Magic Tricks With Coins

I’m often asked by both adults and kids about where they can learn more about the Art of Magic.  In this article, I’ll recommend top 10 magic books a newcomer to the Art of Magic should consider.  The good news is the majority of these books are available from Amazon or Barnes and Noble bookstores.

1.          Mark Wilson’s Complete Course in Magic by Mark Wilson

Mark Wilson’s book is the modern equivalent of a condensed version of the Tarbell Course in Magic series.  Wilson’s book introduces readers to a wide variety of magic ranging from card tricks, coin tricks, rope magic, mental magic, impromptu magic and even stage illusions!  It teaches the fundamentals of magic technique and is well illustrated.

2.          A Book of Magic for Young Magicians : The Secrets of Alkazar by Allan Zola Kronzek

This is one of the best books on handling key cards and has excellent presentations for classic magic effects.  It is written as a kids book but it has a lot of great tips and handling for common magic effects.  In one lesson Alkazar demonstrates an entertaining magic trick and a boring magic trick.  Both use the same method yet the book explains the importance of presentation.

3.          Now You See It, Now You Don’t Lessons in Sleight of Hand by Bill Tarr

Bill Tarr’s book provides a well illustrated introduction to sleight of hand.  If you want to learn how to make cards, coins, and silks disappear and reappear, this book provides an excellent introduction.  He also wrote a second book called The Second Now You See It, Now You Don’t.

4.  New Modern Coin Magic by J.B. Bobo

Coin magic is a lot of fun to perform since coins are readily available, fit in your pocket, and can be borrowed to perform mysterious and entertaining feats of prestidigitation.  Bobo’s Modern Coin Magic provides an excellent resource on all the key vanishes, retentions, concealments and sleight of hand required to perform coin magic.  The book also has several chapters dedicated to various classic effects in Magic such as Coins Across, The Miser’s Dream, and Coin Boxes.  Bobo’s Coin Magic a must in any magician’s library!

 

5. The Royal Road to Card Magic by Jean Hugard and Frederick Braue

The Royal Road to Card Magic is an inexpensive book that is jam packed with card magic.  Beginners and experienced magicans can benefit by reading the Royal Road and reviewing the different concepts and ideas on sleight of hand card magic.  One of my magic mentors recommends that every magician – experienced and new – should review the Royal Road to Card Magic as it acquaints the reader with the fundamentals of card magic.

These books aren’t the only magic books I’d recommend but for the magic newbie, these are great books to start learning about the art of magic.  There are thousands of books, DVDs, and articles available on the Art of Magic.  In future articles, I’ll explore a few more useful resources to learn about Magic.



By: Andy Makar

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Success doesn’t happen with the wave of a magic wand, so if you want to astound your friends with your magical powers, you will need to have the right magician supplies. Whether your specialty is cagey card tricks or elaborate illusions, you’ll need specific items to complete your act. In this article, we’ll detail a wide range of supplies and explain how they can help you become a master magician.

Ask anyone what a magician wears and they’re sure to include a collapsible top hat and a magic wand. These standard item can be picked up inexpensively at any illusion store. They can also be found in the costumes department of many toy stores.

A breakaway wand is a little more sophisticated. He selects an assistant and then waves and taps his wand. However, when he gives the wand to his assistant, the wand falls apart. This is a very basic item for any illusion show.

Silks are an essential part in any performer’s arsenal of magician supplies and can be found in a wide selection of colors and sizes. To work with the silks, you may want to buy mouth coils to perform a magic trick that’s a favorite with audiences.

He faces the audience and they notice something protruding from his mouth. When he pulls on it, a bright swath of fabric will appear. As he continues to tug, yards of silk will be pulled from his mouth. Silks can also be used with canes for impressive illusions.

An ‘appearing cane’ is a tool that displays silk that magically turns into a solid cane. The trick works in reverse with the ‘vanishing cane’, which is a cane that magically turns back into two colorful silks.

The invisible thread reel is one of the most ingenious inventions in the last decade. Using this undetectable device, he can astound audiences by making any object appear as if it is floating through the air. Close-up pads are a must for the serious magician.

These accessories act as a “stage” for close-up illusion. Close-up pads make card tricks, coin tricks and cups and ball routines easier to perform. Finally, magic wax is a staple for anyone in the illusion card game. Magicians’ wax allows you to do a myriad of card tricks without anyone discovering your secrets.

