Card Tricks

Fan out the cards face down and have the spectator pick any card. When he has memorized it, have him put the card on the top of the deck (don't worry he will be fooled). Put the deck(behind your back, flip the top card over so the card is face up and the rest of the deck
is face down. Bring the deck from behind your back and ask the person if the card on the bottom is their card. While doing this, his card should be in plain sight of you face up in the back of the deck.He of course will tell you that that card is not his. Put the cards behind your back again and flip over the spectator's card again so that all cards are now face up. Cut the deck and show the spectator the card on the bottom again. He will tell you that it is not his card again and thinks you are a fool.Tell him to shuffle the deck anyway he wants since you already know his card. When he gives you the deck back you can go directly to his card and amaze him.

Nine cards are laid out, face down, in three rows of three,(eh; You can have them choose a card by the method in Find The Card The Easy Way.) Once a card has been selected,
have someone call your assistant back in. When the assistant returns, you are holding the rest of the deck in your left hand. Your thumb will represent which card was chosen.
Example: if the spectator chooses the card in the middle, when the assistant returned, your thumb would be directly in the middle of the deck. You will have to do this once for the row the card is in, and again for the column. The trick is to be VERY DISCRETE when holding the deck. Shuffle the deck a little so as not to draw attention to yourself. Keep a serious look on your face, and stare at the assistant, as if you actually had ESP. Let your assistant reveal the chosen card.

To perform this trick, you need to remove all Kings, Queens, Jacks, and Aces. Create four "rows" of cards going down as you would in solitaire. Each row should have a King, Queen, Jack, and Ace all of one suit. Explain the setting as you set them up on their islands.When you tell about the hurricane, sweep the cards up from the bottom of the "island" (the Ace) up. Do this to each row, in order from left to right. Hold the cards face down. The order will be King, Queen, Jack, Ace (of each suit.) Have a member of the audience cut the small deck in half, and complete the cut (top half of deck goes beneath the bottom half.) This may be done with several audience members. Don't let them make more than one cut at a time. Now just deal them out, one at a time, onto their four different islands (four piles.) If you have done it right, each island will have all of one type of card.

Shuffle a deck of cards. Place the top card face up on the table and look at its number (Jacks,Queens, and Kings all equal 10.) Put enough cards on top of the card to make the total 10. For example if a 4 were showing, then you would put 6 more cards on top of it. Put the cards on so that all are face up. Keep making piles like this, until the deck is used up. If there are remaining cards that do not exactly equal 10, hold onto them.Ask someone in the audience to choose three piles, each with three or more cards in it, and flip them face down. Pick up the rest of the piles. Count 19 cards from those in your hand, and place them to the side, as they are unnecessary for the rest of the trick.Ask the volunteer to flip the top card of any of the three piles over, so that it is face up. From the cards in your hand, take the number of cards that corresponds to the number of the card flipped over. For example if a 5 is flipped over, count five cards from your hand and place them aside. Repeat this for one of the other piles.Now count out how many cards are in your hand, and tell the audience that this is the number of the top card of the final pile. Have the volunteer flip that card over. The number always matches.

This card trick is very easy but it fools a lot of people.
1. Shuffle the deck or get the spectator to shuffle it.
2. Take the card on top of the deck and look at it, without letting the spectator see it, and place it, face-down, in front of him.
3. Ask the spectator to pick a color: red or black.
4. (Example: if the card was the Three of Hearts, a RED card.) If the spectator says black, then you say: "Well, that leaves red." If he says red, you say: "Good Choice"
5. Now you ask: "Which suit do you like better, Hearts or Diamonds?" (Remember, the card you looked at is RED.)
6. If the spectator says Hearts, you say: "Good choice." If he says Diamonds, you say: "That just leaves Hearts." Either way, you then say: "Pick five cards in that suit you like the best."
7. If the five cards he picks don't contain your card, say "Okay, now from the remaining cards pick five cards you like the best."
8. If these five cards still don't contain your card, say: "That just leaves three cards." Name the three remaining cards.
9. On the first or second try, five cards will have been selected. On the third try, only three cards. Ask him: "Out of the five (or three) cards which, two do you like the best" I
10. (Example: out of the five cards 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 he picks the 5 and 6.) You say: "That leaves the 2, 3, and 4."
11. Now you ask him which he likes out of those three. If he says the Three of Hearts, you turn over the card and amaze him!
12. 1f he does not pick the card, you ask him out of the remaining two, which one he likes the best. If he still doesn't pick it, you say, while turning over the card: "Well that just leaves the Three of Hearts," and you amaze him! The tiick seems simple, and you think any one will get it They don't. Try it on a friend. The tick is this: the spectator gets so caught up in picking eveiything, he doesn't realize that you are making the choices, so he thinks he picked the card. It amazes him!

