ultimate magic handbook

8/13/2019 Ultimate Magic Handbook

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Kenn Ball's Ultimate Magic Handbook

2010 www.Awesome-Magic-Tricks.com


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Dedication

To my loving wife, Staci, and my two great sons, Joshua and Caleb:Thank you for your undying patience with me. I love you.


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Table Of Contents

Introduction..................................................................................................

Part 1 - Cards

!. "asic Card #andling................................................................................$%. Secret Sleights.......................................................................................!!&. Classic Card Tricks................................................................................!'. Trick Cards.............................................................................................%(

Part 2 - Coins

(. "asic Coin Sleights................................................................................&%$. Classic Coin Tricks................................................................................&)

). Trick Coins.............................................................................................!

Part 3 - Other Stuff

'. "all *agic...............................................................................................'+. ope *agic............................................................................................(+!-. Silk *agic.............................................................................................$!!. *entalism.............................................................................................)-

Part 4 - Miscellaneous

!%. Closeup Stunners...............................................................................)+!&. Stage Classics.....................................................................................'

Part 5 - Illusions

!. Stage Illusions......................................................................................+&!(. /rand Illusions.....................................................................................++

Part 6 - The nd

!$. /etting 0aid.......................................................................................!-


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Introduction

1elcome2 Congratulations on purchasing this course. If you are abeginner, then you made the best decision you could have made. In thesepages, you will find the most comprehensive, yet easytolearnfrom

method ever produced for mastering the fascinating art of magic. If you arealready an e3perienced magician, you will find thoughts and ideas that aresure to take your magic to the ne3t level. "efore we begin, let4s go overfour rules that every magician should always follow:

!. 5ever reveal the secrets of your tricks2

6s you will see, some of these secrets are astonishingly simple, soonce your audience reali7es how easy it was for you to fool them, you runthe risk of them not wanting to see any more of your tricks. The only

e3ception to this rule is teaching magic to someone who has demonstrateda genuine interest in becoming a magician themselves. In purchasing thiscourse, you have demonstrated such an interest. That4s why I can let youin on these ama7ing secrets.

%. 8on4t tell the audience what4s going to happen ahead of time.

The art of magic depends 9uite heavily on the element of surprise. Ifyour audience knows what4s going to happen ahead of time, then they4llknow what to look for. This increases the chances that they4ll be able to

catch you and figure out how you4re doing your trick.

&. 5ever repeat a trick for the same people on the same day.

This also robs you of the element of surprise. 1hen they ask to seea trick again and they will;, they are most likely


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Part 1 - Cards

"y far, card tricks are the most popular branch of magic. 0roperlyperformed, they can be among the most ama7ing. Just make sure to rarelyperform more than three in any one sitting. @therwise, you may wear out

your welcome2There are two main kinds of card tricks: Card tricks with regular

decks, and card tricks with trickcards. Aach of these categories dividesfurther into two subcategories. 1ith regularcards you can do tricks thatdepend on sleight of hand, while you can also do tricks that are =selfworking.= That is, they depend on some kind of special arrangement orclever mathematical principle. In the world of trickcard effects, there arethose in which the entire deck is 44gimmicked,= and those in which onlysomeof the cards are gaffed.

In this part of the course, you will learn a little about allof these

branches of card con


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Cha!ter 1" #asic Card $andlin%The *echanics /rip The "iddle /ripThe Swing Cut The @verhand ShuffleThe #indu Shuffle

Aven something as seemingly mundane as holding a deck of cards,not to mention shuffling them, re9uires detailed attention from themagician. The proper e3ecution of these rudimentary maneuvers paves theway to the more advanced manipulations that follow. So, don4t be temptedto rush through this chapter. "efore proceeding, take the time to make!-- sure that you are e3ecuting each and every movement precisely asinstructed. 6s a result, you will find it much easier to learn the more difficultsleights when the time comes.

The Mechanic&s 'ri!

"efore you can learn to correctly cutor shufflea deck of cards, youmust learn to correctly holdthem. There are two main ways of holdingcards employed by magicians. The first is known as the =mechanic4s= or=dealer4s= grip. In describing this grip, a picture is worth a thousand words.

The key points to note are:

The deck is held in the left hand.

The thumb rests lightly on the top ofthe pack. The forefinger is curled loosely

around the far end of the pack. The other three fingers rest along

the deck4s right side.

6 proper mechanic4s grip is essential toa number of sleights, including fingerbreaks, false deals, and double lifts.

@nce you4ve become comfortable withit, you4re ready to move on to the othercommon way of holding a deck ofcards...


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The #iddle 'ri!

6nother common way for a magician to hold a deck of cards is calledthe ="iddle= or =overhand= grip. #ere4s another picture for you:

The key points:

The right handreaches over the deckand holds it by thenarrow ends.

It is held between themiddle finger at the farend and the thumb atthe near end.

The forefinger isslightly curled intoward you, its nailresting lightly on theback of the top card.

The "iddle grip,

though not 9uite asversatile as themechanic4s grip,

nonetheless renders possible some advanced techni9ues of its own. Infact, it is the very first step in the move to follow:

The S(in% Cut

This particular method of cutting the cards is popular with magiciansfor a couple of reasons. Dirst, it provides a natural way to e3tend the decktoward the spectator for the replacement of a selected card. Secondly, itcan be easily converted into a falsecut, as we4ll discover in chapter two.

6s noted before, you begin in "iddle grip, with one minor

ad


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6s the hands separate, the left hand takes its half of the deck intomechanics grip. The hands come back together, the right hand placing itshalf of the deck on top of the other half, thus completing the cut. The swingcut is also known as the =kick= cut.

The O)erhand Shuffle

So far, we4ve learnedtwo ways to hold thedeck and one way to cutit. 5ow, we4ll learn acouple of ways toshuffle, beginning withthe =overhand= shuffle.To get into the rightstarting position, turn the

deck face up and take itin "iddle grip. 5ow, turnyour hand so that thebacksof the cards arefacing to your left. 1henyou bring your left hand

up to meet the deck, your thumb will contact the backof the deck, whileyour fingers are inserted betweenthe bottom of the deck and the palm ofyour right hand.


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5e3t, pull the right hand up and the left hand down at the same time.6s this happens, the left thumb drags a small batch of cards down into theleft hand. 5ow that whole actionis repeated. @nly thistime, thecards in the left hand andyour

fingers go betweenthe bottom ofthe deck and the palm of yourright hand.

Continue in this manneruntil the entire deck is in the lefthand. @f course, like the othertechni9ues we have studied inthis chapter, this shuffle can beeasily adapted for nefariouspurposes, a couple of which we4ll

run into in the ne3t chapter.

The $indu Shuffle

@ur last techni9ue in this chapter is a little less common than theothers, especially amongst nonmagicians. It4s very similar to theoverhand shuffle. In truth, the onlyreal difference is that the cards areshuffled from the narrow ends, rather

than from the sides. To begin, holdthe deck in a "iddle grip, butsideways. 5ow, point the narrowendof the deck awayfrom you. 5e3t,bring the left hand up fromunderneath, and take the deck intomechanic4s grip... but don4t let go withthe right hand.

0ull the two hands apart,dragging a batch of cards off the top

of the deck, and letting them fall intothe left hand by rela3ing the left fingers;. 6gain, this whole process isrepeated, every new batch of cards falling onto the last until the deck isentirely held in the left hand. There are mischievous advantages that canbe had via tweaking thisshuffle as well, which we4ll learn, you guessed it...in the ne3t chapter. :;


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Cha!ter 2 - Secret Slei%hts

The Dlash Dorce The @ops ControlThe Dalse Cut "reaksThe 8ouble Endercut

5ow that you know how to properly handle a deck of cards, it4s timeto get familiar with the building blocks that tricks are made of. Sleightsaresecret maneuvers that bring about apparently magical results cardschange, reverse themselves, etc;. 1e must master these moves before wetackle the tricks themselves. This is similar to learning to play a musicalinstrument in that you must learn how to play the individual notes beforeyou combine them into your first song.

There are hundreds of different sleights in the realm of card magic.In this chapter, we will only learn a handful of them. The ones you4ll learn

here, though, really will take you a long way in card magic. They areessential to becoming proficient with the pasteboards. 1ith them at yourcommand, you will be able to at least perform a version of most of the cardeffects that are out there.

In effect, there are two different kinds of card tricks tricks where acard is chosen, and tricks that don4t re9uire a selection. 1hen a card isselected and apparently; lost in the deck, the way the magician findsthecard is what makes one of these tricks different from another. So, if youknow only oneway to find a card, but one hundredways to revealthat it4sbeen found, then you know one hundred tricks.

