My Own ‘Any Card At Any Number’ Magic for Noobs

This trick uses a standard deck of playing cards without jokers, leaving us with a total of $52$ cards.

To set up, you divide the deck into two equal piles of cards each. Let's call them Pile $A$ and Pile $B$.

Next, you need to mentally label every single card using an ‘$X_n$’ format. In this system, ‘$X$’ represents the pile ($A$ or $B$), and ‘$n$’ represents the card's position counted from the bottom (or back) of that pile. For example, the $21$st card from the bottom of Pile $A$ becomes $A_{21}$, and the second card from the bottom of Pile $B$ becomes $B_2$.

The only "heavy lifting" required for this trick is memorizing the exact label for all $52$ cards.

I know this might sound incredibly daunting at first. However, if you've studied card magic, you'll know that memorizing a deck is actually the bare minimum preparation for almost any legitimate ACAAN routine. To make this process much easier, I highly recommend using a famous, pre-arranged card stack like Juan Tamariz's 'Mnemonica' (rather than actually shuffling randomly). It gives the illusion of a shuffled deck while keeping you in complete control.

Lastly, combine the two piles face-to-face and place them inside the card box. This means the final deck will show the card backs on both sides. Before you put the deck away, make sure you memorize which side of the box corresponds to Pile A facing up, and which side corresponds to Pile B.

Now, let's dive into the execution of the trick. First, have the spectator name a card. It builds more drama if you give them the chance to change their mind; it doesn't affect the mechanics at all. Let's suppose the label of their finalized card is $X_n$.

Next, we need a number, $N$, from the spectator. However, there is a structural constraint: the number $N$ must be greater than or equal to $n$ and smaller that $n+26$ ($n\le N<n+26$).

You can guarantee this outcome using some beginner-level Mentalism. If the spectator chooses a number smaller than $n$, you simply say, "Choose a bigger number, just to make it harder for me to track." On the other side, say, "Choose a smaller number, it takes too much time to count them all." This verbal out works almost every time. Note that you have at least a $50\%$ chance that the spectator will pick a suitable number on their very first try without any prompting. Another solid way may be giving the spectator the given boundary before choosing the number.

Gently open the card box and slide out the deck. It is crucial here that you hold the deck so that the pile opposite to their chosen card's pile is facing up. (For example, if their card is in Pile $A$, make sure Pile $B$ is on top). Also, be very careful not to flash the bottom of the deck to the spectator; seeing a card back on the bottom would instantly look suspicious.

Now, begin dealing the cards face down onto the table one by one, counting aloud so the spectator can't see the faces. You will deal exactly $N-n$ cards. (Don't worry about accidentally revealing the other pile while dealing. We've made sure that $N-n$ is less than $26$, meaning you will never expose the hidden cards underneath before the next step.)

After dealing, suddenly pause the count. Flip all the cards you just dealt face up and say, "Look at these cards. If I am right, your card hasn't shown up yet. Go ahead and check." Of course, their chosen card won't be there because you are dealing from the wrong pile.

This action serves a vital purpose: pure misdirection. While the spectator's attention is completely locked on scanning the dealt cards on the table, you secretly turn the deck over in your hand.

Wait for the spectator to finish checking. Then, resume your counting to reach their target number. Deal the remaining n cards one by one, but this time, deal them face up so everyone can see them. Thanks to the mathematical structure of this setup, their chosen card will land exactly at their chosen number. A pure miracle!

A Performance Example:

• The Chosen Card: The Queen of Hearts. You mentally recall your stack and know this card is $A_7$ (the $7$th card from the backside of Pile A). So, .
• The Chosen Number after the Mentalism: The spectator chooses 18. So, $N=18$. (Since $7\le18<33$, we are good to go).

Here is exactly what you do:

1. You bring out the deck with Pile B facing up (the opposite pile).
2. You need to deal $N-n$ cards. That’s $18-7=11$ cards. You deal $11$ cards face down onto the table, counting out loud from $1$ to $11$.
3. The Misdirection: You flip those $11$ cards face up and say, "Take a look, the Queen of Hearts isn't here yet."
4. The Secret Move: While their eyes are tracking the $11$ cards on the table, you casually turn your wrist over. The deck in your hand is now flipped, meaning Pile $A$ is facing up.
5. The Reveal: You resume counting from 12. Since you need to reach $18$, you deal exactly $n$ cards ($7$ cards). Because you flipped the deck, you are now dealing the first $7$ cards of Pile $A$. You deal card $12$ ($A_1$), card $13$ ($A_2$)... all the way to card $18$.
6. The $18$th card you deal is $A_7$—the exact card they chose. The math perfectly masks the magic!