Performer shows a pack of cards in its case. He withdraws the deck and announces he will magically make a card leave the deck invisibly. He requests that five cards be drawn. These cards are placed face down on the table so no one can see them. Performer now picks them up and asks someone in the audience to write down their names as he calls them off. After the cards are listed, he puts them back in the deck- Someone now looks through the deck trying to find the five selections. Only four are found in the deck! The performer opens the case the cards came in... the missing card is found to have left the pack and gone back into the case. Explanation: When performer withdrew pack from the case, all he did was to leave one card in it, secretly learning its suit and number. When performer reads the names of the five cards, he says the name of this card instead of one of the drawn cards.

Hand a full deck of cards to a volunteer to shuffle. (Make sure it's a FULL deck.) Ask the volunteer to deal the deck into two piles. Have them choose one of the piles and remember the bottom card. Tell the volunteer to show the bottom card to the audience (anyone else who's there,) but not you. Ask them to place the pile containing the bottom card on top of the other pile. Then ask the volunteer to deal the deck into four piles from left to right. Pick up each pile and ask the volunteer if their card is in that pile. As you ask, reassemble the deck; making sure the pile with their card goes on the veiy top. Give the deck to the volunteer and have them deal the cards, one at a time face down on the table,spelling out the word "PRESTO". Have them turn the next card over. This is their chosen card!

EFFECT a coin is placed onto the table and it vanishes METHOD Put the coin onto the table with your left hand. Say something like "check this out" and reach over with your right hand. Then press down on the coin with your middle,index and third finger with your hand and arm parallel with the table. Slide the coin towards you remembering that it should be completely covered up Slide the coin off the table so it falls on your lap without the spectator seeing.

Touch your thumb to your middle finger as if you are picking up the coin as it reaches the edge of the table.Keeping your fingers still closed, stare at where the coin should be as you slowly move your hand away from you back to about 6 inches from where the coin originallywas. Start moving your thumb in a circular motion as if tiie coin is disappearing. Slowly turn your hand around and spread your fingers apart. Now the rest is up to you. The more surprised you act the more people will believe that they have seen a real coin vanish

EFFECT The magician borrows a coin from the spectator and is seen to take a bite out of the coin. PREPARATION Take a quarter and file one side of it down so it looks like*someone has bitten a chunk of it off. METHOD Approach a spectator and ask them to borrow a quarter. You have already the gimmicked quarter between your thumb and forefinger of your right hand. Take the quarter* from the spectator and quietly move your finger and thumb and switch the coins. Their coin is now slid to the back of your finger. Pretend to be biting and tearing of a section of what is now your gimmicked coin and eventually tug it free of your mouth to show the spectator who should look amazed.

Effect The performer" asks the spectator to pick a card without him seeing the face and replace it in the pack. The pack is then shuffled and the performer is apparently unsuccessful in locating the card. After a few attempts, the cards are thrown against a window in a fit of rage, on looking at the window, the chosen card is seen to be sticking to it even more surprising is the fact that the card is on the inside of the window. Preparation You will need two identical packs of cards and a willing helper. Method This trick should be performed in an area with a large window nearby and with the spectator facing away from the window. The spectator is asked to choose a card from a pack, memorise it and without showing you, replace the card in the pack. The pack is then shuffled and a couple of attempts at "is this your card " tried followed by a look of disbelief when the spectator tells you that it is not their card (this is all part of the act as you don't and don't even need to know the card). After a few attempts you fake an angry outburst and making sure the cards are squared up, throw the pack broadside at the window, where they will hit the window and fall to the ground except the chosen card which is sticking to the window. Your helper was already positioned behind the window and spectator and had an identical pack of cards. He was able to see the chosen card and took the duplicate from his pack. A small piece of looped sbcky tape or magicians wax was attached to the duplicate card and it was stuck to the inside of the window. The helper' should then have walked away from the window. This trick creates a real surprise but it is important to pick up the fallen cards quickly and to pocket the original chosen card.

