What would you do if you forgot your playing cards?

So, the worst thing imaginable happens. You turn up to your gig and you open your case only to find the two crisp sealed decks of playing cards you thought were in there are nowhere to be found! You search your car for a spare deck, no luck, you are literally about to perform and you have not got your cards with you. What do you do, apart from crying!

The first thing to do is RELAX!

Take a deep breath and realise that everything will be ok, you know a huge range of magic if you just stop yourself from panicking and think about it. There are tonnes of great impromptu magic tricks that you can perform.

Get a piece of paper and a pen and start to list ideas. Here are a few options that immediately come to my mind:

IMPROMPTU MAGIC

Salt shaker or glass through table.
Coin magic such as coin under watch, coin on shoulder, vanishes and reproductions.
Coin in Pen Cap utilising the striking vanish.
Mentalism with your magicians business cards – Think centre tear or peek.
Out to lunch principle
Metal bending with cutlery

See, already with only a few moments thought you should be able to go through our own personal history of learning magic and pull out a few gems that you had forgotten about. These are all great effects that you could perform in place of your card magic set. Your list may be different from mine, but every professional gigging will have a huge list of magic tricks like this that are never performed, but are sitting there in your head waiting to be dusted off and given a try again.

There is also another option that is available to you. You can look around you and see how you can adapt some of your routines to be performed with the items around you. How about doing some of your card magic routines with items that are available to you?

TAILORED MAGIC

Perform any number of signed card tricks with your business cards.
Make a packet trick up with magicians business cards or compliment slips from the venue.
Use a spectator’s business card to your wallet routine where their business card ends up in your wallet.

You may also find that you have a plethora of magic in your case that you never use. Look for utility props like Thumb Tips, Loops, PK Rings, Peek Devices or Rubber Bands. If you have any of these props in your case then you are good to do so much cool magic with only a little bit of thought. With these few props you can make water and salt vanish and reappear, make money and small objects vanish and reappear, perform countless rubber band tricks, levitate banknotes, move common items like glasses or cutlery, read minds, stop watches and perform coin in glass or bottle

So if you ever find yourself in this position do not panic! Remember no guts no glory, you could go up to the booker and make excuses, drive off somewhere to buy a deck of cards and come back and have probably the worst gig ever, or you could keep calm, draw on your wealth of knowledge and experience and calmly put together a set list that will blow people away!

What the MoM Facebook magicians think:

Sean Mccarthy Depends on how much time I have before the show starts. If I have a few minutes Il try buy a few packs at a petrol station (most sell them). If I dont have time then I can still do a show with coins, a pen and a few pieces of paper.

Carl Chamberlain Use my invisible deck and convince them it really is there!

Col Balddaniels Daiper I have at least 2 sets without a single card in them . And guess what ? Nobody died.

Zak Millscray I don't go anywhere with out a deck! I would be more surprised than the audience!

Brian McCormack I would do coins / mentalism and hypnosis.

Kev Bee I'd be thinking if it was the right career for me…especially if card magic was a part of my routines…I always have cards on me or in the car.

Chris Wild Ask someone for a pack or go home. Can't imagine I would forget to pack my act, but you never know.

Tom Drudge Unfortunately, not yet comfortable enough to do a gig without cards. A few tricks, sure, but not a whole gig.

5 Quick Tips for More Confidence When Performing Magic Tricks

by Dominic Reyes 5 Comments

By Dominic Reyes

Many magicians feel nervous before they start performing their magic tricks. Here's 5 Tips to help you gain more confidence.

Magic isn't just about the method of the trick, it's also about being a confidant magician. Even the best sleight of hand expert can struggle to entertain people with the magic that they have spent years learning. Good magic is as much about the performer as it is about the magic tricks. Being relaxed, presentable and communicating a positive attitude is very important. Even today, after many years of performing magic professionally, I still sometimes feel magicians nerves just before I start performing. It's usually when there is something unusual about the gig. I take my time and wander around the event for a few minutes, getting a feel for the venue and the situation. After a short tour of the room, I move up to my first group of spectators and find I relax as soon as I start performing. Getting ready to perform doesn't start at that moment. There are things you can do whilst setting up for your show, or getting your props ready for a close up session. Let's look at a few things you can easily do before you perform your magic:

1) Breath, Relax, Meditate.

Suffering from nervousness before you perform can get in the way of your presentation, but it can also reduce your ability to perform sleight of hand. If you are stressed and unsure, your muscles will also be tense and that's not good for your performance. Take a few moments to stop and breath. Slow breaths in and out can really help you to relax. Breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Count your breaths slowly as you do this, counting to ten and then returning back to 1 again. As you do this, try to focus only on your breathing. As your mind wanders, gently return your attention back to your breath.

Many performers also find that a simple visualisation can help. As you breathe out, imagine all the fear, negativity and doubt being breathed out along with the breath. As you breath in, imagine confidence and positivity are slowing flowing into you via your breath. Repeat this for a few minutes and see how it makes you feel.

2) Use a affirmation.

Lift both arms up into the air, as if you are running through the finish line in a race. Say to yourself

'I feel fantastic, and everyone will love my magic.'

You will be surprised about how this makes you feel. There is a lot of research in publication about positive affirmation and posture to gain confidence.

3) Laugh and smile.

Before you perform to your first group of spectators, take a moment to tell yourself a joke, or remember something that made you laugh. Bookmark a few websites that have funny memes or stories that you can read just before the show. Laugh and remember that feeling and keep it with you as you start your show.

Remember to be smiling as you perform. Even if you are focused on the mechanics or the situation around you, remember to keep a happy expression. You need to communicate that you are having a great time, so that those around you do the same.

4) Act energy.