6ll of the methods for finding selected cards can be divided into twomain categories. Dirst, there4s controllinga card. 6 card is returned to thedeck, and by shuffling and cutting that deck in special ways, the magicianis able to keep track of where the card is usually the top or the bottom;.Secondly, there4s forcinga card. #ere, a spectator thinks he or she is freelychoosing a card, but in reality is being =forced= to choose the particularcard the magician wantsthem to. The added advantage here is that afterthe card is replaced, the spectator can shuffle and cut the deckthemselves, because the magician already knows the card2 ?ou4ll be taughtmultiple e3amples of both of these categories in this course.

The *lash *orce

1e4ll begin with an easy method of forcinga card. Start with the cardyou want to force on the bottomof the deck. "egin a slow #indu shuffle,inviting the spectator to call =stop= whenever the Spirit moves her or him;.1hen the call comes, turn your right hand so the spectator cansee the bottom card.


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#ere, a couple of psychological subtleties come into play. 6s you4redisplaying the card, turn your head away, as though you are trying not tosee the card. 8on4t say anything,


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cards as you remark, =Seems like you shuffled them 9uite thoroughly2= Thisgives you ample opportunity to secretly note the bottom card.

The +Oo!s+ Control

6t the beginning of this chapter, I mentioned that one of the ways tofind a selected card was to keep track of it to begin with. 5ow it4s time forme to teach you one of my favorite methods for accomplishing this. It4scalled the =oops= control. To begin with, you need a second or two to=reverse= the bottom card. That is, you turn it upside down, so that it is nowface up, but still on the bottom of the deck. @f course, the spectator mustnot see you do this. The easiest way to make surethat they don'tis to startwith the card reversed and the deck in the card case.

Take the deck outof the case, spread them out face down betweenyour hands, and ask the spectator to select a card. 6s you do this, be

careful not to spread toofar, otherwise the spectator might see thereversed card on the bottom. 6fter the card is selected, s9uare the cardsand e3ecute the first half of a swing cut. A3tend the left hand4s half of thedeck toward the spectator, whereupon you ask him or her to kindly replacethe selected card.

@nce this is done, you place the cards in the right hand on top ofthose in the left hand, completing the cut and burying the selected card. Indoing this, you have alsoplaced the previously reversed card directly ontop of the chosen one2 The ne3t thing we4re going to do is shuffle the deckin such a way as to make sure that they staytogether. To do that, we4ll use

what4s known as the =overhand shuffle with key card control.= Thereversed card, in this case, is your BkeyH card.;8espite that long name, it4s really very simple. A3ecute an overhand

shuffle, and when you get down toward the middle of the deck, your thumbpeels off a bigbatchof cards instead of


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>astly, turn the left handbackover, and replaceits cards on top of thosein the right.

Enknow to the spectator,her card is now top of thedeck2 This takes longerto describe than it shouldtake to do. 1ith this andall other sleights, theindividual steps shouldblend together into onesmooth, unhesitatingse9uence.

The *alse Cut

@nce you havesecretly =controlled= aselected card to the topof the deck, as in ourlast sleight, it is oftenhelpful topsychologically =seal

the deal= by apparentlycutting the deck. Thissuggests, of course,that even if, by chance,the card in 9uestionhadended up on top ofthe deck, it certainlyisn4t there now2

?ou don4t want tocall attention to this

move, though. ?ou


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@k, here4s the move itself: Start with a swing cut, but don4t replacethe halves on top of each other. Instead, bring the halves together and dowhat you see pictured.

6s you can see, you4ve tilted the cards in the left hand up on theirside. ?ou then tap the left side of the right hand4s cards against the middle

of the left hand4s cards, as if to s9uare them. 5e3t, place the right hand4scards onto a table. Then, bring the right hand back up to grasp the lefthands card4s, and place them onto the cards on the table. It will look to thespectators like you genuinely cut the deck. @f course, you didn4t. ?ou


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you tip your left hand a little down and to the right, you will greatly minimi7ethe chances of any of your spectators being able to catch a =flash= of yourlittle finger, especially if the left side of your body is slightly toward thespectators. Since the front end and left side of the deck are s9uared, thespectators will assumethat the entire deckis s9uared.

The other type of break I want to teach youis a thumbbreak. "y the way, these are called=breaks= because the deck is =broken.= That is, thecards are separated.; To pick up a thumb break,start with a little finger break. The right hand takesthe deck into "iddle grip, and the thumb e3erts


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to do now is turn the deck face up, then begin a #indu shuffle. 8uring theshuffle, periodically =flash= that top card like in the =flash force.=; 6 goodway to do this is to gesture with the right hand packet toward the face ofone of the cards in the left hand.

@nce the entire deck has been shuffled, turn it over and spread it out

between your hands. It will look like all of the backs changed color. Justdon4t spread toofar, or the spectator might see that odd colored card.

Card .ar!

#ere4s a card trickthat4s totally uni9ue. It wasinvented by a man namedoy 1alton, and it only usestwo cards. The =effect= is that

a card turns itself inside outwhile folded inside anotherone. The secret that makesthis possible is that one ofthe cards is secretly tornahead of time.

The first step whenperformingis to fold both of thecards in half. ?ou fold the tornone lengthwise, and

the otherone widthwise. 1hile you are makingthese folds, keep the secret tear covered with yourthumb. #old the torn card with the tear closest toyou. 5e3t, it4s going to looklike you place the othercard insidethe other card. 1hat reallyhappens isthat the card does go insidethe tophalf, but infrontof the bottomhalf. 5e3t, cover the bottomhalves of both cards with your fingers, and openthem up.

Close the cards back on themselves, so that thatthey are now both facing out. 5ow, if you push thelong card through the short one, it will look like it4s turning itself inside out.If you angle it slightly, you4ll end up with something that looks like the lastpicture.


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Spectators like to look at that,and it certainly does look impossible.1hen you4ve had your fun, pull thelong card out


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one at a time once you get near the end. 1hen you4re finished the card willnow be on topagain, even though you shuffled twice2 1e4ll use this moveagain in a different trick.;

#ave the spectator =choose a spot= on the ceiling. 1hen they lookup, secretly transfer the wa3 from your thumbnail to the middle of the top

card misdirection again;. Stand under the spot they chose, and throw thedeck at it. The throw should be done with a loose wrist, and it4s more like=pushing= the deck toward the ceiling. 6lso spin the deck like a frisbeewhen you throw. It will take some practice to ac9uire the knack, but youshould get it after a few do7en private trials. The last step is to en


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in a false cut here as an added =convincer.=@nce the card is on the bottom, we4ll need to shuffle the deck in such

a way as to make it look like some of the cards are face up and some areface down. In reality, half will be face up, and the other half will be facedown. The chosen card will be on top face down;.

#ere4s how that4s done: The move is similar to the =oops= control.0ush off a small batch of cards with the left thumb, and take them into the

right hand. 5ow, turn the lefthand over, and push off asmall batch of face upcardswith the left hand. Drom thebottom of the packet.; 0lacethese on topof those in yourrighthand. 5e3t, turn the lefthand backover, and push off

some more cards. This time,they4re face down again. 0lacethese underthe cards in therighthand.

This sounds confusing,but try it with the cards in your

hands, and you4ll see how simple it is. The left hand keeps turning overand back. The face up cards go on top, and the face down cards go on thebottom. 1hen you get to the lastcard, it will be the selection. Simply placeit face down on top of the entire deck. If you4ve done all of that correctly,

then you4ll be in a situation where the spectators think the cards are faceup and face down at random, with their card hopelessly lost somewhere inthe middle. eally, though, their card is face down on top, followed by abatch of face up cards, then a batch of face down ones. Still, we4re going toconvince the spectators ofthe =hopelessness= of thesituation even further.

0lace the cards intothe left hand dealer4s grip.Cut off about a fourth of the

cards in "iddle grip, and turnthe right hand over, so theaudience can see thebottom card of that packet.They will now be looking atthe back of a card on top ofyour righthand packet, andthe face of a card on top of your lefthand packet.


