Magic Roadshow

So, although I love compliments, I love knowing your thoughts too. You would be surprised at the MAJOR changes I’ve made based on a single email. Really…

Comments and Questions..  EMAIL ME  ( rick@magicroadshow.com )

PDF Version…  ROADSHOW 169

-I hope you guys are ready for some serious magic. If you don’t know how to perform a workable second deal, you will by this time next month, thanks to Paul Lelekis. Plus, Paul is going to teach you a very cool effect using your new second deal..

–Nate Ipock’s rendition of Henry Christ’s trick, ‘Stop When Ready’ will give you a very serviceable ACAAN you can perform impromptu.

–Eliyahu Wincelberg and I agreed to a series of articles on Proposing with Magic. This is the first of several really intriguing tricks to win her heart.. with magic.

–Paul Daniels will inform and entertain for a solid hour in a podcast hosted by Luis de Matos. You definitely don’t want to miss this!

–Jay Sankey will teach you the difference between being a professional and an amateur via a slick card trick. Plus.. I found a very good Ambitious Card Trick Variation Tutorial where a signed card rises to the top of a rubber band encased deck..

–Michael Boden will teach you a little bit of everything.. seriously. I’ve run across 50+ video tutorials from Michael you’ll love..

–Michael Ammar will teach you a special ‘sleeve aces’ trick

–FernandoP1 will teach you a very delightful sleight. Plus, a classic torn and restored thread routine.

–Teller will give you his thoughts on Revealing Magic

–Jim Canaday and myself will offer our opinions on a couple of commercial effects.

-Do You Know How to Convert an iPhone into a Hologram Projector? Watch this video and learn a really simple method.

-Plus, you’ll be privvy to a special offer , courtesy of Trickshop, that will keep you engrossed in magic for a solid month. And remember, aside from my special Trickshop offer, everything is au gratis.

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Remember.. you should always strive to be yourself… unless you can be Batman.. in which case you should strive to be Batman….   Carolyn (my wife) and others..

“Spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation.”
Robert H. Schuller

“Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come..”  Robert H. Schuller
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THE STRIKE SECOND DEAL TUTORIAL – AN EFFECT & A VIDEO
Paul A. Lelekis

===>>> The Strike Second Deal Video:  https://youtu.be/p3N76EP2GTQ
(Please note, this is an UNLISTED video and intended only for our readers.)

The “second deal” has been rarely explored by card practitioners as having a viable use in magic routines.  This is too bad since I consider card mechanics and card sleights to be very close “cousins” of each other.

Many feel that it requires a profound amount of skill and years and years of actual use to make it practical – in fact, this is NOT the case.

I will explain how the Strike Second Deal has built-in misdirection, and also how you can add further misdirection to make this sleight almost undetectable.

Many, if not most magicians, can attain a level of mastery over the second deal that will provide many applications in card magic.  It doesn’t require years and years of mastery as many might think…if you are instructed properly.

I learned magic and card mechanics the hard way…through years and years of study from the old books and doing my best to apply them to the “real world”.

I have mentioned, in a number of my e-books, at Lybrary.com within my instructional INTRODUCTIONS, about how badly I performed when I was young, using myself as a “human guinea pig”, trying my best to learn the proper methods of performance.

The same holds true for card mechanic skills like the Strike Second Deal.  I DID learn from my mistakes and possibly created my own particular techniques which may not seem to be “main-stream” technique…but work very well for me.

The below instructions and effect will be explained from a right-hand point of view.  Since I am ambidextrous, I would learn new things like, card magic and working with tools on my dad’s job sites (he was a building contractor), with either hand, and finally settled on a right-hander’s perspective since all the old magic books assumed that one was right-handed.

To this day, I handle all construction tools (and tools when I worked in surgery) with either hand equally well.  If I had a problem hammering a nail in a corner (builders know what I’m talking about!), I would just switch hands…it is very convenient for me.

When I worked in surgery, I would sew or use a scalpel with either hand…the surgeons used to ask me if I was right-handed or left-handed – in this incidence, I didn’t have a preference…in surgery, the same “difficulties of “getting into certain cramped places” would apply as with home building.

*Please note that the accompanying video provides a view of what the Strike Second Deal looks like from the spectators’ perspectives and the various types of deals.

First, some instruction on the basics of the Strike Second Deal:

Allow me to begin by first saying, that the Strike Second Deal is a “knacky” thing that requires some guided practice…but when you “get the feel” of it, you can actually perform it without even thinking about it.  It is easier than you might think.

HOLDING THE DECK:

Begin by placing the deck in a low in dealer’s grip, so that the tip of your left thumb reaches very close to the outer right corner of the deck. (See video)

Everybody’s hands are different so you need to learn where the exact spot is, in your hand.  The left thumb should be very close to the outer short edge of the deck with your left thumb tip near the outer right corner of the deck.  The left index finger should straddle the outer short end.

Just a little bit of the outer edge of the deck will be visible from your perspective.  THIS is called Mechanic’s Grip.

I’ve seen videos from young “performers” (claiming to be experts) who don’t even know the difference between Dealer’s Grip and Mechanic’s Grip – to them, EVERY grip is Mechanic’s Grip…I suppose because it sounds “cool”.

Dealer’s Grip is the way you hold the deck in your left hand when you might deal a game of cards.  Mechanic’s Grip is very specific, and is ALMOST exclusively used when one performs a Strike Second Deal.  There are a couple of exceptions.

As the deal begins, your left thumb will push the top card over, to your right (just a little bit), and, just as your right thumb engages the deck, your left thumb will THEN in-jog (or angle-jog) the top card over to your right, just a tiny bit more.  Only practice will show you HOW MUCH to in-jog the top card.

NOTE: The amount of in-jog of the top card will decrease as you gain proficiency.

DEALING:

AT THIS POINT, you can perform a normal second deal, or you can “sail” the card, or you can perform a Stud Second Deal as you can see in my provided video.

The Stud Second Deal is actually the easiest deal to perform.  The included trick (below) uses the Stud Second Deal in a very effective manner!

NOTE: For those who are unsure what a Stud Deal is, it is dealing the “top card”, face up, onto the table.  The dealing of some cards, face-up, in certain games of poker, will reflect on the name of that game…i.e., Stud Poker.

When a Stud Second Deal is performed, you will naturally “wrist kill”, or “necktie” the deck, so that the TOP of deck is, momentarily, out of the spectators’ views.

Since the top of the deck is basically hidden for only a fraction of a second, your in-jog of the top card can become more pronounced, ensuring an easy “strike”.

Earlier I mentioned, “Sailing” the cards, or dealing the cards by tossing each, outward, with a spin.  The card will land away from your dealing hand.

This type of deal is common when dealing out a large number of hands and you can’t easily reach the spectators.  “Sailing” the cards has an aesthetic quality and is visually pleasing…and it also makes the Second Deal easier to mask.

Lastly, the regular Second Deal is dealing the cards down from the deck, next to each hand dealt out.  I recommend “Sailing” cards as opposed to a regular Second Deal, until you become proficient in the normal Second Deal.

MOVEMENT OF YOUR HANDS AS YOU DEAL:

To further mask your Second Deals, you will need to develop a “rhythm” to your deals without any pauses.

I developed a certain way to false deal cards when I was young, but I didn’t expect to see the more famous dealers like Darwin Ortiz, Martin Nash, and more recently Steve Forte and Jason England, deal differently than I did!

These men would keep the left hand relatively still when the right hand dealt off their cards.  This made me wonder if I was doing something wrong, until I saw another amazing card mechanic and magician, Jack Carpenter, false deal!

Mr. Carpenter even recommended to keep the deck-holding hand, moving back and forth as you deal, to further mask the false deals.  I was vindicated!

I have been performing my methods of false dealing for a very long time, starting back from about 1979 to 1983 when I was an “underground gambler”.  For a number of years, I made my living by playing poker and shooting pool.  It was a rough life…in fact I’ve even been shot at before…but I made a lot of money.

This “swaying” motion of the left hand (to the left and right), holding the deck as I deal, looks natural, and further masks the second deals.  (See video)

NOTE: Instead of talking more about the “movement of your hands” while dealing, just take a look at my provided video to see how I do it.
It should become a naturally-appearing motion, and, with practice, will become easy to do.  I do the same “hand swaying” when I perform bottom deals.

WEATHER:

I have spent most of my career in Florida where the climate “swings widely” between very dry (winter time) and very, very humid (most of the time!).

When the weather is dry, it is sometimes difficult to deal the cards because your fingers have little “traction”, and when it is very humid, the cards become “sticky”.

Both incidences make false dealing a challenge.  If you know you are going to perform, make sure that you rub some moisturizing lotion on your hands beforehand if the weather is cold and dry.

You DON’T want to have to moisten your hands with saliva…but I have, and STILL do it…but only when the spectators are NOT looking.

Sometimes I’ll mask my moistening by pretending to cough or clear my throat.  My hands “cover” my mouth as polite society requires.  You have to be sneaky!

If the weather is very warm and you’re not within an air-conditioned building, the hot sticky weather makes the cards swell and becomes a real problem.

However this situation is a little easier to deal with.  One way you can help with the “stickiness” problem, is to dribble the cards between your hands and/or spring the cards from one hand to the other to aerate them.  This will help.

THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS:

This is VERY IMPORTANT to learn.  Learning to false deal requires that your regular deals and your false deals LOOK AND SOUND ALIKE!

This doesn’t mean making your false deals (second deals, here) sound like your regular deals…it means finding a “sound” that is in-between the two sounds.

In other words, it is easier to make your regular deals and false deals, sound alike by finding a sound that is in-between the sound of BOTH DEALS.  This means “finding” a compromise…a sound, that will make both deals sound similar.

This will require some practice…but it is NOT that difficult to do.

Let me give you an adage that I’ve taught to magicians for at least 20 years:

“Everyone watches where the card is laid…NOT from where the card is played!”

What this moniker implies is that people’s eyes (even magicians!) always follow the card that is dealt to the table – NOT at your hands!  This is absolutely true!

If you don’t believe me, just observe the next time you deal out cards in either a magic trick or playing a game of cards.  EVERYONE’S eyes will be fixated on the cards that are dealt to the table – not at your hands…it’s just human nature!

How can we utilize this knowledge?  Even poorly executed second deals will “fly under the radar” because they simply are NOT looking at your hands!

HOWEVER, this does present a different problem…the sound of your deals!  The only thing that will drag your spectators’ eyes from the dealt cards, is an “odd sound” that is different from the other deals.

You DO NOT want your deals sound like “…clip, clip, clip…CLOP!” or your spectators WILL immediately look up at your hands!

If you don’t make all of the deals sound approximately the same, I guarantee that your spectators will immediately look up at your dealing hands.  It’s just the nature of the “beast”.

They will know something “funny” is going on – but it doesn’t matter if they think it is a false deal or not…as far as they are concerned, something strange or different has just happened.  That’s all laypeople need to “bust” you!

So sit down and practice making your false deals sound like your regular deals.  It won’t be long before you find “the sound” that will “fly under the radar”.

Another little “pointer” that will make life easier, is, as you are dealing, make a larger movement from the last spectator that you dealt to – and then to yourself.  In other words you can further mask your Second Deal by keeping your hands moving in a somewhat circular movement as you deal around the table.

ATTITUDE:

The last thing I want to mention is ATTITUDE!  Just like any other time that you perform sleights, you don’t want to “draw attention” to your hands or anything that is on the table (such as a card that will transpose) by acting or feeling guilty!

In fact, don’t pay attention to your hands at all – but instead, you might want to incorporate a joke or pertinent comment as you deal.

Of course, you should appear relaxed and subliminally CONVEY to your spectators that nothing is going on, because of the relaxed, unworried manner in which you conduct yourself!  This “conveyance” should be a part of all of your effects – not just Second Deals.

===>>> The Strike Second Deal Video:  https://youtu.be/p3N76EP2GTQ

A VERY COOL TRICK!

There are many “Stop!” tricks out there with a huge variety of methods, but this trick is basically impromptu and doesn’t require a large set-up or special deck.

Below I present an old method of a “STOP!” trick that uses the Second Deal in a very effective manner.  It has excellent built-in misdirection and as long as you can perform even a half-assed Stud Second Deal, you will have a winner!  I’ll just call it:

STOP!

EFFECT: The performer writes a prediction down on a piece of paper and folds it up.  A deck is shuffled and displayed to the spectators as ordinary and then shuffled again.

The magician then Stud deals cards, one at a time, face up onto the table.  The magician asks the spectator to say “Stop!” at any time.

When the spectator says, “Stop!” he is given the chance to stop there, or the performer can deal another card face up onto the tabled pile.

Whichever he chooses, the face-down card matches the prediction!

SET-UP: As you perform, glimpse a card on the bottom of the deck; let’s say it is the Seven of Diamonds (7D).  Undercut the 7D to the top of the deck.

Shuffle thoroughly, keeping that card on top.  Then undercut about half of the deck, run 4 cards, one at a time, in-jog the 5th card and shuffle off.  Undercut to the break and the 7D will now be 5th from the top of the deck.

METHOD: Before you abandon this trick…at least study my methodology of performance and you will have an AMAZING effect in your arsenal!

After getting the 7D to 5th from the top of the deck, write a prediction on a piece of paper.  Then it would be a good idea to give the deck a false riffle shuffle, keeping the 7D, 5th from the top of the deck.

Square up the deck and place it into dealer’s position in your left hand (if you’re right-handed) and announce, “I’m going to deal the cards, face-up and one at a time and I want you to say ‘Stop!’ whenever one of these cards gives you a sign!  Only YOU will know what that sign will be!  O.K. – are you ready?”

