How to do Magic Tricks

Advice and Support for Magicians

How To Be Prepared to Perform Magic in ANY Situation

by Merchant of Magic Leave a Comment

Perform magic in any situation

We’ve all been there.

You’re meeting someone for the first time, and they find out you’re a magician. What do they do?

Well, nine times out of ten, they say ‘show me a trick!’.

Great. The only problem is, you’ve left your favorite EXPENSIVE gimmick in a box at home. What now?

Today I’m going to try my best to provide you with three simple solutions to this common situation (none of which require you lugging that super expensive gimmick around with you!) Let’s get into it…

First Solution: Always Carry A Deck of Cards

The best way to get out of this situation is to plan in advance. That DOESN’T mean rehearsing your full stage show every time you go out, but just to have something to lean on if you need to.

For most of us, a pack of cards is ideal.

Why?

For one, they’re comfortably familiar. Everyone knows what a pack of cards is; it gives the audience an immediate connection to you. Secondly, they’re adaptable. Whatever kind of persona you have, whatever style of magic you perform, there is a whole host of different tricks available to you.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, they pack light. Wherever you’re going, you should have space on you for a deck of cards. Personally, I take a backpack to most places I go, and just chuck a deck in there with everything else!

As long as you have a pack of cards with you, you should have a few solid tricks that you can perform impromptu. For example, the Ambitious Card is usually the trick I use when people ask me to show them one.

So, the first step to solving this problem is to be prepared for it; carry cards with you!

Second Solution: Learn Some Mobile Phone Tricks

Now, carrying a pack of playing cards will work for most people most of the time, but it isn’t a perfect situation. The fact of the matter is that you WILL get caught out sooner or later.

That’s why I advise you learn some magic with an object that will almost ALWAYS be present whatever the situation.

A mobile phone.

I love doing magic with people’s phones. It’s some of the easiest magic I know, yet it gets some of the best reactions. I think the reason for that is how personal it is.

With most magic, the props you use are foreign to your audience; they belong to you. There is inevitably a degree of detachment as a result.

However, when you do magic with their PHONE, you’re suddenly using an object that is deeply personal to them. You create this emotional attachment to the magic by using a prop they are very closely connected to.

Some of my personal favorite tricks to perform magic in any situation that use a spectator’s phone included:

Unlocking it.

Unlocking a spectator’s phone is almost like the ACAAN of mobile phone magic; magicians have been looking for the best way to do it for years. It’s a really powerful effect; especially since so many people guard their passcodes so seriously.

I personally use a technique taught by Greg Wilson, but there’s a great book by Michael Murray that teaches a whole bunch of really strong tricks with mobiles, including learning how to unlock TWO spectator’s phones at the same time. Check it out here.

Calling Your Phone

Anyone who is familiar with the TOXIC force using a phone’s calculator will understand just how versatile this technique is.

I use the TOXIC force all the time. Here’s a routine that works really nicely for me…

You start out by setting up their phone with the TOXIC setup. You set the desired number to your phone number. This really only takes a second or two.

Then, you go through the trick the same as usual; you ask the spectator to input numbers, multiply them, input more numbers, etc. Eventually, once they’re happy there’s no way you could have predicted the outcome, they hit the equals sign.

At this point, your phone number pops up. They won’t register it as a phone number straight away, just a bunch of random numbers in a row. You hold your finger down on the numbers until the option to ‘copy’ pops up.

Now, you head over to their ‘phone’ app, and paste in the number, then ring it.

After a moment or two, YOUR phone starts ringing. You answer it and confirm that it is their phone calling you.

This works really well for me, and it’s a great way to get someone’s phone number in an original and fun way!

If you don’t know the TOXIC force, don’t worry. As it happens, there is an alternative method to this that doesn’t require the TOXIC force. You can check it out here!

Third Solution: Ask THEM To Show You a Trick.

This one won’t work in every scenario but I quite like using it now and again when someone asks me to show them a trick.

Instead of instantly diving into the first phase of my ACR, I instead ask them ‘Oh, you’re a fan of magic then? Could you show ME a trick?’.

As it happens, most people know at least one or two basic tricks that they can do with cards. You provide them with the cards and let them do their thing. After they’ve finished their trick, I go into mine.

What’s the point?

Firstly, it gives me time to think! I can plan out my routine better and get a feel for their personality and what would impress them.

Secondly, it helps break any tension. All the pressure is taken off you; it becomes a shared experience rather than just you performing for them.