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eplace that packet, then cut again, but deeperthis time K of thedeck;. Instead of a backand a face, the spectators will now be looking at afaceand a back.eplace this cut one last time. 6t this point, if you look atthe end of the deck closest to you, you will see clearly where the piles areback to back, because there will be a tiny gap there. This is due to the

natural bend in a deck of cards.; Cut at that tiny gap, show the cards backto back, and replace the cut, but don't turn the right hand packet back over.The result of this action is to bring the selected card to the middle of thedeck, while righting all of the other ones. 6ll that remains is to spread thecards, showing that they4re all now facing the same direction... e3cept forthe selected card2

Out Of This .orld

Invented by 0aul Curry, this is my favorite card trick to do, though it

is admittedly a little long. ?ou have the spectator separate the cards,without looking at them, into different piles, by telling you whether theythink they are red or black. Sometimes, they even place the cards into theappropriate piles themselves2 In the end, the cards are checked, and thespectator got them all right2 >egend has it that a magician showed this trickto 1inston Churchill, and he wanted to see it again and again. 6s a result,an entire world war was delayed... or so the story goes. :;

To begin, show the spectator the back of a card, and ask thevolunteer to guess its color. ight or wrong, show them the card, and placeit face up on the table. 8o this again with a card of the othercolor. There

are now twoface up cards on the table, one of each color. 5ow, hold upone, two, or three cards, all of the same color. #ave them guess again.This time, don4t show them. Just place the cards onto whichever face upcard represents the color they said.

If they say red, then place the cards; on the redcard on the table,etc. If they4re wrong, it doesn4t matter. ?ou4ll see why in a minute.; Leepgoing, making sure that all of the cards that you offer the spectator forguessing at are the same color. Stop when there is only one card left ofthat color. Say something along the lines of, = ?ou4re doing pretty well. Idon4t want you to get stuck in a 4psychic rut,4 though, so let4s change things

up a bit.=5ow, take that lastcard, and one more card of the oppositecolor,and place them onto the cards on the table...changing the piles. 6re youready to do something rather gutsyF #and the rest of the cards all thesame color; to the spectator2 Tell them, B1ithout looking because thatwould be cheating;, place the cards where you think they should go.=1hen they4re done, you4ll be in a situation that looks like the picture. @neof the piles is already correct. The other one is e3actly the oppositefromhow it shouldbe.


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Youpick up thatpile. >et thespectator pick up the other one.; 1hilethe spectator is checking theirpile andbeing ama7ed;, simply transfer one cardfrom the top to the bottom of yours. This

Bfi3esH your half so that all of the cardsare now grouped together by color.Spread your cards out, and reveal thatthe spectator guessed the colors of allthe cards correctly. 6t the end of thistrick, I like to say, =1ow2 ?ou got themall right2 I4ve never seen anybody getthem all right2 I have 5@ idea how youdid that. 8on4t tell me. I don4t want toknow.= ?ou really should try this trick. I

think you4ll find it =@ut @f This 1orld.=


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Cha!ter 4 - Tric, Cards

Cutting To the 6ces The Dour 6ce 6ssemblyThe =Stop Trick= @ther Svengali 8eck IdeasThe Invisible 8eck

So far, we4ve only been using normal cards. 6s you may alreadyreali7e, this is not always the case with magicians. I mentioned before that=trick cards= can mean that someof the cards are gimmicked, or that allofthe cards are gimmicked. 1e4ll learn more about bothof these cases inthis chapter.

#owever,


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in this chapter. In addition, one moretrick deck, the =Invisible= deck, will bediscussed. 6ny of these trick cards can be bought from a magic shop forvery little money.

Cuttin% To the 0ces

This is a greatuse for a shortcard. The ability to cut to the four acesin a shuffled deck reallyimpresses people, and with a short card, it4s easy2Dirst, you need to either take a short card out of a Svengali deck, or makeyour own. To make your own, get a pair of scissors and trim a tinysliver offeachend of a playing card. *ake it as straight as you can both times.5e3t, carefully round the corners. 6gain, tinyclips. ?ou can always clipaway more, but you can4t put any back.

5ow that you4ve ac9uired a short card, let me show you a cool wayto use it before we get into the trick itself. Start with the short card on the

bottomof the deck. #ave a card selected, swing cut, and ask the spectatorto replace the card. 1hen you complete the cut, you4ll be placing the shortcard right on top of the selection2 Swing cut one more time, transferringabout a third of the cards from the top to the bottom.

5ow, you can actually give the cards a riffle shuffle see the picture;and the two cards will stay together2 iffle the inner end of the deck withyour thumb from a "iddle grip;, and you will hear and feel a distinct =click=when you get to the short card. Cut the deck at that location, and completethe cut. Show the spectator the short card and ask, =Is this your cardF=1hen they say no, casually insert it into the middle of the deck. Their card

is now on top.

5ow, on with the trick... Start with the four aces on topof the deck,and the shortcard on top of those. A3ecute an overhand shuffle, drawingoff about half the deck in the first action. 6fter the shuffle, riffle to the shortcard, and cut the deck. Ese the short card to flip over the ne3t one. It4s an


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ace. eplace the short card on top of the deck. epeat this entirese9uence three times. Take a bow.

The *our 0ce 0sse/bl a,a +McDonald&s 0ces+

This is by far my favorite use of doublefaced cards. It is widelyconsidered one of the most effective card tricks you can possibly perform.There are far more complicated versions, but this one works


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The spectators will no longer be able to see the aces, because theyare on the other sides of the double facers. They also won4t see anyduplicates, because you removed the cards that correspond to the doublefacers ahead of time. 1hen they check the =selected= pile, they will see thethree real aces, creating the illusion that they magically teleported into the

selected pile. *r. *agic strikes again.

The +Sto!+ Tric,

6t the beginning of this chapter, I e3plained what a =svengali= deckis. 5eedless to say, this is an extremely effective tool for =forcing= a card.Dirst, though, you want to display that the cards are all different. To do that,hold the deck in a "iddle grip, and tilt it up on its end, the faces of thecards away from you. ?our thumb should be on top, and your fingersshould be on the bottom. "egin to release the cards from your thumb,

letting them fall into your cupped left hand. The picture is from thespectator4s point of view.

8o that again, and ask the spectatorto say =stop= whenever they4d like.1hen they say stop, stop. A3tend theleft hand pile to them, and let them lookat the top card. @f course, it will be aforce card. eplace the right hand cardson top of those in your left hand, and

continue with your trick./ive the cards a 9uick riffle shuffle, sothat their alternating order will bepreserved. Turn to a second spectator,and ask themto say =stop= as you beginto deal the cards one at a time into asingle face down pile on the table.

6s you deal, count the cards. If you4restopped on an oddnumbered card, show it. If you4re stopped on an evennumbered card, show the nextone. It will look like the second spectator

stopped you on the first spectator4s card2 "y the way, if you tap an end ona table first, it will ensure that your riffle shuffle doesn4t disturb thearrrangement of your Svengali deck.

Other S)en%ali Dec, Ideas

The last trick makes it obvious that after having a card selected andreturned and then shuffling the deck, you could have any number betweenone and fiftytwo called out and then show the card at that number. The


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number could also be arrived at by adding the digits in the date of a coinfrom the spectator4s pocket, or maybe even from the roll of a pair of dice.Just use your imagination.

?ou could also cut right to the selected card, even covering the deckwith a napkin first2 If it4s apapernapkin, you could wrap the deck in it, and

have the spectator stab a dull knife into the cards. The =selected= cardcould then be shown right ne3t to the blade2 Since you have forced a cardin et it dry, and find yourself a victim, Imean, volunteer old


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5ow, I reali7e that this is all very complicated, but once you actuallyput the deck together and practice with it, this system will become almostautomatic for you. The usual presentation begins with you pulling an=invisible= deck out of your pocket, and handing it to the spectator. 6skthem to shuffle, but of course, they have to take the cards out of the bo3first2 #ave them =remove= a card, =show= it to everyone else, and replace itinto the deck, upside down. They then place the cards back into the Bbo3,H

and hand it back to you. :;0lace the =bo3= back into your pocket. 6sk them which card theypicked, then pull the realdeck out. If they picked an oddcard, pull out thedeck with the even side up, and vice versa. Thumb cards over into yourright hand until you get to the partner of the selection. #ere, e3ert a littlee3tra pressure, revealing a face down card. Show it to be the selection,and you4ve performed a miracle. ?ou4re a regular Criss 6ngel2 6s analternate presentation idea, you could tell the spectator ahead of time thatyou4ve made a prediction. #ave them name a card, pull out the deck, andshow their selected card to have been reversed.


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Cha!ter 5 - #asic Coin Slei%hts

The Dinger 0alm The Classic 0almThe Drench 8rop The Spider anishSpellbound The "obo Switch

6s I mentioned in the introduction to this section, it is often easier to

perform some of these sleights with larger coins. The best advice I cangive you here is to simply e3periment. If you have difficulty learning any ofthis material, try a different si7ed coin.

