Ambitious card

The Ambitious Card, or Elevator Card, is a magic effect in which a playing card seems to return to the top of the deck after being placed elsewhere in the middle of the deck. This is a classic effect in card magic and serves as a study subject for students of magic. Most performing card magicians will have developed their own personal Ambitious Card routine. The effect is often credited to French magician Gustav Alberti, in the mid-19th century. However, there is a related idea in Ponsin's Nouvelle Magie Blanche Devoilée, published in 1854, that might precede that. The ambitious card is also known as the "Trick that Fooled Houdini" as Dai Vernon fooled Houdini with the Ambitious Card. Many magicians base their routine on Darryl Martinez's version as he had a comprehensive VHS tape on the many variations possible on accomplishing this effect. Effect The magician usually gets a card signed by an audience member and inserts it into the middle of the deck, after which it reappears at the top. This is repeated under more and more improbable conditions, sometimes to humorous effect. Methods