This close-up card magic trick features two playing cards with large holes punched through their corners that appear to link and unlink.
LINKHOLE is similar to many other linking card effects that rely on a concealed slot or slit to make the penetration illusion possible.
The principle is essentially the same as the classic Chinese linking rings.
📌 Related post: “Linking Rings No Gap Trick Explained How It Works”.
In fact, here is a comprehensive list of various linking cards magic tricks, along with explanations of their secret methods and workings.
Among them is another creation by Mickael Chatelain called LINKCARD, which I have also revealed and explained.
Now, let’s get back to this self-contained card trick released in 2026 by French magician and creator Mickael Chatelain.
Effect:
You display two different playing cards.
Each card has a large hole punched through one corner.
Bringing them together, you make the two cards visibly lock together like links in a chain.
To prove they are genuinely interlocked, you can tug on them before separating them again.
With a gentle blow or a quick sliding motion, the cards seem to melt apart, leaving both cards completely intact and separate.
This pocket trick resets instantly, making it ideal for walk-around, street, and table-hopping performances.
LINKHOLE can be performed completely surrounded, making it easier and practical for even amateur performers.
Watch the demo video by Mickael Chatelain himself below:
A quick disclaimer before we begin:
As with all posts in Info Ruckus Magic Trick Secrets Revealed series, the explanations presented are based solely on my personal observations and analysis of the publicly available performance video.
I do not own the LINKHOLE prop, nor do I have any insider knowledge of its official method.
Nothing in this article should be taken as a confirmed explanation from Mickael Chatelain or the manufacturer.
Instead, I carefully study the performance sequences, and visual clues to develop what I believe is the most likely method behind the effect.
Throughout this post, I will share the evidence that supports my conclusions.
Plus the psychological subtleties and spectator management techniques that help make the illusion so deceptive.
LINKHOLE by Mickael Chatelain Trick Secret
Like most penetration effects, whether close-up magic tricks or large-scale stage illusions, there must be a secret opening somewhere in the prop.
This principle can be found in effects such as the Liquid Glass illusion by Jim Steinmeyer and the Tenyo Smart Guillotine magic trick.
LINKHOLE uses the same fundamental concept.
I don’t claim to know the precise design of the gimmick.
But based on the evidence visible in the performance video, I believe the blue card is where the secret gimmick is located.
You can catch the first glimpse of the hidden opening at approximately 0:22, when Mickael separates the two cards.
This opening serves as the entry point that allows the red card to enter and exit the blue card during the routine.
I believe this is the case because of the way Mickael consistently positions and aligns the two cards when he links and separates the two cards.
From the way the effect is performed, the red card doesn’t simply “press against” the surface.
It appears to be guided into a controlled internal channel inside the gimmicked card before the visual link is displayed.
What reinforces this idea is the consistent handling: the blue card is always angled, covered, or repositioned at the exact moments where that edge would otherwise be exposed.
At 0:38 during the third performance, the red card is already inserted into the circular opening of the gimmicked blue card.
In the third act at around 0:50, Mickael once again covers the secret area of the blue card with his fingers.
Finally, at 1:07, when he separates the cards, again he carefully shields the concealed slit from view.
So where is the hidden opening, and what does it look like, that allows the two cards to interlock and separate so effortlessly?
Mickael Chatelain LINKHOLE Gimmick Card Revealed
Based on my observations, I believe the hidden opening on the back of the card looks something like this.
Think of it as a concealed L-shaped track hidden within the blue card.
This is the slit opening that allows the red card to enter and exit the blue card during the linking sequence.
After the card card enters the short slit at the edge, you slide it along the slit that is well-camouflaged along the fine blue line towards the round hole.
This is where the slit is hiding as indicated in the visual below.
This is how the full view of that slit looks like as shown below.
Once the red card slides through this track, it reaches the hole, the two cards appear to lock together.
This is the screenshot image taken from the video at 1:01 just as flash effect goes off, you can see this gimmicked section snap shut.
To see it clearly, you have to slow down the playback speed to 0.25.
Now let’s take a closer look at the slit on the face of card.
