A Beginner’s Guide to Performing Card to Clock Magic Tricks

Learn these sleight of hand card tricks with our expert guide

Co-authored by Barry McDonough and Hunter Rising

Last Updated: October 29, 2025 Fact Checked

Sleight of Hand Trick

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Using a Trick Card

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Clock Card Trick

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Expert Advice

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Video

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Tips

Have you seen the viral trick on TikTok where someone magically turns a playing card into a watch? Even though it seems like real magic, the trick is actually pretty easy to perform with some sleight of hand or a trick card. If you want to impress your friends with this cool trick or another fun clock card trick, keep reading to reveal the magicians’ secrets! We also spoke to professional magicians for tips on how to make your magic tricks even more believable and entertaining.

Simple Way to Do the Card to Clock Trick

Hold a watch by its straps between your thumb and index finger. Pinch a card between your index finger and middle finger so it hides the card completely. Let go of one strap and flick your fingers like you’re snapping to move the card against your wrist. It will look like the card vanished and a watch appeared.

Section 1 of 4:

Doing the Card to Watch Sleight of Hand Trick

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Hold a watch hidden behind a playing card. Hold the ends of your watch straps between your thumb and index finger. Then, pinch a playing card between your index finger and middle finger so it’s in front of the watch. Anyone in front of you will only see the card, not the watch behind it.^{[1]
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- This trick only works for people who are directly in front of you, so check that no one is watching from the side.
- If you want to put a little extra pizzazz to the trick, hold a deck of cards in one hand. Hold the watch in your other hand and hide it behind the deck. Use your middle finger to pull a card off the top of the deck, and hold it in front of the watch to keep it hidden.
Meet the wikiHow Experts

David Martinez is a professional magician with more than 20 years of experience performing for events.

Barry McDonough is a professional magician who runs a magic school and workshop to teach tricks.

Magic Suzy is a professional magician who specializes in family-oriented magic shows.

Zach Waldman is a professional comedy magician who has been performing regularly at The Magic Castle since 2001.
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Let go of the watch strap and flick the card back against your wrist. Quickly move your hand down like you’re throwing something toward the ground. As you do it, press your middle and ring fingers against the card and flick it backward like you’re snapping your fingers. The card will stay tight against your wrist and out of sight.^{[2]
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- At the same time, adjust your grip on the watch to let go of one of the straps.
- To a spectator, the card will look like it disappeared into thin air and a watch magically appeared in its place.
- Sneak the card into your other hand while your audience is distracted so you can hide it in a pocket or back on the deck.

Section 2 of 4:

Performing the Card to Watch Trick with a Trick Card

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Fold a playing card so it’s the same width as the watch strap. Measure the width of your watch strap with a ruler. Mark the width of the strap in the center of the playing card. Fold in the long edges of the card so it forms a long triangular shape.^{[3]
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- If it’s difficult to fold the card, use a craft knife to mark shallow score lines on the card before folding it.
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Attach a clear elastic band to the sides of the card. Poke a small hole through the long edges of the card. Cut a small elastic band and feed the ends through the holes in the card. Tie the bands on the flat bottom side of the card so it stays closed in its triangular shape.^{[4]
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- The elastic band forces the card to fold up so it stays more hidden at the end of your trick.
3
Glue the card to a small magnet. Put a dot of super glue on the back of a magnet and attach it to the flat section of the card. Wait for the glue to dry completely before sticking the magnet to the back of your watch.^{[5]
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- Double-check which side of the magnet sticks to the back of your watch so you know which side to glue the card to.
4
Unfold the card and hide the watch behind it. Fold up the watch and strap so it’s completely hidden behind the card. Pinch the top of the strap with your index finger and thumb. Then, carefully pull open the sides of the card with your middle and ring fingers and hold it in place.^{[6]
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- To anyone standing in front of you, the card will look completely normal, and they won’t be able to see the watch.
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Let go of the card to make it disappear behind the watch. Whenever you’re ready to perform your trick, move your hand down quickly and loosen your grip on the card. The hidden watch will unravel and fall down, looking like it magically appears as the card folds up and stays hidden.^{[7]
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- This trick only works when people are watching it directly in front of you. If someone is standing to your side, they’ll see the watch before the big reveal.

