A Really Good Trick Everyone Overlooks

Here’s a trick that never really became a bestseller, or inspired much “chatter” among magicians: “Risky Bet” by Henry Evans. I can’t think of a more compelling card “quickie.” You offer a wager to find a spectator’s card, and in so doing you display a twenty-dollar bill and tuck it under your shoe.

You then have a card selected and fail to find it, but when the spectator looks down, a playing card is now under your shoe, where the bill once was. It’s instantaneous. The mechanics are probably exactly what you would expect--and the effect is easy to do. But I’m just so intrigued with the plot, since the magic appears to happen at an impossible distance from your hands, the cards, and anywhere within your reach. The whole thing feels organic, too, since it uses space so rarely used in a magic performance: the floor.

This is a site full of magic for sale, and this blog isn’t about trying to sell you on another effect. I’m just so impressed with the this trick conceptually, and it has me thinking about other ways to use our space when we perform.