Misled

This effect has become a very popular one with Magicians, ever since David Copperfield presented it on one of his TV. Spectaculars. It is the visual and incredible penetration of a borrowed note or bill, by an ordinary pencil, with everything performed in front of their eyes. In effect the performer borrows a note. This is placed over a piece of paper of the same size and creased in half. A pencil is pushed through the note and the paper. The crease is opened out,and the audience can see the pencil going right through the borrowed note and the paper-from both sides.

The pencil can now be pulled away, ripping through the note and paper at the crease. Yet when they are opened out again, the ordinary paper is found to be ripped as one would expect, but the note is in tact and totally unharmed. The entire effect is so clean and convincing that the audience can't believe their eyes. Yet it is quite easy to perform, requiring only a few handling trials on your part.

The apparatus supplied by us consists of a pencil, and a Patching fake shell, which is completely invisible at the shortest distance when placed on the pencil. See illustration for what the fake shell looks like. The shell is fitted on the pencil when supplied, and should move freely up and down on the pencil. If it appears sticky due to moisture, remove it, rub a little powder over pencil and then replace the shell. The shell should always be kept over the pencil. It is fragile and delicate, and should always be handled with care.

Performance

1. Borrow a currency note, - a fifty-dollar bill is ideal for this effect.
2. Take a piece of ordinary paper and cut it with a pair of scissors to the exact size of the note.Display both freely and separately, stating you have two pieces of paper of exactly the same shape and size, even though one is worth $50.00, and the other worth almost nothing. 3. Place the note over the paper, and crease them both length wise in half. The paper is to theoutside, bill to the inside.
4. Now you are apparently going to push the pencil right through the creased note and paper. Make sure the shell is on the middle of the pencil, with the long projecting part of the shell ontop. Holding the creased note and paper with the edges towards you (Folded side away from you) push the tip of the pencil between the lower fold of the paper and the note. The pencil goes through with the paper at the bottom, and the folded note and paper on top. (See exploded view) When the top of the pencil bursts through the crease in the paper, with your thumb slide the shell for- wards. 'Me long part of the shell goes over the bottom of the note as illustrated. You can do this by slightly lifting up the long part at the edge with your thumb as you push it forward. The pencil is also pushed deeper through the hole, so that it is about mid way through the hole.
5. Now holding the long part of the shell down with your thumb, open out the paper and note and show freely on both sides. On one side they can see the pencil apparently going through the middle of the note, and on the opposite side emerge from the middle of the paper. You have aperfect illusion of the pencil penetrating the note and the paper.
6. Fold back the paper and holding the pencil and shell together carefully remove the pencil, display it and replace in your pocket.
7. Now dramatically open out the paper and note, with the paper side towards the audience, so that they can see the hole in the paper. Separate out the note and paper holding one in each hand to show the note unharmed while the paper has a hole in it. Hand over both for examination. Instead of removing the pencil you can also rip through the paper, by pulling out the pencil sidewise after the note has been folded again as in step 6 above. This should be done with a fresh note.

Practice the above handling so that you have an optically correct and convincing illusion, and you will find it makes a very big impact on any audience. Hope you enjoyed this Bill! You can forward this to everyone if you want




You can make this gimmick:
Easy – Just buy a sturdy package of straws, the fun colors that come in blue, yellow, red, black etc. and Cut a section of sturdy straw out to look just like the above gimmick. Now – just find a pencil that matches the gimmick color. Can’t find straws in different colors? Then spray paint the straw piece to match the pencil.


