JAMMING 2 Missing. In .Action

Missing In Action.

In this effect, a spectator merely thinks of a playing card, and it vanishes from a freely shuffled deck.

In the right hands, it’s an instantly repeatable, no set up, clean as a whistle miracle!


And it uses a well known gaff, in an unexpected way.

So let’s go straight to the how.

In order to perform M.I.A you will need to buy a marked deck of cards. This deck has to have bold clear markings that can be spotted within a split second. I use the Fournier 505 deck, but with practice, either a Boris Wild, or Ted lesely marked deck will do.
The bolder the makings, the better. Remember, Lays will not be thinking of marks, because as you will see in the following presentation notes, as far as they are aware, there is no reason to use them.

You can perform this with a full deck if you like, or as suggested, you can get the spectator to cut off a portion.

Have them shuffle the cards, and then cut off a portion of the pack.

Then have them count the cards they have cut, face up. Let’s say they have cut off 28 cards.

Now have them remember one of the cards in their packet.

Get them to turn the packet face down, and shuffle the cards.

This is just in case they are thinking of the face card.

Up to now, they have handled the cards.

You now take the cards back,. And tell them that their thought of card has now vanished from the packet.

You then ask them, to name the thought of card.


the secret...


Now, your real work begins. Look at the back of the card on the top of the deck, if this happens to be the named card, give the cards a single cut, saying …..

“Now, I’m going to make things hard for myself. Some magicians would some how get your card to the top of the deck”,( turn over the top card) “and sneak it off whilst you wasn’t looking, but not me. Your card is going to go from the middle of the deck.”



whilst reading this, you may be wondering why the cards have to be cut if the chosen one is on top. Well, if you do this, the whole effect can be done quicker.

You see, if the first card was a double, it would have to be laid down perfectly square, and it would have to stay like that. If on the other hand, several single cards have been put down, it’s less likely that the spectator will notice if the pair separates slightly.

so you can deal them down faster


From now on, it’s a simple matter of looking at the top card. If it’s not the named card, you deal it singly onto the table face up,
Continue this, until you see the chosen card, and do a double lift, dealing it, and the next card in line down as one.


And that’s all there is to it. The packet has one less card in it, than before, and the thought of card has gone.