Finally, and this is just a nice little bonus, I find it tends to make them MORE impressed by my magic once they’ve had a go. This isn’t a case of showing off! It’s simply that they suddenly understand firsthand how difficult it can be, and so are more impressed as a result!

I hope some of these tips were useful to you! Let us know if you have any other go-to responses when someone asks you to show them a trick.

NEXT:

Is studying magic worth your time?

How magicians introduce themselves

Getting caught doing a magic trick

 

 

 

About the author: Benji is a hobbyist magician from the UK who also runs a magic site over at thedailymagician.com.

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Filed Under: how to do magic tricks Tagged With: life, magic, Magicians, prepared

How to Use the Optricks Deck – Free Tutorial Videos

by Dominic Reyes Leave a Comment

How to use the optricks deck

A huge hit worldwide, the Optricks deck uses optical illusions to create stunning effects within your card work. Here’s 3 training videos to show you how to use the optricks deck to the full.

PLEASE NOTE: The seal is used for one of the effects, so you may want to open it cleanly by inserting thin blade into the box and running it along the edge. However, the deck and be used inside any card tuck box.

 

The Grinder card and the double backer

The Grinder Coin Joker is back – with a complete visual upgrade. The realistic rendering and shadows of the new Grinder artwork link the artwork to the real world and will really play tricks with your spectators. Now it’s a double-facer, with one side featuring the Grinder Coin, and the other side a very realistic tear hole. This is designed to strengthen the illusion that the coin is literally being ripped from the card into real life. It’s fun collecting playing cards, bit some decks are created to crack open and use, so here’s a created a tutorial that will show you how use the optricks deck Grinder card and help you get the most out of it.

 

The Anamorphic Gaff – twisting sight and bending minds

This is a totally new concept in sleight of hand. Our eye-popping anamorphic gaff card uses an optical illusion technique to open up a whole new world of exploration. Now you can use your favorite sleights and colour changes in order to create routines that will astound your audiences in a whole new way. It’s based around the anamorphic art concept, where your view point makes the most magical moments come to life. We’re supporting this card by providing you with a host of routines and sleight combinations for easy-to-do, hard-hitting magic. Watch this video on how use the optricks deck Anamorphic Gaff.

 

The OptiBox Gaff – a new angle on empty box trickery

The OptiBox Gaff is an ingenious approach to a faux ’empty box’ type routine. You won’t need any advanced sleight of hand, due to the deceptive and clever method. With fair and easy handling, this surprising effect won’t arouse your audience’s suspicion, but is certain to blow their minds. Even people who knew in advance what illusion we were creating were fooled by it when they first saw it! Here’s a detailed video that teaches you how use the optricks deck gaff, and a couple of routine ideas to inspire you.

 

Don’t own an Optricks deck? Here’s how to get one

 

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Filed Under: how to do magic tricks Tagged With: magic, magic tutorials, playing cards

First Ever Magic Gig and You’re Told You Were Rubbish….

by Dominic Reyes 2 Comments

Received this question from a beginner who did his first ever magic gig:

 

“A neighbouring table saw me doing tricks and wanted to see one so I went over and did my colour monte lego card routine 
An audience member bluntly and honestly said it was bad, she could see what I was doing, and it was rubbish. (Although she was tricked by it as she did not predict the final card reveal)

I had done card tricks all night and everyone loved them (or at least said they did) but that one bad review has not left my mind since.

Do you ever get difficult / harsh / rude audiences? How do you deal with it?”

 

 

First Ever Magic Gig HatersI’m sorry to hear this has happened to you on your first ever magic gig, but what counts is how you let it affect you.

Everyone who deals with the public gets to deal with rude, ignorant people sometimes.. that’s why you see signs in stores warning about staff not having to accept it. Add in alcohol, then throw in the social pressure to ‘be the  centre of attention’ and that’s why ALL close up magicians come face to face with people like this. You just have to politely shrug it off and move to another group.

Just last week I was performing at a gig full of characters right out of made in Essex. I finished a routine with some sponge balls and when the lady opened her hand and was surprised by the trick, all was well and good. Then a moment later she just threw both sponge balls over her shoulder and shouted ‘Give us a fag’ to her partner… I was completely taken aback.. That was one of the rudest things I’ve come across… What did I do? Nothing. Her attitude isn’t really my problem… I’m not there as a guest, I’m there working.. creating the event..  I just left the group that instant and recovered the sponge balls. I then moved on to another group. I did not react, I didn’t even raise an eyebrow… Why create a scene? Why even take it personally.. Just move on to another group. The rest of the guests were lovely and I received the usual feedback.. So there was no need to let one single rude person be the measure of the evening or your skill as a performer.