Whether you’re performing in front of a large audience or in your own back yard, magician supplies will help you look professional. However, illusions take practice, so don’t put an accessory into your act unless you’ve used it extensively and are sure of how it will work in your performance. The magic will appear to be effortless once you master these tricks of the trade.



By: MIKE SELVON

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In my magic courses and magic shows, I’m often asked how parents can foster their child’s interest in magic.

Below are a few important steps to help to your kids learn how to do magic tricks and explore the Art of Magic.

1.Encourage your children to learn how to do magic tricks through the local library.

You don’t need to buy the latest magic set or stacks of DVDs on sleight of hand to learn how to do magic. Libraries have a ton of resources on magic, magic history, juggling, and magic specifically for kids. It doesn’t hurt that all this knowledge is FREE! A good beginner’s book in magic will provide the initial foundation for your child to learn several magic tricks and help assess their interest in learning more about the Art of Magic.

2. Remind them to practice both the "moves" and the "story" when learning the magic trick. Magicians refer to their "story" as patter. Patter is the words used in the presentation of the magic trick. Kids (and adults) new to magic often focus purely on the "moves" rather than the presentation. Reminding the performer to focus on the story as well as the moves will only help your son or daughter become more proficient in their performance. Plus their magic trick will be more entertaining!

If you want to see some magic trick videos performances from a variety of magicians ranging from Harry Houdini, Criss Angel, David Blaine, and others, you can visit our Magic Video section. We don’t tell the secret, but you’ll get a good idea of what magic should look like.

3. Visit your local magic shop

The library has a lot of resources, but a magic shop is often the defacto hot spot for any budding performer. Reputable magic shops are staffed with experienced prestidigitators that can help your child learn how to do magic. Watch out for any magic dealer who will sell an expensive magic prop without considering the skill of the performer. When purchasing magic, my recommendation is to invest in books before DVDs. Books have a lot of material that can be referred to time and time again. DVDs are good too however, the latest trend in magic is to release one trick per DVD. You want to ensure you get the most magic for your investment. The DVD will also show how the effect will be presented as well as the "secret". Both books and DVDs are useful learning tools. I prefer these to the standard tricks you find in the glass booths…but those are fun too! Magic shops will sometime host magic nights where local magicians get together and have a "jam session" demonstrating their latest magical pursuit.

You can also visit Kapoof’s Learn Free Magic Tricks library to learn over 100 different magic tricks for free! We feature several tutorials on coin tricks, card tricks, rope tricks, and yes even Street Magic tricks!

4. Join a local magic assembly, ring, or group.

If you search http://www.magicsam.com or http://www.magician.org, you can find a local Assembly or Ring comprised of local magicians in your metropolitan area. Magic meetings are a fun place to network with other hobbyists, professionals, and newbies interested in the Art of Magic. Most magic organizations are welcoming of new members and are willing to share the secrets of their trade. However, the student must be willing to learn and practice rather than expect all the secrets to be revealed.

5. Attend a magic convention

Magic conventions are another excellent way to meet other magicians, see different magic acts, meet different magic vendors, and purchase new magic. Most conventions are held in a hotel where magicians provide lectures, advice, perform parlor sized shows, and even perform full scale theater shows. Every night magicians gather in the lobby and session with each other. It is another easy way to make new friends and learn a few new tricks of the trade.

I hope you found these tips helpful in your child’s pursuit of learning how to do magic. Please visit www.kapoof.com for more information on how to do magic tricks and learn more about the Art of Magic!



By: Andy Makar

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Children love Magic Tricks. They especially love a show that is given specially for them on a birthday. Some Magicians are now doing kids shows that actually teach the children simple Magic Tricks.

Nothing dangerous, of course; some card tricks, a few rope tricks. No balloons and sharp pins, no coins that could be swallowed, no magical fire that flares from nowhere. Just a few simple Magic Tricks.

How can this be good for a child? Well, for a start, the more interests a child has, the more interesting a personality they will develop. Magic can become an involving interest; one that could lead to a paying hobby or perhaps a career.

Next, Magic involves memory; you have to remember how to do it, where the card is and how to control it, the patter or story that goes with the trick, and how to produce a dramatic conclusion. This is repeated for each magic trick learned, and an enthusiastic Magician, even a young one, will learn hundreds if not thousands of magic tricks!

There is also an amount of manual dexterity needed – sleight of hand is a skill that needs to be practiced. Some tricks need the hands to perform minor contortions that can take months to perfect. Magicians who start young enough will develop hands as supple and powerful as a pianist or classical guitarist. Many older Magicians, myself included, who didn’t start young enough, have given up doing certain tricks because their fingers are no longer capable of bending that way.

