Are you still stumped by the Card On Ribbon by Mickael Chatelain secret of pulling out the chosen card from the ribbon?
Then you might like to check out my view how this find the spectator’s card trick is done.
Yes, it is my assumption how this closeup magic card trick is done by merely viewing the available YouTube video clips.
In other words, the so-called secret is just my guesswork and it could be wrong.
So you don’t have to cut me to ribbons for my incorrect method of Card On Ribbon trick by Mickael Chatelain.
In fact there are various similar versions of this classic magic trick, which include “Hollow Hole” by Marcello Contento, “Loop Hole Deck” by Rob Bromley, and Charles Gauci’s “Houdini Card (Escape) Mystery“.
Card On Ribbon by Mickael Chatelain is promoted as the classic card magic in a completely new version that baffles even those who perform the original effect.
According to the French magician Mickael Chatelain, his gimmick is different from the others.
Also read this: Super Hole By Mickael Chatelain Secret Exposed And Explained
Effect:
A playing cards case/box has a hole at the front and the back side.
Inside it is a deck of cards also with holes aligned with the two holes of the case.
Spread out the deck of playing cards and ask your spectator to freely choose a card.
If you want you can have the chosen/selected card signed by the spectator.
Insert the selected card back into the deck, and then slot them into the case.
Next slip a short length of ribbon right through the case of playing cards.
The ribbon should thread through the full deck of cards inside the case.
Now apparently, it is impossible to free any card without damaging it or by cutting the ribbon.
Magically, with your thumb and forefinger, you pull out one card from the deck with the hole still intact.
Furthermore, it is the card chosen or selected by your spectator.
To end the amazing penetration trick, the ribbon still binds the rest of the cards inside the case.
Watch Card On Ribbon by Mickael Chatelain below:
Card on Ribbon by Mickael Chatelain Revealed
Selected/Chosen Card Is The First Card
Right away I suspected the selected or chosen card the first card of the deck, by the way Mickael Chatelain inserts the card into the deck in the promo video.
He never clearly shows the chosen card is truly lost among the deck.
In addition, at the end of the trick, you can see their fingers are right behind the case lid flap, when they pull out the chosen card.
So it must be the very first card in the deck.
Here are two two close-up views of Mickael Chatelain’s fingers right behind the tuck-in flap of the case.
You can see the others from the images below.
Furthermore, you notice they have a slight difficulty of pulling out the selected/chosen card from the case.
It is because of the method of the trick, which I would explain soon.
Secret Seen Through The Hole
To further confirm the chosen card is indeed the first one of the deck, I observed the front hole in the case.
Evidently, I could see the card movement through the hole in the case from this Mickael’s video and the others as well.
From this video, watch the hole closely, from 1:42, you can see the white border of the card being pushed downward before it is pulled up.
Similarly you can see the white border of the selected card movement through the hole in this video at 1:39.
So is this video clip, where you can clearly see the movement of the first card through the hole in the case at 1:45.
Knowing that it will reveal the trick secret, this video tries to block the hole by covering it up with the French word “INCROYABLE!” (incredible!).
Finding Selected Card Magic Trick Secret
Now let’s explore how to find the spectator’s chosen card from the deck.
In this case, how the first card or the selected card avoid being threaded by the ribbon.
To bypass the ribbon, the selected card has to be placed slightly higher than the rest of the cards in the case.
To do that, then the top part of the card would be at the top fold flap of the box, as illustrated below.
Then the face of the card would be visible.
So how does Card On The Ribbon by Mickael Chatelain hide it from being seen?
After the Mickael has threaded the ribbon through the case, from the side view I could see there is an extra piece of card on the top fold flap.
In Mickael Chatelain’s promo video, you cannot see the front view of this white card clearly, is because the video was shot in the bright sunny day.
You can see this extra white color piece in all the other Card On The ribbon video clips.
From this video at 3:36, you can clearly see it is indeed an extra piece of white card.
Here are more images captured from the other video clips in YouTube.
I reckon this white color card must be the one hiding the raised spectator’s selected card.
