Years ago, Bruce Florek, John Olson, Johnny New York and I were jamming card tricks on a Sunday afternoon. Bruce pulled out a sheet of paper from Roberto Giobbi’s book Secret Agenda, where Roberto lists the “Ten Greatest Card Tricks.” Bruce and John both made a strong point: every magician should know at least one strong variation of each of these classic effects.
That idea stuck with me — not because it was a definitive list, but because it represented something deeper. These plots form the backbone of card magic. Master them, personalize them, and you’ll have material powerful enough to entertain anywhere, anytime, with nothing more than a deck of cards.
The Ten Greatest Card Tricks
According to Giobbi, the Ten Greatest Card Tricks include:
- Ambitious Card | Performance Video - Harry Lorayne
- Brainwave (Dai Vernon and Paul Fox)
- Card on Wall or Ceiling (Pinetti's version) | Performance Video - Jamy Ian Swiss
- Card Stabbing on Table - Dai Vernon Book of Magic | Tarbell Course
- "Out of This World" (in Paul Curry's Worlds Beyond, p. 183) | Performance Video
- Rising Cards (Tamariz routine) | Don Alan's Devano Card Rise Performance Video
- "Rito de Iniciación" (Luis Garcia/Juan Tamariz) - This is a 30 minute card act..so we might wait on this one
- Slow-Motion Ace Assembly (Vernon, Ascanio and Tamariz) | Performance Video
- "Total Coincidence" (Tamariz, in Sonata, p. 224) | Performance Video
- "Triumph" (Dai Vernon in Stars of Magic, p. 23) | Performance Video by Michael Ammar | Performance Video - Johnny Thompson
- Johnny New York's Triumph In New York Trick
How many of the Top Ten Greatest Card Tricks do you know?
How many of these top ten card tricks are in your performing repetiorie?
Over the next few months, we'll be including tutorials on the Top Ten Greatest Card Tricks featuring a few IBM members you will recognize!
You can also read more at Roberto Giobbi's site - Possibly the Ten Best Card Tricks Ever