21 Card Trick three selections, one changes back color
Inspired by 2007 150
Gene Castillon Dishonest 21 Card Trick using a secret extra card, four selections
2007 152
Roger Crosthwaite A Personal View
2007 162
Roger Crosthwaite Intuition II
Related to 2007 165
Justin Higham A Brief Analysis of the 21 Card Trick and Related Effects
  • Introduction
2007 168
Justin Higham The 16 Card Trick
2007 168
Justin Higham The 21 Card Trick
2007 174
Justin Higham 50 Card Trick Plus Sandwich
2007 178
Justin Higham Justified 21 Card Trick
2007 179
Justin Higham Pseudo 15 Card Trick
Inspired by 2007 181
Justin Higham Conclusion
2007 183
Justin Higham End Notes
2007 184
Ali R. Amir-Moez Limit of a Function and a Card Trick mathematical article with connection to Twenty-One Card Trick
Also published here
  • Mathematics Magazine, Vol. 38 No. 4, Sep. 1965
2007 185
Jon Racherbaumer Select Bibliography
2007 191
Justin Higham Intuitive Twenty-One Card Trick
  • First Method
  • Second Method
  • Third Method
  • Fourth Method
Inspired by 2008 65
Gary Plants The Numbers Racket card thought of in packet, after some dealing it ends up at any wanted number, Vernon's method with twenty-seven cards, Plants with full deck
Inspired by
  • Dai Vernon (The Vernon Touch, Genii, Dec. 1989)
July 2008
Genii (Vol. 71 No. 7)
29
Jack Parker Must Be 21 to Smoke "For Claude Raines"
card vanishes from packet of 21 cards, and reappears in packet
Also published here 2009 23
Ken De Courcy Octad Perplexity with eight cards in two rows, spectator himself locates mental selection using three coins
2009
Prolix (Issue 6)
347
David Solomon The 21 Card Trick
  • Phase One: The Twenty-One Shuffle
  • Phase Two: Pure Twenty-One Card Vanish
Also published here 2009 10
Bruce Bernstein Eight Cards using eight cards, two phases
Inspired byAlso published here
  • Bruce Bernstein's "Eight Cards" in "1982 Lecture Notes".
2012 127
Michael Weber, Tim Trono "Tell"-a-Phone Poker version of twenty-one card trick over phone with lie detector and poker theme
(Real Secrets Bonus sheet)
Nov. 2013
Real Secrets (Vol. 2 No. 20)
3
David Britland The Trick that Baffled Babbage four cards pocketed unseen, any card thought of from remaining cards, it ends up at position indicated by the four cards (values added) after dealing procedure
Inspired by
  • "Adamathica" (Bertram Adams, marketed 1921)
Aug. 2014
Genii (Vol. 77 No. 8)
24
Hernán Maccagno Flash Fried Variation of 21-Card Trick
Related to
  • Second Method (1876)
  • "How to Have Someone Think of a Card and Guess What it is" (Horatio Galasso, Giochi de Carte, 1593)
2015 118
Justin Higham Skype Detector eight cards binary sorting
Related to 2015 24
Roy Walton Math Chore Alas
Also published here 2016 100
Áriston Tres Pilones using 27 cards
2017 177
David Solomon, Michael Powers 21 Card Trick with PM Power
Also published here
  • "21 Again" (Linking Ring, Feb. 2009)
2018 120
David Solomon Simplex 21 Card Trick
2018 123
Matt Baker Pile Driver Complicated mathematical version of the twenty one card trick, based on principle by Edmé-Gilles Guyot
Inspired by 2019 217
Michael Powers 21 Again/Invisible 21 selection vanishes and reappears again, featuring a fair selection procedure in which selection is cut into the other two packets, three distant key cards
Inspired by 2019 208
Ramón Riobóo 21st Century 21 Card Trick 21 card trick variation, pseudo
Related to 2019 117
Ramón Riobóo More Piles and Total Freedom 21 card trick variation, pseudo
Related to 2019 121
Jim Steinmeyer Hoodwinked no-touch version
Inspired by
  • trick (unnamed by JS) in "Magic with Cards" (Garcia & Schindler)
2020 28
Roy Walton Math Chore Alas
Also published here 2022 313
József Kovács Faro 21 three packets of seven cards made, one card selected and eventually the whole deck is assembled in three stages, two faros bring the selection under a key card
Aug. 2023
The Hermit (Vol. 2 No. 8)
964
David Britland, Gustave Gerard Laureyns Think Once, Look Twice
  • Cardopolis
twenty-one card trick version with full deck, dealing in seven piles twice, card ends up in a named position
Inspired by
  • untitled item by Gustave Gerard Laureyns in The Sphinx, Oct. 1913
Jan. 2024
Genii (Vol. 87 No. 1)
68