In this chapter, I4m going to teach you two ways to =palm= a coin, thatis, to keep it secretly concealed in your hand. There are, of course, manymoreways, but the two ways I will teach you are by far the most common.I will also cover two ways to =vanish= a coin. This is traditionallyaccomplished by apparently placing it or taking it one hand, while in reality

it is secretly retained in the other. Interestingly, this techni9ue is not alwaysused astly, I will teach you a couple of ways to secretly e3change one coinfor another.

Throughout this chapter, the most important point to bear in mind isthat your hands must look natural at all times. 6ny awkward or crampedposition of your hands will, of course, draw the spectators4 attention, andthus arouse their suspicion. So, to aid you in your studies, I highlyrecommend that you practice in front of a mirror. That way, youcan seewhat the spectatorswill be seeing.

@ne more thing: Leep in mind, for future reference, that thesesleights can be performed with othersmall ob


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The *in%er Pal/

This is the easiest method ofpalming a coin, and by far the mostcommon. The hand is held loosely in

such a way that the fingers arenaturally curled. The coin rests at thebase of the second and third fingers."ecause of the curl of the fingers, thecoin will not fall out, and the handlooks natural.

@nce you4ve mastered that, you can

add a little e3tra convincer known asthe =amsay subtlety.= Curl yourfingers in a tad further, and point yourfirst finger up, displaying your emptypalm to the spectators. "ecause yourspectators see your empty palm, theythink your whole hand is empty. @fcourse, you shouldn4t draw attentionto this, and it should be casuallye3ecuted under the cover of some

other natural gesture.

The Classic Pal/

#ere is another method of palming. In fact, it is from thismethod that=palming= gets its name. The coin is placed in the center of thepalm. Thelittle finger and the thumb are both curled in slightly. That way, the flesh atthe base of the little finger and the flesh against the base of the thumbpress against the opposite edges of the coin.


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?ou can now allow thespectators to see a little flashof the pads of your fingers.This is known as the =Lappssubtlety.= 6lso, you can flip

another coin in the air andcatch it on your fingertips,snap your fingers, pull backyour sleeve, or even hold awand. 6nything you do withyour hand while an ob


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6s the left hand moves away, your eyes follow it. This is anotherimportant principle of misdirection. The audience will watch what youwatch. They4ll also watch what moves. Those two principles, serve to rivetthe spectator4s attention on your empty; left hand. The brief glimpse ofempty space that the spectators see between your right fingers and thumb

where the coin once was is the other factor that makes this false transferso convincing. It is important to note that the Drench drop can beperformed with eitherhand.

The S!ider anish

This is a neat way to throw the spectators off your tracks. "egin withthe coin in Drench drop position, but in your lefthand. each over withyour otherhand the right one;, and really takethe coin, but directly intoclassic palm. *ake a throwing motion with your right hand, retainingthe

coin in classic palm. 5ow, open your left hand, showing it empty. That4s thespider vanish.

This is great to use at the end of a se9uence of Drench drops. Dore3ample, do the Drench drop, then pretend to =reproduce= the coin frombehind your knee. 5ow, do the Drench drop with the otherhand, and =reproduce= the coin from the otherknee. >astly, e3ecute the spider vanish,causing the coin to disappear =completely.= ?ou can end this se9uence bypinching your nose with the first finger and thumb of your right hand. *akea blowing sound, and release the coin from right hand classic palm intoyour cupped left hand. Dor a touch of humor, offer the coin for e3amination.

6 9uick series of sleights with a single coin like this is known in magic as a=flurry.=

S!ellbound

#ere4s a way to make a coin appear to visually change into anotherone right before the eyes of your bewildered spectator. It was invented, aswas =Triumph,= by the late great 8ai ernon. 6gain, begin with a coin saya half dollar; in left hand Drench drop position, 6 second coin say anAnglish penny; is finger palmed in the right hand. The right closed fingers

cover the left hand coin. 6s soon as that coin is covered, the left thumbreleases it into finger palm. The right fingers deposit the other coin in itsplace, and get out of the way. The illusion created is that the coin wasvisually transformed.

1e4re not done yet, though. 8ump the newly revealed coin back intoyour right hand. 8isplay it there. 0ick it up with the left hand, releasing thefinger palmed coin, and turning the right hand over. The secret coin hasnow switched hands. ?ou have apparently shown both hands emptye3cept for the new coin. @f course, if you4re seated at a table, you could


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Cha!ter 6 - Classic Coin Tric,s

The =6ssisted= Coin anish The Incredible 0enetrationCoins 6cross The Dour Coin 6ssembly

In this chapter, you will learn four coin tricks that each have anestablished track record of ama7ing spectators. >ike our classic card tricks,there are many versionsof these apparent miracles. So, again, Iencourage you to do some independent research on the ones you reallylike and develop your own routine for them.

The +0ssisted+ Coin anish

#ere4s a routine that, like the Card @n the Ceiling, can only beperformed under certain circumstances. 8espite its simplicity, it will really

ama7e people. 6 great magician by the name of *ichael 6mmar oncewiselysaid, =5ever underestimate the power of even the simplestmagic=?ou4ll need a coin and an opa9ue handkerchief. I recommend

ac9uiring the handkerchief from a store called =*en4s 1arehouse.= Theysell =pocket s9uares= that areperfectfor magic, and they come in a widearray of colors. 0ick one that suits your taste. They are less than tendollars.

Show the coin in the palm of your left hand, and cover it with thehandkerchief. 6pproach a spectator, and lift the edge of the handkerchiefwith your right hand, allowing them to reach under and feel that the coin is

still there. 6pproach a second and third spectator with the same re9uest.Enbeknownst to the other spectators present, that thirdspectator issecretly removing the coin for you2 :;

It4s best to use somebody that the other spectators don4t know. Thisperson should seem like a stranger to you, as well. >astly, he or sheshould be a good enough actor to seem ama7ed by the vanish of the coin,without overacting. 5ow you see why I told you this can only be performedon certain occasions. @nce the steal has been made, with as muchshowmanship as you can muster, whisk the handkerchief away, revealingthat the coin has vanished. To make it come back, simply reverse theprocedure.

The Incredible Penetration

1hile this isn4t e3actly the kind of trick you can carry around in yourpockets, it4s a great one to use when you really want to astound a guest inyour home. 6n entire laboratory was once devoted for a few hours tofiguring it out.

To doit, you4ll need a tube of chap stick and a clear, late3 balloon


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from a party store. Cut the balloon in half widthwise. Stretch that piece outfar enough so that the middle section becomes completely transparent."efore that, you have balanced a 9uarter on the end of the vertical chapstick tube. >ower the late3 over the 9uarter and let it rela3 around the coin.In the picture I used a solid balloon so you could more easily see what

you4re supposed to do. In performance, use a clear one.;

?ou will have created the illusion that the coin rests on top of thelate3. Stretch they sheet of rubber around the mouth of a glass, and leavethat on a low shelf or coffee table so the underside of the late3 can4t beseen;, waiting for your guest to arrive. 1hen the time is right for magic,have them press down hard on the coin with their finger. "e prepared forthem to spend the rest of the evening trying to get you to tell them how thecoin got down into the glass.

Coins 0cross

This effect is often performed with four coins, each coin mysteriouslytraveling from one hand to the other. I still prefer this olderversion, which isperformed with sixcoins, only threeof them making their invisible flightthrough space. In magic,


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your hand empty e3cept for si3 coins without saying so. That4s the Bshuttlepass. B

1ith the first two fingers and thumb of the right hand, pick up one ofthe coins on the table and toss it into your left hand. 0ick up a secondcoinand toss it the same way. 1hen you toss the thirdcoin, toss the classic

palmed coin along withit, and immediately close your left hand. 0ick upthe three remaining coins in your right hand, classic palming one of them./ive both of your hands a little shake to =make the magic happen,= anddrop the four coins in your left hand onto the table.

8rop twoof the coins in your right hand onto the table, retaining thethird one in classic palm. "ring both hands back toward the edge of thetable and rest them there. This is known as =rest position.= The illusion thathas been created in this se9uence is that you started with three coins ineach hand, whereupon one of them disappeared from one hand andreappeared in the other.

epeat the samese9uence to make thenextcoin complete itsmagical


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the methodas well. 6fter that, there were still moremagicians who madefurthervariations on Schneider4s handling. I know that many magicians willdisagree with me, but I still prefer something similar to the original trick.That is what I will teach you here.

Spread a handkerchief out on your working surface, and place one

coin onto each of its four corners. Cover the two coins furthest away fromyou with the inde3 cards, hori7ontally. 5ow, cover the two coins on therighthand side, vertically. 5e3t comes a secret steal that is the foundationof this routine. Cover the right hand card with the left hand card. 6t thesame time, the right fingers pick up the coin at its corner, and carry it awaywith the card.

