Blaine card trick - how does he do it? (video)

[sendero]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98UPzPxBf_g&search=david%20blaine

Ok, how does he do this. I assume that all the cards are really the same face soon after the "face up shuffle", but I don't see him switch the deck...

[ChickMagic]

1. I don't know how HE does it

but I know how I'd do it. It's a gaffed deck. You can get
one where whatever card is duplicated and sort of sticks
to every other card in the deck. When the cards are shuffled,
you only see the "bottom" cards. Then, when the card is
stabbed, you see the "top" card. It was Blaine's own deck.
It's no big deal to buy a card seal and shrink wrapper.
It's sort of like a Svengali deck, but a little better.

[sendero]

3. Yeah..

.... I didn't know what that was called, but that was my first guess.

But then he played with the menu so I thought that must be a cover for the sham :)

I'm sure there are several ways but I'd sure like to know for sure :)

[CBGLuthier]

2. Mainly he uses shills

One important thing that will answer all Blaine related questions is that those people are not just random people and that is not just a random restaurant.

He uses shills. So, the guy who picked the card for him was in on it and picked the card that was to be used.

Now, a better magician could do this with real people by forcing the card picked but Blaine isn;t up to that.

Look at how Blaine holds the menu. He is palming the card that he wants to stab and then he puts it down under the menu in just the right spot.

Whenever a "magician" says he is doing something to make the trick harder, that is a part of how it is done.

There is lots of info on the web about his use of shills.

[ChickMagic]

4. That's certainly a possiblity

The Svengali-like deck would be for a non-shill.
Whatever he says (or any magician for that matter)
remember that they are lying to you.