How to do Magic Tricks

Advice and Support for Magicians

Bicycle Cards – Are They Worth the Money?

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Bicycle Cards - Value? 

Are Bicycle Cards worth the money? Would it be better to use cheap playing cards for practice?

We posted a customer question asking about Bicycle cards for beginner magicians. Should beginners use Bicycle cards? There was a lot of feedback from magicians, so here's some of the great advice:

Duncan Clarke –  Bicycle all the way.

Brian Clarke – Waddingtons, available at most newsagents and stationary stores in the UK

Sean Mccarthy – Phoenix cards are the best on the market quality wise. Bikes are standard and most gimmicks come in bikes. I would say get bicycle cards if you are starting off. If you have been doing magic for a while you should seriously consider the phoenix deck. After that, style and personal taste may affect your choice (I personally love the black noc deck).

Peter Curly Galloway –  I find bicycle cards a little too slippy to start with. But after a while they are perfect. & last ages.

Chris Curley – A shoddy workman will always blame his tools. Bicycle cards are too pricey in the UK if he is only just learning and from personal experiance when I started I bought either waddingtons (£1) or just standard plastic coated cards (70p). Bicycle cards are great and are pretty much the standard but I know kids change there minds quite alot so next month he might not want to do magic and to be honest the pricey cards you speak of just look better and as a purist where cards are concerned I have never met a deck of cards that have ruined my ability to do tricks and sleights as I have and still do practice with every type of card I can get my hands on.

Alan Penman –  Very cheap cards can be difficult to work with. However bicycle cards are not too expensive and worth it. Only spend extra to impress that special someone. Lol

Jonathan Nicholson – The standard USPC bicycle cards are the most popular primarily as any "gaffed" or specially customised decks are made with bike backs but the new trend in "cardistry" and flourishes often promote bespoke or limited release decks as their tools of choice (and their marketing is powerfully good at creating a demand) but the truth is just as all the previous comments have suggested… A good card trick can be performed with ANY pack I cards regardless of design or price tag. A deck of bikes can be used for just about everything but if he is more into the decks than the tricks then it's about personal choice in back design

Dan Wan – Bicycle plastic cards? A bit more expensive but last ages, not as good for sleights but fine when you are learning.

Matthew Ramsell – Standard bikes are all I ever use

Brent M Braun – I would say it depends on what kind of sleights he is working on. I couldn't imagine learning Faro shuffles with "Kentucky bikes"

Yann Champion – Bicycle Seconds if he's into magic. Tally Ho if he's really into cardistry and want to try something else.
He doesn't need anything else. But good luck to make a teenager understand that fancy decks are marketed towards kids and that magicians in the know don't care about them.

David Harris – Stick with bicycle cards.

Geoffrey Hubbard – I find Waddington playing cards are great for the price. The better you get, the more you pay. My opinion only.

What's your opinion? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment in the section below

 

 

The Best Time Travel Magic Trick

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Time Travel Magic Trick

Greg asks: 'I'm doing a new magic show based on time travel, and wondered if you could suggest a time travel magic trick which may be suitable?'

 

HI Greg, You have a huge range of choices here. Remember that the magic trick itself doesn't have to be directly linked to time travel. It's the presentation you wrap around the magic trick that will make it fit in the theme for the show.

Here's some of our suggestions for a good time travel magic trick:

 

Newtons Nightmare 

Newtons Nightmare

This little tube could be an excellent time travel magic trick. It allows you to show your ability to slow down time. A small weight falls down a tube, but you can make it fall in slow motion. Find out more about Newtons Nightmare here

Healed and Sealed Time Travel Magic Tricks

Healed and Sealed

How about having a crushed can on a table throughout the show. At some point in the action, you make it go back in time by going back into shape and restoring to a point before it was opened. Find out more about healed and sealed here

 

The Merchant of Magic Facebook Group

We asked the Merchant of Magic Facebook group to give some more suggestions about time travel magic tricks. Here's some of their ideas:

Jay Sankey has an effect I think it is called "Back in Time" – Mark P Cook

Alex Elmsley "Between the palms". A prediction made at the start is shown to be a signed card which happened later. – Bob Yelland

I wouldnt worry about the tricks just get your patter and performance down and then work tricks you know around that. – Chris Curley

If you can put close up magic in the show, try "The trick that never was" by Paul Cummins. – Philip Bynorth

How about something like a torn and restored? Going back in time restores the paper? Similarly a vanish/production/change box (time machine) can turn apples into seeds, birds into eggs etc.  If you look for the time travel magic trick to match the theme you may struggle, try adapting a trick to fit the theme. – Good luck! – Jonathan Nicholson

More close up but I seem to remember a time travel card trick on Matthew Dowden's Party Animal. There's Timeless, which I believe can play well to a bigger audience. I think there was some watch and clock related effects on one of the iCandy dvds. – David Macpherson

Garden of the Strange has some cool stuff in it that could be geared towards time travel. – Ross William

 

 

Magicians That Bite Nails – How to Stop

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Magicians that nail bite

By Dominic Reyes

Dave writes : I am struggling to keep my finger nails looking neat. I have been an habitual nail biter for many years and would love to stop as I am conscious when performing. Hope you can give me some advice?

There are a lot of performers that bite nails. It's a habit that goes hand in hand with being nervous or tense. However, a magicians hands are 'front of house' when they perform, so keeping your fingers in great shape is very important. The problem is that nail biting can often happen when you are feeling tense or nervous, and nervousness about performing magic doesn't help at all in these situations. The good news is that the problem can be fixed. Here's some tips:

Decide to deal with the problem

The first step is to notice the problem and make a commitment to stop right now. As with any habit, it's easy to put it off to some unspecified future date when 'it will be easier'. You need to take action to stop the habit right away.

Do This:

  • Take a photo of your nails and have a close look at it. Are they REALLY giving a good impression of you when you perform your magic?
  • Notice the nails of magicians that don't bite nails. Being reminded of how much better their hands look will give you extra motivation.
  • Remind yourself that intensive nail-biting can also lead to other health problems. Biting your nails transfers bacteria from your hands to your mouth.

Set a goal and picture the prize

Setting a goal can really help. Have a picture of a great looking pair of hands and put it by your bed or on your wall. I know that sounds silly, but you can glance at it when you find yourself tempted to bite your nails, and it will help you have second thoughts. Breaking the habit is all about stopping the behaviour until it becomes second nature.

Treat yourself

It may be worth investing in having your nails professionally groomed. Paying for a manicure can be a real incentive to keep them looking great. It's really important that you keep your hands in good shape, use a hand moisturiser and look after them. They will be the centre of attention when you perform.

Getting professional help

If you are finding it a serious problem then you may want to speak to your Doctor about this. Nail biting could be a sign of a bigger issue such as Obsessive Complusive Disorder (OCD) There are treatments that can be done to remove this habit. Cognitive therapy has proven to be helpful.