The coin and the card are then carried to the upper left corner. Thecard in your right hand covers thatcoin, dropping the stolencoin alongsideit. @penly pick up the coin at the lowerleftcorner with your righthand, andlift that corner of cloth up between the first and second fingers. 0lace the

right hand coin underthe cloth, and apparently under the upper left handcard. An route to that corner, the right hand secretly places the coinbetween the second and third fingers of the left hand hidden by the cornerof cloth between the first and second fingers;. This move should bepracticed so that it can be e3ecuted with no telltale hesitance.

1ith the righthand still under thecloth, knock the twocoins on top togetherso that they make a

clinking sound. "ringthe right hand out andwith it, remove thecard to show the twocoins. 8eposit the cardinto the crotch of theleft thumb, coveringthe stolen coin.8eposit the stolen coinne3t to the two you


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Cha!ter - Tric, Coins

0resto Chango The CopperGSilver TranspositionCoin "ite The Coin in the "ottleThe Coins Through the Table

*ost people know there is such a thing as trick cards, though theyoften donNt know that there are so many kindsof them. 6n even smallernumber of people reali7e that there is such a thing as trick coins. Thereare, again, far more types of trick coins than lie within the scope of thisbook. I will teach you mainly about threeof them: The doublefaced coin,the folding coin, and the shell coin.

"efore I get to those, though, I would like to mention a particular setof trick coins known as BScotch and Soda.B This set consists of a thin cointhat shows a *e3ican coin a twenty centavo piece; on one side, and the

tail side of an 6merican half dollar on the other. The ne3t component is ahollowed out BshellH coin with the head side of an 6merican .(- pieceshowing. 6 genuine *e3ican %- centavo piece is traditionally included aswell.

The shell coin snaps onto the doublesided Binsert, Bcreating theillusion of a normal half dollar. ?ou also get a special device known as aBbang ringH that serves the purpose of separating the shell from the insert.

The standard trick with this set is to put a 9uarter inside the shell,and slide these over and under the insert copper side up;. @n the lastslide, the insert goes betweenthe shell and the 9uarter. The coins are

s9uee7ed as they are placed into a spectatorNs hand. The spectator isasked to place both hands behind his or her back, and one coin into eachhand. 6sk them to hand you the smaller of the two coins, when they do,they will be ama7ed to see that it has been BtransformedH from a copper*e3ican coin into a quarter.

There have been several books and videos published that teachtonsof different tricks, routines, and ideas withjustthis set of coins. IfyouNre interested, I recommend you refer to those resources. 0ersonally, IdonNt use them very much. I included them because they are the highestselling trick coins on the market, and often sold to beginners. 6mong the

trick coins I douse is the doublefaced coin. ItNs like the insert in a scotchand soda set, but thicker. 6lso, the copper side is usually an Anglish pennywhich is what it usedto be in Scotch and Soda sets;. 6nother coin I like touse is the foldingcoin. It is broken into three pieces with a notch carved allthe way around the edge. These three pieces are held together by a tinyrubber band, creating a coin that looksnormal, but easily folds into thirds.

>astly, INll cover the expanded shellcoin. This is similar to the shellcoin in a Scotch and Soda, but it has been stretchedto fit loosely over agenuine half dollar. This gimmick is sold with either a headside or a tail


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side showing. The tailis better, because there4s more room in the shell.@ne more note on the e3panded shell coin is that you will have toe3periment to find coins that it fitson. "elieve it or not, there are virtuallyimperceptible si7e differences among half dollars. Leep trying, and youNlleventually find coins that slip easily in and out of your shell. If one should

get stuck, drop the coins into a glass and cover its mouth with your hand.Shake the glass vigorously, and the coins will come apart.

Presto Chan%o

Two silver coins change to copper, then back to silver. Dinally theychange to one of each and are passed out for e3amination2 0lace thecopper side of a doublefaced coin against a half dollar and place these inthe little inner pocket of your blue


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and then toss the copper coin into your left hand, e3ecuting the "oboswitch. 0lace the gimmicked coin in the spectatorNs still empty hand on thefingertips;, copper side up. It looks like you


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canNt be e3amined. 1ith a coin, it can. Sometimes the coin used in thistrick is a 9uarter. I still prefer the half dollar, because it seems moreimpossible to get a half dollar in a bottle than a 9uarter, even thoughneither can actually be done. ?ou may have to look around a bit for asuitable glass soda bottle.

Start with the folding coin in your left pocket, and hand the real halfdollar to an audience member for e3amination. *ention that the best wayto tell whether a half dollar is real or not is by the way it sounds when itsdropped. 1ith that, ask the person to drop it on the ground or floor. Thetime it takes the spectator to pick it up provides great misdirection for youto reach into your left pocket and retrieve the folding coin, which is thenstuffed into the neck of the bottle and covered with your left hand.

The bottom of the bottle should be facing to your right. #and thebottle to the spectator, his righthand replacing your lefthand. "e carefulthat the gimmick is not seen while the transfer of the bottle is taking place.

Stand to his right, and e3ecute the Drench drop with the real coin,pretending to take it into your right hand. 5ow, the coin is transferred fromfinger palm to classic palm as the left hand reaches to touch yourspectatorNs shoulder. @pen the right hand suddenly as you slap the bottomof the bottle, and be ready to catch your spectator if he passes out afterseeing the coin appear inside it. :;

5ow, we have the problem of getting it back out. 1rap your leftfingers around the mouth of the bottle, which is now pointed down to theground. The left little finger is pressed against the opening, in order to keepthe folding coin from flying out. Shake the bottle hard and down one time.

This will cause the folding coin to get stuck in the neck of the bottle hiddenby the left fingers;, while simultaneously the real coin is released from theleft palm, creating the illusion that you simply shook the coin out of thebottle. 1hile someone e3amines the coin, you can get rid of the gimmick.This last move is easier with a folding halfthan with a folding 9uarter.;

The Coins Throu%h the Table

In this effect, four coins appear to magically pass through a solidtable top, one at a time. 8espite the use of an e3panded shell coin, you

end Bclean. B That is, the four coins can be e3amined at the end of the trick.@f course, you must be sitting at a table to perform this trick, making it agreat after dinner piece. To prepare, secretly pull a flap of cloth from yourleft pants leg over onto your right pants leg. This prevents BlappedH coinsfrom falling between your legs, and is a great aid to lapping in general. @fcourse, if youNre in a restaurant with cloth napkins, you can simply use oneof thoseinstead.


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The four coinsshould start outhori7ontally lined upnear the edge of thetable, the shellcovering

the coin on your right./rip the coin on your leftby its edges between thefirst finger and thumb ofyour righthand, anddrag it toward you, offthe edge of the table.Continue by swingingthat hand forward andplacing that coin near

the center of the table.epeat this procedure with the nextthree coins, each one overlapping theone before it.

6s you drag the shell, its realcoin will secretlyfall into your lap. 5otice I saidplacethe coins. If youdropthem onto the table, the spectators will hear thedifferent sound the shell makes, and becomesuspicious.

The *irst Coin Passes Throu%h"

?ou now have what appears to be four coins in the center of thetable, overlapping eachother. eally, the fourth oneis the shell. 1ithoutallowing the spectators tosee the back of the shell,arrange the coins into a fanheld between the right first

two fingers and thumb.0lace your left hand underthe table, secretly retrievingthe coin from your lap in theprocess. /ently tap so thatyou donNt bend the shell;the coins onto the table,nesting one of the coins intothe shell. Spread out what


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appears to be three coins near the edge of the table, and show the fourthcoin in your left hand, placing it aside.

The Second 8 Third Coins Pass"

Dor the secondcoin, simply repeatthat entire procedure. Dor thethirdone, drag bothcoins toward you at the same time, allowing the secretcoin to again fall into your lap. 0lace the coin and shell onto the middle ofthe table, the shelloverlapping the coin. Cover these bothwith your righthand, which smears them in a circle, nesting the two together. >ift yourhand, revealing only one BcoinH there, and produce the thirdcoin fromunder the table, placing it aside.

The *ourth Coin

@ne last time, you4re going to use a variation of the move where youdrag the shell toward you, lapping a coin. 0lace the shell on the table, butonly a few inches in from the edge. Cover the shell with your fingertips,and slide them forward, leaving the shell in place. Spread your fingersapart, revealing that the coin is not there. It is now hidden beneath thebalm of your right hand.; Immediately reproduce the fourth coin fromunder the table, and toss it toward the spectator. 6t the same time,misdirection again; pull the balm of your right hand backward, draggingthe shell off the edge of the table, and into your lap.


