A Few Things to Avoid Adding to Your Card Magic Tricks

When you perform card magic tricks, are you tempted to add in additional cuts and flourishes to demonstrate your skill with playing cards?

These demonstrations of skill can delight audiences, and quickly establish you as a competent magician. However, it's important to understand that even the most advances and impressive playing card flourish could hurt the dramatic impact of a card magic trick, if it's used in the wrong place.

Dominic Reyes recorded this short video in which he talks about the time and place for flourishing within the performance of a card magic trick:

So, when is it the right time to perform flourishes with your cards? After all, these moves take considerable time and commitment to master. Dominic suggests that the best time for these demonstrations is BETWEEN your tricks, rather than when you handle the playing cards during an effect.

Anything that is unnecessary to moving the magic trick forward to it's conclusion is reducing the clarity of the effect for the spectator. The playing cards or deck of cards should be handled as little as possible, and with clear movement and minimal action. By avoiding flourishes and trick cuts as you shuffle and handle the cards, you reduce the possible 'points of method' that the spectators can jump on as the moment something sneaky took place.

Using demonstrations of card manipulation as you move from one card magic trick to another may work much better. It can help create a flow and pace to bridge between your individual tricks, keep the spectators engaged, and also appear to be magical events in their own right. By making your flourishing separate and distinct from your tricks, you avoid the flourish being mistaken for the mechanical method of the trick you are presenting.

Help – People Want to Examine My Gimmicked Playing Cards

by Dominic Reyes 3 Comments

Christian is worried about people asking to examine his gimmicked deck of playing cards. He writes:

'I use a Pop Eyed Popper deck. The spectator maybe ask for a closer look at the deck of playing cards. That's not possible.'

That's a really good question, and one that is asked quite often, when magicians are worried about using gaffed or gimmicked decks of playing cards. Here are 5 tips for what to do when you find yourself in the situation when a spectator asks to examine your deck of playing cards.

1) Why they are asking?

If a magic trick has been routined correctly and the magic builds to a suitable climax at the end, your spectators should be reacting to the magic that they have just witnessed. It's an issue of 'engagement and reaction'. The magic trick should entertain them, and draw them into the experience, so the magic isn't perceived as a 'puzzle'. If you find that spectators just ask testing questions, at the end of a trick, look at your presentation and think about ways to make the magic have more impact or for their reactions to be increased. Are you unintentionally presenting the magic trick as a puzzle? Are you signalling that the magic trick is just a 'question' that prompts the spectator to think of 'answers'. Changing a few lines of presentation and see if that fixes the issue.

2) Look for gimmicked decks of playing cards that can be switched in and out of play.

Many gaffed decks only need to be introduced into play for a short period of time. Once they are used, they can be put away or switched out for a regular deck. Think about ways of switching your decks, or ditching out the gaffs when they are no longer needed. There are many devices on the market that will switch a deck easily if you prefer to avoid sleight of hand methods.

3) Build in convincers.

Many of the better gimmicked or gaffed decks of playing cards have built in systems to convince spectators that the decks are normal. The Pop Eyed Popper Deck is designed to be spread both face up and face down, so all the cards are shown to be normal. Try to avoid making a big deal about the fairness of the playing cards you use. It should be assumed that they are normal, so over proving the point can work against you and raise suspicion. The routining of the magic trick should be developed, so the playing cards are shown as much as possible in a natural way throughout the trick.

4) It doesn't happen often.

Much of the worry about spectators asking to examine your cards happens before many beginners start performing. They think that spectators will automatically be looking to try to catch them out. Part of this feeling comes from being a magician. As you have been focusing on the method for the trick, it's easy for you to forget that the method is not central to the attention of your audience. They only see the presentation and magical effect that is produced. This feeling can be reinforced for beginners as they tend to perform for their friends in informal situations. Your friends probably enjoy nothing more than trying to tease and catch you out, because that's what friends like to do generally. It's just as much fun for them to challenge you because they are not in a situation where you are there to perform for them. The normal rules of play are very different between a group of friends having fun, and a group of spectators watching a magic performance. In normal performing situations, it's actually VERY rare that people will stop the show to examine props.

5) Relax about the situation.

The most important thing to remember is to relax about it. There isn't anything wrong with simply putting the deck in your pocket if you start to get challenged and giving the spectator a big smile. In just the same way as a stage illusionist wouldn't let everyone rush up onto the stage and examine their illusion equipment. If you find yourself in the situation where a spectator asks to play with the deck, simple pop it into your pocket as they ask the question. Laugh and move on to the next thing that you want to show them.

Got some advice about how you handle people asking to examine your playing cards? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below:

Why are there so many playing card collectors?

by Dominic Reyes Leave a Comment

By Mark Henderson

One easy answer as to why there are so many playing card collectors is quite simple, people like to collect things. If something can be collected, then someone somewhere in the world will collect it. Let’s look at the most common form of collecting playing cards, and how to make sure your collection is the best it can be.

In recent years there have been so many different designs of playing cards released. Some playing cards look more traditional, and other designs are more contemporary. A whole host of different people, big companies, smaller companies, teams of designers and skilled individuals are satisfying the needs of these playing card collectors.

It all started with The Black Tiger Deck from Ellusionist. The spark that ignited an inferno within the playing card collector world, causing grown men to spend tons of their hard-earned cash on flimsy bits of paper that will never see the light of day or leave the comfort of their boxes.

Playing cards have become more and more accessible to the mass market in recent years. The poker boom shifted a lot of people’s focus away from the dimly lit, smokey bridge table and into a fast-paced, bright lights of poker tournaments. With more and more people playing poker, playing card companies have started manufacturing cards to suit every personality and every situation. With every deck of playing cards added to the catalogue, playing card collectors have one more trophy to track down, and the playing card companies have latched onto this, producing limited runs on certain lines, making them even more desirable and difficult for the playing card collectors to come by.

The use of Photoshop and the evolution of graphics programs have allowed more and more skilled enthusiasts to create and share their artwork with the world, driving playing card collectors wild with desire.

Kickstarter has also made it more and more possible for small time designers and enthusiasts to fund their projects. People post their design criteria and ask the public to fund their projects, the higher the investment, the higher the reward. This is a perfect place for playing card collectors to snatch up extremely rare designs.

A lot of amazing decks of playing cards have been funded this way, and, as a playing card collector, I predict that many more will follow.

Occasionally playing card companies will run a batch of playing cards, they will pass through quality control and hit the shops. Then a defect is spotted. It could be a misaligned or missing pip, acolouring error or anything that deviates from the original design. Once the playing card company finds out, they market it as a must have collectable, and playing card collectors bite. They just have to own that never to be repeated piece of playing card history.

Five tips for collecting playing cards

1) Look for limited edition runs – Small batches or limited runs often sell out quickly. If you have the opportunity to get one, don’t pass it up.

2) Don’t break the deck seals – Sealed decks are more collectable than open ones. If you ever decide to sell your collection, a sealed deck of playing cards will be much more valuable.

3) Be careful where you store your cards – Cards are very sensitive to heat and can easily warp and become ruined. Keep your playing cards cool and out of direct sunlight.

4) The back design isn’t always the most important factor – Sometimes the faces are just as important as the backs.

5) Contact other collectors to swap and trade spare decks – Playing card collectors may be looking for a certain deck and if you have a spare you can both help each other out. Check out forums and help your fellow collectors.