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Author: Rick Carruth

Magic Roadshow #154

Magic Roadshow #154

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MAGIC ROADSHOW  #154

May, 2014 

Hello Friends..

Yes, it’s yet another issue of the wildly popular Magic Roadshow.. the largest newsletter in the world, or Spartanburg SC, whichever sounds more plausable. If you’re new, we welcome you to our community of performers, semi-performers, and performers-in-training. We love ’em all…

Global warming continues its march across the South.. or not – depending on whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat. The Braves can’t win a game.. except against lowly Chicago. My fellow Gamecock, Jadeveon Clowney, came to THE USC as #1.. and leaves as #1. And the rest of the world prepares for the World Cup in less than a month.. I hope Mexico wins, because that’s the only way we see a celebration in the USA.  

I hope this issue finds you guys well. Summer is creeping upon us, the pollen season is tormenting those of us with allergies, yours truly included.. and I STILL can’t get the dang lawn mower on point. Just got back from Costco where I’m considering a pressure washer.. It will be number Three. I’ve only had two big ticket items stolen in my adult life; pressure washer’s One and Two. It looks like I’d learn I’m not intended to have a pressure washer…  

OK.. now that we’ve got politics, sports, and lawn care out of the way, we can concentrate on something REALLY important, like MAGIC. 

As for JOKERS.. my inquiry garnered a bevy of common uses, such as leaving them in a packeted deck to have an excuse to thumb through the deck in case a key card needs to be culled and/or spotted. Others leave them in the pack to spot the bottom card. Some believe that leaving the Jokers in a deck make the deck appear new and ungaffed. A couple of you have specific effects that require a Joker(s), and a couple more save the Jokers for use with packet tricks or simply for the art work. 

One crafty reader uses them behind door hinges for door shims and to mix putty, epoxy, and paint. And another sails them through the air as his cat fetches them. 

Regardless of your uses.. I THANK YOU for taking the time to let me know what YOU do with your Jokers. Keep in mind that I use Jokers for short cards, as my first two effects in this issue utilize short cards. Having a short card Joker gives you access to one at a moments notice, and allows you to set them aside before any effect where a short card is not needed or may possibly be noticed.   

Comments and Questions … EMAIL ME   ([email protected])

PDF Version…  Roadshow 154

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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  • – A Useful Number Trick Revisited   –  Card Effect
  • – Speaking of Short Cards – Another Effect
  • – Super Easy Mentalism Effect That’s Actually a Mathematical Principle
  • – A Very Special Request..
  • – Easy & Not So Easy Card Tricks – video tutorials
  • – Card Magic Minute 17 – The Invisible Pass
  • – Free 90 Minute Video..
  • – Machine Color Changing Deck: Instant Reset
  • – How to Conceal Cards – Five Counts – Disguising Cards
  • – Bottom Deal by Xavier Perret – Tutorial
  • – Magic Proposal Card Trick – Video Tutorial
  • – The Easiest Card Trick Ever – Video Tutorial
  • – In The Hands Riffle Card Shuffle Tutorial – Video Tutorial
  • – Coin Trick Zone – Coin Magic Tutorials
  • – James Randi – Secrets of the Psychics Documentary (Full) 
  • – James Randi: Scientists Fooled by a Match Box Trick
  • – Kris Sheppard’s PerformerCast – Interviews
  • – Triple Impact – Three New Effects in One Ebook
  • – Google Helpouts.. A Great Tool for Magicians ??
  • – Creative Method to Limit Cell Phone Use During Performance..
  • – Thousands Have Shot Good Looking Video With a Smart Phone – Why Not You?
  • – The Business of Magic To Market – Podcast
  • – One Task and Three Questions for Smart Magicians..
  • – Another Kind of Magic –  Mna Na Heireann (video)
  • – Jab Jab Jab Right Hook – A free Chapter
  • – Free eBooks For Subscribers….

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“All men are equal.. but some are more equal than others..” Unk.

“Writing is the part of surgery where you’re just cutting open a dude. Editing is the part where you need to know what you’re doing once you’ve got a fistful of spleen.” Chuck Wendig

 

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A Useful Number Trick Revisited   –  Card Effect

Rick Carruth

This was originally published in the Roadshow about three years ago. I have re-edited it and made it somewhat more feasible.  Since you have your short card in-hand, might as well try this one… 

Before I begin let me say this… I have an extreme fondness for short cards. 

Some very good magicians trim the corner. Personally, I trim the entire short end of the card. This requires me to riffle the top end of the deck when tracking the short card, but I virtually never miss. 

And while I’m on the subject, I always carry a deck with a short card in it.. I don’t hesitate to use a deck with one short card to perform any and all effects that are a part of my routine. Although I may not use it, I don’t have to switch decks to bring it into an effect.           

