The Ambitious Card

What You’ll Need

• A standard deck of cards
• A double-lift (Dick’s favorite sleight — see Dick’s Tips for practice advice)
• Showmanship (Dick always says this trick is 90% performance)

The Setup

Have a spectator choose a card and sign it. Dick always offers his own pen: “Use Dick’s pen — it writes on anything!” Place the signed card in the middle of the deck.

Dick’s Pro Tip

“The double-lift is the engine that drives this whole trick. Dick practices his double-lift at least twenty times every morning. If your double doesn’t look natural, the whole thing falls apart. Dick’s secret? Practice in front of a mirror until you can’t tell the difference yourself.”

The Performance

1. Phase one — Show that the signed card is in the middle of the deck. Give the deck a tap and turn over the top card — it’s their card! Dick acts amazed every time: “Would you look at that! It just can’t stay down!”

2. Phase two — Push the card back into the middle again. This time, let the spectator push it in themselves. Snap your fingers and flip the top card — there it is again! Dick laughs and says, “See? It always comes back to Dick!”

3. Phase three — For the third phase, Dick places the card face-up in the middle so everyone can see it. He slowly pushes it flush with the deck. One more snap — and there it is on top, face up!

4. The finale — Dick puts the card in the middle one last time, places the entire deck in the spectator’s hands, and asks them to squeeze tight. When they look at the top card — it’s their signed card. Dick steps back with his arms raised: “Even YOU can’t keep it down!”

Dick’s Final Thought

“The Ambitious Card is why they call me Dick the Magnificent at my local magic club. I’ve been performing this routine for thirty years, and it gets better every time. The card wants to be on top — Dick just helps it get there!”