Perhaps the most important thing that Magic will do for your child is to introduce them, subtly, to the concept of scepticism. It will demonstrate to them that not everything is what it seems; that just because someone tells them that something is so – it may not be. That in the real world, w.y.s.i.w.y.g. is not necessarily the natural order of things.

Despite their serious side, Magic Tricks for kids are FUN and your children will love them.



By: Andy Canning

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This simple but effective bar trick will amaze and entertain anyone who sees it. And unlike most magic, you can repeat this trick as many times as you want without anyone discovering how it works.

Right, you’ll need nine coins, and an accomplice with a bottle of beer and a beer mat, or some other subtle reference point. Don’t worry, all will be explained.

It doesn’t matter what type of coins you use. Just collect nine coins that are in your pocket or lying around on the bar.

And the coins don’t all have to be the same. In fact, it will add more mystery to the trick if you use a variety of different coins, as some of the more inquiring people in your crowd will try looking for patterns of coin use that just don’t exist.

Take the nine coins and lay them on the table in a square, three rows of three.

The trick begins with you claiming that you can guess which coin someone touched last.

You can wrap this basic premise up any way you want, by claiming that you can see, hear, smell or even feel the psychic every surrounding the coin.

All that matters is that you make it entertaining and mysterious.

Once you’ve decided who will be choosing a coin, leave the room, perhaps to go to the bar or the toilet, and give them a few moments to make their choice.

After you return, take your time and consider each of the coins in turn. After a few seconds, point to the coin that was selected and wait for the looks of disbelief on the faces of your audience.

How did you do it?

Easy!

This is where your accomplice earns his free drink. When you leave the room, make sure that your accomplice knows what to do and is sitting in a place where you can subtly look at them without arousing suspicion.

As you leave the room, your accomplice should take a drink from his bottle and keep a close eye on the coin selected. Then, it’s just a case of subtly placing their bottle on a certain part of the beer mat or other reference point that will indicate the chosen coin.

Right in the middle indicates the middle coin. Each of the corners represents a corner coin and the middle of each side of the mat correlates to the remaining four coins.

As soon as you return, you’ll be able to tell at a glance with coin was selected. From that point until you reveal the answer it’s just a case of putting on a good show. Do whatever you have to in order to increase the suspense, for example, pretending to sense the psychic waves emitted by each of the coins etc.

Once you reveal the right coin, the buzz from your audience is amazing. They’ll be convinced that you somehow say the person making their choice, or that you noticed that one of the coins was moved etc. Just don’t be surprised if you have to do the trick again…and again, as they try to work out how you managed to outwit them. But they won’t.

With careful timing, subtle actions and a lot of theatrics, you can do this trick as many times as you want and nobody will ever suspect a thing.

And if you want to further reduce your chances of being found out, make sure that your accomplice subtly picks up or moves his bottle as soon as he knows you’ve seen it. Make sure that they act naturally and pretend to be as amazed as the rest of the crowd when you choose the right coin. But whatever happens, make sure that they don’t overdo it, as an over-reaction is just as much of a giveaway as an under-reaction.



By: Lucas Da Silva

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Magic Tricks:

Who doesn’t get impressed and attracted by magic? Ranging from small kids to adults, the simple magic tricks entertain them. But magic tricks are not something related to powers beyond human’s reach. It is mere mastering the skills of sustaining the attention of the onlookers while the ‘magician’ completes the well-practiced steps to achieve the magic. Thus the onlookers are eventually convinced that they had witnessed something supernatural rather than recognizing the tricks. Well magic tricks cannot be termed as duping the onlookers; it demands lots of practice and mesmerizing skills like talking continuously while performing the trick to divert the onlookers. With the job of magician briefed, it is time to have a brief about performing simple magic tricks to impress friends and family. With proper guidance and interest of the individual, one can pull off a good magical performance. Though adults can see right through certain magic tricks involving smoke or the trap doors, it is a fact that there exist several unsolved magical tricks all over the world. But to clarify once again, it has nothing to do with witchcraft or supernatural powers; in simple, those magicians had been really clever that they never let their audience guess what had actually happened.