Begin with the short card on the bottom of the face down deck. Hand Caleb the deck and ask him to fan the deck and pick out a card at random. 

Have Caleb lay the card to one side and close the deck. 

Turn your back and ask Caleb to mentally pick any number from 5 to 45. Tell him that if he chose the number 20, for example, he is to deal 19 cards quietly onto the table, pick up his chosen card, look at and memorize it,  place it on the deck, and return the 19 cards to the deck on top of the chosen card. Remind him that his chosen card is now at his chosen number…  

Turn around and ask Caleb to lay the deck on the table. Now, ask him to single cut the deck. Ask him to cut it again and then one last time.. returning it to the table. 

At this point, his card really is lost in the deck. 

“How many times did you cut it”?   “Three..”

Tell Caleb you’re going to cut it three more times to make it doubly complicated, as you riffle the end of the deck and cut it three times. You should easily find the short card on the first or second cut. Allow your third cut to bring it back to the bottom of the deck. 

At this point, HIS SELECTED CARD IS IN THE SAME LOCATION IN THE DECK AS WHEN YOU BEGAN, since the short card is again on the bottom to the deck. Yes, you could riffle the deck from the bottom to the top and that would put the short card on the top.. but the riffling won’t look right. Just thumb-riffle from top card to bottom, feeling for the short card.

Say.. “Caleb.. do you think you and I are slick enough to cut your card to the top of the deck.?”, as you slowly take the top card off the top and turn it for him to see. He’ll tell you you’re wrong. You’ll drop the card back on top… 

“Well, evidently we aren’t slick enough to cut it to the top. But what if we were good enough to cut it back to it’s ORIGINAL location in the deck.” 

Remind Caleb of the handling to this point…

You can ask Caleb his chosen number, since you had your back turned when he placed it in the deck. Deal down to his chosen number, or let Caleb deal to it, and the two of you WILL find his selected card has returned to his selected number… much more difficult, and requiring much more control, than simply bringing it to the top… ( yeah right ) 

Exactly HOW to do the reveal is left up to you and your style of magic. We all know the cuts don’t change the position of the cards in relation to one another. The short card easily enables you to get back to the original location with a simple riffle of the cards.  

Yes, this is ‘short card 101’..  but the effect is dependent on how YOU sell it and how complicated and complex YOU make it seem.   And yes, it’s a very good reason to hold on to a Joker or two. By shorting the Joker, you can leave it in the deck any time you need a short card, and you can remove it from the deck before any trick begins if the short card isn’t needed.

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  Speaking of Short Cards – Another Effect

First, a tip of the hat to Edward Victor and Jinx, where I discovered this effect several years ago. It’s a classic short card effect, but with a very nice twist. 

Instead of putting the short card (Joker in my case) on the bottom, put it seventh from the bottom. The Joker is still your Key Card. It goes without saying you can use ANY short card  for this effect. As I mentioned in the effect above, having a Joker for your short card lets you take it in and out of play at will… 

Slowly spread the deck from front to back, having the spectator fairly select any card. In the event you let him get beyond the seventh card from the bottom, your short card is now sixth from bottom. After he memorizes the card, ask the spectator to pick a number out loud.. preferably not too deep in the deck, for time considerations. Ask him to deal down to his number and place his selected card at that number.. not one beyond. While he’s doing so.. take a card/note and write a prediction. Your prediction is SIX numbers beyond the spectators number. 

Now, cut the deck several times, let the spec cut it a couple of times, and cut it again yourself a time or two to bring the short card to the bottom. With the short card on the bottom, the specs card is now Six numbers deeper in the deck than when the spectator placed it at his chosen number. ( It’s six numbers deeper because the seventh card, the short card, is still on the bottom and not the top. If you are one of those who riffles from bottom to top then the short card should be on top at this point and the selected card is seven below the chosen number)

At this point, after proper patter, you can reveal your prediction – and then show the selected card to be at that location in the deck. Oh whatta technician! You can make a card you don’t know the value of appear at a position in the deck you predicted in advance. This is one of those effects that’s actually very simple to perform, and with the proper build-up, is a virtual ‘Any Card At Any Number’ type effect.       

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Super Easy Mentalism Effect That’s Actually a Mathematical Principle

 

For those of you new to mentalism, or those of you looking for a quick trick that can be performed at a moments notice.. here you go. This effect has been around for some time, but as editor of the Roadshow I’ve discovered that what seems like an old effect to one magician.. is a revelation for another. For instance, I ran across a unique method of forcing recently, using a gaffed card. I wanted to write a feature on this method. During the research phase, I casually showed it to a friend, who said..” Oh yeah.. So and So makes those and sells them online”. Looking online, I not only discovered the gaffed card, but also learned the gaff is a fairly well known item, created over twenty years ago and well known to everyone.. except me. Story times over… 

 A Special Thanks to Jim Canaday, who correctly identified this as‘Miraskill‘, published by Stewart James in Jinx, issue 24. For good measure, here is the link to issue #24 of Jinx, which I found hiding on my desktop, buried deep in a folder, in yet another folder.    https://www.dropbox.com/s/snyut4ckzfnbaws/Issue_24.pdf

Take a piece of paper and write a prediction. Write.. “You will have two more Red cards than Black cards”. Fold it up and give it to your spectator to put in his pocket. 