David Copperfield got more credit for the 'pencil trick' than going over the Niagara Falls. Shove a borrowed pencil through the center of a bill. Next you yank the pencil out of the bill and show that the bill is completely unharmed. No holes, rips, no errors. :)

Snow in the theatre

Less of a magic trick and more of a theatrical production, Snow in the theatre is an "Inside" trick.The lights go down and the performer stands in the center of the stage. It becomes windy on stage, while the lights have been turned off and replaced with a spotlight on the performer's hands. As the performer rubs their hands together, a snow like substance appears from the performer's hands. Then, magically, the theatre begins to be bombarded with snow blowing out from the stage and onto the audience,which begins to reach out and touch or catch the snow-like substance.The secret: Anyone old enough to remember the Lawrence Welk Show,will remember the champagne bubble music, which was a mainstay of this television program.

This trick, complete with music (although it isrock music), has just the same effect.Behind the performer's hands and hidden by the darkness is a bubble making machine. A similar machine can be found in most theatrical theatres. It basically manufacturers a bubble from a soap-based liquid. Much like a children's bubble toy sold by the thousands each
summer across North America. The bubbles are created, then blown through an opening, out toward the audience. The larger the bubble machine, the more bubbles will result. Additional machines throughout the theatre also will make bubbles, sending clouds of them floating all through the theatre.

Criss Angel gone

Fly

Making A Jumbo Jet Vanish

The vanishing of a 747 Jumbo Jet while it rests on the tarmac has
become one of the most significant vanishes of all time. On many
occasions this illusion has been performed before a live television
audience, while a crowd of onlookers keep an eye on the real thing.
It is not an illusion most magicians can afford to perform, still I
will explain the most common way of performing this trick.
The audience will see the jet as it taxis onto an area at the landing
strip. The crew will park the plane and disembark. The audience, both
viewing at home and on the scene, can see the airplane from all
directions. Spotlights will be pointed at the plane, making it fully
illuminated against the dark night.

At the performer's command, the lights to flash off, then back on.
When the lights are relit, the plane is gone. The spotlights are once
again pointed in the same direction as before, but there is no jet
plane, only the tarmac and the night. The plane is then brought back in
the same manner. The lights will flash off then on, and the plane is
back. The crew boards the plane and taxis it back to the hangar.

" The secret: I'm sure that you guessed it: The plane never really leaves the tarmac. But how is it made invisible? Many spotlights are surrounding the plane, which is in a cordoned-off area all set for the effect. Between the massive search lights and the audience, there is a netting draped from light to light. Encircling the plane."

When the plane is first driven or taxied into the area, the one
opening between the searchlights is clear of the netting. Once the
engines are shut off and the crew disembarks, the technicians will
hook up this last piece of netting. This is done under the cover of
preparing the these massive searchlights for illumination.
The netting is the same which is used on stage productions. On the
stage, the netting acts as backdrops for various scenes. With the
proper lighting, the backdrops and scenes will change. When backlit,
you will see the image on the netting, when front lit you will see
right through it.

In the case of the jet plane, the huge searchlights are set in such a
manner that at one point you see through the netting and you can
easily see the plane. In the next setting, you only see the black of
night, since this is the scene secretly painted on the special
netting. Black is also the same colour of the tarmac, so it appears
that the jet is gone and you see the ground where the plane once sat.
When the jet is made to reappear, the netting is dropped to the floor
while the lights are out. Turn the lights back on and the jet has
returned.Positioning of the netting depends on the circumstances. If the
audience is only in front of the plane, then only mask that part of
the plane from the audience with the netting. For more angles, use
more netting, surrounding the plane if necessary. Neither the human
eye nor the camera will be able to see through the netting when the
correct lighting is in effect.This netting not only is used in stage plays, but many of the modern
magicians will use this effect on their shows and specials, it is a
great way to make things appear or vanish.