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Part 3 - Other Stuff

6lthough there isnNt as much material in the world of magic that isperformed with ob


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Cha!ter 9 - #all Ma%ic

Sponge "alls The Color Changing "all to Jumbo S9uareCups 6nd "alls The *ultiplying /olf "alls

1hen it comes to performing magic with balls, there are mainly threekinds of balls that magicians use. Dirst, thereNs spongeballs though thereare other kinds of sponge ob


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bag. ?ou have two balls and the frame in your right pocket, and two balls inyour leftpocket also. each both hands into your pockets at the sametime, finger palming a ball with your left hand and bringing out the framewith your right. 6fter displaying the frame, place it between the crotch ofyour left thumb and your curled left forefinger, with the back of the left

fingers toward the audience. @pen the frame and insert the first threefingers of the right hand. Then, show both palms, so that the spectatorscan see that your hands are BemptyH e3cept for the frame which is reallyhidden behind the tips of your right fingers;. !eversethis action, thenreach into the frame and produce the ball.

#aving


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*ake the ball disappear,and then reach into your right pocketto BreproduceH it. eally, leave therealball behind and bring out thefakeone, keeping the opening

covered. 0lace the opening on top ofyour left fist, and press down on theball with your right forefinger. Thiscauses the ball to turn inside out asit enters the left fist. ?ou now hold a black ball and a red cube. "ring yourright hand over, and take the ball into it without the spectators seeingit yet.

6llow a piece of red sponge to peek out of your left fist, and ask thespectators to guess which hand the BballH is in. @f course, most of them willguess the left hand. @pen that hand, showing a cube. "e careful here thatthe opening is toward your palm, so they won4t accidentally see it.; They

will want to see whatNs in your otherhand, so open it and show them theblack ball. Trust me, this gets greatreactions.

Cu!s 0nd #alls

This effect is regarded by many as the oldest magic trick in theworld. The skill of a magician is often


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the cup, unseen by the spectators. This is called the inertia move. 0racticeit a few times. 6s a side note, this should be performed on a soft surfacesuch as a carpeted floor, or a magicianNs =closeup pad=; so that thespectators donNt hear the balls hitting a hard table when they do fall underthe cups. A3ecute the inertia move with the ne3t two cups, stacking them

onto the first one as you count. @ne. . . two. . . three.emove the ball from yourpocketand place it atop the cups. Say,

BThis trick also uses three balls. @f course, thatNs


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1ith the righthand, pick up the centercup, and say, B#ereNs ballnumber five.H 0lace the right hand cup into the left hand, repeating theloading move with the turnipthis time. 0ick up the newly revealed ball withthe right hand and place it in your right pocket, securing the last vegetable.0lace the center cup on its side, also, and repeat the loading move by

picking up the left cup with the left hand, and placing into your right one.>oad that last veggie at this point.; The last ball goes into the left pocket.The last cup gets laid down on its side. ?ou have now secretly loaded avegetable into each cup, and all three cups are lying on their sides, lookingempty.

This is where phase five appears to begin, but really youNre alreadydone. 0ause for a beat, as though your trick is over. 6s you place the threecups upright with your obviously empty hands, say, BI hope my efforts toentertain you with the cups and balls have proven fruitful, but INm afraidthey may not have. ?ou see, this isnNt fruit. These... snap your fingers, and

begin to lift the cups; are vegetables. ?ou have now produced someproduceto the sheer delight of your bamboo7led audience.

The Multi!lin% 'olf #alls

"ack in the day, this trick was commonly performed with balls thatwere made of wood. They were usually either red or white in color. Themost talked about balls for performing this effect nowadaysare called=Dakini= balls and they4re made of silicone. They come in a wide range ofcolors. They4re 9uite large and verye3pensive. I dolike the way they feel,

and I like they fact that they bounce. 6lso, they4re very visible, even on thelargest stage. They do have one drawback, though, and it has to do withthe real secret of the multiplying balls.

In any set of multiplying balls, one of the balls isn4t really a ball. It4s ashell that fits overa ball. In the $akiniset, this shell is extremelythick,making for some pretty awkward handling. The set I do use ismanufactured by a company called >oftus International, and is designed toresemble a set of golf balls. They4re yellow, which helps with visibility.They4re made of soft rubber, so they bounce. The most important benefit ofthis set, though, is its shell. It fits tightly enough so that when you have it

on a ball, and toss that ball into the air, it won4t come off. It looks for all theworld like you


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?our little finger keeps the ball from falling out. "low some bubbles, thenreach into them with your left hand, producing the ball. It will look like yougrabbed one of the bubbles, whereupon it magically became solid. ?ou canthen follow the rest of my routine from there. This could look really greatwith a bubble machine on stage. 0erhaps your background music could be

=Dorever "lowing "ubbles.= :;To prepare for my usualroutine with the golfballs, place a ball with

the shell on it into your right back pocket. 6nother ball goes into thewaistband of your pants, right behind the belt buckle. The remaining ball isclassic palmed in the left hand. ?ou4re now going to produce that first ballafter e3ecuting what4s know as =the change over palm.= Show the front andback of the right hand, then begin to turn your body slightly to the left.

6s you turn, the two palms come together. 6bout halfway throughyour turn, your fingers touch each other like you4re praying;, so that theball is never seen. 6s you continue turning, the ball is classic palmed in the

righthand. Show the lefthand, front and back. ?ou have now shown bothhands empty, one at a time. 0luck the ball from the air, the same way Itaught you to do with a spongeball. 6s you do so, say, =This is a trickwhere I produce a ball from thin air.= "ounce it off the floor and catch it,tacitly demonstrating the fact that it is ordinary.

Say, =5ow, on the count of three, I4m going to make it disappear.=Count, =@ne,= and toss it up into the air. Catch it in both hands, the back ofthe left hand and the left side of your body; should be toward thespectators. Toss it againand catch it. @n the thirdtime, keep it classicpalmed in the left hand, while your right hand turns its back to the

spectators and swings downbehind your body. 0retend to slipthe ball into your right backpocket. "e really obvious aboutthis so the spectators will thinkyou really pocketed the ball. Say,=@kay, you caught me, I snuck itinto my back pocket.= 0roduce theball and shell; from your pocketas if they were the ball you started

with. ?ou have the ball youactually didstart with classicpalmed in your left hand.;

Immediately producethatball also, and bounce it. 0laceit between the first two fingers ofthe right hand, stealing the ballout of the shell at the same timeinto the left hand classic palm.


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right elbow. eplace it in your right hand, stealing a ball yet again. #old thetwo BballsH really a ball P the shell; beside your right knee, your fingerspointing straight down. 8o the vanishing move again, and reproduce theball in your left hand from behind your leftknee. It will look like the ballmagically


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Cha!ter < - =o!e Ma%ic

The Cut P estored ope The 0rofessor4s 5ightmareopes Through Spectator4s "ody

ope tricks have been attractive to magicians for decades, perhapsbecause there are so many things you can do with a piece of rope. Thereare various trick knots, escapes, and other manipulations that can beperformed. opes can even be made to apparently pass harmlesslythrough people or other solid ob


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=magic woofle dust= really nothing;, leaving the knot behind. =Sprinkle= the=magic woofle dust= onto the rope, then uncoil it. It has now been madewhole again.

The Professor&s >i%ht/are

#ere4s a trick where you apparentlytake three une9ual lengths ofrope, make them e9ual, and then make them une9ual again. To makeyourself a set of ropes for this, begin by cutting one piece about (444. 6second piece should be about &4, and the last piece about '44. The longestpiece should be folded in half and looped over the short piece, like in =TheCut P estored ope.= >aid besideit, these two folded lengths should bethe same length as the mediumsi7ed piece.

To begin the trick, show the three different lengths and let thespectator e3amine them. *ake sure he or she tugs on them and sees that

they don4t stretch. 5ow, hold all three pieces in the crotch of the left thumbMshort, medium, then long. >ift the shortend, and place it ne3t to the longend. ?ou now have four ends in your left thumb crotch. epeat this with theother two ropes, in order. ?ou are now holding si3 ends. 1ith the rightfingers, switch the middletwo. 5ow, grab the three right ends, and pullthem slowly but not tooslowly; to the right.