“Please take this deck and shuffle it thoroughly.” 

Once done, ask for the deck and show the spectator what you want him to do. Remove the top two cards, look at them, and if they are both Red, sit them in their own pile. If they are Black, place them in what will become the Black pile. And if they are one Red and one Black, place them in a third pile. Let him know he will need to go through the entire deck, two at a time, and place them in the proper pile.  

“Go ahead, shuffle the cards again and begin separating them as described. Remember, two at a time, into the appropriate pile”.

When the deck has been exhaused, ask the spec to count all the cards in the Red stack and all the cards in the Black stack. Ignore the Red and Black stack. After the spectator tells you his totals, ask him to look at your prediction. You predicted he will have.. “two more Red cards than Black cards”. You are absolutely right.. 

Why this trick works… Because it involves a mathematical principle.. and because you secretly removed two Black cards from the deck before the trick began. If you had removed to Red cards instead, you would have two more Blacks than Reds. If you had removed four Blacks or Reds then your totals would have been off by four. Try it for yourself.. it works every time…  

You can’t build a show around these three effects. But you CAN put them in your repertoire and bring them out when you are sitting at a table with a couple of folks who want to see you ‘do something’. How hard is it to carry a short card in a deck, particularly if it’s one of the Jokers?. How hard is it to secretly place the Joker seventh from bottom, or remove two black cards from the deck? You don’t even need pen and paper for the above trick… Just give the specs your prediction aloud. It’s amazing how much better these three little effects become when they’re retold…     

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A Very Special Request ..

One of my UK friends, Les Khan, has undertook quite the challenge. He is producing learning resources to assist those who have never achieved the level of math skills of the general populace. Les uses magic tricks, mathemagical effects, and logic puzzles to make learning interesting for his students… 

“I try and use simple ‘magic’ tricks to engage adults and youngsters in maths to improve their skills. In the UK we have a problem with around 50% of adults who struggle with maths and this figure is reflected in post 16 school leavers who also attain poor results. As a consequence I have ‘specialised’ in adult numeracy by using interlinked kinaesthetic strategies to overcome these barriers to learning in an effort to raise numeracy standards in the UK. (You can visit my modest website:Anacapaacademy.co.uk to get a flavour of what I am trying to achieve). 

Consequently I have been contacted by National Numeracy and Union Learn here in the UK who have the same aims and aspirations as myself.  I am always looking to utilise simple maths tricks to engage learners which due to their entertainment value I find invaluable. 

I am currently about to produce my first numeracy learning resource which hopefully should be published nationally early next year.” 

Our request of you is this – We are sure many of you have magic related puzzles and tricks you have used through the years, and we would like for you to share them with us. One of the typical ‘tricks’ Les uses is the 1089 trick.. to give you an example. The tricks and puzzles cannot be too complicated, yet must be challenging enough for someone attempting to improve their skills. If you have a source or resource that can possibly assist Les with his challenge, please let me know. I will gladly serve as an intermediatery and put you in contact with Les. This is an EXTREMELY IMPORTANT endeavor.. one that could possibly have a positive influence on an entire country of students.     

[email protected]

This is an example of a problem Les shares with his students. You have to think outside the box to solve it….

A magician passes away but leaves 17 Rabbits to his three magician friends in his will. The rabbits must be divided on the basis of 1/2 to one friend, 1/3 to the another friend and 1/9 to his last magician friend. No harm must occur to any of the rabbits and they must all be shared as per the instructions. How can his will be fulfilled?

As you are aware you cannot obtain a half, a third or one ninth of 17 rabbits without cutting some up and which is not allowed. 

But if I loan you my pet rabbit we then have a total of 18 Rabbits.

Now divide these rabbits up as per the instructions;

One half of 18 = 9

One third of 18 = 6

One ninth of 18 = 2

I can hear you saying, Yes but you now have 18 rabbits not 17…….true! but if you now add together the value of one half (9), one third (6) and one ninth (2) you will find you have a total of 17 and that means that I can take back the rabbit that I lent to you, so you didn’t need my pet rabbit after all! You have managed to divide the 17 rabbits exactly as the instructions without any harm to the rabbits!

