Card Trick 6 -- Crazy Eights

Effect: 

Someone in the audience chooses one of eight cards while the magician is out of the room (or has his back turned).  The magician's assistant points to the cards one at a time, asking the magician if each is the chosen card.  The magician guesses the correct one.

Supplies:

• 8 cards -- one of which must be an eight (let's say the eight of hearts for our explanation)
• an assistant who's in on the trick
   
• OPTIONAL:  magic puppet  

Preparation:

Arrange 8 cards in the same pattern as the hearts on the eight of hearts.
 

Secret:

Have the magician leave the room.  If you're using the magic puppet, let it stay -- if there are young kids in the crowd they'll get a big kick out of thinking the magic puppet is the one giving away the card.

Have the assistant choose someone from the audience to pick one of the eight cards.  Show it to everyone (including the magic puppet if you're using it).  Place the card back in the correct position.

Have the magician come back in the room (and retrieve the magic puppet if you're using it).

Have the assistant point to cards one at a time, in no particular order, asking "is this it".

Now here's the trick...  The assistant must point to the 8 sometime before they point to the card that was chosen.  When the assistant points to the 8, he should point to the heart on the eight that is in the same position as the card on the table (remember, we arranged the cards just like the hearts on the eight).  This will tell the magician which card is the correct one.

If using the magic puppet:  When the assistant points to the correct card, have the magician about to say, "no, that's...", but then have the puppet interrupt him and whisper something (unheard to the audience) in his ear.  The magician looks at the puppet and says... "are you sure?"  The magic puppet nods it's head and the magician says,  "I guess that's the card that was picked!"

Young children will go on about how having the puppet watch was "cheating" *grin*.