Types of Common Magic tricks:

Most of the magic tricks involve the conjuration with simple playing cards or the coins. Finding the card which the onlooker picks from the pack of cards is one of the most general one. As many will be aware, it is a simple trick of noting the one below the card seen and returned by the onlooker. Care must be taken while shuffling such that the two cards do not separate. Then turning the cards to its face, the card seen by the onlooker can be easily found. It may sound simple once it is explained but the admirable part is most of the magicians do not expose how they manage the particular trick. Unless those are resolved, they can be called as magic tricks. The next most general magic tricks are the ones dealing with disappearance of persons or place, or to cut the assistant in half, to fly without any support and so on. The list is endless and it should be accepted that most of these tricks are worth appreciating for the magician’s hard work and preparation; nothing comes for free, even magic.

The ‘Magic’ of Magic Tricks:

The differentiation between what is trick and what is ‘real’ has always been fuzzy. Though most of the simple magic tricks can be related to the cautious mastermind of the magician, there have been several cases of unsolved magic tricks such us instants when magicians made famous places disappear for a while in front of hundreds of onlookers. All over the history there are such unsolved puzzles which still awe many. It is an agreed fact that there has been no documentation to prove that these were ‘magic’ but at the same time, there are no evidences to prove against it either.

 



By: Dey Ette

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Magic has been connected to mystery and things that cannot be explained by science. But, during the recent years, there has been in-depth studies focused to magic. Now, magic is known to be the science of illusion. More than that, magic is also an art based on science and techniques.

In fields of sciences like psychiatry, illusion is said to be a distortion of sensory perception. But no matter how negative this may sound, magic has entertained people based on illusion. This gives the impression that something impossible has occurred. Magic tricks are based on scientific principles but people do not seem to connect magic and science.

Different illusions are being used in magic and there are seven types of them.

? Production. These are magic tricks out of thin air. Producing something out of nothing. Tricks like these include appearing acts - rabbit coming out of an empty hat, coins from an empty pocket and the magician or an assistant appearing through a puff of smoke on an empty stage.

? Vanish. Tricks from this category are those disappearing acts like coins disappearing, a dove vanishing out of thin air by a clap of hand and stuffs inside silks into the hands of the magician but when opened revealed nothing. This category is the total opposite of production. The similar tricks are used but done in reverse.

? Transformation. As the word suggest, the tricks in this category involve those which transform anything to another form - chicken to an eagle, fire into a rabbit or a broom into a woman.

? Restoration. Magic tricks using this illusion is meant to restore something to the state it was once before like a cut rope into three parts back into one or cards cut into fourths and back to one.

? Teleportation. This illusion is meant to transfer things to another place. These are the classic tricks that truly amaze people like uncovered cages with one person each and they magically exchange places in a few seconds. This is what is known as double teleportation.

? Levitation. The trick involves lifting objects, animals and even people into air by using trance.

? Penetration. Tricks in this category involve the passing through of objects through a solid wall.

One important thing in maintaining the illusion in magic tricks is the secrecy of the magician. The magician should maintain this secrecy in order to be respected and treated with credibility by other magicians. The only exception is when a magician shares the secrets of the trade with someone who is a serious student of magic.

Remember, you are “killing” the magic by telling the secrets of your tricks to others and reducing them to mere intellectual riddles and puzzles.



By: David Riewe

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Are you a poker addict or maybe just a beginner? If you are serious with poker then you will need lots of poker chips. Poker chips have transcended the poker game itself into a different game altogether. Poker chips are used nowadays in poker chip tricks. These, my friend, are not cheap tricks, mind you! Poker chip tricks have been developed through long rigorous hours of playing poker. Poker addicts have developed a method killing waiting time. Also, poker chip tricks are used to intimidate other poker players. You might have seen a player randomly rotate his stack of poker chips using a single hand. Some poker fanatics also employ magic coin tricks using poker chips. Not only is watching this very fun to look at but it is also a very serious discipline. Learning these poker chip tricks needs hours to master. A serious poker player is different from a serious poker chip tricks master. Often, the poker fanatics are also the trick players, but poker chip tricks have surpassed the mere poker game. There are even poker chip trick tournaments in the US!

Poker chips can vary from one to another. Moreover, poker chips come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. The weight of poker chips is also standardized, and there are heavier pieces and lighter chips. There are two basic poker chip weights - the 11.5 grams and the 13 grams. However, there are many variations of these, depending on the maker of your poker chips. There are also 10 gram chips. The most popular types of poker chips are made of clay and plastic. Some chips are made of mahogany and oak, and there are even graphite chips that are still rare in the market today. Most of the chips available for your poker needs are actually bought in sets that range from 200 to 600 pieces, depending on how many players will be playing them. Traditionally, a player will need 100 pieces. So a 2 player game will need 200 to 300 poker chips. A 400 chip set can be used by up to 4 poker players.

