I saw a link to this ESP test and on a whim checked it out. Try the test a few times to see how accurate it is. Then, see if you can figure it out. It had me stumped at first, but in a few minutes I figured out how it works. Once you think you’ve figured it out, post your answer here as a comment. If no one gets it (or if no one even replies, which is much more likely given the extremely limited readership of this blog) after a few days, then I’ll post the answer.
Hint: You can read through the postings on his site on people’s theories and explanations on how it works. However, all of the explanations given by the people there are wrong. In fact, it’s probably best not to read them until you have figured out the trick yourself.
There are only two of each kind of card (K,Q,J). If you present the remaining two shapes in the next screen, voila your card is of course not there anymore. The picking eyeball thing is purely distraction.
Yup. The trick is that *none* of the original cards are there anymore. But since they are pretty close (all face cards, same suits, etc.) you only notice the one you chose.
Sure enough. All the face cards change to the suit of the same color, but keep the value. A king of hearts changes to a king of diamonds, etc. It took me a few minutes to figure out. What amazed me was how many hundreds of people were convinced it was magic/psychic, or the convoluted ways they imagined the trick worked.
I even sent an email to the guy that runs the site, asking him what percentage of people that try it figure out the real trick. He never replied though.
I figured it out! (Without reading your answer.) I have to say that I figured it out after reading some of the suggested explanations where people wondered at how it removed BOTH of the cards they were thinking of, one guy even amazed that it had taken all three of the ones he was holding in his mind. Once I knew the trick it was funny to read everyone else’s marvelings at his psychic powers.
I’ll weigh in even though I’m late. I thought it was painfully obvious, but I may have cheated since I’ve seen simliar tricks before. I think it would be more effective if it was done in person and the magician performed some smooth sleight-of-hand to swap the sets of cards.