While you give the patter above, Stud Deal the first four cards, face-up onto the table in a pile.  Deal these first four cards a little farther away from you than you normally would deal.

After you deal these four cards, you will have just finished your patter above.  Reach over to the four face-up cards and pull the pile in closer to yourself.  This is a very subliminal form of misdirection!

Remember that the spectators (and even magicians) will watch the cards as they are laid onto the table.

This will also give you a chance to ready your left hand for Stud Second Deals.  Remember that with the Stud Seconds, your left hand will automatically “necktie” the deck so that the top of the deck is out of sight for just a fraction of a second as you perform the Second deal.

Then an easy, “invisible” second deal is made.  Continue making these Stud Second deals at an even pace – not too fast and not too slow.

If you think you might have a troublesome spectator who will let you keep going and going, just look up at her and stare…she will say “Stop!” very quickly!  Usually this is NOT the case.  In fact, many will say “Stop!” even sooner than you expect!

But as long as you have already dealt down the first four cards…it doesn’t matter how soon she says, “Stop!”

At this point you have a pile of face-up cards on the table and the balance of the deck in your hand.  Next comes a very strong “selling point”.

Say, “O.K. you’ve stopped me at this card…” (Point to the top, face-up card of the tabled pile)  (This is where everyone is watching…remember?)

As you say the above line, you first point to the tabled pile and then remove the top face-down card with your right fingers.  As you do so, secretly get a left pinkie break under the next card on top of the deck.

As you do the above actions, say, “…or you can go another card!”  Place the face-down card in your right hand, back on top of the deck, keeping the left pinkie break, now under two cards.

You may or may not want her to go another card…let me explain why.

If you add to the patter above by saying, “…or you can go another card – or you can just stay with your first impression!”  your female spectator will be much more likely to stay with her first selection rather than going on.

If you want to give her a chance at taking the next card, then use the first patter line above and leave out “…or you can just stay with your first impression!”

I don’t know why these minor techniques work…but they do – on women.  Men are a little more unpredictable.  Maybe it’s because I’ve spent a career on performing for women…they make better spectators!

Two different scenarios:
1st scenario:
If she chooses the first card, merely lay it, still face down on top of the tabled pile.  Then start turning over the rest of the cards, first one at a time, then in groups of 5 and 10 cards.  DO NOT cover up the one face-down card in the middle!  This is important!

Carefully pull the one face-down card free from the pile, show your prediction and then show the “chosen” card!

2nd Scenario:
If she decides to go on and choose the NEXT card, remember that you already have a pinkie break under the top two cards as instructed above.

Angle-jog this double, over to your right, using the pad of your left thumb as a fulcrum.  If she wants another card, then Stud Turnover the second card as you pull the 7D flush with the deck.  This is VERY easy to do!

Ask her, “Does THAT card mean anything to you?” indicating the new face-up card on the tabled pile.  Whatever she says, place the face-down 7D from the top of the deck onto the tabled pile.

Proceed as before, turning cards face-up, first one at a time and then in groups on top of the tabled pile – but again, DO NOT completely cover the face-down 7D!  It is important to not cover the one face-down card to prevent anyone from thinking that there is a switch of cards.  I know of one effect like this from years gone by.

Again, show the prediction first, and then turn the lone, face-down card amongst all the face-up cards, face-up, for the conclusion!

Do NOT PASS this up!  It is a very powerful effect!

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You can view ALL of Paul’s ebooks, currently 23 and growing, at Lybrary.com .. They are, undoubtedly, one of the best values in all of magic..  Many are now considered underground classics, and all are available for Immediate Download. One of the BEST values in Magic!
http://lybrary.com/paul-a-lelekis-m-163788.html

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“A PLANNED COINCIDENCE”
Nate Ipock’s rendition of Henry Christ’s trick, ‘Stop When Ready’

EFFECT: Spectator selects a card.  Magician returns the card to the deck while it is out of sight – either behind his back or under the table.  Magician brings the deck into view and shows that her card is not on the top or bottom.  Magician then asks for a number between 1 and 52, deals to that number, and it is the selection!

PERFORMANCE: Begin your patter with “This is the epitome of an oxymoron.  I call it a planned coincidence. Would you take a card, please?”

Spectator selects a card and shows it to the others present, but not the magician. Magician asks, “May I see it? I’m new at this.”

The spectator shows you the card – let’s suppose that the selection is the Queen of Hearts.  The magician then takes the card from the spectator.

“I’ll place the Queen of Hearts in the deck, but I don’t want you to see where I put it!”

Place the deck behind your back and put the Queen of Hearts (QH), second from the top – in other words, place under the top card.  Bring the cards back into view.

“Notice that the QH is not on the bottom, nor is it on the top.”  Pick up the deck in the right hand at the lower right corner as you give the above patter…this will show that you hold no breaks.

Replace the deck face down in your left hand.  Push over, slightly, (no pun intended) the top two cards, but only take the top card in the RH.  Flick the card up from under the left thumb to emphasize its singularity.

At the same time your left pinkie finger obtains a break beneath the top card (the selection).  Flip the top card face up onto the deck so that now, you have a pinkie break beneath the top two, back to back cards as you say, “….but somewhere in between.”

“Please give me a number between 1 and 52.” (If the spectator says “One” or “Fifty-two…”), then say “I’ve already shown you those cards – besides, I said BETWEEN 1 and 52!”

You are hoping for a low number so you won’t have to count forever. But suppose she gives you 42 for example.

“42!  Wouldn’t’ it be a coincidence if your card was the 42nd card?”  Repeat the name of the selection to make it easier to remember.

“Well, it’s NOT – but it is a coincidence that you chose 42, because the number 42 has two digits – a 4 and a 2, and 4 times 2 equals 8!  Look!”

You are still holding the pinky break under the second card.  Grasp the back-to-back cards as one from the inner end (closest to your body) and slide both cards back toward yourself about an inch.  Keep the cards aligned with the help of your left hand and no one will suspect two cards.

The back-to-back cards remain on top of the deck.  Say, “That’s one….” as you slide the double back toward yourself, in-jogged atop the deck.

Your right thumb then contacts the top of the next face-down card on top of the deck, proper.  Slide it forward until it “clears” the back-to-back double that is in-jogged.

Now turn this card face up, and lay it directly on top of the, face-up in-jogged card as you say, “That’s two…”

You need to be careful at this point that you don’t accidentally pull the QH forward where the spectators can see it!  Do so by gripping the in-jogged portion of the back-to-back double with the pad of your left thumb and left pinkie, without buckling it.

Continue turning cards face up on top of the in-jogged face-up pile as you count “…3…4…5…6…” until you reach the number “Seven”.

At this point you actually have eight cards in-jogged, including the face-down selection at the bottom of the in-jogged packet.

Push all of the face-up, in-jogged cards, forward, flush with the deck and then immediately deal and recount the face-up cards as if to check your count, into your right hand.

Thumb over the 8th card, which is still face down and place it between your lips as you flip the seven face-up cards, face down onto the deck.

Turn the card in your mouth to face the audience as you say “…8!” to display the spectator’s selection!

The idea of A Planned Coincidence came to me as I was reading Annemann. Actually APC is my handling of Henry Christ’s trick Stop When Ready except I don’t shuffle the card to the second position and I don’t have the spectator say “Stop!” as I deal.  But the arrangement and script is mine.

Mr. Christ’s trick can be found in Annemann’s, Miracles of Card Magic, as well as in The Jinx, issue 74 in 1940.

A little about me…my obsession/mistress is card magic and I haven’t gotten over her for at least four decades.  Because I enjoy the Magic Roadshow, especially the card stuff, I wanted to show my appreciation.

Thanks,
Nate

NOTE: In Henry Christ’s original effect, Stop When Ready, the selection is made and then returned to the deck and “controlled to the top of the deck by your favorite method”.
Then Christ would perform a riffle shuffle, adding one card to the top of the deck.  The selection would now be second from the top.

Christ would proceed as in Nate’s trick above except that Christ would turn the face-down cards, face up, one at a time, and have the spectator say “Stop!” whenever he or she felt like it.  Then the first face-down card AFTER the spectator said ‘Stop!’ would be his or her selection.

In Christ’s effect, the performer apparently did NOT know the position of the card, even though it didn’t matter, because the spectator found the card by “intuition”.

In Nate’s effect, there is a pre-set number given by the spectator at the beginning.  He then places the selection into the deck at a location that HE knows and the spectator doesn’t know.

The spectator gives a number between 1 and 52 for its location.  Nate uses the product of the two digits of the provided number (42 in the example above) to multiply together and then find the card at that location.

I am unsure, but I think that Nate uses this type of procedure only for large, double-digit numbers so that the counting procedure is less laborious in a performance situation.

I think that if the number given by the spectator were a low one, such a 7, 10 or 14, etc., that he might just use a straight count.

Annotated by Paul Lelekis  (With my gratitude..)

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Magic Proposal# 1  –  Proposal 500   –   Eliyahu Wincelberg

My friend Eliyahu actually made a proposal of sorts to me some time back.. he proposed writing the definitive work on proposing with magic.. and I agreed. Where else will you find this subject explored in-depth? I have an affinity for this topic because I actually proposed to my wife, Carolyn, with magic. I did it gracefully, and without the entire restaurant knowing our business.  I figured since she was agreeing to marry a magic fanatic, I may as well establish my foot-hold from the get-go. I’m saving the story for Eliyahu to tell, so look for it.

Eliyahu begins this series with a slick trick that’s (almost) guaranteed to win your Love’s affections. I’ve actually given this article it’s own page because of the graphics involved. So, whether you’re planning on getting married any time soon, or not, it doesn’t matter. You should still have a look at this article and effect.

Remember this.. whether you’re married to the love of your life or not, there will come a point in time when they will expect you to do it all again! It’s called Renewing Your Vows.. and I’ve already been there. Carolyn and I married the first time in a very intimate cerimony in our home.. and the second one, about ten years later, was a traditional wedding in a small Episcopal Church.

I want to Thank Eliyahu for devoting the time and effort to this series. It’s certainly unique and, I hope, enlightening to fellow magicians everywhere…

https://magicroadshow.com/169a.php

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Werner Miller’s column will return next month.. Look for it !
(I had trouble uploading an essential image. I’ll definitely have it figured out by next month )

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EVOLUTION DECK – A Review by Rick Carruth

“Performer removes a BLUE card box from his jacket pocket. Upon opening the box he discovers the factory made a mistake and put a RED backed deck in the box, not only are the backs all RED, but the faces of the cards are all BLANK.
Performer gives the deck a little shake and the faces of the cards have magically printed, but the backs are still RED.
Not to worry, another little shake of the deck and the backs have now all changed to BLUE to match the card box !
No rough and smooth, No specially printed cards, No sleight of hand.  Each EVOLUTION DECK is hand crafted with over 100 processes to manufacture! Complete with VERY special Bicycle back deck and step by step instructions.”

I recently got my hands on Bob Solari’s EVOLUTION DECK. After an evening of ‘playing around’ with it, I was ready to take it with me to a restaurant gig. First, anything that can be utilized or incorporated into my walk-around routine gets my attention. Not everything KEEPS my attention. I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t, for me at least. Bob’s EVOLUTION DECK works for me. It’s one of those effects the public can’t grasp. Many times they have an idea what you’ve done, but with THIS deck, they don’t have a clue… not a clue.

In a restaurant setting, I ‘sometimes’ perform a new effect that gets very little response. Fortunately, I don’t perform those effects for long. Three or four times, and they’re out the door. Evolution Deck worked from day one, with a minimum of practice, partially because of the total lack of sleights. All I had to do was work on my actual physical handling of the deck and my patter. Then, it worked exactly as described… and everything is basically self-working.

The deck can’t be handed out for examination after the effect because this IS a gaffed deck arranged in a specific order. It looks perfectly normal, and there are 52 cards in the deck.  This isn’t a problem for me. When the effect is over, I put the deck back in its case and drop it in my pocket. I’ve learned to try to keep all my decks the same color, and if I WANT to bring the deck back out, it’ll be a different deck, same color. It’s all about ‘spectator control’..

Magic is all about bringing amazement to your audience, whether it’s a room full or a table full. Evolution Deck will make you look like a card pro and have you sending ‘Thank You’ notes to Bob.   $24.95    Watch a short video of Bob performing Evolution Deck.. https://youtu.be/Inzi_8BY0HM

http://bobsolarimagic.com/shop/Close-up/Cards/The-Evolution-Deck

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50+ Video Tutorials by Michael Boden at Hocus Pocus

To access this growing collection of magic tutorials, visit the url below, look in the left hand navigation bar, and click the FREE MAGIC link..  This is a very nice selection of over 50 tutorials from Michael Boden.. This will keep you busy for quite some time…  Listed below are just a few..

Priority Prediction
Sealed Prediction
Key Fly
Matrix Opener
Instant Recall Deck Memorization
Hole In One
Hold Out 52
Grab and Go Deck Production
In the Shadow of The Coin Masters
Fantastic 4 Coin Production
Experimental Thoughts
Eclipse of the Pass

http://www.hocus-pocus.com/magicshop/

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Tea TIme with Paul Daniels hosted by Luis de Matos –  Podcast

Paul Daniels, aside from being one of the most popular performers in the history of magic, is a friend of the Roadshow. I can count on Paul to offer me encouragement and kind words, even if I don’t deserve it. (OK, some months are better than others..) Paul’s reputation as both an entertainer and a scholar precede him. He can always be counted upon to have both a unique outlook on magic and the performance of magic as well as the history and history makers of magic. We are thankful to both Scott Wells and Luis de Matosfor the podcast, and to Paul for just being Paul for this very entertaining 1-hour podcast.