Section 3 of 4:

Doing the Self-Working Card Clock Trick

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Deal 12 cards off the deck in a clock shape. Give the deck of cards a good shuffle to show everyone they’re randomly mixed. Take 12 cards off the top of the deck and deal them out face down into a circular shape. Tell your audience that each card represents an hour on a clock.
- As you’re preparing for your trick, tell your audience that cards share a lot of traits with clocks and telling time. For example, tell them that the 52 cards represent the 52 weeks in a year, the 12 face cards represent the months, or the 2 colors represent day and night.
Shuffle the remaining cards and fan them out for one of your audience members. Tell them to pick any card they want and to show it to everyone except you. Then, have them give you the card back face down.
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Mark where you put the card back in the deck with your pinky. Slide the card into the middle of the deck face down so the audience can see. Before you push the card completely in, secretly stick the edge of your pinky between the card and the top half of the deck. From the front, your audience won’t even see that you marked the spot.^{[8]
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- This technique is called a “pinky break” because you’re putting a small break in the deck to mark the location of a specific card.
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Cut the cards so the chosen card is on top of the deck. Take half of the cards from the top part of the deck and set them on the table. Then take the next section of cards to where you have your pinky and set those cards on the pile. The top card of the packet in your hand is the audience’s chosen card. Set that packet on top of the pile so it stays the top card of the deck.^{[9]
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- Professional magician David Martinez explains that this sleight is called “controlling the card” because it looks like it’s placed in the middle of the deck, but you can bring it to the position you want.^{[10]
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  Expert Source
  
  David Martinez
  Professional Magician
  
  Expert Interview}
EXPERT TIP

David Martinez
Professional Magician
David Martinez is a Magician based in San Jose, CA. David has over 20 years of experience and has performed throughout Northern California at weddings, private parties, team-building events, and more. He has notably performed for some of the biggest companies in the world, including Apple, Google, Facebook, and Uber. David previously served as President of the Silicon Valley Chapter of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and has received awards for Close-Up, Walk-Around, and Stage performances. In 2023, he co-authored Amaze and Delight: Secrets to Creating Magic in Business, aimed at helping individuals and organizations nurture healthy and happy business cultures.

David Martinez
Professional Magician

Keep the card on top by doing a fake cut. Cut the top half of the deck, and then take the bottom half of the deck and wave it over the cards. Set the bottom half on the other side, and then put the top half back on top. All the hand motions make it look like a real cut but the card stays on top.
Take all 12 cards from the table and shuffle them in a random order. Place them on top of the deck. The audience member’s chosen card is now the 13th card in the deck.
Tell the audience member to think of a number on a clock. Turn your back to the audience and let them take that many cards from the top of the deck. Have them put the cards in their pocket or set them aside. When they’re finished, face them again and take the remaining cards from them.^{[11]
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Deal 12 cards into a clock shape again. Tell your audience that the clock will now do its work. Place the first card in the 12 o’clock position and then set the cards in a circle going counterclockwise. Once you have 12 cards dealt out, set the other cards aside.^{[12]
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- The chosen card is now face down on the table.
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Flip over the hour card on the clock to reveal the chosen card. Ask how many cards the person took off the top of the deck. Tell them that the number of cards they chose actually corresponds to an hour on the clock. Find the face-down card in the hour position that matches the number of cards, and flip it over. Your audience will be amazed that it’s the one they chose earlier on!
- As long as the chosen card is the 13th card in the stack, it will always appear in the right position.

Section 4 of 4:

Expert Advice for Performing Card Tricks

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Practice your tricks a little every day. Professional magician Barry McDonough says the best way to practice is “dedicate a certain amount of time, like a half hour each day, to work on one trick you want to accomplish.” He recommends slowing the trick down so you can concentrate on mastering the movements first.^{[13]
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Expert Source

Barry McDonough
Professional Magician

Expert Interview}
- Professional comedy magician Zach Waldman notes that practicing in front of a mirror lets you watch your hands during the trick. He recommends recording your practice on a video camera so you can watch what your trick looks like to a spectator.^{[14]
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  Zach Waldman
  Professional Comedy Magician
  
  Expert Interview}
Professional magician Magic Suzy says to strengthen your hand muscles and work on your dexterity constantly. Whether you’re faking a cut, moving a card in the deck, or doing a false shuffle, keep doing the motions over and over again until they feel natural.^{[15]
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Expert Source

Magic Suzy
Professional Magician

Expert Interview}
McDonough says, “Your ability to keep them engaged gives you that oomph to perform a trick.” He recommends giving some details about who you are, and connecting with your audience makes them more invested in your performance.^{[16]
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Expert Source

Barry McDonough
Professional Magician

Expert Interview}

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Check out our guide on other easy card tricks you can learn to add to your routine so you can continue wowing your audience!

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