Blank Face Gaff Card
One possibility is, this white color card is a blank face gaff card which is popularly used in card tricks.
It can use to camouflage the white color of the inner face top fold flap.
Before the trick is performed, it is placed as the FIRST card of the deck inside the case.
Then how does this blank gaff card hide the selected card and it is higher then the rest of the playing cards?
Like many other gimmicked card tricks, I suspected it either uses magnets and/or double-sided tape.
For this trick, I think Mickael Chatelain uses both magnets and double-sided tape.
To hide the selected card behind the gaff card, it is most likely it uses the double-sided tape.
It is because the selected card can be any one from the deck, so concealing a magnet in each card is out of question.
A small strip of double-sided tape is stick onto the back of this blank face gaff card.
As I have mentioned above, the selected card is placed as the FIRST one in the deck.
It means the selected card is attached to the back of the blank face gaff card by the tiny strip of double sided tape.
Card On Ribbon Trick Uses Magnets
The next trick is how to have this set of cards (the selected card together with gaff card) tacks onto the top fold of the flap.
Obviously it uses magnets to hold up these two cards.
There must be a piece of magnet concealed inside the blank face gaff card.
Then there must also have another magnet hidden inside the top fold flap of the case, as seen below.
Remember, in the beginning of this post, I highlighted they have trouble pulling out the selected card?
If my guess of trick is correct, it is likely because the selected card is stick behind the blank face gaff card, which is magnetized to the front flap of the case.
Moreover, they have to act as if the selected card is somewhere among the deck, and not the first card.
Another thing which rouses my suspicion how the trick is done, is the way they slot in the cards into the deck.
Besides Mickael Chatelain himself in the demo video, the rest of them struggle to slip in the deck of cards into the case.
Most probably it is because they have difficulty attaching the gaff card together with the selected card to the magnetized top flap of the case.
This is what I think is the Card On Ribbon by Mickael Chatelain secret of finding the selected card.
Related: Here are some magic tricks about finding the selected card by various methods and with different props.
I also include a free book below each of the trick, so you can learn how it actually works.
Observe these tricks and then create your own original ideas.
Cleopatra’s Needle: Selected card hangs at the ribbon.
Magic For Beginners By Harry Baron
Click on this: Link
The Card, Ribbon And Envelope: Selection in deck, other selection pierced an threaded on ribbon, ribbon-card changes to first selection, second selection travels to envelope
New Era Card Tricks By August Roterberg
Click on any of these: Link 1, Link 2
The Card Angler by Stuart Robson: Selected card attaches itself on end of ribbon in hat.
The Jinx Issue No. 35, August 1937
Click on this: Link
The trick is also found in this Ted Annemann’s own book.
Annemann’s Card Magic: An Unabridged Republication Of The Two Volumes Edited by John J. Crimmins, Jr. Ted Annemann’s Full deck Of Impromptu Card Tricks, With 48 Illustrations By Nelson Hahne
Click on any of these: Link 1, Link 2
Card And Ribbon Effect: Ribbon with gummed sticker in pocket, selection vanishes from deck and is found attached on ribbon
Half -A -Dozen Hummers By Bob Hummer
Click on any of these: Link 1, Link 2, Link 3
This trick is also found in this book on page 11.
Bob Hummer’s Collected Secrets By Karl Fulves
Click on any of these: Link 1, Link 2, Link 3
The Cardboard Prisoner by Peter Warlock: deck put in paper bag with ribbon through it, selection penetrates onto ribbon
Unconventional Magic By Lewis Ganson
Click on any of these: Link 1, Link 2, Link 3
Jet Box By Mickael Chatelain Revealed
Someone has posted Mickael Chatelain Jet Box trick tutorial in YouTube.
Again it uses an elastic thread-attached flap, magnets and a little help from the double sided tape.
*Check out this Mickael Chatelain coin teleporting trick.
Disclaimer: I do not own or upload any of the books here. They are copyrighted to their respective owners. All content cited is derived from their respective sources