Vanishing of a statue such as the Statue of Liberty can be controlled
in the same manner under the right conditions. When "Liberty" was
under construction a few years back, it was completely surrounded with
workmen scaffolding and platforms. The scaffolding would be an easy
way to attach the netting and cause the illusion to take place.
Only a performer with a keen sense of timing could come up with events
such as these. So look around, see what other opportunities for these
types of effects are available, then go out and perform them.
The Flight Of Icarus

Statue of Liberty Vanish

By far one of the most celebrated illusions David Copperfield has performed.As seen by millions on television and by a select group who were on site, the statue was clearly seen against the night sky, both with spotlights shining on it and a ring of lights at its base. The select group of participants sat on a small stage facing a small curtain. The curtains were then closed, when they were reopened, the statue gone, while the spotlights were still blazing and the ring of were still lit. Above, a helicopter hovered, but no statue was in
sight.Moments later the curtains were closed. This time, when they reopened, the statue had returned. What a sight. Such a trick.

" The secret: Although there are actually several methods to this stunt,I will describe the one which is easiest to perform.The staging area for the trick is really the seating area and not the statue. The seating area and the television camera bay are located a short distance from the statue. The seating area is a circular stage with curtain suspended between two pillars. The curtain area is
between the sightlines of the seats and cameras, and that of the statue.The spectators at home and those in attendance have a good view of the statue,through the open curtains. When the curtains are closed, the statue is completely blocked out."

Surrounding the statue is a ring of lights and in the immediate area are spotlights, focused on the statue. Actually, there are two sets of lights. One rings the statue, one rings an area next to the statue.More amazingly, the platform on which both the spectators and cameras sit, is nothing more than a large turntable.Here are the inner workings: The ring of lights around the object (inthis case the Statue of Liberty) is lit. The spotlights sweeping the area are focused on the object too. When the curtains close, the spectator platform slowly turns away from the object. The first set of lights ringing the object are turned off. The second set, near the object are turned on. The spotlights are now redirected to the area above the lit ring of lights. A smoke machine is turned on to further hide the object and to make the lights dance in an eerie empty space.

When the curtains are reopened, all that is seen is the smoke, the lights, the searchlights, but not the object. Because no one can see around the curtain area, the audience is unable to make out the dark silhouette of the actual object. But to further diminish the chances of this happening, a bright flash of light precedes the opening of the curtains. Much like looking into the flash of a camera light, there is a temporary blindness which stays with people for many seconds.In the meantime, hovering, the helicopter also has moved, and is now over the new empty area. Naturally no object is beneath it. Even photographs won't later reveal the trick. Any one around the outside of the platform taking photographs with a small flash camera, would not be able to pick up the dark statue because those small cameras have short flash ranges and do not have the distance required to photograph the object. But the photograph touch is a nice addition to an otherwise simple trick.

Returning the object to visibility is simply a reversal of routine.Unfortunately, the slow, steady movement of the seat platform makes for a slow paced and dull effect.When you break it down, the Statue of Liberty vanish becomes a simple trick. Much like a black art illusion. But, more importantly, it just shows how gullible people can be. I'm sure that if people did feel the seating area move, they wouldn't say anything. No one would want to ruin such a good trick. This way, they felt like they, too, were in on the trick. And tricks were meant to be kept a secret, now, weren't they? Well, maybe not.

Walks through the great wall of china

When David Copperfield goes inside the first box there was a switch made,copperfield goes under the box and goes into the hollow stairs he then gets carried away inside the hollow stairs. A lookalike in shadow form pretends to walk through the first part of the wall, after he plays his part he gets inside the hollow base platform. By that time the assistance's pull the sheets away to show that he walked through the first part of the wall.

The stairs that copperfield is in is behind the camera boom as it makes a complete rotation over the wall. The assistants on the other side of the wall take the same stairs and put it next to the other plate form.The assistants climb the special stairs and hold up a small white sheet of cloth. It looks like David Copperfield is pushing his and and face through the cloth.

" The secret behind this action is that the person on the right is just controlling a pair of fake hands which he controls with his right-hand. The person on the left is just pushing a fake face through the cloth with his left-hand.The two assistants then drop the small sheet cloth and listen to the wall tosee if David is all right. They then slowly roll down the sheets to cover the frame box up and make sure it is tucked in good, they go down the stairs to wait for copperfield to make his way through the second part of the wall."

All he has to do now is get out of the hollow stairs and inside the box and watch his angles with the light. He then comes closer to the light so it looks like he is coming through the second part of the wall. He pulls the sheets away to reveal himself, the white cloth stays on the floor because it contains the props.