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Easy & Not So Easy Card Tricks – video tutorials

Aaron Fisher has produced several videos, totaling about 38 minutes, that detail all the following effects:

A Subtle Glimpse will show you a subtle, powerful way to read the mind of any spectator. A Glimpse can be an extremely powerful tool. 

The Overhand Shuffle Control is the most powerful, versatile control in card magic.

Learn how to perform the Overhand Shuffle with true purpose. 

The Dribble is one of the strongest selection methods in magic. It’s much more than a ‘flourish’..

Misdirection and Crossing the Cut. If you love easy card tricks, this is the video tutorial for you.  

How to Hold a Deck of Cards will show you just that – and even more, you’ll find out just how important this fundamental concept is to the performance of powerful card magic. 

The Graduate is presented here with a new surprise ending – it’s not one of Aaron’s easy card tricks, but it’s guaranteed to shock you! 

http://aaronfishermagic.com/easy-card-tricks/

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Card Magic Minute 17 – The Invisible Pass

Anything that makes a pass easier or less visible goes in my stack of favorite videos. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdkrtzIL1uE&feature=related

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Free 90 Minute Video..

You can also get a free 90 minute video full of card tricks and tips simply by giving Aaron your email address. Look for the sign-up box in the right nav bar of the above page… 

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Machine Color Changing Deck: Instant Reset

Aaron Fisher has produced a free video download of one of the best methods of utilizing a color changing deck. This was first released as ‘Machine’, and a download of this improved method is available to anyone free of charge. 

http://aaronfishermagic.com/machine-aaron-fisher-instant-reset/

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How to Conceal Cards – Five Counts – Disguising Cards

FernandoP1 Art Zone Productions

The Elmsley Count is undoubtly one of the most used moves in all of card magic. Concealing cards from your spectator is essential. In this video, one of his best ever in my opinion, Fernando teaches five other card counts, including the:

kiss count

rumba count

orion count

pt frustration count

These are very well performed.. and very nice to watch. I’m sure you’ll enjoy these..

http://youtu.be/TWAVgEfMG4w

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Bottom Deal by Xavier Perret – Tutorial

I get asked a lot of questions about gambling and gambling techniques. Unfortunately, I don’t have much to offer. Bottom deals are not my specialty. It’s all I can do to deal successfully off the top…  

pip bottom deal

two finger bottom deal

cover stud bottom deal

one handed pitch bottom deal

one handed stud bottom deal

the push-off technique

If you appreciate gambling sleights, there’s no doubt you’ll enjoy this… 

http://youtu.be/5QtMriwXAq4

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Magic Proposal Card Trick – Video Tutorial

Mismag822

This is a tutorial for Stuart Edge’s Magic Proposal Card Trick, which you can check out at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRA3qXuwjjI  . Stuart and Mismag822 are friends, and Mismag822 has permission to reveal the secrets behind Magic Proposal. 

Learn how to perform this card trick and make your own Brainwave deck..

http://youtu.be/gK5n0JN-hWs

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The Easiest Card Trick Ever – Video Tutorial

Mismag822

This is quite an impressive looking effect.. until you learn the secret. Then, it’s STILL an impressive looking effect.. This is one of those tricks that fools magicians, but probably won’t fool a six year old. I hope my buddies don’t watch this.. because I’ll have ’em scratching their heads come next meeting…

http://youtu.be/jzjhcfVvWRA

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In The Hands Riffle Card Shuffle Tutorial – Video Tutorial

I have big hands. That said.. I STILL have trouble performing a ‘In the hands riffle shuffle’. Sometimes it works, sometimes I’m on my knees gathering cards from the floor. This video makes it look easy. I think it’s all about the position of the fingers.. or maybe the skill of the handler. Definitely worth a couple of minutes of your time..

 

Watch Here

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Coin Trick Zone – Coin Magic Tutorials

My friends continue to amaze me. Bryce has created an entire site dedicated to coin magic. Video after video of coin tutorials for those of you who don’t think the sun rises and sets on card magic..  😉 

I know, I don’t publish enough magic related to coins.. but in all honesty, I’m not skilled enough in my coin magic to try to teach this classic form of manipulation. Thankfully, others are…

These are just a few of the many tutorials on the Coin Trick Zone…

  • How to Teleport a Coin Anywhere
  • How to Make a Coin go Through a Glass Cup
  • Make a Coin Go Through a Table
  • Disappearing Coin Trick
  • Coin Knuckle Rolling Trick

http://cointrickzone.com/

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James Randi – Secrets of the Psychics Documentary (Full) 54 minutes

James goes after Uri Geller, psychic healers, psychic readings, character readings, and other things related to psychic power.. This has been on TV a time or two, and I’ve seen it on Youtube at sometime in the past few months.. That said, it’s STILL an interesting watch. Learn the secrets psychics use to fool their marks and the effort folks like James Randi go to to put them out of business. 