You can listen to the podcast on Scott’s site -or- download it as an mp3 to listen to later.

“FISM is more than just days of contests and shows. There are also schedule lectures and “talks”. One such “talk” that was a regular feature on several days of the congress was “Tea Time With…” hosted by Luis de Matos. Each day Luis spent an hour interviewing legendary magicians including Paul Daniels, Silvan, Lu Chin and Cyril. When it came to chatting with Paul, all Luis had to do was ask one question and Paul filled in the rest with amazing stories. This man has lead a charmed life and his future looks bright, too!”

http://themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/tea-time-with-paul-daniels

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Patrick at Trickshop.com and I have devised a way for us to work together again. Trickshop has been my favorite stop for classic and forgotten ‘secret’ magic for, like, forever… Check this out.. and the Freebies too.!

EDDIE JOSEPH’S GREATER CARD TRICKS
In Eddie Joseph’s introduction to his 1942 big book of card magic, he states that the effects he is offering all bear the “hall-mark of originality.” Indeed, few other magicians have provided us with a richer, more resourceful, or more unconventional approach to our art. If you are a fan of the “Joseph Touch,” you will delight in the material contained in this 104-page book. Don’t miss out. It’s just $2.95 this week!

http://trickshop.com/greater-card-tricks.html

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PASCAL’S OTHER WAGER…AND OTHER ECCENTRICITIES
In Michel Potts’ first book to the magic fraternity, he shares six of his favorite card effects. As the Resident Magician for the The Londoner Brew Pub in Bangkok, the effects in this manuscript have been cobbled together, road-tested and refined over time before the diverse yet tough crowds at the Londoner Brew Pub and don’t require any knuckle-busting sleight of hand. Each one is a solid, well-constructed, commercial gem complete with Michel’s own handling, patter and bits of business. 32 pages. A Trickshop.com Exclusive!  $4.95

http://trickshop.com/pascals-other-wager.html

(Editors note: The 1st effect in this ebook is worth the price of the ebook alone..)

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HOW TO DEVELOP MENTAL MAGIC  –   Paul R. Hadley

For the professional mentalist, the power and booking appeal of a well-crafted, two-person code act is undeniable. And yet, for many, the task of acquiring this impressive ability is daunting to say the least. In 1961, a book changed that notion, Paul R. Hadley’s “How to Develop Mental Magic.”  Hadley’s mentalism “how to” course set a new standard. A must-read for every serious mentalist! 115 pages, quality, re-typeset Trickshop.com edition.  $4.97

http://trickshop.com/paul-hadley-code-act.html

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FREEBIE CHECKLIST – Purchase ANY of the ebooks above and get ANY or ALL of these ebooks FREE.  Remember, add these to your cart BEFORE completing your order…

LITTLE MIRACLES –  Jack Vosburgh’s second book features six impromptu card tricks

EDDIE JOSEPH’S MINDS IN COLLUSION

ZENS’ IMPROVED 15 CARD TRICK – Zens’ famous 15 Card Trick is a true card miracle

DAI VERNON’S SELECT SECRETS – The Professor gives the reader natural and well-constructed handlings for a range of both close-up and stand-up effects.

MEPHISTO SEALED BILLET READING –  Dr. Ervin’s deceptive and 100% practical Mephisto Sealed Billet Reading

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The Thumb Flip – An Easy to Master Card Flourish..

FernandoP1 Art Zone Production has produced another nice video detailing a couple of sleights that can be readily accomplished by the amateur cardsman. Looks and do-ability are essential for the average guy, as not much puts off your audience, regardless of how large or small, than blowing a flourish. Take a look at this 11 minute plus tutorial..

http://www.etricks.info/

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Torn and Restored Thread Tutorial –

Folks watching ‘Fool Us’ the first week of August saw Matt Holtzclaw perform a nice version of  the Hindu Thread / Gypsy thread trick. This effect is not simply ‘classic’, it was first mentioned in “Scott’s Discoveries of Witchcraft” in 1584. That puts it in the same category as the oldest of magic tricks, aside from perhaps cups and balls. FernandoP1 gives a very skilled performance and tutorial for those of you not familiar with the method. Hindu Thread is a very wizardly but aesthetic effect when performed with grace. It can be performed table-side and mesmerizes adults and children.

https://youtu.be/owwR5u2-FoU

Watch Eugene Berger’s performance of this classic..
https://youtu.be/405xMmDpCZs

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Amateur Vs Professional Card Trick & Tutorial

A special card trick from Mismag822, the Card Trick Teacher, featuring Jay Sankey. Jay teaches you the difference between a performance by an amateur and that of a professional, in the form of a card trick. There are a couple of card controls involved, but nothing difficult. You’ll be showing your crowd the difference between an Amateur and a Professional in no time..!
Check it out..

https://youtu.be/Io1AJBIVAJU

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Ambitious Card Trick Variation Tutorial – Jay Sankey

Everyone has their favorite Ambitious Card routine. But, does yours include putting a rubber band around the deck.. and THEN making the signed card come to the top? The spec signs the card, the magician clearly places the card in the middle of the deck and encases the deck with a large  rubber band. The top card is shown to be an odd card, and then.. the spectators card somehow becomes the top card..
Jay published this video on the 52Cards site, and it’s worth your time to watch and learn.

https://youtu.be/41PnrIv5rZ8

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Blind Date – Eric Ross   ( A Review by Jim Canaday )

Effect: The performer shows spectator(s) a few cards, with one picture of a potential blind date on each card.  The spectator sees some great looking choices and one older choice for the older generation. YIKES!  The spectator is then asked to mix cards and discard some, while face down, until there is only one card left in spectators hand.  Before spectator looks at last card in hand, the magician shows the spectator what dates they did not get.

Though they missed a few hotties, they do NOT get stuck with the older choice. There’s is a moment of relief. Spectator is then asked to turn over their card.  To their surprise (and amusement of everyone else) they’re left with something far worse!  This is VERY dirty twist on a classic card trick!  This is Blind Date!

Although similar tricks have appeared in the past, Eric Ross has added a fun new twist.  A little cheesecake. And it comes with two sets of nicely laminated cards, one with girls and one with guys. Living in Florida, I do a lot with older crowds and let’s face it, the older guys like to see a beautiful young girl showing a little skin. (I have updated several tricks myself and carry them in my case). Not so surprising, the ladies like to see a good-looking young guy, too. Although the trick is only available to those over 18, there is no actual nudity. Black bars cover up the girls and the guy version offers Chippendale-like photos. Really pretty innocent but I do suggest that you be judicious in where you perform it. (No kids’ birthday parties or church groups!) Other than that, the cards are made well, you are actually getting two packet tricks for your money and you will have fun.

Positives: Nicely laminated cards, colorful photographs. Easy to do. Lots of fun for your audience. This is one you can “do tonight” if that is your thing. You get two sets of cards thereby bringing the cost per trick down to $12.50.

Negatives: The only negative I can think of is that it limits where you can perform this effect. Otherwise, none.

Conclusion: This is going to accompany me to parties and evenings with friends for a long time.

$24.95 (comes with two sets of laminated specially printed cards in plastic wallet and printed instructions)     http://www.murphysmagic.com/Product.aspx?id=54781

Jim Canaday   http://themagicportal.us   Go to: themagicportal@gmail.com  and ask Jim to add you to his list. Similar to the Magic Roadshow, but Jim emails his newsletters straight to your inbox..

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“Sleeve Aces” with Michael Ammar

In his book Variations, Earl Nelson printed a lovely routine based on Al Leech’s Discovery of Aces. Paul Harris and I were playing around with Earl’s handling, and we decided to eliminate the center phase, where the red Aces turn into the black Aces. We ended up with something fairly different than Earl’s original, so if this appeals to you, you’ll probably enjoy taking a look at how Earl Nelson approached the idea as well.Courtesy of L&L publications, and Michael Lyth..

http://llpub.com/effects/trickammar.pdf

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How to Convert an iPhone into a Hologram Projector – video

Got an iphone? Want to convert it in to a hologram projector with the assembly of a piece of plastic from a cd case? Watch the video, follow the directions, and go to the urls to find Youtube videos to use as your projectons .. The first link takes you to a youtube channel owners page, and you will need to click the ‘videos’ link in the user nav bar…

http://magicians.website

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Did you know we sent men to the moon in 1969 on a tiny fraction of the data that’s contained in the average laptop?
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Teller on Revealing Magic Tricks  –  Interview
Matthew Hutson

The magicians Penn & Teller are in New York this summer performing Penn & Teller On Broadway. In a conversation with Teller (the quiet one) last week, the topic of explaining magic tricks came up, and I happened to have a tape recorder running. An edited transcript is below.

I first asked Teller about revealing secrets in a Q&A for Psychology Today seven years ago:

Many atheists argue that science doesn’t explain away wonder and awe, but delivers more. Do you ever think in those terms when deciding whether to reveal a trick?

Some magic tricks are better as an experience when explained. They’re more interesting, more multileveled, more ingenious. [In one act, we get to watch Teller wiggle through tight spaces.] Most are disappointing, except to a real connoisseur. To me, a carefully timed palm of a card may seem like a beautiful thing. Someone else might say, “Oh, so he just took the card in his hand? Big deal.” You make the choice on aesthetic grounds. Virtually all the tricks Penn and I have explained were invented with an eye to explaining them.

I pursued this line of questioning further last week when Teller brought up the TV show Breaking the Magician’s Code: Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed.

Teller: “Do you remember few years ago there was a TV show in which a masked magician came on and gave away magic secrets? When that happened, the network tried to goad members of the magic community into saying that he was doing something terrible. It’s always good to try to generate controversy when you’re publicizing a series. I told the network I rather liked that presentation for many old illusions…..  Read the rest at:

http://magicalthinkingbook.com/2015/07/teller-of-penn-teller-on-explaining-magic-tricks/

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Remember.. signing up for the Magic Roadshow Journal of Magic is Totally FREE. There is NO obligation and your email is 100% safe. (I don’t even share it with my closes fellow magicians..) You will be notified each month when a new issue of the Roadshow publishes and you can unsubscribe with one click.
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MAGIC NEWS.org
You can get your magic fix on Magic News every week. Don’t wait a month for the next Roadshow. Instead, go to Magic News for the latest, along with the more interesting going-ons in the world of magic. Honestly, no other site publishes the breadth of magic related stories and videos as Magic News.
http://MagicNews.org

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USA CRIMINAL RECORDS ( Hey, we gotta pay the bills! )
There are so many companies that advertise ‘Free’ background checks.. and they are certainly NOT free. You go through several pages of nonsense, only to get to the page that informs you that for ” $16.95″ you can access your report. For the record, my site charges $2.95 for five days of unlimited, comprehensive searches. You can perform a LOT of searches in 5 days…
http://carruth00.everify.revenuewire.net/e-membership/homepage/

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LIKE us on FaceBook.. ( THANK YOU !! to all you Kind Folks who have…)

http://www.facebook.com/magicroadshow
http://www.facebook.com/themagicnews

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Magic Bullets from the Magic Roadshow – Our first 6 years of the Roadshow Blog..
http://streetmagic.info/blogger.html
______________

That does it for this issue. I hope you found something to help your magic along. Remember, if you have something you would like to share with the magic community, send it to: Rick@MagicRoadshow.com

“Vive Tus Sueños – Live Your Dreams ”

Rick Carruth / Editor

Senior Professor – Camelard College of Conjuring of Chemmis, Egypt
“Magic’s Only Worldwide Honor Society”
http://www.camelardcollege.org/

_____________________________________

~ Disclaimers ~
This page may contain affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, I may earn a commission on the sale. The price that you pay should not be affected by buying through an affiliate link, and I never use affiliate links if I know they’ll result in a price increase.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in the Magic Roadshow is accurate. However, there is no guarantee that you will achieve any particular results using the information provided or any products referenced. Examples in this document are not to be interpreted as promises or guarantees of any particular results.
All information is for education and information purposes only. Seek the advice of a qualified professional before acting on such information. In using this document, you agree that the Magic Roadshow and its publisher, Rick Carruth, are not responsible for your success or failure as a result of purchases made through this site.
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 How you been? It’s hotter than Hello in South Carolina.. in more ways than one. But that’s another newsletter and a few dozen Facebook posts. What is it they say? Opinions are like pie holes… everybody has one. I’m trying to keep everything civil and polite here.. I do know this, we have had something like twenty five 90+ temperature days out of the past thirty and I’m ready for Fall.. and you can run that up your flagpole and salute it….  ( Sorry about you guys across the big pond.. you probably don’t know what I’m talking about. Google ‘South Carolina’ and ‘flag’. )

The USA has been blessed with magic on TV these past couple of weeks. It seemed we were lagging behind the rest of the world for some time.. and then ‘Pow’.. magic everywhere. Aside from ‘Fool Us’ and‘Masters of Illusion’, America’s Got Talent has featured several very good performances, including Oz Pearlman’s mentalism effect. Look for two episodes of “Don’t Blink’ on POP TV at 11:00pm eastern time this Thursday. I’ll dig up some info and post it to MAGIC NEWS.org beforehand.

