Jamie Raven caused a massive stir in the UK when he appeared on Britains Got Talent. Because Jamie has been shopping at the Merchant of Magic for over a decade, we are constantly being asked how Jamie Raven did his magic tricks.

Jamies performance did more than impress the judges, it fired up interest in close up magic amongst the public in a way not seen since Dynamo Magician Impossible. Only 36 hours after his performance aired, it had already been watched by over 1.3 Million people on Youtube.

 

 

Many working magicians were surprised that commonly available, commercially magic tricks could amaze the public in this way, but that misses the point. The tricks he used were tried and tested modern classics. There were no elaborate formats, no fillers of fluff, just strong magic performed by a magician who understands dramatic build and how to structure distinct tricks into a magic routine.

Sales of the magic tricks performed by Jamie Raven have gone through the roof

It's understandable for magicians to see a magic trick performed on TV and for them to want to do it themselves. The tricks were so great they propelled a magician to almost win Britains Got Talent (He came second by only 2% of the vote) However, the tricks he performed are not the whole story.

Cardtoon and Extreme Burn, and Invisible Deck have been used by professional magicians around the country for many years. They get consistant results and have been shaped and crafted to iron out almost all performing issues. Equally, To the Max is popular magic trick that you can see performed in restaurants and parties any night of the week. The specific magic tricks Jamie Raven used are of little value as a lesson in magic. He could have used any number of similar working effects. As magicians, there is something much more important to copy:

Take time to look at all the tricks you perform. How could you build them together to create a flowing structured routine that builds to a climax.

How did Jamie Raven do his magic tricks?

With care and attention to the WHOLE performance rather than as individual distinct effects. Jamie wisely chose to perform classic close up magic tricks. He could have spent his time developing new material to be unique. That was the right decision for him because it allowed him to spend his time on the more valuable work of routining. He didn't try to reinvent the wheel.