http://youtu.be/2MFAvH8m8aI

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James Randi: Scientists Fooled by a Match Box Trick

While watching the Secrets of the Psychics I saw this video in the sidebar. It’s not new, but it’s a perfect example of how really simple tricks can, and do, fool really smart people. If you can open and close a matchbox.. you can do this. 

http://youtu.be/SbwWL5ezA4g

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Kris Sheppard’s PerformerCast – Interviews

I spent entirely too much time on this website. Not that I have a problem with that.. it’s just that I was in the middle of trying to put together this issue, and, whoosh… there goes a couple of hours. That’s what can easily happen when you visit Kris Sheppard’s fairly new site. To quote Ken…..

“The Successful Performercast is the show where I interview one full-time professional entertainer per week with the goal of inspiring and equipping those who are working to make the leap themselves. This is a show for all performers whether you’re a magician, a comedian, a juggler, or anything in between. You’ll hear and learn from the pros that are actually out there making a living doing what they love.”

001: Shawn McMaster—a Crazy Comedy Magician

002: Lindsay Benner—Juggles from the Heart

003: Scott Wells—Corporate Magician to the Energy Industry

004: Simon Coronel—Our Favorite Aussie Magician

005: George Tovar—Classics of Magic with a Twist

006: Kostya Kimlat—Business Magician

All podcast are 35 minutes to over an hour in length..

http://successfulperformercast.com/
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Triple Impact – Three New Effects in One Ebook

Paul Lelekis has just released TRIPLE IMPACT to the magic community, via Lybrary.com. As I mentioned in an earlier feature, gambling sleights are NOT my specialty. If you want gambling.. Paul’s the guy. If you want advanced card magic.. Paul’s ebooks are the key. 

This trio of effects features six different videos of Paul performing the sleights, each super-valuable for your total understanding of the sleights. These effects are not for the beginner. The sleights are for those of you who want to learn three world class effects, delicately explained and demonstrated by Paul.  

1) The Ultimate Gambling Demo – An 8-9 minute routine that demos the “shady side of gambling” teaching how seconds, bottoms and center deal are conducted.  Then a five person round is dealt (5 cards each) dealing the 4 Aces to the dealers hand.  The cards are assembled, shuffled and then another round is dealt…only this time his SHILL is dealt the Royal Flush in Spades!  I’ve been performing this routine for about 20 years now.

2) Inside-Out Aces – Based on classic routines by Nate Leipzig and Dr. Jacob Daley, but changed considerably by Paul.  The four Aces are shown and placed in the deck – the two black ones in the middle and the red Aces on the top and bottom of deck…like the seeds and skin of an apple.

With NO apparent moves, the red Aces are NOW on the inside and black ones on the outside!  This occurs a few more times…each time more inexplicable than the last!  Then the performer shows the Aces VERY SLOWLY to display their relative positions – reds on the outside and black on the inside!

Performer turns the deck, face down, and asks where the red Aces are (supposed to be on the outside…like the skin of an apple!)  When your deck is turned face up…the red Aces are STILL on the outside!  But when the bottom red Ace is spread over, beneath it are the two black Aces and then the other red Ace!  This is a very surprising moment!

3) Another Card to Wallet – This routine was sent to me by Scottish performer, Ronnie Wood, and is an excellent routine!  It has a number of phases!

Available as an instant download for $8.00

http://www.lybrary.com/triple-impact-p-472775.html?manufacturers_id=163788

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Google Helpouts.. A Great Tool for Magicians ??

Google has taken their incredibly popular Hangouts technology and wrapped it in a shell that opens a whole new service channel for small business owners and consultants, not to mention magicians, mentalists, and other performers. 

Back in November 2013, Google quietly rolled out Helpouts. This is a new marketplace to connect people who need help with those who can provide assistance, over live video. Think of it as Skype on steroids…

By visiting the Helpouts website or using the Android app, anyone can find an expert who covers the topic they need help with right away. Then, they either join a live immediate session or schedule a Helpout for a future date.

Google’s Helpout technology automatically connects into a private, one-on-one video session with a real-live expert who can help you. This is done much the same way as joining a videoconference using Google Hangouts.

There ARE magicians already on the site.. but only a couple. Maybe you can be one of the first to utilize this Google technology to your financial advantage. 

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/google-helpouts/

(A special ‘thanks’ to Social Media Examiner for the heads up..)

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Creative Method to Limit Cell Phone Use During Performance..