Remember.. If you have comments or questions.. Email Me  (rick@magicroadshow.com)

Table of Contents
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– The Clock Trick –  Paul Lelekis
– One-Ahead  101  –  A Simple Prediction Effect –  Rick Carruth
– Who Wears the Ring? –  Wehman Bros.
– Bob Solari’s DOUBLE BARREL  –   A review
– TRKS  –  A Review by Donavon Powell
– TRICKS WITHOUT NAMES –  Werner Miller
– Mel Kientz’s “Magician’s Life” News Service –   A Daily Resource
– This Incredibly Cruel Magic Trick is Pranking People – But Here’s How It’s Done – Video
– Episode 65: Mac King — Vegas Afternoon Magic
– Build A “Lazy” Magic Table –  DIY
– Magic Show Music Cues –  How To..
– “Spread n Butter” Card Trick Tutorial Video – Chris Ramsay
– Free card tricks – An amazing card technique – The Change Beneath
– Rubber Band Finger Exercise Tutorial  – Video Tutorial
– Jeff Hobson Lecture –  30% Off
– Need a Good Magic Quote?
– My Bad… When Other Words Just Won’t Do  –  Reference
– Op-Ed: Top 5 magic tricks by Mat Franco from ‘America’s Got Talent’ – Videos
– Op-Ed: 5 Greatest magic tricks and illusions by Criss Angel – Videos
– Free eBooks for Subscribers..

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Politically speaking, if everyone spent as much time learning the facts as they did expressing their opinions, we would have a lot of people fighting for the same causes.
Rick Carruth

Considering the falsehood in the heart of some men, It’s impossible to believe everything you see and read on the internet….   Abraham Lincoln

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THE CLOCK TRICK
Paul Lelekis

Don’t pass this one up…it is a REAL fooler!  This is an old trick that Michael Skinner was very fond of, but didn’t know who the creator was.  He also said it was the very finest Clock Trick ever created.

It should be presented as a feat of ESP.  However, don’t reveal this ploy until you actually perform it and it will surprise everyone – including magicians.  This version will absolutely shred the idea that it is a mathematically based principle…and yet it is!

EFFECT: Spectator is asked to only think of a time from 1:00-12:00, like on a clock.  This could be any of twelve different times for her to choose from.

When she thinks of a time, the magician turns his back and the spectator counts off the number of cards from the top of the deck that matches the time she is thinking of.  The spectator then hides these cards from the performer’s view.

Next the magician turns around and counts off twelve cards from the deck and then lays them out on the table in the shape of a clock, one o’clock to twelve o’clock.  The magician then turns his back.

The spectator looks at the time she is thinking of, memorizing the card at its location, and then she gathers all the cards up, including the ones she is hiding, and then shuffles them into the deck.

The magician, with his back still turned, then names the time AND the card!  This effect appears unfathomable!

SET-UP: Remove any card from the deck, let’s say a 4 of Spades, and lightly pencil-dot it in opposing corners on the back.  Place this card 13th from the top of the deck and you’re set.

METHOD: As I mentioned in the intro above, don’t mention anything about the ESP aspect of this effect.  No patter is needed…it is a demonstration of skill that will rock your spectators and any magician who doesn’t know the secret.

False shuffle the deck, retaining the 13 card stock on top.  Hand the deck to the spectator and tell her to think of any time on the clock, 1, 2, 3…up to 12.

Turn your back and ask the spectator to “…count down the number of cards from the top of the deck to the table that matches your thought-of time.  Do it quietly so that I cannot possibly know the number of cards counted.”

“You can think of any time on the clock – 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 or 12:00.”  She then hides these cards from your view.

It is important to say each of the 12 times as indicated in the patter above.  The patter will not only lend to the drama…it also, subliminally indicates to the spectator, to NOT think of times like 3:30, or 9:45, etc.  This is important.

Suppose she is thinking of 7:00.  She will count off 7 cards and then she will hide them from view.  After she hides these 7 cards, you then turn around.

At this point most magicians and many spectators will begin thinking that this is a mathematical trick (it is!), but at the end of this effect – it will shock everyone!

Take the remainder of the deck and count down twelve cards onto the table.  THESE TWELVE CARDS MUST BE REVERSE COUNTED for the trick to work!

Place these cards, face down, in the shape of a clock, starting at 1:00, overlapping the cards as you create the “face of a clock” with these cards.  As you place these cards out, watch for the pencil-dotted card…in this case, it will be at the 7:00 position.

You now know the time thought of, and the card!  But don’t let on that you know anything, yet.  You want this to build up and some may even think they know what comes next – trust me, they don’t!

Now, turn your back on the spectators and the card clock.

Ask her to pick up the card at her thought-of time and show it to everyone and to remember that card.  Have her place the card back to its original position.

With your back still turned, have her gather up all the cards in the clock and the seven cards in her pocket.  Tell her to mix them all, back into the deck.  Tell her to give the assembled deck a good riffle shuffle…this is the point in this trick where everyone will become “dazed and confused”!

Those who think they know how this effect works will now be absolutely clueless!  Keeping your back turned, now ask the spectator to “…only think of your time – NOT the number – but the time itself!”  This ruse will misdirect the spectators.

With your back still turned, say “I’m getting an image…you are thinking of the time of 7:00…and the card at the seven o’clock position is…the 4 of Spades!”

This effect seems impossible.  Play it for the “boys” at your next meeting and you WILL fool them badly…unless they already know the secret – chances are they don’t!
Whoever created this effect long ago – was a genius!

NOTE: This effect will really shake up everyone for whom you perform it.  Please follow the instructions precisely, to attain the maximum effect – have fun!
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You can view ALL of Paul’s ebooks, all 23, at Lybrary.com .. Just a few months ago he was at 19, and now I’m changing the total EVERY month. Paul is a profoundly prolific writer, and his ebooks are, undoubtedly, one of the best values in all of magic.. Many are now considered underground classics by his peers.. http://lybrary.com/paul-a-lelekis-m-163788.html

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One-Ahead  101  –  A Simple Prediction Effect
Rick Carruth

The One-Ahead principle is undoubtebly one of the most-used principles in mentalism/magic, and one I’ve witnessed used on national TV at least twice in the past two weeks. As I’ve tried to stress for eleven years now, it’s never really about the trick.. it’s about the trickster. A simple effect, performed with bravado and entertainment, will wow an audience just a quick as a million dollar illusion.

This effect has been published in many different forms since the turn of the century. This is simply my handling.

Begin by giving one of three spectators a totally normal deck of cards. Ask them to shuffle the deck till their little hearts content. Once done, ask the spectator to divide the deck into four packets and pass out the packets to the two other spectators, yourself, and keep one for himself. Now, ask each spectator to shuffle their packets as well, while you shuffle yours.

While each spectator is busy shuffling their packet, you will secretly remove a hidden card from your pocket, conceal it in your palm, and add it to the top of your packet as the last gesture before you finish. You now know the identity of one of the top cards on the four packets.

As everyone is asked to lay their four packets face down in the center of the table, you tell them you will now predict the top card on each of the packets. Beginning with any packet other than your packet, pick up the top card, place it face up in the palm of your other hand, but not visible to the spectators, and quickly name the identity of the card YOU placed on the top of your packet. Quickly glance at the card in-hand.. and call it as the identity of the top card on the second packet. Repeat for the third card, and, picking up the card on the top of your packet last, name it as the card from the third packet. Smoothly, lay all four cards face up on the table so everyone can see that you named all four cards correctly. This effect really needs to be performed with a certain quickness, as to not give the impression you’re ‘reading’ the cards.

There are far more complicated effects achieved with the ‘one-ahead’, but they all operate using this basic principle. It’s easy to secret one of the cards off the deck beforehand and place it back on top of your packet. No one will know the deck is short one card. Remember, with the right patter, everyone will swear the deck is marked.. until you perform this with THEIR deck…….

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Who Wears the Ring?

This is an elegant application of the principles involved in discovering a number fixed upon. The number of persons participatmg in the game should not exceed nine. One of them puts a ring on one of the fingers, and it is your object to discover: (1st) The wearer of the ring; (2d) the hand; (3d) the finger; (4th) the joint.

The company being seated in order, the persons must be numbered 1, 2, 3, etc. ; the thumb must be termed the first finger, the forefinger being the second; the joint nearest the extremity must be called the first joint; the right hand is one, and tlie left hand two.

These preliminaries having been arranged, leave the room in order that the ring may be placed unobserved by you. We will suppose that the third person has the ring on the right hand, third finger, and first joint; your object is to discover the figures 3,131. Desire one of the company to perform secretly the following arithmetical operations.
:
1. Double the numher of the person who has the ring ; in the case supposed, this will produce 6
2. Add 5  =11
3. Multiply by 5 = 65
4. Add 10 =65
5. Add the number denoting the hand 66
6. Multiply by 10 =660
7. Add the number of the finger 663
8. Multiply by 10 =6,630
9. Add the number of the joint 6,631
10. Add 35 = 6,666
He must apprise you of the figures now produced 6,666; you will then in all cases subtract from it 3,535; in the present instance there will remain 3,131, denoting the person No. 3, the hand No. 1, the finger No. 3, and the joint No. 1.

From the Wehman Bros. “New Book Of One Hundred And Fifty Parlor Tricks and Games”. If anyone is interested, I’ll send you the whole ebook if you request it…

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Bob Solari’s DOUBLE BARREL  –   A review

This is the effect that earned five stars from My Lovely Assistant. This is also the same effect that had the Cafe ablaze with positive reviews. Double Barrel allows you, via a carefully crafted hand-made gimmick, to know the identity of a card fairly selected by a spectator. Another small prop allows you to know exactly where a mate to that card is located in a second deck. This results in some quite startling magic. As for the working.. I don’t think I can explain it any better than the manufacturer’s description…

“Show two decks of cards, a blue deck and a red deck. Ask a spectator to select one of the decks and put the other deck in his/her pocket for later. Remove the second deck of cards from its case, shuffle the cards and spread them face up…. normal deck… totally mixed up. Turn the cards over and spread them face down. Ask the spectator to simply touch the back of any card. There is NO FORCE of any kind. It’s an absolutely FREE CHOICE! The face of the card is shown to the audience. The back of the card is towards you at all times. The cards are NOT MARKED in any way! The selected card is returned to the deck and the deck is returned to the box. Ask the spectator to concentrate on his/her card. In a flash, you are able to CORRECTLY NAME his/her card! @#$! In addtion, you name a number. Let’s say the number is 23. Ask the spectator to remove the first deck from her pocket and count down to the 23rd card. Amazingly it is the SAME CARD as the one she freely selected just moments earlier! DOUBLE BARREL is a killer! The gimmick will absolutely blow you away! Each one is hand made by Bob! Remember: NO forces, NO memory work, NO marked cards! Resets in one second! Immediately repeatable!”

I can promise you that the effect works exactly as described. Bob doesn’t know it, but I have used Double Barrel for the past four years, which is about forever in my routine lineage. I think it was Kevin Costner who once said.. “If it works, they will buy it..”. I’m pretty sure he was talking about Double Barrel. There are many possibilities with this intriguing effect… limited only by your creativity.  As Randy Wakeman wrote on the description page: “A book can be written on the gimmick used in Bob Solari’s Double Barrel.”…   My conclusion? VERY Recommended…

http://bobsolarimagic.com/shop/Double-Barrel?keyword=double%20barrel&category_id=39
Video performance –  https://youtu.be/5Le6R70I5Ew

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TRKS  –  A Review by Donavon Powell

TRKS by Kyle Marlett is a wonderful download. He accomplishes several things besides just teaching “a few quick tricks”.

Kyle spends the time to explain WHY he chose to do things the way he did in each of the three pieces he presents. Two of the pieces are effects and one is a control.

I’d like to take a moment to talk about each of these items.

The first piece is called the KM Control. It is a very unique control. Kyle discussed its evolution as well as the only technique he has seen that is similar (yet VERY different).

This is not a trick although it can be utilized as one. This could easily be added to an ambitious sequence as a different way to return a card to the deck. He uses an intriguing technique to set up for the control that can be accomplished proficiently with a minimal amount of practice. However, he touches on other methods to set up if you’re not comfortable with the method he uses. This uses a Pivot Display that seems slightly weird upon first glance, but after a few tries it takes on a natural feel. He has built in a natural camouflage that, partnered with a strong presentation, will make this control virtually invisible to your Spectators.

The second piece on the download is called Spooning. This is the effect that will likely catch the most eyes when looking in to purchasing the download.

It is worth it in my opinion. It is unbelievably visual. It looks better in person than it does on film (and it looks pretty good there). This uses a very simple-to-construct gimmick. I’ve seen a manufactured item similar to this in the past, but it wasn’t for Magic. The teaching segment of this one covers virtually everything you can think of when it comes to the how, why, and what aspects of both developing and presenting a piece. It is borderline a literal teach-in on Kyle’s thinking when it comes to developing something. The handling is very organic and smooth in every element, from the actual vanish of the spoon to the wringing in and out of the gimmick (Did I mention it is really easy to construct?). I think that each part of this routine works on many different levels. There are some who will be thrown by the manipulation feel of the presentation, but don’t give in to the feeling. This piece works for Close-Up exceptionally well.

The third, and final, piece of the download is called SURB. I’m with Kyle. It needs a new name.

This one is a change of sugar in a sealed packet into a sugar cube that is still inside the sugar packet. It really does look like the sugar cube forms inside of the packet. I constructed this and actually enjoyed just watching the moment where the cube begins to form. This effect has an insanely visual moment built in to it, utilizes very simple materials to construct the necessary pieces, and is very easy to construct. Kyle uses a specific type of sugar packet to accomplish this. However, it can be accomplished with other types of sugar packets with a minimal change to the construction. It actually requires fewer pieces to accomplish this than I expected. This is because of the “Why run if you’re not being chased” approach to the structure of the routine. Kyle discusses this extensively, and he covers multiple ways to accomplish the dirty work in several different performance settings. Personally, I am a fan of the seated method he discusses as I perform most of my work seated.