To the spectators, it look like the ropestransformed before their very eyes and are nowall the same length2 To apparently show themseparated, we4re going to use a false count. >et

go of the right ends of the ropes, and pull out themiddle rope with your right fingers. 6s you pullthis rope out of your left hand, drag it over yourleft forefinger. Say, =one.= 0lace this ropebetween your left first and second fingers. 6t thesame time, take the ne3t two with your rightforefinger and thumb. 8rag themover your leftforefinger, and say, =two.= /rab the lastrope withthe samehand right; that is holding the othertwo. 8rag itover your left second finger, and say,

=three.=


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This =one for two= switch is themost important move in this routine. Itshould be done smoothly and withouthesitation. 0ractice it well. To thespectators, it should look like you

simply counted three e9ual lengths ofrope from your left hand into your right.To prepare for the lastpart of yourtrick, grab the lower ends of the ropeswith your left hand. 0lace the righthand ends into your left hand also, sothat you4re holding all si3 ends in theleft hand again. 5ow, simply pull outone rope with the right hand, and lay itover your shoulder. 8isplay the two

remaining ropes in separate hands. Itwill look as if the ropes instantlyreturned to their original condition.

=o!es Throu%h S!ectator&s #od

In this trick, which is greatfor stagemagic, you appear to cause twolong pieces of rope to instantlyand visiblypass rightthrough a spectator4sbody... andtheir coat2 The ropes themselvesshould be about ten feet longeach. To prepare them, fold them in half and tie their two centers together

with a short piece of white thread. In the picture, I tied them together withan orange balloon, so you could see what I mean. In performance, use athread color that matches your ropes.; ?ou4ve created a false


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spectator. If they4re the rightends, then you should place them into yourspectator4s righthand, and vice versa.

6sk them to place this hand into theappropriate sleeve of the coat while holdingonto the ends. This threads the ropes

through the sleeve. Ese your now free handto assist your spectator with his coat.epeat this process with the othersleeve.?ou can now let go of the false


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Cha!ter 1? - Sil, Ma%ic

0roduction P anish %!st Century Silks"lendo Sympathetic Silks

=Silks,= as magicians call them, are s9uare handkerchiefs madeeither entirely ofsilk, or some other lightweight blend. "ecause the fabric isso thin, these handkerchiefs are very compressible, yet highly visible. This,along with the fact that they are very colorful, makes them e3tremelypopular with magicians. They usually come in solid colors, but variouspatterns are available as well.

There are basically four categories of effects that are popular withsilks: vanishes, productions, color changes, and various types of trickknots. 1e will look at an e3ample of allof these e3cept the color change;in this chapter. Color changes are usually accomplished with a double silk

or silks; that can be turned inside out, or a small metal tube called a =dye=tube; that aids in switching one silk for another. In the case of the smallmetal dye tube, one silk is inside already. 6s the first silk is pushed in, thesecond one is removed. The tube itself is then secretly disposed of.

The most popular methods for vanishingandproducingsilks oreven color changes, for that matter; depend on the sizeof the silks. Dorsmallsilks, a thumb tipis commonly used. This is a plastic =fake thumb.=The thumb tip is in the left fist, and the right thumb stuffs the silk inside it.The right thumb is then removed from the left fist, wearing the thumb tip,with the silk inside it. Toproducea small silk, the procedure is simply

reversed. 6 color change is accomplished by having a second silk in theleft fist along with the thumb tip to begin with. (argersilks are typicallyvanished and produced by methods that will be taught laterin this chapter.

@neparticulardevice that I wouldlike to mention before we go anyfurther is the =change bag.= 6ll of the effects possible with silks can beaccomplished with this tool. It is a doublewalled bag. The secretcompartment can be opened and closed from the handleof the bag, andthe bag can even be turned inside out to show it =empty,= while somethingis inside)The bestchange bags even have a 7ipper at the bottom so thatyou can reach your hand all the way through the bag, further

demonstrating its =emptiness2= I use the change bag a lotwhen performingmagic with silks, as well as otherob


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1e4ll begin with the production.To prepare, we4re going to foldthe silk in a specialway, so that we

end up with a small, neat bundle. The si7e silk typically used for this type ofproduction is !'44. "egin by placing the silk flat on the table in front of youso that it looks like a diamond. Dold the left and right corners into the

middle so that they are touching. 5ow, fold the edgesinto the middle.Continue folding the edges into the middle again and again until the silk isabout &44 wide. Dold the silk in half lengthwise;, and turn it so that it is nowhori7ontal. Dold the right end up at a +-angle. oll the rest of the silkaround that tab, then tuck the other end in at the bottom. The finishedproduct should look like this:

To perform this particular production, you must bewearing either a longsleeved shirt or a


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thumb tip is utili7ed. In the classic method, the final, large silk that isdisplayed is really a =bag,= similar to the one in =twentyfirst century silks.=The smaller, individual silks are inserted into this =bag.= The final,=blended= silk is usually a multicolored one like in the picture, or an

6merican flag.

6s with many silk effects, my favorite device to use for this routine isa change bag. The final, =blended= silk is in the secret compartment. Thebag is un7ipped. I reach through the bag, then turn it inside out. The bag isunmistakably empty. F; I 7ip the bottom shut, then drop the individual silksinto the bag. I flip the lever, switching the compartments in the bag. Thespectator can then reach in and pull out the final, =blended= silk. 6s anafterthought, I turn the bag inside out one last time, tacitly demonstratingthat the small, individual silks are no longer in it.

The S/!athetic Sil,s

In the sympathetic silks, you take the simple act of tying a false knotand e3trapolate it into a routine that truly e3emplifies the idea of packingsmall and playing big. Three silks are gathered and placed into thespectator4s hands. Three correspondingsilks are tied together into a chainand placed on your table. The three silks in the spectator4s hands areremoved, and they are now tied together2 These silks are untied, and the


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otherthree are shown to have magically untied themselves as well2 6 truly=sympathetic= reaction.

The silks in the spectator4s hands are tied together to begin with.They are false counted in such a way as to appearseparate. This falsecount is very similar to the one you used in =0rofessor4s 5ightmare.= Tie

three of the silks together by the corners end for end;, then hold them bythe crotch of the left thumb, like in the picture.

The fourth silk is gripped closer to the tipof the left thumb, and the last two are grippedbetween the first two fingers. /rab the first ofthese, and drag it across the curled first finger,counting =one.= /rab the nextsilk, leavingtheone between the first two fingers. 8rag thissecondone across the left first finger, counting=two.= "ring the hands together again,

depositing the two silks in the right handalongside the silk between the left first andsecond fingers. grab the three silks that are tiedtogether, and drag them out of the left hand asbefore, counting =three.= 0lace these three silksin a pile into the spectator4s hands. Count thelast three silks, =four, five, si3.=

0lace one of these silks onto the tableand tie the other two using a special knot thatcan be undone by the simple act of picking up

the silks. It4s called the =double fadeawayknot.= It will look to the audience like you aretying a s9uare knot. ?ou almost are. The onlydifference is that for the firstoverhand knot, you substitute the action ofmerely twisting the corners of the silks aroundeach other, rather than tyingthem,. If you then tie a realoverhand knot on top of that, you can evenhold one end of the silks up and they will not fall apart. Shakeit, however,and that'sa different story2


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0ick up the thirdloose silk and tie it onto the first two, using anotherBdouble fadeawayH knot. 0lace all threeof these silks in a pile onto thetable. #ave the spectator remove the silks that are in his or her hands, andhe or she will be surprised to find that they are now tied together2 +ntiethem. 0ick up the silks from the table with a moderate amount of force. Theknots will come loose, and the silks will appear to have untied themselvesin response to your untying the other three. #oudini would be proud. :;


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Cha!ter 11- Mentalis/

The Three 1ay Test The Center TearSpoon "ending The /olden Star The Cra7y Cube The 8rawing 8uplication

*entalism is sometimes referred to as =mind reading.= This is a bit ofa misnomer, and not only because you don4t really read minds. =*indreading,= aka =telepathy,= is


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mind or creating other =psychic= phenomena;. A3amples of =stealing= willbe given later in this chapter, in the form of =The Center Tear= and =TheCra7y Cube.= $orcing, on the other hand, is a concept you4ve alreadyencountered in the section on card magic;. Still, you can =force= morethings than


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routine. 5ow, when your spectators check your guesses, they will all becorrect. @f course, it4s important that you only use your powers for good. :;

The Center Tear

The techni9ue you are about to learn is very popular in mentalism. Itis an e3cellent e3ample of =stealing.= It can be used to secretly obtain anypiece of information the spectator can write in a relatively small space.A3amples are first names, or last names;, state abbreviations, smallnumbers up to about four digits;, names of cards, shapes, etc. Deel free touse your imagination and develop your own presentation.

To actually obtain the information, get a 44344 piece of paper, anddraw a circle in the middle of it. Call the circle a =crystal ball.= 6sk thespectator to write their thought in it. 5e3t, ask them to fold the paper inhalf, then in half again. Take the paper from them, and hold it so that the

one completely folded corner is in the upper right. Take a look at thepicture and you4ll see what Imean. 1e4ll call this the =key=corner. It actually contains theinformation you want2

Tear the folded slip in half, rightdown the middle. 5ow, place thehalf with they =key= corner behindthe otherhalf on the side closestto you;. otate the entire packet

one 9uarter turn to the right. Teartop to bottom again. 6gain, therighthand packet goes on yourside of the lefthand packet.