My Las Vegas buddy, John Kinde, provided this link to ImprovEverywhere.. If you’ve ever wished you had a surefire method of silencing cell phones during your performance.. here’s the ultimate.. ( and be sure to sign up for John’s Humor Power Tips newsletter while your there. )  

http://www.humorpower.com/blog/2014/04/creative-cell-phone-announcement/

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Thousands Have Shot Good Looking Video With a Smart Phone – Why Not You?

from Julian Mather.. 

Have you got a smart phone? Well even if you have, you’ll want to see what you can do with one of these! Here’s 5 super smart things you can do to make this act more like this and in turn you can quickly begin using online video to improving your chances of getting more bookings.

https://vimeo.com/92997237

And watch several other great videos in the same genre at:

http://www.magicianbusiness.com/video-youtube-magicians/

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The Business of Magic To Market – Podcast

Have you ever had an idea for a new trick and wondered how you would go about getting the ice out of your head and into the magic shops? Or have you ever felt you have something to share with other magicians and wondered how you would go about planning a lecture?

Trevor Duffy knows… and he will share it with you at:

http://www.magicianbusiness.com/trevor-duffy/

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One Task and Three Questions for Smart Magicians..

(1) Take from a pack of cards all the Aces, Kings, Queens and Jacks.  Arrange them in a 4 × 4 square so that every row, column and diagonal contains one card of each value (A,J,Q,K) and one card of each suit (Heart, Spade, Diamond, Club).

People smarter than myself tell me there are 72 different solutions. I’ve included a photo of one solution below.. along with the answers to the other three questions. 

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(2) Six magicians perform six tricks in six minutes. How many magicians will be necessary to perform sixty tricks in sixty minutes..  Hint: the answer is NOT sixty.

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(3) I was promised the opportunity to work as a magician at a birthday party only -if- I could show up at a certain address at 3PM on the correct day. When I asked the day, I was told ” If three days ago, yesterday was the day before Sunday, the birthday party will be tomorrow..” 

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(4) As a magician, I always like to ‘go big’. Instead of one hat and one rabbit, I use six rabbits and three hats. I have two white rabbits in one hat; two black rabbits in a second hat; and one white and one black rabbit in a third hat. If I randomly pull a white rabbit from a hat, what are the odds that the other rabbit in the hat will be white also? 

 — Answers—

(2) (Six magicians – The same six that perform six tricks in six minutes can each perform ten tricks in sixty minutes. 6 x 10 = 60 )

(3) (I showed up on Thursday and performed for a group of happy kids. Yesterday was the day before Sunday, so Saturday was yesterday. Sunday = Today. But, that was three days ago, so today is actually Wednesday. Tomorrow will be Thursday. ) 

(4) ( 2/3.. A white rabbit from the hat eliminates the hat with two black rabbits. The white rabbit either comes from the hat with one white and one black rabbit -or- the hat with two white rabbits. The two hats that contain white rabbits contain a total of three white and one black rabbit. By pulling one white rabbit from a hat, I now have two white and one back rabbit left in the hats. My odds are now two out of three, or 2/3, that the next rabbit will be white..)  

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Another Kind of Magic –  Mna Na Heireann (video)

Mna Na Heireann, (Women of Ireland..) as performed by three of my very favorite people: Guitar maestro Jeff Beck, Violinist personified Lizzie Ball, an Bassist extraordinaire Tal Wilkenfeld. I’ve been a big fan of Jeff Beck since I was a kid.. and a big fan of Tal since she was a kid. 

A special ‘Thanks’ to Tal for the video, courtesy of Crossroads Guitar Festival 2013.. This song captures the spirit and sound of Ireland to an absolute ‘T’.. I can listen to the haunting instruments as they fill Madison Square Garden three or four times a sitting. 

http://etricks.info

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Jab Jab Jab Right Hook – A free Chapter

One of my favorite ebooks at the moment is Gary Vaynerchuk’s JAB JAB JAB RIGHT HOOK. This is an excellent book on using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social medias to promote your website and yourself. If you are a working magician, this is for you. 

I found the entire section on marketing with Twitter on the web. This is almost one fourth of the entire book for free. After reading this you’ll know whether the rest of the book is something you’d be interested in…  This section alone is about 35 pages in length, and opens as a pdf when the link is clicked… there is nothing to download, but you’ll want to right click and save it..

JAB JAB JAB RIGHT HOOK  – Gary Vaynerchuk

“Information is cheap and plentiful; information wrapped in a story, however, is special. .Brands need to storytell around their content to make it enticing, not just put it out  for passive consumption like a boring platter of cubed cheese.”

http://garyvaynerchuk.com/jjjrh/assets/Twitter-chapter.pdf

To view on Amazon

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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..

http://www.facebook.com/magicroadshow

http://www.facebook.com/themagicnews

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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:  [email protected]

“May my next issue find you well..” 