There are many poker companies that provide poker chip sets. Some even offer customized poker chips. Have you ever seen a Mc Donald’s logo in a poker chip? Or a picture of someone else’s face printed in another? These are just some of the possibilities in a custom poker chip set. They are often used for advertising products, while some of them are specifically designed by poker fanatics. Some poker chips are numbered while some others have flags or emblems imprinted on them.

Poker chips, apart from the game have become a lucrative business and a lucrative fanaticism. There are also rare poker pieces that are collector¡¯s items! Because it is both a hobby and an addiction, there are also slick poker chip set cases. These are often made of aluminum, while some more expensive ones are made up of graphite. Other popular poker chip cases are also made up of carbon fiber, wood, vinyl and leather.

Another interesting thing to note about poker chips is that they sound differently. Expert poker players and/or poker chip tricks masters have their own preferences of chips. The best chips are those that have a sharp, crisp sound when they fall. These types of chips are the most common chips that are found in casinos worldwide.

Poker tricks and poker chips will stay with us for an indefinite period of time. Poker is a very exciting and interesting game that had been with us for many, many years and will be with us for a very long time. It is played from the time of kings and queens, and until now, a royal flush is the best way to have all the poker chips at your side!



By: Nicholas Tan

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The desire to perform different kinds of tricks is one that we have all felt. As children we tried coin tricks, shell games, different card tricks. We have all at one time or another desired to be magicians and perform many wonderful magic tricks. The best way to start out with these magic tricks is to see the various easy magic tricks that you can try out.

There are various magic trick books that we can consult to help us do these tricks. You should first look at the contents of these books to see if there are any tricks that appeal to you. Having found these books you should gather all the magic tools you will need. The next step is to read one of the easy magic tricks in the book fully and make sure that you understand these tricks.

Having looked at these tricks you will need to start out slowly. Make sure that you follow the directions for the easy magic tricks. As you become more confident of your skill you can make the tricks flow faster and smoother. The first stage is to become proficient at performing the tricks without any signs of hesitation.

Once you are sure that you can perform your range of easy magic tricks without difficulty you may want to see how the trick looks in front of a mirror. There are a host of great magic tricks which can be performed by anyone. The main thing with all of these many different tricks is to have the steps of the trick well practiced so that it flows naturally.

You may want to try out some ring and card tricks for your first tricks. As there are many different variations you should select one or two to become well practiced in. While the temptation to work lots of different easy magic tricks is strong it is best to know a few really fantastic ones rather than lots of weak and unimpressive tricks.

To make these easy magic tricks look fantastic to the eyes of the audience you will need to have some interesting stories and gestures to use. You should also make sure that the audience does not feel that you are conning them. If they feel that you are just playing a bad trick on them your entire magic repertoire will fail.

The key items to perform any type of magic trick are confidence in your skill, patience to get the spell right, and continued practice so that the spell flows effortlessly. Combine these with the right amount of flair and magical display and you will have your audience coming back for more of your easy magic tricks.



By: Muna wa Wanjiru

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Actual brick and mortar schools that teach black or white magic (i.e. Harry Potter) are hard to find, if they exist at all…or maybe they are so magical that only witches and warlocks can see them at all.

There are, however, many such schools that exist out there in the magical unknown (the Internet). By using magical seeking (Google), you can levitate their locations into your line of vision (computer screen).

The internet is the best school and the most complete source of information that mankind has ever designed. The World Wide Web puts the knowledge of the ages at our fingertips and that, my friend, is REAL magic.

If you really want to learn to do magic tricks, that information is readily available at the David Blaine web site.

You can purchase videos (another bit of magic, in my opinion) that will show you exactly how to perform the magic tricks that you want to learn. Like achieving success at any school, in order to learn to do these video instructed tricks effectively, you must do your homework…practice, practice, practice.

There really isn’t anything magic about achieving success…whether it is learning to perform a magic trick effectively or land a vehicle on Mars. Success happens because a person is willing to put forth the effort to learn and has the capacity to dream the dream.

Going to school… any school… is only one of three elements required to become successful at magic or anything else. School in any form, whether it is in an actual building or images on a computer screen, will supply knowledge that you can choose to either learn or not learn.

Knowledge is one element of success. Another is a passionate desire for putting that knowledge to use in order to achieve a dream. The third is a commitment that is strong enough to make a person practice until they achieve perfection.



By: Tammy Foster

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