You may be tired, stressed from traveling, or feeling a little ill, but you should not show it. If you feel tired and have no energy, fake it! You become how you act. Bound up a few steps to the entrance to the room, check the mirror before you walk in. Imagine feeling fantastic and full of energy and you will really feel it.

5) Be playful

Remember that it's really not that significant. You aren't a brain surgeon, you have nobody's life in your hands. It's just a bit of fun and entertainment for everyone. Nobody is taking is as seriously as you do yourself, after all your years of practice and angst. If something goes wrong, the whole room isn't going to stop and point at the door for you to leave. In reality, you can just shrug it off and carry on. Don't give yourself a hard time. Once of the most common reactions from magic students that do their first live gig, is a sense that it was all worry over nothing.

I hope this helps you

Dominic Reyes

How to Pick the Best Magic Tricks for Table Hopping Magicians

by Dominic Reyes 3 Comments

Tom wants to find the best magic tricks for table hopping.

Tom writes:

‘I’ve just done my first magic show and have been asked to be a table magician, going from table to table in the venue. I’m a street magician usually, I don’t have much of an idea of what sorts of magic tricks I could perform at this party, and wondered if you had anything that you could suggest?

My act so far will include things like: Twilight Angels, Ghost Decks, The Invisible Deck, some mind reading card tricks, etc.

I’d obviously love things like manipulating wine glasses like bending them or placing a ring onto the stem or something like Dynamo does, but I understand that might be unlikely.

What else can you recommend?‘

Congratulations on your first show, being booked again is a great affirmation that you did a great job performing!

Table Magic really is a little different as you really need to address the whole table at once. It can be awkward if you only show a trick to a couple of people on the table. The only time I would ever perform for a couple of people on a table at a time is if the tables were very long, I would then work my way down and around the table. Every once in a while the venue will be too loud (even if I shout), in instances where I cannot be heard by the people at the other side of the table I may break my performance down and perform to smaller groups around the table. The goal is to present for the table as a whole ideally.

I find the best magic tricks are those that can be elevated so they are performed nearer to your face. Rope routines, Chop Cup and card to wallet are a few classic routines. If you want to look further into these ideas I highly recommend the following tutorials/props:

Rope Magic: Fiber Optics Extended by Richard Sanders

Chop Cup: Corporate Close Up by Martin Sanderson

Card to Wallet: 21 Production Wallet

Preparation

Some magicians are happy to spend time prepping their magic for gigs. If you like to prep some of your magic then here are a few suggestions you can try out that will leave your spectator’s with a magical souvenir.

UV Nightshades by Paul Harris Presents

Labelled and Relabelled by Ben Williams

Trace by Will Tsai

These are fun, visual routines that require a bit of prep, but have maximum reactions.

Borrowed objects

There is also a plethora of magic that would suit table performances that are performed with borrowed objects, these always get great reactions as you are using something of theirs. Usually the borrowed object is of value so you must be insured (check www.equity.org for details about performer’s insurance) should you wish to perform these in public. With that said when performing with borrowed objects the reactions can be huge as the spectators know their item isn’t a magic prop! Check these routines and props out for some great suggestions.

Ring Flight – Departure Ring Flight

Bill Switch – Hundred Dollar Miracles by Jay Sankey

Nest of Wallets – By Nicholas Einhorn

Getting permission

There are other magic tricks that use borrowed items, these routines though would be borrowed items from the venue you are performing in, so you would need to make sure it was OK to perform them or only perform them once or twice.

Refraction: Bending Wine Glass by David Penn

Psychokinetic Silverware: Fork Bending Routine by Banachek

Hide and Seek by James Brown: There are some great routines with borrowed phones and bank cards, very cool stuff!

You only have to do two or three routines per table, if you have more time you can go back to the really good tables and then show them things like Twilight Angels and some of your mind reading, they will be a lot more receptive to it then and you can make your performances a bit more personal.

What the magic community thinks

Here’s what the magicians on the Merchant of Magic Facebook Page recommend:

Sean Mccarthy It really depends on when the gig is. If you have time to learn new material then I highly recommend iCandy by Lee Smith and Gary Jones. It has some wonderful close up magic. It is generally a bad idea to go to a gig with new material so if you don’t have the time to learn new material PROPERLY, then just stick to the effects that you already know. A lot of what you already do works in this environment. Invisible deck and twilight angels are very solid effects for tables. The best advice I was ever given was to slow down, and make the trick entertaining.

Connor Elleston If you wanted to keep a running theme of playing cards, you could add in Omni Deck or Bug-O-Me as a powerful closer.

Jason Spear Take your street style to the table. At each table notice what props people are wearing. Rings. Laced shoes. Wallets. Coins and notes etc. then add your card effects. If you usually perform street try not to be tempted to call all the tables over and perform for them all at once though lol

David Punter Any word by Ben Williams is my fave trick to perform at tables.

Andrew Skinner Or you could be honest and tell the organisers that your style and repertoire doesn’t suit table-hopping. Trying to adapt your act or learn new material in time may not work, leaving you less than confident. That could then disappoint you, the client, and their customers. In turn, the image of magicians as a whole could suffer in their eyes, making it harder for others to get work or to impress. Controversial viewpoint perhaps, but the best thing to do might be to leave it to someone who does table hopping for a living, and stick to engagements where what you do best will really work.

Martin Jones Mark James‘s Chop Cup routine (supercharged classics DVD set) is amazing if you are competent with a Chop Cup! If not, learn it and use it at your next opportunity.

Francesco Mattiello street magic is still close up, so your material will work fine, I’ve used the effects mentioned a number of times while table hopping, works just fine, be confident, wear a smile, make a connection and astonish them, good luck!

Jordan Parke sponge balls! fire wallet (Kapps), Omni deck, UDAY sword swallow.

Dave Collins A visual, quick effective opener to grab attention!

Simon South Do the street act but close up!