Blackjack Card Tricks

Magicians have been doing tricks with cards almost as long as cards have been around. Originally, cards were often used by the mystic for fortune telling. The actual origin of magic tricks with cards is in dispute, but it is generally believed that gamblers may have been the first to develop sleights to aid their chances of winning. A sleight is a fancy name for a way of manipulating the cards with one’s hands. Blackjack card tricks can be divided into two categories. There are those used by stage magicians to please audiences and those used by mechanics to influence the outcome of blackjack games.

The Stage Magician and Blackjack Card Tricks

Harry Houdini was once referred to as the King of Cards even though he later became famous as a world class escape artist. Houdini was just one of many old magicians that used card magic in their acts. Card magic was popular because it required a simple piece of apparatus that was very portable.

Other famous card magicians included Max Malini. Malini had a very unique problem to overcome when he performed his card magic. The diminutive magician had very small hands. This made it difficult for him to palm a card without the audience noticing it. To overcome this handicap, Malini became a master of misdirection. He would simply focus the attention of the audience on something else for a mere second. In that second, Malini would palm off his card without being seen.

One of the most popular Blackjack card tricks today was developed by magician Geraint Clarke. It would be very bad form to divulge the secret of Clarke’s trick. The truth is, we can’t because we don’t know. What we do know is the effect of the trick. The name of the trick is JackBlack and can be purchased on the Ellusionist website. This trick allows the magician to control who wins or loses the blackjack hand without ever touching the deck. It is quite an impressive display and will be appreciated by any magician.

Most other blackjack card tricks involve the magician choosing who will or will not receive a blackjack  hand when the cards are dealt. These tricks are ones best performed before a small audience as they involve cards which cannot be seen from a long distance.

The Card Mechanic and Blackjack Card Tricks

Many years ago the game of blackjack was played very differently than it is today. A group of players in a home game or a saloon might take turns being the dealer. A skilled card manipulator or mechanic could learn how to manipulate the deck in such a way that he received a blackjack each time. The punishment for being caught could be harsh. More than one individual has been shot over the card table.

Today, things are much different because of how blackjack is played at the casino. The game involves the dealer who represents the house and a group of players who generally are not permitted to touch their cards. That has greatly reduced the possibility of performing card tricks at a game of live blackjack.

One could argue that the best blackjack card trick is learning how to count cards. This skill and basic blackjack strategy will give you an edge that the house will find difficult to overcome. Even so, it is best for the card counter to use the proper amount of discretion in order to avoid being caught in the act.

Card counting really isn’t a trick, it’s a skill. To practice that skill, Counting Edge recommends that you select one of our recommended online casinos and create an account. You can practice your skills for a minimal cost, sometimes as little as $1 per hand. Some online casinos will even give you a little bonus money just for trying them out.