This is an excellent download and well worth the 10 dollars that it costs. I think there is a little of something in it for everyone and a lot of something for workers. Considering it revolves around only three items I believe it is a worthwhile investment. I highly recommend it.

http://www.penguinmagic.com/p/S19663
http://www.kylemarlett.tv/product/trks-by-kyle-marlett/

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TRICKS WITHOUT NAMES –  Another Mathemagical Medley of Semi-Automatic Tricks  –   Werner Miller

Trick #7

To prepare, sort out nine spot cards, one of every value from Ace to Nine (suits do not matter), and fifteen indifferent cards. Arrange them as shown opposite (Fig. 1), then square the cards and turn the packet face down. Set the remainder of the deck aside.

To perform, false cut the packet, then table it before a spectator. Ask the spectator to cut off about half of the packet. Take care that the spectator cuts off at least ten cards but not more than nineteen.
Instruct the spectator to deal his cards singly to the table, into a new pile (thus reversing the original order), and, in the course of dealing, to count them aloud. They turn out to be, for instance, sixteen cards.

 Square the spectator’s pile and place it next to the original bottom portion.  “Pretty much equal, aren’t they? Probably it’s better to make the difference in size more significant. Sixteen cards, you said. The number sixteen has two digits, 6 ones and 1 ten. Let’s use these digits to reduce your cut-off packet.”
From the top of the spectator’s packet, remove singly seven cards (first six, then one) and place them on the other packet. You are automatically left with a 9-card packet (the original top nine cards in reversed order) and a 15-card packet (the fifteen indifferent cards from the original bottom stock), provided that the original number of cut-off cards is –  as already mentioned  – within the range of 10-19.

“Much better now.”

Move the larger packet toward the spectator. Ask him to count the cards and to announce the result. In the meantime, deal the cards of the other packet into a square layout, three rows of three cards each, one row below the other, all the cards dealt from left to right, still face down.

After you were told that the larger packet contains fifteen cards, turn over the top row of your layout and call attention to the values of the three cards: 8, 3, 4 – totalling 15!

Let this sink in, then turn over the middle row: 1, 5, 9 – the total is also 15! And the bottom row: 6, 7, 2 – 15 spots, too! (Fig. 2)

And as if that were not enough, show that the values in each column also add up to that number: 8 + 1 + 6 = 15, 3 + 5 + 7 = 15, 4 + 9 + 2 = 15. And finally the diagonals: 6 + 5 + 4 = 15, 8 + 5 + 2 = 15. It’s a magic square!

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For more (and more elaborate) math-based magic by Werner Miller visit http://www.lybrary.com/werner-miller-m-7881.html

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Mel Kientz’s “Magician’s Life” News Service –   A Daily Resource

I simply don’t have the time to read a wealth of emails.. I get 100+ every day as it is. So, if I say I take the time each day to read a particular email, then it has definite merit. Mel Kientz’s ‘Magician’s Life” is a daily email blast featuring one relevant news item related to our art. I asked Mel to describe Magician’s Life to me”

“Everyday for the last several years, I have put out a short E-mail blast that highlights a particular web-based news story relating to the magical arts.  It could be a historical, biographical, informational and in some instances, a down-right plug that I think would be of interest to anyone with a love of magic as a performance art.

Magician’s Life is a short OPT-IN electronic information source.  You cannot receive it unless you specifically request to be on the list. . . .  To be added to the database list you need to send an email request to:  (  m.kientz@bnproducts.com  ) with your name and email address. You can OPT-OUT at any time if you find that the information is just not your cup of tea!

By the way, this list is a closely guarded secret and is not rented, traded or used by any other person or organization. Here are a few of the magicians that have been the recent subject of Magician’s Life.”

Christian Cagigal, Paul Cosentino, Simon Coronel, Danny Cole, Krystn Lambert, Steven Spill, Tiny Clark, Jonathan Goldstein, Rob Zabrecky, Tina Lenert, Mike Caveney, Franz Harary, Billy Kidd, Darcy Oake, Rudy Coby,  Richard Turner, Criss Angel, James More, Joshua Jay and Piff The Magic Dragon … just to name a few.

Remember.. email Mel at:  m.kientz@bnproducts.com  and asks to be added..

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“This Incredibly Cruel Magic Trick is Pranking People – But Here’s How It’s Done” – Article & Videos

How do you deal with a man apparently cut in half? Getting on the elevator, walking down the hall, standing on a street corner.. does it really matter? You either appreciate the humor, or you freak out. This impressive illusion is revealed by UK’s, The Mirror, and I’m not sure why.. unless the author was one of those pranked. Thanks to Michael Lyth for the link..

http://www.mirror.co.uk/usvsth3m/incredibly-cruel-magic-trick-pranking-5633895

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Episode 65: Mac King — Vegas Afternoon Magic

“I’m so excited to have had the opportunity to interview Mac King on my show! It was an amazing experience for me and I’m happy to be able to share it with all of you. Enjoy!”

Kris Sheppard…

In this interview, Mac King tells us about his early days performing in comedy clubs and talks about how he keeps things fresh in his show at Harrah’s in Vegas after 15 years. He also shares an interesting story involving him and a gold fish, and gives even more practical career advice for performers!

Listen to the interview and see the show notes here:
http://successfulperformercast.com/macking/

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Build A “Lazy” Magic Table

Another DIY project for you true handymen. This one is an ideal performance table that travels extremely light and can be packet in a suitcase or briefcase. The secret? Well, visit the site and study the pictures.. Everything is detailed for your ease of assembly.. Thanks to Michael Lyth..
http://www.playingbigmagic.com/build-a-lazy-magic-table/

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Magic Show Music Cues

In addition to the DIY magic table, the ‘Playing Big’ site also featured a nice article on sound design and sound and/or music cues for your show. The article details how the author creates Entrances and Transitions, Filling in lulls, and music underscores to play beneath the voices.

If your show uses music, I honestly think you’ll enjoy this article..

http://www.playingbigmagic.com/magic-show-music-cues/

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“Spread n Butter” Card Trick Tutorial Video – Chris Ramsay

Very nice effect from Chris Ramsay which, when used with a signed card (in my opinion), creates a very impossible looking effect. This is a real stunner. Without giving too much away, if you can perform a variation of the Tamariz Perpendicular Control (taught), and a simple Mexican Turnover, also taught, then you will succeed with Chris’ effect. He has recorded a 16 minute tutorial which explains everything in detail.

http://etricks.info

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Free card tricks – An amazing card technique – The Change Beneath
FernandoP1
This is such an amazing technique to switch a card from underneath the deck as if you were just turning the card over. This move does have endless applications making this move worth the practice.

http://magicians.website

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Rubber Band Finger Exercise Tutorial  – Video Tutorial

Maybe it’s just me, but I have this nervous habit of walking around with objects in my hand. For the first two-thirds of my life it was cigarettes. For the last third it has been toothpicks and cards, which for the record, are much safer than cigarettes.. so says my doctor. I remember once carrying a fake bullet for a month or so..until I lost it. And of course there’s the fifty cent piece that shows distinct signs of wear from my relentless fiddlin’…

I’ve also carried a couple of rubber bands from time to time. Thanks to this video from 52Kards, you can carry a rubber band, satisfy your habit, AND increase your strength and dexterity at the same time. I’m sure there’s a little trick in here somewhere too. It doesn’t take but a couple of minutes to watch the video and learn the moves…

https://youtu.be/fUUiKMQlS_Y

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Jeff Hobson Lecture at 30% Off…

I just received this from our friend, Jeff Hobson. The original cost was $15.00, 30% off is $10.50 for over TWO hours of top level magic.. This is the original Hobson lecture!  Many attendees have said it’s one of the best magic lectures they have ever seen. Gary Darwin – the Dean of Las Vegas magic – has said it’s “the best magic lecture I’ve seen in 25 years”.

“Now, HOBSON is EXPOSED Online!  Due to illegal DVD duplication problems overseas, Hobson has decided to offer his original and best lecture EXPOSED to watch NOW online.  Click to get the special member 30% discount and to watch HOBSON’s best lecture NOW.  Expires 7/31/15
ENTER PROMO CODE:  EX50 ”

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/exposed

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Need a Good Magic Quote?

Check out this page on Magica if you need a magic quote. Chris Philpott, editor and guardian of Magica, says: ” I copied this idiosyncratic collection of quotes relating to the art of magic for my own amusement, so I was not always great about citing sources. The quotes are not ordered alphabetically, or indeed in any order known to man.”

Regardless, it’s certainly not hard to find a good quote…

http://www.magicaonline.com/quotation_gallery.htm

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My Bad… When Other Words Just Won’t Do  –  Reference

What do you say when you drop a coin, lose a load, misplace a card, or forget which pocket contains the scarf? Every good magician has a ‘ready line’ to cover his mistake. Sometimes a humorous line will garner a larger laugh than the effect itself. Now, I’ve given you a reason to commit a minor faux pas..

These have been used by many different magicians on many different occassions. Some are ‘classic’ and others may be new to you. Hopefully, you’ll never have reason to use one… These were garnered from several sources, all public, and I would like to thank the http://www.themagiccafe.com/ , Lee Darrow, Daniel Faith, Magicmike1949, Lawrence O, and cpatchett for the majority of these quotes.. Others are mine – but who’s counting.
If you pretend you didn’t see that, I’ll pretend it didn’t happen.

Hmmmm, victimized again by a random gust of gravity!”

Wow, good thing the floor was there … no telling how far that could have gone.

But that was just a trick. Now let me show you some real magic.

Anyone in the audience named Gandolf? I could use some help right about now

If at first I don’t succeed, then failure is a real possibility.

For my next trick… I will be erasing your memory of what has just transpired.

If at first you don’t succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried. (vanish the coin)

I forgot to compensate for the rotational effect of the earth

It’s all part of the show folks…the part that wasn’t properly rehearsed.

It doesn’t look as bad from my side.

It would have been cool though…

This place is so cool, coins don’t even obey the law…. of gravity

Wow it’s so quiet in here, you could hear a career drop.

That one was dedicated to all the people in my life who said I’d never amount to anything.

Well…mistakes do happen. My parents said that’s how I got here.

While I pretend to mess up a trick, my assistant is leading an elephant into the other room.

Wrong? I am never wrong. There was one time when I thought I was wrong, but I was mistaken.

If it were THIS easy anyone could do it . . . except me apparently.

Well now that we’ve covered the comedy portion of the show, let’s quickly move into the magic part.

It is at this point that I wish I had a scantily clad assistant to bail me out.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my proof of Murphy’s Law.

At least you know I’m not using tricked coins.

This is the dress rehearsal, right?

Would everyone please now bow your heads and close your eyes for a moment of silence in remembrance of this magician.

If someone has a cell phone, please dial 911.I’m in serious trouble here.

A true professional never lets you see him sweat. So would you all please close your eyes until I can put on another shirt.

Thank goodness I’m not an air traffic controller.

You are very lucky….If I were your surgeon, instead of your magician, you’d be dead now.

Were I practicing law right now, I’d be disbarred. As it is, I think I’ll just make my way to the bar.

Could someone please scream “Fire”!

In the art of legerdermain, this is what is known as “Le screw up.”

Pull out an envelope that says on it “Prediction”. Open up the envelope and read from it, “The magician will screw up this trick.”

If you could’ve seen me do this in front of the mirror at home you would’ve loved it.

“I call this trick, ‘Bummer'”.

“If I were Emeril the Magician, I’d throw some garlic on this trick, and you would all applaud wildly. Then mime that action as you shout “BAM!”

This is apparently that rare instance when you can’t fool any of the people, any of the time.

I bet you won’t ask me to do that one again.

Actually, I need to maintain my amateur status so I can try out for the magic olympics

If there is a Coroner present, would you please pronounce this trick dead, so that we can put it to rest.

In order for this to work, you all need to be completely stoned.

It’s very strange when the life you never had flashes before your eyes.

That’s the key to having it all: stop expecting it to look like what you thought it was going to look like.

Heck, it worked when Coperfield did it! But then, I’m not on the same pay scale as he is..

Tricks are like Chevrolets…..some work, and some don’t

I recently purchased this trick on ebay. Remind me to give the seller some very negative feedback.

If you want to see the really good version of this trick.. go to Vegas..

(….and perhaps the most true of all…)

That’s what it would look like if the government built magic tricks.

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Op-Ed: Top 5 magic tricks by Mat Franco from ‘America’s Got Talent’

To commemorate a new season of America’s Got Talent, here’s the top five tricks from last years winner Mat Franco..  Compiled by Digital Journal….

http://www.digitaljournal.com/a-and-e/entertainment/top-5-magic-tricks-by-mat-franco-from-america-s-got-talent/article/438176

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Op-Ed: 5 Greatest magic tricks and illusions by Criss Angel

Criss Angel has performed many impressive tricks and illusions throughout his career, and Digital Journal ranks his five greatest ones.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/a-and-e/entertainment/op-ed-5-greatest-magic-tricks-and-illusions-by-criss-angel/article/438052

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SIGNUP FOR THE MAGIC ROADSHOW….

