The Merchant of Magic are just about to release Deceptus by Jimmy Strange. It's one of the best object penetration effects I've seen in a very long time.

The gimmick allows you to throw common borrowed objects straight into a soda can. Rings, signed coins, lighters, folded playing cards etc.

As you see in the demo, you can show the can completely, take an object, slam it in, then show the can as you rattle the object inside.

They have been keeping this to themselves for quite a long time now at the MoM as they perform it commercially. However, feedback and requests for its release at Blackpool this year, together with interest in the effect for TV lead the MoM team to agree its release.

The borrowed object really is inside the can, which is able to be inspected before and after the penetration. The spectators can see their item through the drink hole, the only way to get the item out? Cut open the can!

Ben Williams presents and teaches multiple handlings for all skill levels, including an instant reset taught where you melt the borrowed item out from the can without having to cut it open.

It includes extra presentations if you want to wear a PK ring, but you don't have to. I actually prefer the methods without using a PK ring myself.

The DVD that comes with the gimmick includes a "60 second" overview, so you can start playing with it right away. You can then watch the full DVD to get all the extra tips, techniques and presentations. I'm a huge fan of that, as it's frustrating having to watch a full DVD before you can start playing.

Do you need sleight of hand? Nope! If you can throw an object at a soda can, you can perform this.

We had great feedback from Alan Rorrison (Consultant for Dynamo and Troy), who was performing this with us late at night in the Ruskin at the 2014 Blackpool magic convention. After playing with the gimmick for just a few minutes, this is all he had to say: "I fricking love this thing!"

Here's a video I took late at night in the Ruskin at the 2014 Blackpool Magic Convention. We told Alan Rorrison about Deceptus, showed him the gimmick and this is what he did with it:

Check out the guy reflected in the mirror behind Alan. He physically jumps back. That's not what magicians do 🙂

Merchant of Magic are releasing it at the end of the month. Expected retail is US $39.99 UK £29.99 (Inc V.A.T)

I'd love to hear your opinions

When is it OK for Magicians to Teach Spectators a Magic Trick?

by Dominic Reyes 1 Comment

I'm often asked if I can teach a magic trick to one of the guests when I'm performing at a party or wedding. What should I do? I'd like to show them a simple magic trick that they can do, but at the same time I don't want to expose magic secrets. – John

That's a good question and one most magicians asked themselves. Teaching a simple magic trick is fine as long as you are very careful about what you teach. As magicians we promise not to disclose secrets, we also don't want to reduce the impressiveness or importance of our own magic by showing that it is just a collection of easy to master magic tricks. However, there is a good way to approach this. You can show them something that is not too technical, advanced, or the work of another magician. It's absolutely fine to teach them a magic trick as long as it is in the public domain, and doesn't reveal one of the core principles of magic technique. So what sort of tricks are OK to teach?

The perfect magic trick to teach a spectator is one where the secrets of a magic trick is revealed as part of the ending anyway. Bar bets or proposition cons are ideal examples of this. The conclusion of the trick automatically shows and teaches the method so you're not exposing any secrets. There is a huge range of magic tricks like this that you can use, they may not be magic in the strictest sense of the word, but they are entertaining and will satisfy your spectators curiosity and desire for a trick that they can do themselves.

Pushing an object through a cup.

A simple spur of the moment magic trick that you could teach spectators would be a demonstration of how you can push an object through a cup. You take a coffee cup and place it on the table, You announce that you will be able to push a large borrowed object (such as a mobile phone) through the small handle of the cup. It seems totally impossible. The huge object, such as a phone, or maybe a wine glass couldn't possibly fit through the small handle of the cup. When they ask you for the solution, you simply place the object in front of the cup, put your finger through the handle hole, and push the object with your finger. There.. you pushed the object through the cup!

It might not be a stunning example of sleight of hand, no real magic is taken place, but it will satisfy the spectators, entertain them and give them something to try out on their friends later.

There are lots of books and DVDs which teach bar bets or puzzles like this, and you'll be able to find them free of charge at your local public library. Being armed with just a few small easy to learn magic tricks that you can teach will mean that you never have to disappoint spectators or reveal the real secrets of close-up magic.

Beginning to Learn Magic Tricks – Advice For When You Are Finding it Tough

by Dominic Reyes Leave a Comment

If you are a beginner and finding things tough, here's some great advice from Ira Glass that may help you.

One of the interesting parts of running a large online magic shop is the ability to look at trends within the customer base of the shop. We look at the buying cycle of magicians to identify trends. It's important data for the magic shop. If we can tell on average how long a customer will remain shopping for magic, we can use our knowledge of average visit rates and average spend, to calculate the likely sales volume each customer will bring to the shop during their relationship with us. We can use this information to know exactly how much to spend on advertising to bring in new customers.

Whilst crunching this data, we've noticed an interesting data point about beginners learning magic tricks. If you have just started to learn magic, here's something for you:

It's statistically likely that no matter how passionate about magic you might be right now, in 6 months time you will probably quit.

At the 6 month point, there is a huge drop off for magicians who are buying magic that matches the profile for total beginners. Magicians who are ordering more advanced material, don't suffer that drop off. Established professional magicians tend not to drop off at all. It's just the people that have only just started out. Why don't they transition into more advanced products?

I think the video above hits the nail on the head as to the cause of this. Beginners start with high hopes, but it's a long process to become good at anything. Most magicians feel that they 'suck' at first, and hope to work through it as they gain experience. That's a hard thing to do. You have to work through a long period of time where you don't feel that you are any good, and it's so easy to quit at that point.

The way to succeed at learning magic, and the way to move past being a beginner, is to work through that and keep your energy up. Fight the nagging doubts in your head that tell you that you will never master it. Keep going and push past the beginner phase. Every expert goes through this, and every expert makes it through to the other side.

If you need any help of advice about how to do this, just get in contact and my team will do everything they can to help you. – Dominic Reyes

How to put items inside a soda can – News about Deceptus