This time as you notice slit opening is well hidden along the border of the court card design.
This is as seen from the card in the video.
The gimmick card is built from two layers that are bonded together.
The main working slit is located on the back layer of the card.
The slit on the front side, concealed along the design border is fixed to the back layer as part of the same construction.
Here is a simple illustration of the card face with the secret slit opened wide.
Most probably, a thin magnetic strip is used to keep this concealed opening closed and the internal structure properly aligned within the card.
Interestingly, the gimmick appears to share some similarities with another Mickael Chatelain’s penetration effect called JUMP, released in 2023.
For the carabiner to slide down the card, there need to be a track running along the border of the court card artwork.
If you watch the JUMP demo video closely, you can see the cutting lines around the border design.
When the card is turned over, I can also make out a faint line on the back, which I suspect is the location of the hidden slot.
My guess is that, there is a rather wide slot between the two hole for the carabiner to slide across.
It could look like the visual below.
There is a matching cut-out piece attached either on the front or back of the card to hide this slot.
Again like most of not all of the gimmicked card by Mickael Chatelain cannot be examined by spectators.
Unless it is secretly switched for an ungimmicked duplicate.
Psychology of the LINKHOLE by Mickael Chatelain Trick
As with most penetration effects, the gimmick itself is only part of the secret.
The real magic happens inside the spectator’s mind. By exploiting how the human brain processes information, this routine turns a simple trick into an impossible illusion.
The Power of a Visual Distraction
The first psychological advantage is the two large circular holes in the cards.
Spectators naturally focus on the holes because they believe the secret must somehow be connected to them.
As a result, they overlook other parts of the card where the secret could be hidden.
They experience what psychologists call inattentional blindness.
Overloading the Brain’s Processing Power
Timing is everything.
The exact moment the cards appear to link causes a sudden spike in surprise, which creates a high cognitive load.
While their mind is busy trying to process the “impossible” event, it creates a brief mental blind spot.
This “off-beat” moment is the perfect window for a magician to make a secret move completely unnoticed.
Creating a False Sense of Consistency
Mickael’s finger positioning takes advantage of change blindness.
Throughout the demonstration, his fingers repeatedly cover the exact area where the concealed opening appears to be located.
Because this grip looks completely natural and consistent, viewers have little reason to suspect that anything is being hidden.
Redirecting Suspicion Through Object Framing
One of the most important psychological principles used in the routine is misdirection.
During the linking sequence, attention is often drawn to the red card, which is displayed more openly and sometimes held up as if it might contain the secret.
This creates a powerful false assumption: spectators begin to suspect the red card, while the real working area remains on the blue card side.
In reality, this is a deliberate framing strategy. By making the red card appear more “relevant” to the effect, the routine shifts analytical attention away from the actual method.
This reversal of focus means that even when spectators are actively trying to reconstruct the method, they are mentally investigating the wrong object entirely.
The Trap of Repetition and Touch
Linking and unlinking the cards multiple times plays into a psychological bias.
Audiences naturally assume that if you repeat a trick, it becomes easier to catch.
Ironically, every time you successfully repeat the illusion, it reinforces their false belief that the cards are ordinary.
Adding a quick tug right after the link uses somatosensory perception (the psychology of touch) to seal the deal.
That tiny bit of physical tension forces the audience to mentally confirm the cards are solid.
Using the Familiarity Shortcut
Finally, using standard playing cards relies on a familiarity heuristic.
It is a mental shortcut where you choose or favor things you recognize over things that are new.
Your brain automatically assumes that familiar means safe, correct, and reliable.
Audiences handle playing cards regularly and therefore assume they understand their properties.
This familiarity lowers suspicion and makes them less likely to consider the possibility of a specially prepared card.
Ultimately, LINKHOLE by Mickael Chatelain trick is a masterpiece because it doesn’t just fool the eyes—it hacks the spectator’s brain.
👉 The PASSAGE Trick by Mickael Chatelain Revealed Soon
Watch out for the coming post: a full explanation of the secret behind this astonishing penetration effect.