How to Levitate a Card

Last Updated: March 3, 2021 References

Levitating a card is one of the most impressive, yet simplest, tricks a magician can do. You can surprise your audience (or just your friends) by making a card look like it's floating.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using Adhesive to Levitate the Card

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Use a strip of plastic to perform the trick. Take a normal, standard deck card. You will also need a small strip of plastic, about three fourths the length of the card. It should be thick enough that it’s sturdy but still flexible. You don't need special plastic. You can use what you have around the house.^{[1]
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- Tape or hot glue the strip of plastic to the card, lengthwise. Your card is done being rigged. Tape the middle of it to the back of the card. This works best with a clear piece of plastic. If it is too hard to hold the piece of plastic with your palm, try a wider or longer piece. ^{[2]
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- Perform the trick. Hold one end of the plastic on your thumb, with the other end on your middle finger. Then bring your fingers together, making the plastic go up in an arc. If you angle the card correctly towards the audience, it will appear as if the card is floating.
2
Purchase a pre-manufactured card. These cards come with a clear plastic strip attached to the card by the center. If you get one of those, levitation is simple.
- Pinch the ends of the strip with two creases in your hand. Then, bend the strip, in a way that looks natural for your hand. For the best effect, you may want to utilize a substance that is clear and will look invisible to your audience.
- Once you have done this, you can tape/glue the center of the strip to the center of your card. You have now created your own special levitating card.
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3
Pick your angles well. Levitating cards is all about the effect. A good angle can give an illusion to someone close that the card appears to levitate 1/2 an inch for a split moment. Practice in the mirror.^{[3]
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- When performing this trick with an audience, try to hold your hand lower so they cannot see the plastic underneath. It's best performed with good lighting, so the shadow can be seen.
- The real magic of levitation is playing the angles to make the spectator's mind see the card as levitating. This comes from rehearsing various levitation methods on friends and in the mirror in order to learn how to position your angles correctly.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Thread to Levitate the Card

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Buy a hummer card. You may find this special card at a magic shop or some other store. It requires a playing card, along with string. The black string comes in thick threads.^{[4]
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- You have to carefully pull out a strand of string about arm's length. One end of the string is taped or stuck to the back of your (dominant side) ear, and the other end is taped or stuck with putty to the top face of the card.
- With the card in your hands, all you must do is spin it in order to make it look like a flying saucer card. From there, you can lift the string with the inside of your thumb to move it around making it look like you are levitating the card. It is ideal to wear a dark shirt (preferably black) to better hide the string from the audience.
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Use invisible thread. Many people levitate a card using a magic trick tool called Invisible Thread. You can find this thread online or at magic stores.^{[5]
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- All you have to do is wrap the thread around your wrist. Then you can bring it out when you need it with an easy twist of the wrist.
- Nobody will notice, and then you can just wrap the string around the cards and make them fly into the air and levitate. The key part about this trick is to make your audience buy it. So you have to be pretty good at acting.<
3
Try using fishing line. Tie the clear fishing line around your finger, and tie the other end around the card, and practice.
- Use a clear string that is also strong, and tape it to the card.
- Then tape the other side of the string to your ear and move your hands around to make it look like it is levitating.
4
Poke a hole with a needle through the center of a card. Then find a very fine thread, put it through the hole, and tie a knot on the bottom.
- Tape the top of the thread to your hand. From a distance, use your pinky or thumb to lift up the last (or second to last) card.
- This will make it look like it's levitating. Again, take care to watch your angles, and don't stand too close to the audience when you do the trick.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Fingers or Static to Levitate the Card

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Use your fingers to levitate the card. When levitating a card, you would face the deck of cards so that the audience sees the front of the cards.
- Hold the deck of cards so that your index finger is behind the deck of cards, hidden from the audience. Simply use your index finger to lift the back card (the one closest to you) up.^{[6]
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- It helps to use your other hand to pretend you're "levitating" the card to add to the visual effect. From an audience point of view, it looks like a random card in the middle of the deck is levitating, not the back card.
2
Make static with straws. Get two straws. Take the wrapper about 3/4ths from the top and tear it around so you can take it off, but do not take it off yet.
- Rub the majority part of the paper on the straw to create static friction, and quickly take the majority paper off. Absorb the static in your hands by putting the charged straws on them (Note: this will create a positive and negative charge on your hands, which will create force in between them the closer you put your hands together.)
- Hold the card on one hand, and push the other hand over the card. If done correctly, the card will react to the forces of the charge, and will levitate!

Community Q&A

Question

Will a card levitate if I put it between two magnets?

Community Answer

No, as the card is not magnetic. If you tried that, it would simply fall down.