  Rick Carruth / Editor 

 Senior Professor – Camelard College of Conjuring of Chemmis, Egypt 

“Magic’s Only Worldwide Honor Society”

http://www.camelardcollege.org/ 

Magic Roadshow #153

Magic Roadshow #153

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MAGIC ROADSHOW #153                                       

April, 2014

Welcome to the latest MAGIC ROADSHOW! If this is your first issue, I sincerely hope you find something that makes you glad you joined our diverse community of performers and hobbyists.  

This issue is running late, as I’m sure you can tell. With the work I’ve put into my Facebook pages, and particularly into MAGIC NEWS, which now has over 200 news related articles, putting this issue together has been a task… not in a bad way, but in a slow and slightly drawn-out way.

I’ve reached the point where I am not going to deliberately rush an issue just to meet a self-imposed deadline. Thankfully, some of you agree with me.. (smile)

 

 

 I want to thank you guys for the overwhelming response to my request for feedback. I received a number of ideas I’m definitely going to incorporate in one form or another. Look for specific questions regarding topics that will be addressed in future issues. Look also for an increased social presence. Although I’ve maintained pages on Facebook, for example, I’ve not separated my personal page from my Magic Roadshow and my Magic News pages.. till now.

I’m also going to improve the PDF version of the Roadshow, as evidently there are more of you who download it to read later than I realized. I’ve made arrangements to publish it in a Kindle frendly version with more features and an increased design element.

Probably the most rewarding aspect of my request was getting to meet so many of you. Some of you I’ve corresponded with in the past, and some of you I know personally.. but there was a large number of first-timers. Sending out hundreds of issues to addresses like cardshark@yazoo tells me little about you. Putting names with the addresses is extremely rewarding. 

Now.. for the ‘question of the month’… I want to know what you guys do with the Jokers in a new pack. Do you leave them in the deck? Discard them? Have a special use for them? Do you, like me, have a big stack of Jokers in the back bedroom, culled from hundreds of decks? I’ve included two effects in this issue that incorporate the Jokers.. Seriously, send me a short and sweet email with your answer..

    Questions and comments?  EMAIL ME

PDF Version… Roadshow 153

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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Table of Contents
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– Month of the Joker…
– The Joker Spelling Routine – effect
– You Can’t Do As I Do – effect
– The Encyclopedia of Card Tricks –  Free PDF Download
– Ricky Jay and the New Yorker..  an article revisted
– Ricky Jay and his 52 Assistants –  complete video
– Turning Tricks on the Street for Fun and Profit – Blog
– How To Tear And Restore Items!
– 10 YouTube Videos That Prove Science Is Magic
– Magic Trick Shirts and Other Magic Stuff..
– The Real Secrets of Card  Magic.. Jay Sankey
– Lives of the Conjurers – Free eBook
– Liquid Scarf by Jessica – Video
– Stand – Art Zone Productions
– VANISH  –  Latest issue is ready
– Substitute for Keepvid…
– Everything Illusions..  resource
– Six Ways to Escape from Handcuffs, Zip Ties & Duct Tape!
– Free eBooks For Subscribers….
“You can tell a lot about a person by the type of car they drive. For example, if they drive a taxi, they’re probably a cab driver.”  unk.

“It’s always somethin’. If it ain’t one thing, it’s another..”
Roseanne Roseannadanna
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Month of the Joker…

What do you think of spelling tricks? NO!.. Don’t leave. Not yet anyway. I am not big on spelling tricks. Something has to be very good to sway me into spending my time learning a spelling trick. While going through Hugard’s ‘The Encyclopedia of Card Tricks’, I decided to spend a ‘little’ time in the chapter on… you guessed it… spelling tricks. I figured if there’s one section of this classic that’s often overlooked or under-read, it would be this section. Near the end..(of course) I found this little ditty by Burling Hull.. It fit perfectly into what I had in store for this month. If you read the intro section, you’ve read my ‘special request’ for this issue. This effect will also tie in with what I have in store for next month. I have an original effect that I’m chomping at the bits to share with you guys. It too features the Joker… 

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What makes this effect different? The entertainment value.. You can make this effect as long or as short as you wish. You can get numerous laughs.. with the right patter. The situations are built in – you just have to use your noggin’. Lastly, the audience will not try to figure out how you did it. By the end of the effect the entertainment factor will be greater than the mystery factor. This is similar in a way to Bill Malone’s ‘Sam the Bellhop’ in that cards are repeatedly dealt off the top and the magic just ‘happens’.

This effect works Great with a deck switch. Appear to randomly deal off the necessary cards.. and.. voila! . It’s not necessary to master a diffucult sleight to pull off a deck switch. Something as simple as lapping one deck for the other works well. A little bit of distraction goes a long way.. If you’re not into switching decks, a number of false shuffles and cuts will suffice.. anything to preserve the position of the top 14 cards.