Remember.. signing up for the Magic Roadshow Journal of Magic is Totally FREE. There is NO obligation and your email is 100% safe. (I don’t even share it with my closes fellow magicians..) You will be notified each month when a new issue of the Roadshow publishes and you can unsubscribe with one click.
Subscribe Here..   https://magicroadshow.com

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MAGIC NEWS.org

You can get your magic fix on Magic News every week. Don’t wait a month for the next Roadshow. Instead, go to Magic News for the latest, along with the more interesting going-ons in the world of magic. Honestly, no other site publishes the breadth of magic related stories and videos as Magic News.

http://MagicNews.org
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USA CRIMINAL RECORDS  ( Hey, we gotta pay the bills! )

There are so many companies that advertise ‘Free’ background checks.. and they are certainly NOT free. You go through several pages of nonsense, only to get to the page that informs you that for ” $16.95″ you can access your report. For the record, my site charges $2.95 for five days of unlimited, comprehensive searches. You can perform a LOT of searches in 5 days…

http://carruth00.everify.revenuewire.net/e-membership/homepage/

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Free eBooks For Subscribers….
Here’s a link where you can download a variety of free ebooks, including Erdnase’ Expert At The Card Table… If you are not a subscriber, you can sign up HERE.. http://MagicRoadshow.com

http://streetmagic.info/cbmall3.html

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LIKE us on FaceBook..  ( THANK YOU !!  to all you Kind Folks who have…)

http://www.facebook.com/magicroadshow
http://www.facebook.com/themagicnews

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Magic Bullets from the Magic Roadshow – Our first 6 years of the Roadshow Blog..
http://streetmagic.info/blogger.html
______________

That does it for this issue. I hope you found something to help your magic studies along. Remember, if you have something you would like to share with the magic community, send it to:  Rick@MagicRoadshow.com

“Vive Tus Sueños – Live Your Dreams “

 Rick Carruth / Editor

Senior Professor – Camelard College of Conjuring of Chemmis, Egypt
“Magic’s Only Worldwide Honor Society”
http://www.camelardcollege.org/

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 This issue has a nice selection of both easy card tricks and advanced card tricks, plus a couple of different magic PDFs, including one classic that details tons of newspaper magic. Regardless of your preference, we’ll walk you step by step through each effect with a combination of written word and videos, including several very interesting Youtube magic videos. (There.. One paragraph with ALL my primary magic keywords.. 😉

You’ll probably notice a general ‘theme’ to this issue. I’ve found a number of resources related to ‘paper’ and ‘paper magic’. I can’t take all the credit though.. I’ve had help from friends, particularly Michael Lyth, Paul Lelekis, Jeff Hobson, Simon Aronson, David John O’Connor, Bob Solari, and Werner Miller.  Please support this amazing line-up of performers by visiting their websites. I know I do…

This past week has been quite a week. My wife, Carolyn, had a run-in with our first tropical storm, Ana, and found out first hand what it’s like to get caught on the ocean during a storm. After leaving Nassau on a Carnival cruise, the ship had to find a place to drop anchor for a day to avoid the worst of the storm. Then, like a little rabbit on the run, the ship had to bob and weave through the Atlantic, avoiding the squalls and wind, to get to the Charleston harbor. I found a website that displays the location of virtually any large or semi-large ship in the Atlantic, usually within a thirty minute time frame, and I was able to watch her ship in almost real time. Aside from my personal involvement, I could monitor the ship and the weather maps, almost reading the mind of the Captain as he made crucial decisions. It was quite an experience, more so for Carolyn I’m sure!  I’ll give credit to Verizon Wireless.. even in the middle of the Atlantic, I could get through to her cell phone, even when none of her friends had service. I’m so glad to have her back… and I’m so dreading next month’s cell bill.. (..but it was worth it..)

Questions and Comments.. EMAIL ME  ( Rick@MagicRoadshow.com )
 ~ Table of Contents ~

– Caucasian Box  –   A Magical Utility
– B-FLY    –   A  Super Packet Effect
– Justin Willman on Conan  3-30-15
– Enigma Card  –  A Creation by Bob Solari
– Children’s Magic Shows – Keeping the Peace
– The Bead Poodle  –  A Nice Give-Away
– Tricks Without Names –  Another Mathemagical Medley of Semi-Automatic Tricks
– Newspaper Magic –  A Classic PDF
– Ideas for Magic with Paper  –  A Resource page
– Build The BEST Paper Airplane in the World
– 10 Amazing Paper Tricks  –   Video Tutorial
– Unique Shuffle With A Common Magic Prop..
– Dual Magic Squares Effect..
– Amazing Jumping Card Trick  –  Video Tutorial
– Magic Lesson 19 – Finger Illusion Lesson:
– Magic Tricks and Tips  – 113 After Dinner Tricks
– The Best (and Worst) Ways to Shuffle Cards – Video
– Persi Diaconis – Math, Magic, Deception & Probability – A Radio Interview
– Magic Clip Art –  Free Clipart, Animated Gifs and Graphics
– Magic Tricks Camel Cigarettes –  Retro Advertisements & Magic
– Impossible Nail Thru Wood Trick  –  An Illusion.
– Mystery Cube-in-a-Cube Puzzle Woodworking Project
– The Business of Stage Hypnotism
– The Most Important MagicianBusiness Podcast Ever ! (According to Keith and Julian)
– Hidden Answers –   Mathematical Magic
– MAGIC NEWS.org
– The Prediction of a Random Number Based Upon Your Date of Birth
– Drawing the Mirth-Mobile, Wayne’s World AMC Pacer –  A Three Minute Video
– A Little Video Treat –  Video
– The Other Corner
– Free Ebooks for Subscribers

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The only good luck many great men ever had was being born with the ability and determination to overcome bad luck…”  – Channing Pollock

“To entertain well requires hours of study, disciplined practice, eloquent scripting, diligent rehearsal and a passionate performance…and that’s just the self-working stuff.”   Mick Ayres

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Caucasian Box  –   A Magical Utility
Jeff Hobson

During the Abbott’s conventions of the past, Neil Foster was a good friend and always a consummate performer. During one demonstration of his skills, while hosting the magic competitions, he showed us a surprising ending for a card manipulation routine that I believe was only performed for magicians. I only saw him do it once, but it has stuck with me for years. I eventually made up a version of my own and have used it many times for laymen. The effect is a very magical.

The prop is easily made and what is traditionally known as a ‘jap box’. Of course, I would prefer to call it “Hobson’s Caucasian Box” just to be fair! I made mine from the stiff cardboard that make up common school binders. The box has no top or bottom. The dimensions of my box are approximately 12” wide, 8” high and 7” deep when in open position. The narrow sides I made are split into two sections. (photo B1)

Although not necessary, this makes it a nice, small package when collapsed for traveling. The secret back flap is nothing special but merely an extra piece of board cut to the same size as the front panel of the box. Attach this secret panel to the front panel by the bottom edge only. (photo B2 and B3) All edges and seams are fastened together with black, reinforced ‘duct’ or carpet tape available from most hardware stores. You might have to trim the edges after assembling to make it work smoothly. The box should easily collapse flat.

To prepare, place the open box on a table and open the secret flap so the box is rigid. In my routine, I place the front corner of the box so it extends off the edge of the table by an inch or so. This is so I can pick up the box one-handed during the routine.

To perform, do some card manipulations and prepare to produce some back-palmed cards. Pick up the box in your free hand. Grab the box carefully at the bottom corner so that the box does not collapse. (photo B4)

Drop the cards into the box. They should all drop into the secret flap. After the last card is in the box, use your fingers to shut the secret flap trying not to make a noticeable movement of the box. Show the free hand empty and dramatically lower the hand into the box. (photo B5) Don’t stop! Keep going down and through the bottom of the box. (photo B6) Look at the audience. They should have a question mark above their heads.

At this point, you should have your arm through the bottom of the box to the elbow. You still have a grip on the box with the other hand too. Now lift your arm (the one through the box) to the audience. (photo B7)

Pause to allow the effect to register.

Now re-grip the box to able to pinch the top edge of the box and the secret flap together. Remove the box from your arm keeping the opening to the audience so they can see clear through it. (photo B8) Now you can flip the box so it becomes flat, place it away and accept your applause. (photos B9 – B12)

I have also performed this as a climax to the 6-card repeat effect. Not a bad idea though I say so myself!

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Jeff Hobson offers a FREE Magic Video Theater where he posts rare and vintage videos, interviews and has great lectures available. To access this private video page, just sign up at:http://www.hobsonschoicemagic.com/ and click on “Special Offers”
Hobson also has a NEW professional magic lecture available as a streaming, online rental. See the trailer at the url above…

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B-FLY    –   A  Super Packet Effect
Paul A. Lelekis

There are a number of effects out there that are similar to this one, especially The Biddle Trick, but this one only uses a 10 card packet.  In addition, I’ve included a ploy of NOT looking at the cards when counting.
EFFECT: Ten cards are counted off by a spectator.  The performer first shows 5 of these cards to the spectator.  Then the other 5 cards are displayed,  without the performer looking!

The magician asks which pile the selection is in and then makes the selection invisibly jump from that packet to the other!

METHOD: This is a simple trick, but like most tricks employing the Biddle Steal, it is amazes the lay audience!

Begin by having a spectator shuffle and count off ten cards from the top of the deck.  Then have the spectator choose any of the ten cards.

Take the selection (say, it’s the 7 of Diamonds or 7D) and TILT it into the packet under the top two cards, making the 7D, third from the top.

Now overhand shuffle the packet, being certain to run the first three cards, one at a time.  The 7D is now third from the bottom.

‘I am NOT going to look at any of these cards.  I am going to show you these cards, one at a time, as I count them into TWO five card piles.  When you see your selection among these ten cards, merely note which pile it is in and, afterward, I’ll ask you which pile.’

Here’s how you proceed: After stating the patter above, turn your head and then turn the ten card packet, face up.  Hold the packet in Biddle grip with your RH (if you’re right-handed!) and then thumb off the cards, one at a time, with your left thumb.

Count the first five cards out loud, Biddle Stealing the third card, which is the selection (7D!) back beneath the RH packet.  Continue counting until you reach the count of ‘Five!’  The count should be smooth and without pause.  The 7D will remain hidden, now on the bottom of the RH packet!

Place the four, supposedly five, cards face down onto the table.  Keep your head turned to the side so that you cannot see the selection!

Reverse count the next five cards (with head still turned!) placing the last card, a double, on top.  The 7D will now be second from the face of this face up packet.

Turn this six card packet (supposedly five), face down, onto the table and to the right of the first packet.
Now ask:  ‘Which packet is your card in?’  She will indicate the first packet.

Pick up that packet and false count this four card packet as five as follows:  Hold the packet face down in the RH in Biddle position as you thumb off the first card with your left thumb.  Count off the second card in the same way but obtain a left pinkie break beneath this card. As you count off the third card, steal the ‘broken’ second card back under the RH packet at the count of ‘Three!’  Then count four and five. You may opt to perform this count in Elmsley Count grip.  The mechanics are the same but requires a little bit of practice.

Next, twist the packet and reach into the middle of the cards and pretend to remove an invisible card – supposedly the selection – with an audible ‘Snap!’  This snap is created by pressing up on the packet with the tip of your left index finger as you ‘remove’ the invisible card.  Hand the invisible card to the spectator.  This will get giggles!  Place the packet back down onto the table.   This ‘Snap!’ is something I learned from Paul Cummins years ago at a lecture.  It adds another dimension!

Next pick up the other packet (6 Cards!), still face down in Biddle grip, and reverse count five cards.  Again, the fifth card is a double.  The 7D is now on top of the face down packet. Ask the spectator to place her “invisible” card on top of the packet.  Twist the packet again (or use any other magical gesture) and then say, “There!  You can’t see it but your selection has just reappeared back on top of the packet!  Look – I now have six cards!”

Spread the cards from left to right without reversing their order.  Keep the 7D on top, displaying six cards!  This is the first revelation. Place this spread packet onto the table.  Now pick up the first packet, and show that it contains only four cards!  Place it back down. Ask for the name of the card and turn over the top card of packet number two to show that the 7D has traveled from the first packet to the second!

You can view ALL of Paul’s ebooks, all 21, at Lybrary.com .. They are, undoubtedly, one of the best values in all of magic..  Many are now considered underground classics…
http://lybrary.com/paul-a-lelekis-m-163788.html

Be sure to check out Paul’s latest.. ‘6 EZ To Do Card Miracles’  just released on Lybrary and absolutely guaranteed to please any card guy amongst our readers…

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An Effect from Justin Willman … And a Word ..

I saw Justin Willman on Conan a couple of weeks ago. I always enjoy watching Justin on TV as he performs magic that really impresses the audience, yet is not very difficult. (My one problem with magicians performing on TV.. they seldom credit properly. More on that later…)

Justin began the effect with a card pre-signed with his own signature, face DOWN on top of the deck, and unknown and unseen to Conan or the audience. Justin performs a double turnover and asks Conan to sign the face of the supposed ‘top’ card. Once done, Justin turns both cards as one back to their original position. Conan and the audience believe the top card to be Conan’s card. Justin takes the top card, folds it twice (into fourths), and asks Conan to place it in his lips. He does…

Justin now performs another double turnover of the top two cards. The second card is a duplicate of the card folded and secretly signed before the effect began. Justin signs this card, relative to the position he signed the first card, and turns both cards back as one. Conan’s card is now back on top and the card just signed by Justin is the second card down. The audience believes the top card to be Justin’s card.

Justin takes the top card, the one with Conan’s signature, folds it into fourths, and places it in his own lips. After comedic relief.. Justin insist he and Conan ‘touch’ their two cards together to invoke the magic. They do, to the amusement of the audience, and Conan unfolds his card.. to reveal his card now has Justin’s signature.. and Justin opens his card to reveal it contains Conan’s signature.

