Back Off by Craig Petty

This mystery card routine doesn’t just kick—it dropkicks like an angry mule on espresso. Expect gasps, laughs, and the kind of reactions that make you question whether you’ve been blessed with genuine magic powers. Whether you’re a seasoned pro, an enthusiastic hobbyist, or someone who just learned which side of the deck is the face, this trick will have audiences looking at you like you’ve got a secret Hogwarts diploma.

And the mystery card? Oh, it’s not just any card—it’s a signed one that keeps popping up again and again like it refuses to pay rent somewhere else. It appears in a ridiculous number of unexpected ways in Craig Petty’s brilliantly cheeky effect Back Off. Honestly, at this point, the card should just get its own dressing room.

Here’s what happens:

1. A spectator selected a mystery card from the deck. No one looks at it, and it is placed facedown on the table at the very beginning of the trick.

2. A second spectator selects a card and signs it. It’s lost in the deck and impossibly jumps to the top.

3. To make things easier to follow, the magician removes the signed card and two other cards from the deck. No matter how many times the selected card is put on the bottom of the three-card packet, it jumps to the top.

4. The magician then offers to break a rule in magic and show the audience how it works. The magician reveals that all three cards actually have two backs, and the signed card is nowhere to be found!

5. In a crazy kicker ending, the magician reveals that the mystery card that was set aside before the trick even started is actually the signed card. Everything is immediately examinable.

Back Off is a visually stunning effect that is incredibly easy to perform. The sleights are simple, and the special cards you receive help make the trick a snap to learn. Best of all, the signed card can be taken from any regular deck of cards, so there is no need for custom refills.

You’ll be performing this trick all of the time with cards you already own! This trick comes directly from Craig’s working repertoire and has been battle-tested in front of countless audiences. Back Off is sure to find a permanent home in the magic you perform every day.