Card Control Tutorial

Becoming good at card magic requires a certain amount of skill and this lesson covers the basics of a card control for controlling a chosen card from the middle of the deck to the top of the deck.

The basic card control is a useful slight and gives the magician control of the cards so you know where a selected card is for your card tricks. Controlling a card takes a little practice but it is a tool you will use in many card tricks so the effort is worth it.

The basic card control needs to look natural and needs to appear like you have lost the card fairly in the deck.

The basic card control covered in this lesson uses the overhand shuffle and the in-jog to get the chosen card from the middle of the deck to the top of the deck of cards.

In the card control video I use a different backed card so you can see the slight more clearly. I also give an example of how the card control should look when you perform it.

Let me walk you through the handling of the cards. firstly you get a card selected from the deck. you don’t need to know what the card is. Hold the deck in your right hand in the overhand shuffle position and cut off the top part of the deck into the left hand face down. ask the audience member to put their card on top of the deck in your left hand.

This is where you begin the basic card control. You thumb peel one card from the right hand onto the top of the left hand packet however you in jog the card about 5cm towards you. Now overhand shuffle the rest of the deck in the right hand onto the in-jog card. Don’t try to be too neat as the untidiness helps cover the in jog and hides it.

To complete the basic card control, simply cut the cards at the in jog and complete the cut. the selected card will now be on top not he deck.

Congratulations you have just performed a basic card control.