Outside the Box (Red) by Thomas Badar

"Outside the Box" by Thomas Badar is a prediction trick where you somehow know where a spectator's chosen card will end up in a shuffled deck. If you haven't seen it, maybe take a peek at the trailer first.

The spectator picks any card, and your prediction is right there on the box. The kicker? The deck's just your average deck. No maths, no memory gymnastics, and your hands can just have a day off. It's borderline self-working, which is always nice when you're feeling a bit lazy.

• Spectator can handle the cards, means you can sip your coffee while they do.
• It's easy, your nan could probably do it.
• Plays well with any standard deck, no trickery involved.
• No memorising or doing sums in your head.
• Fancy finger work? Not today.
• 52 different cards, no sneaky duplicates.
• Comes with three routines, because variety is the spice of magic.
• No table needed, so you can perform it standing on one leg if you fancy.
• Resets itself, which is more than can be said for my morning routine.
• You'll need your own deck; Bicycle Standard Playing Cards are a solid choice.

Got the box? You've got the trick. No table faff, and you can dive into other card tricks right after without swapping decks. It's like having a spare tyre for your magic show, always good in a pinch.

There's also a couple of extra presentations. One lets the spectator use an iPhone or iPad, which is a bit like letting a toddler drive a car but can be quite entertaining. No app required, just a special Keynote. With an iPad, you can even jazz it up into a stage trick.

Thomas Badar uses this in his solo shows, so if you're looking for something practical and straightforward to add to your set, this might do the trick. Enjoy making people wonder if you're genuinely psychic, or just really, really convincing.