History Main / PickACard

* The non-serious 34th issue of MarvelComics' ''[[WhatIf What if?]]'' series proposes an alternate reality where Comicbook/DoctorStrange and associates were this kind of magicians instead of arcane sorcerers. The Dread Dormammu's great master plan comes down to Strange having to pick a card, any card.

* The non-serious 34th issue of MarvelComics' ''[[WhatIf What if?]]'' series proposes an alternate reality where DoctorStrange and associates were this kind of magicians instead of arcane sorcerers. The Dread Dormammu's great master plan comes down to Strange having to pick a card, any card.

* The magician in ''TerrorTrain'' does these tricks. Being played by David Copperfield helps.

* One of GOB's illusions in ''ArrestedDevelopment''. In one case he pulls off his shirt to show that his chest has been painted... with the name of entirely the wrong card.

* One episode of ''TheAddamsFamily'' had Pugsley try it. Turns out his deck is made up only of the same card.

* ''DoctorWho'': The Doctor tries and fails to do the trick at the Christmas party in "[[Recap/DoctorWho2010CSAChristmasCarol A Christmas Carol]]".

* ''TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'': [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/10p8 The Great Flying Shooting Juan]].

In fiction, the bare-bones version is a favourite of amateurs trying to impress somebody -- and they almost always fail to get the right card at the end. The would-be magician may be shown flagrantly sneaking a look at the card before putting it back in the deck (which doesn't always prevent him from subsequently identifying the wrong card at the end anyway).

Either way, the amateur clearly has never learned the real trick to this trick (which, as with SawAWomanInHalf, is well enough known that fictional depictions may feel free to discuss it). The clever part is not where it appears to be: it's not that the magician has a secret way of detecting which card the mark has selected, it's that the magician has a way (a technique called the Magician's Force) of making sure the mark picks the card he wants them to pick.

-->'''Goodgulf''': Insult not the White Wizard, for I have many powers. Here, pick a card. Any card.

** In one of their books they claimed to have contacted ''every pizza restaurant in the country'' so that you could order a "P&T Special", which was a pizza with the three of clubs made of pepperoni on it so you could pull the "was this your card switcheroo" thing on your friends. "Was this your card? No? Oh well, I'm only learning. Let's order pizza." ''pizza comes, friend opens it to discover [[BrickJoke their card on the pizza]]''

* One of GOB's [[strike: tricks]] illusions in ''ArrestedDevelopment''. In one case he pulls off his shirt to show that his chest has been painted... with the name of entirely the wrong card.

* One of GOB's [[strikethrough tricks]] illusions in ''ArrestedDevelopment''. In one case he pulls off his shirt to show that his chest has been painted... with the name of entirely the wrong card.

* One of GOB's tricks... er, ''illusions'' in ''ArrestedDevelopment''. In one case he pulls off his shirt to show that his chest has been painted... with the name of entirely the wrong card.

[[AC:{{Film}}

* PennAndTeller have done several deliberately over-the-top variations, such as the one where the number and suit of the card are revealed to be printed on Teller's eyeballs. They also, as habitual lampshaders of the fraudulent nature of stage magic, have a favorite card to make their marks randomly select, the three of clubs.
** In one of their books they claimed to have contacted ''every pizza restaurant in the country'' so that you could order a "P&T Special", which was a pizza with the three of clubs made of pepperoni on it so you could pull the "was this your card switcheroo" thing on your friends. "Was this your card? No? Oh well, I'm only learning. Let's order pizza." ''pizza comes, friend opens it to discover [[BrickJoke their card on the pizza]]''
* In the ''MidsomerMurders'' episode "Ghosts of Christmas Past", a boy who wants to be a magician when he grows up does an actually-quite-clever version of the trick while being interviewed by the police about the murder, and his explanation of how he did it (including the fact that he arranged matters to have his own choice of card come up at the end) inspires a EurekaMoment later.
* ''TheRing''. When Rachel first goes to the Shelter Mountain Inn the manager does this routine with her. The first couple of times she tells him it isn't her card. The last time she tells him that it is her card just to get him to leave her alone.

* ''TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'': [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/10p8 The Great Flying Shooting Juan]].
* On ''GarfieldAndFriends'', Jon tries to do the trick with Garfield, but fails. After taking out every card in the deck, Jon gives up and asks Garfield what his card was. Garfield pulls out the card with the instructions for Pinochle.
* ''TheBigBangTheory'' features an episode in which Howard demonstrates such a card trick that Sheldon spends the episode trying to figure out. [[spoiler:He's actually faking it to mess with Sheldon.]]

* On ''{{Friends}}'' Joey attempted this trick, but he was laughably bad at it. He thought he was taking a glance at it so fast that no one could see. This, of course, didn't fool anyone, but they politely didn't say anything. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1_mZeBki1w Watch the scene.]].

* On ''{{Friends}}'' Joey is laughably bad at this. He believes he's flipping the card towards himself to check its identity ''faster than the human eye can follow'', and of course it's obvious to everyone how he's "tricking" them.

* On ''{{Friends}}'' Joey attempted this trick. He thought he was taking a glance at it so fast that no one could see. This didn't fool anyone, but they politely didn't say anything. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1_mZeBki1w Watch the scene.]].

* One episode of ''TheAddamsFamily'' had Pugsley try it. Turns out his deck is made up only of the same card.

Either way, the amateur clearly has never learned the real trick to this trick (which, as with SawAWomanInHalf, is well enough known that fictional depictions may feel free to discuss it). The clever part is not where it appears to be: it's not that the magician has a secret way of detecting which card the mark has selected, it's that the magician has already decided which card to reveal at the end, and has a secret way of making sure the mark picks the right card.

* ''DoctorWho'': The Doctor tries and fails to do the trick at the Christmas party in "[[Recap/DoctorWho2010CSAChristmasCarol A Christmas Carol]]".

* On ''GarfieldAndFriends'', Jon tries to do the trick with Garfield, but fails. After taking out every card in the deck, Jon gives up and asks Garfield what his card was. Garfield pulls out the card with the instructions for Pinocle.