 

Heres some situations that could happen on your first ever magic gig:

Lets say you perform your first trick and everyone in the group is hostile.  In that case, don’t react, just smile and move away and approach another group. Don’t judge the whole event by one single group.

Maybe you are working a group and everyone is loving it except one person. You can choose to be polite and ignore the heckler, or simply remove yourself from the group. Many experienced magicians with a quick wit, magicians jokes, and the presence can fire back funny comebacks, but that’s a specific SKILL. If you have that, you probably don’t need to be reading this anyway…

So at the start hecklers are going to ‘knock you off’ a little bit. The key is to move on.. You have no duty to perform for someone who does not want to play along. What you are doing is close up theatre as much as it is a trick.. Move on to another table or part of the room so you gain as much positive experience as you can, over time, you will find being challenged like that less distressing and can come up with funny ways to deal with the challenges.

The good news is that this happens very rarely and on the whole you will love performing.

I wish you the best with your magic

Dominic Reyes

 

I asked a few magicians to give you their advice when  a magician gets heckled on their first ever magic gig:

David Joch : There will always be anyone, who don’t like you or what you do because of different reasons.

 

If at least one liked what you do and asked for more, then you’re doing it right – nobody is able to do it right for everyone..

HOWEVER, don’t “unhear” the “bad” comments, because maybe you’ll find a weak point in your routine that you can change it to make it even stronger. Don’t let the comment bring you down, you don’t know the reason for it, maybe it was just bad manners without any reason so then it is not your fault!

Dani Marko : You can’t make everyone happy all the time, you are not pizza

 

Brett Sirrell : It’s your first ever magic gig, don’t worry. You are several steps ahead of the person that has just had bulls!t “great” feedback.

You now understand what to work on. Experience comes from hours of performing to real people, learning to naturally know lines of sight, how to misdirect get a laugh when you need a misdirect or reaction.

It also takes time to learn what an audience likes and doesn’t. Again Magicians love packet tricks and colour changes etc but actually it takes experience to learn what an audience loves. There’s no such thing as failure just feedback.

 

Jennifer Meyers :  Don’t let this get you down. Audiences can be brutally honest. Take this review as a lesson that you need to practice more. Use video from every angle. Work your magic until you can perform it flawlessly. Have lots of fun!! If you are not having fun than your audience isn’t having fun either. Hang in there!!

 

NEXT:

How people catch out a magician

How to perform magic to different groups that are close together

Which magic tricks should all professional magicians use?

 

 

  • 6 Free Magic Tricks From Jay Sankey
  • Anniversary Waltz Free Magic Download
  • Approaching Magic Practice Ebook
  • Approaching Tables Ebook
  • Recommended For Magic Beginners
  • Cagey Tutorial
  • Choose Magic Set Kids
  • Cloud of Smoke Free Ebook
  • Double Lift Project Free Download
  • Duplex Free Magic Download
  • Epoch Free Magic Tutorials
  • Electric Touch Free Ebook
  • False Shuffles and Cuts Magic Download
  • Faster Than Light - Magic Download
  • Finger-Exercises
  • How to Break In Playing Cards
  • How to Learn Magic Tricks
  • Tips for Leaving a Magic Gigi
  • LSQ Ebook - Free
  • Magicians Fees Ebook
  • Mistakes in Magic Ebook
  • More Icandy
  • The One Minute Magic Business Ebook
  • Pitfalls Magic Family and Friends
  • Safe - Free Magic Ebook
  • School of Cool Free Download
  • Sleight of Hand Beginners Course
  • Split Free Magic Video Download
  • Self Working Card Tricks Vol 2 Download
  • Sweet 360 Free Magic Download
  • The 80's Called Download
  • Self Working Card Tricks Vol 3
  • Think Tank Free Magic Download
  • Turnover Pass Free Download
  • Self Working Card Tricks Download
  • Understanding Misdirection Free Ebook
  • Watch It Free Ebook
  • Wedding Exhibition Guide for Magicians
  • Confidence For Magicians
  • The Indian Shuffle

Filed Under: how to do magic tricks Tagged With: confidence, life, magic, showmanship

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