BERMUDES is another amazing visual card trick by Mickael Chatelain.
BERMUDES is the French word for Bermuda, of course we know he is referring to the famous Bermuda Triangle.
The Bermuda Triangle (or “Devil’s Triangle”) is a North Atlantic region bounded by Florida, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico.
While 20th-century legends claim ships and aircraft vanish there under mysterious circumstances.
Scientific and government investigations have found no unusual activity.
Most incidents are attributed to natural phenomena, human error, or exaggerated reporting.
This effect of Bermuda Triangle-inspired close up card trick is as mysterious as the secrets hidden within the Devil’s Triangle.
BERMUDES by Mickael Chatelain Secret Routine:
- The Set-up: A King of Spades is selected. The performer introduces a small triangular piece cut from the back of a playing card.
- The Penetration: The triangular piece is placed onto the face of the King. In an instant, the piece vanishes. When the King is lifted, it now has a physical, triangular hole right through it.
- The Teleportation: The piece has “sunk” into the deck, much like a ship in the Bermuda Triangle.
- The Restoration: The King is placed back onto the deck. The performer reaches in and “plucks” the triangular back-piece out of thin air. The King of Spades is immediately shown to be fully restored, with the hole completely gone.
Watch the demo Mickael Chatelain performing Bermudes or Bermuda:
BERMUDES By Mickael Chatelain Secret Unlocked
This Bermuda Triangle magic trick is a hyper-visual penetration and restoration effect.
When he places the small triangular card-back fragment on a selected card; instantly, it vanishes and a real hole appears in its place.
To finish the magical act, the triangular piece is magically extracted from the deck, leaving the selected card completely whole and restored.
Precision-made and 100% mechanical.
Welcome to another post of Info Ruckus Magic Trick Secrets Revealed series.
This magic trick expose offers an informed speculation merely based on a detailed analysis of the demo video.
BERMUDES Gimmick Cards Explained
Now let’s get to the secret behind the BERMUDES card trick.
He appears to be randomly selecting the King of Spades card, but actually that is a prepared gimmick card.
From the performance when he flips it 0:09, you can tell it is stiff and thick.
That’s because the King of Spades card is comprises of pieces two cards attached together with magnets.
Then at 0:48, after pressing it down with his index finger to ensure they are affixed properly, Mickael Chatelain pulls it away from the deck.
The at 0:54, you can see the thick edge just before he lifts up the Queen of Hearts gimmick cards.
Again at 1:19, you can actually see the two pieces of cards together, after performing the Bermuda Trick with the Queen of Hearts card.
To see it clearer, slow down the playback speed to 0.25.
First, there is this triangular cut-out piece fixed with either a metal insert or a thin magnet.
Cut-Out Piece
Gimmick Cards
This gimmick consists of two cards attached together and presented as a single card.
The top card is a King of Hearts with a triangular cut-out window.
The bottom card is a blue-backed card, affixed with a matching triangular piece taken from the face of the King of Hearts and positioned at its center.
Here’s the secret behind BERMUDES by Mickaël Chatelain.
BERMUDES Cut-Out Teleportation Illusion
As explained above, the gimmick combines two separate cards, appearing to the audience as one.
Mickael Chatelain places these gimmicked cards on the back of a deck.
When he lifts the King of Spades — which has a triangular cut-out window — you see a blue card back showing through the window.
The audience naturally assumes that the blue back belongs to a card in the deck.
In reality, that blue back is part of the bottom card in the attached gimmick.
To perform the Bermuda trick, he places the blue triangular insert precisely into the camouflaged cut-out area.
At 0:28, just before lifting the top King of Spades card with the triangular window, his index and middle fingers apply a quick press to the cut-out piece.
This action ensures that the insert is properly and magnetically attached to the bottom gimmick card.
If you look closely at the blue card back, you can see the faint triangular outline.
That outline is the cut-out piece he has just affixed.
However, he redirects the viewers’ attention to the King of Spades card.
At 0:39, he presses the card onto the bottom gimmick card to keep the two cards securely attached and aligned.
He then picks up the triangular cut-out piece to conclude the Bermudes effect.
This is how this Bermuda Triangle-themed card trick is done.
The Psychology Of BERMUDES By Mickael Chatelain
This illusion relies on visual conviction and perceived permanence.
By introducing a physical triangular cut-out, you create a tangible anchor—a real object the spectator’s brain registers as irreversible proof.
When the card later reappears, the effect seems logically impossible, not just deceptive.
Key Psychological Triggers
- Law of Continuity
When the audience sees the triangular hole, they assume the card is permanently damaged.
The instant restoration triggers a sharp cognitive snap, violently contradicting the physical evidence they just processed. - Displacement Theory
By framing the mystery around the teleportation of the fragment into the deck, attention shifts away from the underlying Mickael Chatelain principle. The method fades into the background, making the effect appear as pure sleight of hand rather than mechanics. - The Bermuda Mystery Motif
The Devil’s Triangle / Bermuda Triangle theme taps into cultural mythology and intrigue. This narrative framing elevates the visual vanish, transforming it from a standard card trick into a legendary disappearance.
Sneak Peek: BLINDED by Mickael Chatelain Secret Exposed
This 2016 trick is not related to BERMUDES in either effect or method; the only thing they have in common is the presence of a cut-out window.
From the demo video, it’s clear that Mickael switches the signed card for his own gimmicked card.
At 0:34, he slides the gimmick card behind the keyhole cut-out plate.
At that moment, he must be opening the concealed window in the card, and hold it in place with his index finger.
Another giveaway to the secret is that he can only pull the card out from the plate slightly.
By comparing the size of the keyhole cut-out with the pattern of the card’s back design, I think this is where the secret window is located.
This is full reveal explained how the BLINDED trick works.