This mysterious card trick hits like a sledgehammer and consistently draws astonished looks, laughter, and huge reactions whenever you perform it. Whether you’re a full-time professional, a dedicated amateur, or a brand-new magician, this is the kind of effect that instantly establishes you in your audience’s eyes as a top-tier performer.

A mysterious card ultimately turns out to be a signed playing card that appears again and again in surprising ways in Craig Petty’s stunning effect, Back Off.

Here’s what happens:

1. A spectator selects a mysterious card from the deck. No one looks at the card, and right at the start of the trick, it is placed face down on the table.
2. A second spectator chooses a card and is allowed to sign it. The card disappears into the deck and then jumps to the top in an impossible manner.
3. To make things clearer, the magician removes the signed card and two other cards from the deck. No matter how many times the chosen card is placed at the bottom of the stack of three cards, it keeps jumping back to the top.
4. The magician then offers to break an unwritten rule of magic and show how the trick works. The magician reveals that all three cards actually have two backs, and that the signed card is nowhere to be found!
5. In a mind-blowing climax, the magician reveals that the mysterious card set aside before the trick even began is, in fact, the signed card. Everything can be examined by the audience immediately.

Back Off is a visually stunning effect that is incredibly easy to perform. The moves are simple, and the special cards you receive make the trick extra easy to learn. Best of all, the signed card can come from any standard deck of cards, so no special refills are needed. You can perform this trick time and time again with cards you already have at home

This trick comes straight from Craig’s professional repertoire and has been extensively tested in front of countless audiences. Back Off will undoubtedly become a staple in the magic you perform every day.