In the original version, the spectator is given the card to hold under palm on the table. Putting the card in the lips is probably OK –if- both parties are aware of what’s about to happen. I’m sure Conan was informed beforehand and agreed to the routine… Strangers are not apt to want to get THAT close to an unknown magician. Family maybe, Friends maybe, but not strangers.

As for crediting.. Wayne Houchin taught this effect as ‘French Kiss’ on ART OF MAGIC in 2009. He also included this effect on INDECENT in 2006. Wayne ended French Kiss with the card either in the mouth or lips.

As it goes, the transpo and basic handling for this effect was created in the 1980’s by our friend Paul Lelekis. Paul performed it for many customers while table-hopping, before publishing it in the Linking Ring in July 2005. Paul titled the effect ‘Signed Two-Card Transpo’, and published it in Tony Econ’s column, ‘Card Corner’. Paul also published it in his second ebook ever.. EIGHT + ONE. (Available athttp://lybrary.com/ )
The only difference between Wayne’s version and Paul’s creation was the ending position of the signed cards.

Let this be a lesson to those of you sitting on pet effects.. If you DON’T allow them to be published in publications like The Linking Ring or the Magic Roadshow, or if you don’t compile your works in book or ebook form, you are in danger of losing ownership.

The Magic Roadshow, for example, is copyrighted. Anything appearing here, or in most other magic publications, can be verified as having been submitted by you, on a certain date, and you have established ownership. In the Roadshow’s case, the author’s also retain all rights to their effects. So, a word of advice.. Do as Paul Lelekis and others do and share your work with others. If you think seeing someone perform one of your ‘pet’ effects is troubling, wait until you see a stranger establishing ‘ownership’ of your ‘pet’ effect, and you lose the right forever to call it your own.

Rick Carruth

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Enigma Card  –  A Creation by Bob Solari

Imagine you’re in a restaurant, standing at a corner table, holding two indifferent cards in a small fan. Imagine you’re pattering about the problems we magicians encounter entertaining a small table with a deck of cards. After all, what’s magical about a deck of small pieces of cardboard, printed with thirteen different values? We can muse about theories. We can inject well-known facts, or fables. We can patter about the four suits and how they represent the four seasons, We can remind our audience that each season has thirteen weeks.. thus the thirteen values. If that doesn’t impress our audience, we can remind them that the sum of the numbers one through thirteen is ninety-one (91)… and what is 91? The number of days in a season. Inevitably, someone will remind you that 91 times 4 is 364. In your best wizardly way, you can mention that the Joker was added to the deck to cover that one odd digit… and the second Joker was added to allow for leap years…

In the meanwhile, you continue to show these fortunate few a Three of Hearts and a Seven of Clubs. As entertained as they may be pondering your little discourse on a deck of cards, they are about to be floored.
The guy sitting directly across from you with the Dali mustache and a tropical shirt unbuttoned one button too far gives you a stink-eyed look and ask..”Whatcha holding them two cards for..?”
“These two?.. I thought you’d never ask”

In a moment of transformation, you push on your two card fan, just enough to push the Seven behind the Three, and in a micro-second the Seven has changed into the Queen of Diamonds. Just as it occurs to Dali guy to ask to see the back of the two cards.. you do. Front and back. A Three and a Queen. There is nary a Seven. You can hand out the Queen for examination. You can tip your head to your small audience and let them be…  At this point.. nothing else matters, as your audience has witnessed a small packet miracle and they are left to consider what manner of magic bedecked their meal..

Personally, I use Enigma Card as a reveal utility. That’s one of the many possibilities, aside from being a stand-alone effect. I’m sure those of you accustomed to devising your own routines will have no trouble finding a half dozen uses for EC.

First, let me tell you what Enigma Card isn’t.. It isn’t sleight of hand, elastic cards, sticky cards, or specially printed cards. It’s purely mechanical, which makes it virtually self-working. No, it’s not motor driven, it’s mechanical in the sense there are ‘parts’ which interact to promote the conceal.. but it relies on good ‘ol finger power to seal the deal.

Bob has created a very limited run of the Enigma Card, 350 to be exact, and I own number 294 if that gives you any indication of the number remaining. Bob has also put a video on his site showing the Enigma Card in use. I would love to see him complete sell out. When you order, tell Bob I mentioned you could receive a free effect when ordering the Enigma Card. Get one, and let me know how it works for you. Still less than $20.. till the last ones gone..

http://bobsolarimagic.com/shop/Enigma-Card

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CHILDREN’S MAGIC SHOWS
David John O’Connor

In recent years when the birthday party magician arrives at the door, he is shown directly into the room where the children are waiting. Then the parent leaves the performer to his own devices, to join the other parents for tea etc. In earlier times the parents would be with the children for the show which was much more appropriate.  This immediately becomes a dilemma for the performer who is then expected to not only entertain the children but to act as custodian and in some cases disciplinarian.

In this day and age it is preferable and necessary to have parents present during the show, obviously for security reasons and for the parent to maintain order with their children. I don’t believe that a magician can perform well and control a bunch of unruly kids at the same time, so make sure there is at least one adult present in the room.  I have had experiences where the parents were otherwise occupied instead of being with their children, so made sure there was plenty of clapping, laughter and noise from the children to give the impression that, ‘Hey the kids are having fun’.  However it should be mandatory to have at least one parent present.

Provided you have a structured show and you are competent, it is relatively easy to control and entertain at the same time. Just be aware of how far you can allow kids participation to go. This comes with experience; however I have found that children are not as well behaved these days as they were some years ago. The relevance of A D H D is far more common these days too that can lead to over excitement or extrovert behavior in some children. I don’t allow kids to handle any of my props unless they are failsafe ones.

Having children all shout the magic word or other participation remarks adds to the fun element of your show, just as clapping does.  So include plenty of sight gags and funny patter. Early on in your show it is sometimes easy to spot a youngster who may give you trouble later, so be aware not to involve them.  Sometimes a child will grab at a prop and I have even had them run away with it. In this case use a little tact by coercing them back with a small reward or ask them to be your assistant, or to hold a specific item. Instead of a reprimand make them a part of your show where possible, even allowing them to choose a friend and have them bring that person on stage.  Giving the naughty child a role or specific duty helps.  Never chastise a child either or you might have an irate parent to contend with. There are polite ways of maintaining control.

I once saw a magician who when the children become unruly and over boisterous, he walked forward and gently stepped on their toes without noticing he did!  While I have never tried this, It really worked for him on naughty children.  If a situation becomes truly difficult to handle, stop performing immediately and say nothing. Waiting silently will soon register and the audience will soon quieten down for you to continue.

Another problem is when there are adults present, many tend to chat among themselves (particularly men folk) and again, I stop till they have quieted.  It may even occur that the parents will gather at the back of the venue to drink that can become a real distraction, so again I would stop and patiently wait till they stopped talking and drinking. Most times words to them are un-necessary.

Some performers draw an imaginary line or place a ribbon on the floor with instructions not to cross that line during the show unless invited to by the magician.  Fortunately, as a children’s entertainer you will have the best intentions of doing a good, enjoyable show, so keep the kids on your side.

Never confront or ridicule a child who is misbehaving, as stern words never help and if a parent is present will not endear you to them either. Always be in control and remain friendly.

If you have a sound system then use it, even in a home situation. Being heard properly gives you even more control especially over children. Remember the deaf person in the back row must be able to hear you.
Above all be a happy performer and be friendly towards the young audience after all entertainment is the name of the game. I also strongly endorse Donovan Powell’s fine article on Children’s magic last month. ‘Love Children’.
David J.

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THE BEAD POODLE  –  A Nice Give-Away
David John O’Connor

The little bead poodle dogs made from Christmas strings of coloured beads have become a great little give away for strolling and restaurant magicians around the world. These strings of beads are primarily used to drape and decorate Christmas trees and appear in stores like K-Mart & dollar stores when Christmas decorations begin to appear on their shelves. Get in early to stock up, as they soon disappear till the following year. They sell for around $3 to $4 a pack.

To make your bead poodle dog it takes a string of 16 beads and the twisting to form the dog is based upon the same handling used to make the basic balloon dog model made by balloon artists.

Hold the 16 string between the fingers and thumbs of both hands then release the right hand side.
The first 4 beads at the other end are then twisted together to form the head. The next bead, 5 becomes the neck.  Beads 6 -7 – 8 – 9 are laid together side by side then twisted together to form the front legs. Bead 10 becomes the dog’s body. Take beads 11-12-13-14 and lay them side by side twist together to form the back legs. Beads 15 and 16 become the tail.

It usually takes 2 twists at each joint to form the poodle.  More twists may cause the strings to break.
Having performed a little close up magic especially where you have used a volunteer, make them a bead poodle as a memento to take home. Little girls love them, as do the ladies and you will receive many oohs and aahs, and they will remember you. I always leave a bead poodle at any restaurant or coffee shop I frequent too and the waitress will always remember this little gesture. Kids will love you when they get one.
While making the bead poodle I usually say, “This little dog you don’t have to feed, don’t have to take him to the vet, never have to take him for a walk and the best thing of all, is you don’t have to scoop poop”.

(A picture tutorial on Wiki-How http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Dog-out-of-Mardi-Gras-Beads)

 

TRICKS WITHOUT NAMES –  Another Mathemagical Medley of Semi-Automatic Tricks  –   Werner Miller

Trick #5

Have the deck secretly stacked as shown in Fig. 1.

When performing, false cut/shuffle the deck, then deal the top six cards singly and alternately into two piles, place the left-hand pile on top of the right-hand pile and square. Remove the top card of the combined packet, table it unviewed, take away the top card of the deck and place it – also unviewed – on your packet so that there are still six cards.

Deal the cards of your packet back and forth again, put the left-hand pile on top of the right-hand-pile, and square. Place the top card of the combined packet on the table as you did before.. it goes to the right of the first tabled card and top up the packet by placing on the next card from the deck. Continue this way until you have a row of six tabled cards and you are still holding a 6-card packet. Deal the cards of your packet straight into another row just below the first one, from left to right, and discard the rest of the deck. Turn the tabled cards face up: Each row contains only cards of the same suit, and the values in each row are Ace to Six in numerical order. (Fig. 2)

 Assemble the cards of each row separately from left to right (A on 2, both on 3, etc.), then place one 6-card packet on the other, and turn the combined packet face down.

Ask the spectator to give the cards a few complete cuts, and finally to remove the top card as his/her selection.

Pick up the remainder of the packet, and mix these eleven cards by executing a Monge Shuffle (Fig. 3):

Hold the packet face down in the left hand and use the thumb to push off the top card into the right. Now, with the left thumb, push off the next card so that it goes on top of the first one. The left thumb then pushes off a third card, but this is taken on the bottom of the right’s packet. The fourth goes to the top, the fifth to the bottom and so on, alternately placing the left hand’s cards above and below the right’s. The value-matching card of the spectator?s selection ends up third from the top down.

Ask the spectator to tell you the name of the selection, but stress that the spectator is free to lie; he/she can name any Spade or Heart, even one of the missing values Seven to King. No matter what answer you get, spell the full name of this card the same way as in Trick #1, i.e., for each letter deal out a single card into a new pile, and after each word place all the remaining cards together on top of the dealt cards.
Turn over the final top card ? it tells you the whole story: the actual name of the chosen card (its value matches automatically the spectator?s selection, but the card is of the other suit) and whether the spectator lied or answered truthfully.

Note. The first phase of this routine can be used to produce suit-matching pairs as well. Let?s assume you need the four Aces and the four Kings, both in the same suit order. In this case start with the cards stacked as shown in Fig. 4, deal the top four cards back and forth, place the left pair on the right pair, replace the top card with the deck?s top card, etc.

For more (and more elaborate) math-based magic by Werner Miller visit
http://www.lybrary.com/werner-miller-m-7881.html

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Newspaper Magic –  A Classic PDF
Gene Anderson and Frances Marshall

Magicians are always looking for ‘acts’.. For whatever reasons, they doubt their creativity. In recent years there’s been both an influx of shows and performers who utilize a variety of off-beat topics to entertain their audiences. There’s science shows, math shows, magic shows, hand shadow shows, and the list goes on and on. Add Newspaper Magic to that list please…

“Extra! Extra! .. An act done entirely with newspapers – is unique and novel, and it never fails to be well received by an audience. Its only draw-back of requiring a moderate amount of preparation is offset by the fact that this preparation can be completed several days before the actual performance if desired. No further set-up is required, and if several props are ‘loaded’ before arrival at the place of performance, the performer can walk right in, sit at the head table, and be introduced form there to do his act. The newspaper act can also be broken into several very logical segments for use as emcee bits or running gags, and naturally the individual effects can be blended into standard magic acts.”

I love off-beat books.. particularly those with 50’s era drawings and illustrations. This 160 page PDF includes tons of ‘stuff’ for the nimble-fingered performer who wants a little something different for their audience. You’ll find all types of hats, gaffed books, magic tricks, and the classic Anderson Torn and Restored Newspaper. As mentioned in the intro above, you could easily create an entire show from the effects in this ebook. Children’s shows, library shows, after-school shows, nursing home shows, and variations of magic shows are all possibilities.. (Thanks to Michael Lyth for researching this resource for Roadshow readers…)

http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/newspaper-magic-ranjan-de.pdf

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Ideas for Magic with Paper  –  A Resource page
by Jeff Lindsay

Look for plans to build ‘The Stunning Dragon Illusion’, as well as ‘The Sheet From the Fifth Dimension’ .