?ou4ve torn the packet into four pieces, and the piece you need is the oneclosest to you. ?ou4re now going to =steal= that piece.

Take the pieces into your right hand in such a way that your thumb isdirectly on top of the piece you want to =steal.= Ese the fingers of that handto drop threeof the pieces into the spectator4s hands, helping them closethem up with your free hand.t the same time, drag the right thumb

backwards, retaining the =key= corner finger palmed in the right hand. #avethe spectator stand back to back with you, and while they are doing that,surreptitiously unfold the piece and glimpse whatNs inside. efold the piece,then turn around and face the spectator again. 0retend to be havingtrouble, and ask for the pieces back, ostensibly so you can Bfeel theenergyH from them. eally, you are secretly adding back the stolen pieceand returning them all to the spectator. 0retend to read your volunteerNsmind, and write their thoughts on a newslip. #and it to them. "e ready tocatch them when they pass out. :;


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S!oon #endin%

Spoons aren4t the only metal ob


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To make this up, get yourself some of those =gold star= stickers thatteachers use. They actually come on sheets of multiple colors. ?ou4ll alsoneed some blank business cards, a matchbook, a slip of paper, and asmall =pay= or BcoinH envelope. 0ut a different colored star on each of thebusiness cards. 1e4ll say you4re using gold, blue, and red. @n the back of

the card with the goldstar, write, =I made you pick the gold star.= @n theinside cover of the matchbook, write, =I made you pick the red star,= andclose it up. 0ut all of this into the pay envelope, along with a slip of paperthat says, you guessed it, =I made you pick the blue star.=

The rest you can probably figure out from here all by yourself. "ut,


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mind= and tell them e3actly which number they chose. Soundsimpsossible, doesn4t itF A3actly. :;

The secretis a bold e3ample of =stealing= information: 1hen the dieis pressed up against the lid of the smaller can from the inside eg. whenthe can is tilted toward you;, you can actually see though it2 The =wrinkle= I

told you about is that I have them place the selected number face down.This takes all the =heat= off the gimmicked lid. =#eat= is magicians4 slangfor =suspicion.= Since the two sides of a die always add up to seven, you


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?ou asked them to choose a drawing and duplicate it in theappropriate color. ?ou instructed them that when they were finished, theywere to replace the cap on the pen and seal their drawing in the envelope.@f course, they were to then keep the envelope in their possession at alltimes until you call for it in the show. 6fter that a few minutes alone with the

pens told you everything you needed to know.ow/Simple..?ou prepared them ahead of time2 #ere4s how you

should do it: 1hen you first buy the pens, take an ice pick and bore a tinyhole in them


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1hile stretchingthe rubber bands againstone another, you4re goingto perform a secretmove. 1ith your right

secondfinger grip thetop of the right hand4srubber band. That way, apiece of the right hand4srubber band will begripped between the firstand second fingers of theright hand. Twist yourright hand in towardyourself slightly, and

place the first finger ofthat hand into the same loop of rubber band that your right thumbis in.5e3t, two things will happen at the same time. Spread your right first fingerand thumb apart, and let go with your right second finger. These twosimultaneous actions should take place as your hands are moving backtowardone another, releasing the tension on the rubber bands.

The end result of following the preceding paragraph of instructions isthat you4ll be in a situation where the rubber bands are already on theopposite sides of one another from where they started. This fact is, ofcourse, unknownto the audience. To keepit that way, make sure you don4t

let the rubber bands touch each other so firmly that they bend. They should


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into your mouthbetween your cheek and gum. Continue unbunching thethread, and pulling your strand out. 1hen you get to the otherend of yourstrand, wrap it around another piece of tapeand stick thatonto a deck ofcards. ?ou may now wrap the rest of your 4 thread around a playing cardwith two tears at opposite ends see picture;. That way, you can store it for

future use. 0lace the deck of cards into your shirt pocket and you4re allready to go.

0erhaps you4ve done acouple of tricks already,including a card trick. eplacethe cards into the bo3, andplace the bo3 onto the table.Step back a bit, pulling thethread taught. ?ou4ll feel aslight tug. "e careful not

break it. "orrow a dollar bill.6s you ostensibly roll the billinto a ball, you are reallywrapping it around the thread.est the bill on your hand. >eaning back slightly will cause it to rise aboveyour hand. 6t this point, wave your hands above and below the bill. 0eopleassume that when they4re as close as they are, if there wereany kind ofstring, they4d be able to seeit2 They also assume that even if they can'tseethe thread, you wouldn4t be able to wave your hands above the bill."ecause the thread is actually horizontal, you can2 "e careful not to

perform this in daylight or florescent light, though, and you4ll be fine.

The =in%A The Strin%A 8 The Safet Pin

This is probably my favorite closeup trick. I have never had anyonefigure it out on me. ?ou take a piece of rope, a metal ring, and a safety pin.?ou cover these three ob


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from underneath the handkerchief, and grab the end of the rope on thesame side you4ve pinned the loop. 1ithout lifting your otherhand from thetable, pull the end of the rope until the entire rope is out from under thehandkerchief. The handkerchief has been omitted from the picture so thatyou can see what4s happening underneath.;

6ma7ingly, thering will now be onthe rope, in the placeisolated by the safetypin2 @f course, whatreally happened isthat thanks to theclever placement ofyour finger, one endof the rope was pulled

through the ringunderneaththehandkerchief. 1hilepracticing, in order to fully understand what takes place, do the moveswithoutthe covering of the handkerchief. In performance, when youremove the rope, your body language should casually convey the attitudethat you are merely pulling the rope out to show the spectators that the ringis alreadyon the rope.


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Cha!ter 13 - Sta%e Classics

The >inking ings The "ill in the >emonThe 8ove 0an The >ota "owl

There are basically two main types of stage magic. @ne is illusions,which will be covered later. The other is commonly referred to as =platform=or =parlor= magic. It is this secondtype that will be looked at in this chapter.*entalism, rope magic, and silk magic are all common in this category.Aven some cardand cointricks can work for this type of performance. Thischapter will detail some very popular effects for stage performance thataren4t easily categori7ed. 6lthough =street= magic is e3tremely hot in magicat the time of this writing, the kind of stage magic described in this chapteris still the my favorite branch of coninking ings is such a popular classic that it could beconsidered the =Cups 6nd "alls= of platform work. There are almost asmany different se9uences for this effect as there are magicians whoperform it. Though very old and fre9uently e3posed, it is still a hit withaudiences. 8one well, it will still foolthem, too. I will teach you the routineas % perform it. Deel free to vary the handling to suit your own whims. Dirst,though I will describe the contents of a standard set.

In the first phase of the routine, you are going to display what

appearsto be eight separate rings. Enbeknownst to the audience, threeofthe rings are permanently linked together. There4s also a set of twopermanently linked rings, along with two that actually are solid andseparate. The last ring in a standard set has a secret opening in it. This isknown as the =key= ring. The material my rings are made out of is stainlesssteel, and they are !-44 in diameter. There are various types and si7esavailable, so find what works best for you.

To prepare for the routine, fold the set of three into a neat stack andplace it on the table. @n top of this, place the key ring. The set of two,folded, goes on top of the key ring. The last two rings, the ones that are

actually solid and separate, get placed atop all the others. 0ick the stackup in your left hand. The solid, separate rings should be facing thespectators. The rings should be held in such a way as to make sure yourfingers are covering the opening in the key ring. This opening shouldremained covered throughout the entire routine.; ?ou4re now going to learna false count that4s designed to suggest to the audience that all eight of therings are solid and separate.

each all four of your rightfingers into the rings from the frontandlet go of one of the rings. See picture.; 5ow, open your two hands out like


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perpendicular position. Tap the bottomof your ring to the top of theirs, byswinging downward. @n the third swing down, move your ring forwardwhile performing the tap. The two rings will become linked, whilethespectator is holdingone of them2 In the picture, I am holding the solid ringmyself.;

5e3t, we4re going to apparentlyspinboth of the rings we astly, drop thesamering again and spin it again.The spectators will think you spuneach ring once.;

Just like there are multiple waysto linkthe rings, there are multipleways to unlink them. 1e4re going tounlink the rings using a techni9uecalled the =8rop Enlink.= 0ull the solidring up into the same hand as the keyring, unlink them in the process. ?ou4renow holding two unli

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