Editor’s note: Short post this time. We have several meatier posts in the queue, but they need a bit more polish. So use the time we’re saving you today wisely so you’ll have more time to read in the coming weeks.

This is a small way to improve the revelation of a folded card. It’s something I’ve done in performances to ensure any drama isn’t lost.

If you fold a card into quarters, the indices of the card usually peek out and you run the fairly large chance of ruining the revelation before they unfold the card. They see what card it is before they even unfold it. 

If the technicalities of your effect permit you, try this simple approach instead. 

Put some magician’s wax on the indices of the card that is to be folded.

The key is to put enough that the corners stay shut while the card is in its folded state, but the card is still easily unfoldable. Experiment with a Joker or an advertisement card.

With the wax applied, the corners of the folded card won’t prematurely flash any indices. Your audience might see a pip, or some color, but not any indices of the card. This way, the unfolding of the card is a little more dramatic and the tension of the reveal is preserved. 

I most recently used this subtlety when I performed “Fiedler’s Flier” for a friend.

I folded the card to be revealed (in the improved way described above) and placed it in my Quiver, the switching coin purse by Kelvin Chow. Then, I showed the purse empty and asked her to feel around. (If you let them feel around with a Quiver, make sure the folded card is “upright” and not “on its side”. The velvet will feel much more flexible.) After I handed her the purse to keep, I did the routine and had her open the purse herself. There she found the folded card and unfolded it.

Thanks to the fold described above, she didn’t know it was her card right up until the last moment.