Be sure to check out some of the links at the bottom of the page, including the paper airplane site mentioned below..

http://www.jefflindsay.com/PaperMagic.shtml

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Build The BEST Paper Airplane in the World  –  Simple, Detailed Instructions

Yes, we’ve all made ’em.. It was exciting to have some new kid show you a paper plane that could fly half-way across the room. I remember the first time I saw a paper airplane with a paper clip on the nose. Now that sucker could fly!. It was a simple innovation, but indubitably – a staggering revelation to my young mind.

http://www.zurqui.com/crinfocus/paper/airplane.html

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10 Amazing Paper Tricks  –   Video Tutorial

If you like paper tricks and magic you’ll like this compilation of ten videos by ‘brusspup’.. Separate url’s include the templates for several of the tricks. .

#1 Impossible paper
Template: http://imgur.com/RVofGgw

#2 Perpetual Spinner
Template: http://imgur.com/FMnJ1v0

#3 Walk Thru Paper
Template: http://imgur.com/9ODGLfR

#4 Annoying Noise Maker

#5 Ruler Breaker

#6 Möbius strip

#7 Impossible Fold

#8 Blooming Flower
Template: http://imgur.com/638zNAp

#9 Paper Popper

#10 Super Paper Strength
Template: http://imgur.com/WQbwbyI

https://youtu.be/MZxtgUoGzMQ

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Unique Shuffle With A Common Magic Prop..
Xavier Perret

Xavier uses a common magic prop to get a very unexpected result with a shuffle. Chances are you have the prop. Chances are you seldom use it.. but you should. You can do this shuffle.. Note my new web address for the Magic Roadshow blog.

http://magicians.website/

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Dual Magic Squares Effect..

If you like magic squares as much as I, you’ll be entranced by Dual Magic Squares. Although not original to Mark Farrar, he does a fine job of explaining the effect and demonstrating the method. This is NOT about two magic squares. It’s about one magic square that, when turned UPSIDE DOWN, continues to read the same number in every direction as when it’s right-side up.

“The inspiration for this came from looking at an intriguing magic square in ‘The Complete Mike Rogers’ published by Magic Inc in 1975. This Reversible Magic Square is on page 24 and is credited to Royal Vale Heath who wrote the book ‘Mathemagic’. The square is unusual in that it can be turned upside down and it reads exactly the same and totals 264.”

With the images displayed, you should have no problem creating a dual magic square. Thanks to Michael Lyth for the link.. !

http://www.markfarrar.co.uk/chris-wardles-dual-magic-square.htm

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Amazing Jumping Card Trick  –  Video Tutorial

Thanks to 52Kards for the tutorial. Imagine dealing a card from the deck to the table. Imagine that card strangely jumping back on to the deck as if connected to a rubber band.. which it’s not. Actually, the card is totally unconnected to anything, except the hand of a skilled magician.

There’s no doubt you’ll need to practice to get your ‘aim’ right. But the look on the faces of the masses will be more than worth it. The title is a little misleading, as this is not actually a ‘trick’… it is a method, and one you’ll use over and over…

http://www.etricks.info/

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Magic Lesson 19 – Finger Illusion Lesson:

The bending finger illusion is a great example of the saying ?less is more?. Sometimes just a glimpse of something is stronger than a longer look. There can be many reasons for this but the one that is critical today is that you will likely be caught out on the method to this if you do it longer than is required.

This same reason applies to large illusions used in stage magic shows as it does to compact illusions like this finger illusion. When you watch a the flashy stage illusions there is a reason why they are flashy and fast moving; it detracts from the method becoming obvious.

http://magictricksforkids.org/magic-lessons/magic-lesson-19-finger-illusion/

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Magic Tricks and Tips  – 113 After Dinner Tricks
Will L. Lindhorst

The accomplishments of such men as Hermann, Kellar, Thurston and Houdini have been a constant inspiration to me and I have endeavored in the following pages to present clear and simple descriptions of the methods, not hereto­fore disclosed, by which some of the most popular and puzzling illusions are performed.

The practice of after-dinner tricks makes for popularity, and one whose ability in this respect becomes known is assured of many invitations to social gatherings. Its value lies not only in entertainment, however, for the develop­ment of proficiency in the performance of illusions means also the development of poise, confidence, and the coordi­nation of thought and action. ( Thanks to Michael Lyth for the link..)

http://www.magictricktips.com/magictricktips01.php

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The Best (and Worst) Ways of Shuffling Cards  – Video

Numberphile, otherwise known to us as Persi Diaconis, details the how’s and why’s of shuffling cards. Aside from the obvious reasons, Persi discusses the best, and worst, methods to shuffle a deck of cards. Does the Hindu or overhand shuffles suffice? How about the riffle shuffle – and how many riffles are requires to properly shuffle a deck? And did you know that one of the most popular of shuffles requires 10,000 shuffles to accomplish what another achieves with 7 ??

I probably wouldn’t pay these stats much attention, if it weren’t for the presenter, Persi Diaconis. Known throughout the world as a brilliant mathematician and highly skilled magician, Persi authored scientific papers, preceded by years of dedicated work, to support his findings.

https://youtu.be/AxJubaijQbI

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Persi Diaconis – Math, Magic, Deception & Probability  –  A Radio Interview

Robert Pollie’s ‘7th Avenue Project’ weekly radio show, seriously seeks the unusual, intelligent, and curious interviews on virtually any science or art. Persi’s interview definite meets all the criteria. Subjects include:
– His friendships with other magicians, including Ricky Jay, Randi, and Dai Vernon

– Some surprisingly profound mathematical card tricks
– Why science needs statisticians
– Duping others and being duped himself
– Why he’s so secretive

Believe me, this is time well spent. You can click the arrow on the picture and listen to the interview without downloading.

http://7thavenueproject.com/post/92353298895/persi-diaconis-magic-mathematics

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Magic Clip Art –  Free Clipart, Animated Gifs and Graphics

Don’t need to sign up or log in to access clipart. You can download the UBB code for posting in forums and profiles, the HTML code for posting in a website, or the direct url code. Also, you can simply right click the images and ‘save as’ to wherever you normally keep your images. Thanks to Michael Lyth

http://www.picgifs.com/search/?q=magic+tricks&c=all

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Magic Tricks Camel Cigarettes –  Retro Advertisements & Magic
Nice selection of advertisements from Camel cigarettes’…  “It’s Fun to Be Fooled” ad series.

This was Camel cigarette campaign that revealed a magician’s ‘secret’ in a full page advertisement. No, the Roadshow is not advocating smoking.. we are simply looking back at a nicely drawn set of ads designed to entice new smokers and to persuade smokers of Lucky Strikes to switch to Camels. R.J. Reynolds implied the Lucky Strike ads fooled consumers with illusions, and their goal was to ‘expose’ the illusions.

The Federal Trade Commission eventually contested the ads and declared them “inaccurate, false, and misleading..”

https://www.flickr.com/photos/crossettlibrary/sets/72157625904572640/

You can also Google  –  It’s fun to be fooled camel cigarette ads  – and see even more ads from this era..   Thanks to Michael Lyth for the flickr link…

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Impossible Nail Thru Wood Trick  –  An Illusion.

It doesn’t hurt to get away from purely magical stuff every now and again. This is a nice project for that weekend when you don’t have a show..

http://magicians.website/

Watch on Youtube…
https://youtu.be/fEATei2wewY

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Mystery Cube-in-a-Cube Puzzle Woodworking Project

There has been some discussion among Roadshow readers about woodworking projects that would be of interest to magicians. Although this is not ‘magic’.. it IS magical.. in its own way.

http://etricks.info/

Watch on Youtube..
https://youtu.be/TfV_APBk16Q

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The Business of Stage Hypnotism
The Secrets Of A Full Time Stage Hypnotist

Andre Grove started as a magician and wanted to be the next David Copperfield until he saw a stage hypnotist and his performing career changed forever.

-It is so important that you every show as happy as your audience.
-Learning to let go of marketing and hand it over to a professional.
-The day to day work schedule of life on the road when touring.
-Dealing with theatre owners and local council regulations.
-Understanding the attendance habits of theatre patrons.
-Listening to your audience?s conversations after the show.

http://www.magicianbusiness.com/mb-45-the-business-of-stage-hypnotism-with-andre-grove/

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The Most Important MagicianBusiness Podcast Ever ! (According to Ken and Julian)

OK, if Ken and Julian are willing to go out on a limb and call this ‘Our most important podcast ever..’, then maybe we should sit up and take notice.. considering the high level of past podcasts. To quote from their site..

“Every year an opportunity arises to take your magic business to the next level. Successful corporate entertainer Barry Friedman shares tips , practical booking strategies and life changing insights from his Show Biz Blueprint course in this candid chat with Julian Mather and Ken Kelly.”

– How to use your current network before paying for advertising
– How to increase your telephone conversions with this simple mindset change
– What type of entertainers benefit most from Barry’s showbiz blueprint?
– Do you have to be a professional entertainer to benefit from Barry’s course?
– Hear how showbiz blueprint changed Julian Mather?s career.

http://www.magicianbusiness.com/showbiz-blueprint-barry-friedman/

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Hidden Answers –   Mathematical Magic
Gérard P. Michon, Ph.D.

Everyone knows of my fondness for a good mathemagic effect. Dr. Michon has put together a nice little site with a number of well-known and not so known effects based on mathematics. Many of these effects can well represent magic when presented properly. All it takes is a little fore-thought and practice. Effects include:

-Multiples of Nine:  A secret symbol is revealed.
-Casting Out Nines:  A missing digit is revealed.
-Triple threat  mind reading.
-Mass media mentalism  by  David Copperfield  (1992).
-Fitch Cheney’s 5-card trick:  4 cards tell the fifth one.
-Generalizing the 5-card trick and  Devil’s Poker…
-Clubs Hearts Spades Diamonds
-Kruskal’s Count.
-Paths to God.
-Stacked Deck.
-Enigma Card Trick.
-Magic Age Cards.

http://www.numericana.com/answer/magic.htm

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MAGIC NEWS.org

You can get your magic fix on Magic News every week. Don’t wait a month for the next Roadshow. Instead, go to Magic News for the latest, along with the more interesting going-ons in the world of magic. Honestly, no other site publishes the breadth of magic related stories and videos as Magic News.  http://magicnews.org/

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Never Miss Another Radio Show Again.. Listen and Record Any Show From Any Where – Free

Until you have the freedom to record ANY radio show in the country, you have no way of knowing exactly what you’re missing.  Anything, from anywhere in the country, can be recorded once.. or daily. Political comment. Sports Talk from any city. Ambient, Country, Rock, Progressive, Blues, Jazz… you name it.

Record it and listen whenever convenient. (I use the paid version of DAR every week to record a couple of blues shows from Louisiana and Texas, as well as a daily local sports talk show that comes on in the middle of the afternoon when I’m usually too busy to listen.)

Check it out FREE   –  http://dar.fm/new/9100625178

 ~ Two of My Favorites From the Archives.. ~

The Prediction of a Random Number Based Upon Your Date of Birth

Secretly write the number 4028 on a slip of paper. Fold it and hand to someone for safe keeping. This you explain is your forecast of an event with numbers that hasn?t yet occurred.

You now invite a student to write down their date of birth.

Now have them write down a significant year in their life below this.

Ask them to calculate how many years have elapsed since that significant year.

Finally have them write down the age they are this year below the other numbers.

Now get them to add up all the numbers like an addition.

EXAMPLE

Date of birth 1964
Significant year 1981
Number of years passed since that year 34
That persons age as of Jan 1st  this year 50
Now have that spectator add up the numbers.

1964
1981
34
50
——-
4029

Have your forecast read out and of course it?s the same number 4029 that you knew in advance despite not knowing the persons date of birth or the significant year they chose.

NOTE. When you instruct them to calculate how many years have passed, it is taken from their significant year to 2015 that is:

2015
-1981
=  34

Place a little emphasis in that you could not possibly know what years they would think of.

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Drawing the Mirth-Mobile, Wayne’s World AMC Pacer –  A Three Minute Video

Here is the Mirth-Mobile, a sky blue AMC Pacer with flames above the tires owned by Garth in the 1992 comedy Wayne’s World, drawn by the amazing Marcello Barenghi.. You must watch the video to the end to get the full effect of Marcello’s Magic.

https://youtu.be/4ioAmGDtzHc

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A Little Video Treat –  Video

Thanks to Elaine.. for this nice little entertaining video…

http://www.buick.com/surprise

 ~ The Other Corner.. ~
Take a deep breath, and hold it for a moment. Now exhale it. Where did it go? That single breath of air contains at least three nitrogen atoms that were inhaled by every person who has ever lived, including Leonardo da Vinci, Winston Churchill, Jesus and Ghandi. The dinosaurs actually breathed some of the same atoms that you took into your body. The air that you just exhaled will circle the globe in the next twelve months, and everyone will breathe at least two or three of those atoms. That scientific fact dramatizes the connectedness between each of us. Just as we all share our chemistry with other members of the human family, so we are all interdependent..  TheEncouragingWord.org
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Here’s a link where you can download a variety of free ebooks, including Erdnase’ Expert At The Card Table… If you are not a subscriber, you can sign up HERE.. https://magicroadshow.com/

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That does it for this issue. I hope you found something to help your magic studies along. Remember, if you have something you would like to share with the magic community, send it to:  Rick@MagicRoadshow.com

“Vive Tus Sueños – Live Your Dreams “

Rick Carruth / Editor

Senior Professor – Camelard College of Conjuring of Chemmis, Egypt
“Magic’s Only Worldwide Honor Society”
http://www.camelardcollege.org/

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