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The Joker Spelling Routine – Burling Hull

ARRANGE thirteen cards from top to bottom: 3, 5, Q, A, 10, 9, Joker, 2, 8, 7, J, 6, 4. Place a King on top of the rest of the pack.

Spell out ACE putting one card on the bottom for each letter, turn the A and discard it. ( Unless otherwise noted, discard each card AFTER it has been spelled)

Continue with the 2 and the 3 spelling TWO and THREE.  Hand the packet to the spectator to try it. He spells FOUR but turns up the JOKER.

Put the JOKER on the bottom and spell FOUR: the 4 turns up.

Spectator tries again FIVE and again gets the JOKER.

Put the JOKER on the bottom and spell FIVE: the 5 turns up.

Spectator tries SIX and gets the JOKER once more.

You place the JOKER on the bottom and spell SIX, which turns up.

Then say you can spell JOKER and get the correct card. Do so and the 7 turns up.

Continue with EIGHT turning up that card.

Spectator now tries NINE and gets the JOKER.

Put this on the bottom and let someone else try with the same results. This may be done several times.
Now put the JOKER on the top and tell a spectator to spell JOKER and maybe he’ll get the 9. He tries but again the JOKER shows up.

Replace this on top, and spell NINE: make a double lift and again show the JOKER. Look chagrined as you replace the card (really two), then, as a bright thought, remove the JOKER, really the 9, and put it in someone’s pocket.

Tell spectator to try once more as he certainly will not get the JOKER this time.

He spells NINE and the ubiquitous JOKER turns up. The card in the pocket turns out to be the elusive 9. Leave the JOKER on the top.

Spell TEN and JACK correctly.

Hand the remaining two cards to a spectator to spell QUEEN. As he does so pick up rest of the pack, (Not the discarded cards) on top of which is the KING. Meantime spectator has again got the JOKER.

Take the two cards, JOKER on top and spell QUEEN putting the card face down on the table.

Ask the spectator to turn it over. As they do so, top change the JOKER for the KING. Finally hand this to one of your victims telling him to spell JOKER. He passes it from hand to hand as he spells and then turns up… the King.  (This is where the spectator swoops the cards from the table, desperately looking for the JOKER. Tell him the JOKER was only a “fig newton of his imagination..”)

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Burling Hull (September 9, 1889 – November 1982) sometimes called “the Edison of magic”, was a very prolific and inventive magician. Known for his detailed publications on mentalism, (Sealed Mysteries, Mind Reading Acts, Crystal Gazing, and the three volumn ‘Encyclopedic Dictionary of Mentalism’), and sleight of hand, Hull is credited with inventing the Svengali deck, which he pantented in 1909. Hull claimed to have invented over 500 magical effects. What is known for sure is Hull published 52 books under his given name, Burling Hull, although he frequently performed under the stage names ‘Volta’, ‘The Man with the Radar Mind’, ‘Gideon Dayn’, and ‘The White Wizard’.. (based on his wearing a completely white suit) among others.  

Hull lived most of his life in Deland, Florida, where he served as a mentor and gave magic lessons for 80 years. Later in life Hull appeared at a number of conventions, teaching his techniques on publicity, marketing, and showmanship.

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You Can’t Do As I Do
U.F. Grant

Here’s another one from the ‘Encyclopedia of Card Tricks’. This is a very simple effect I’ve enjoyed performing for many years. I’m sure some of you perform it as well, but maybe there’s a few of you who will discover this quickie for the first time. Note that Grant’s effect uses a double faced card, and the handling is reversed. 

I’m including this effect because it’s been the primary reason I keep Jokers. Early on, someone suggested to me that by glueing two Jokers together I could create a quick and cleap double-backer. Shortly thereafter I ran across this trick and it seemed a perfect use for the gaffed Jokers. Since the gaff is always in my hands, and not the spectators, they never notice…

Begin by telling a spectator, Ben, that he can’t do as you do. Deal yourself five card and deal Ben five cards.. all face down. Your stack will include the double-backer.

Pick up your five, face down, and make sure the double-backer is the second card from the top. Have Ben pick up his five and hold them face down also.

“Ben, lets take our top card, flip it face up, and put it on the bottom of our packet.”

“Now, take the new top card (your double-backer), and put it on the bottom as is..”

“Take the new top card and flip it face up. Now, put it on the bottom also.”

“Lets take the new top card and put it on bottom as it is..”

“Ben, lets check our cards and see how you’ve done to this point.”

Fan your five as Ben fans his five. You will have, from left to right, cards face down, face up, face down(double backer), face up, and face down. Ben should have the same order of cards. You can congratulate him for being so astute to this point..

“Ben, close your packet up and listen closely. Take the top card, flip it face up, and lay it back on TOP. Now, slowly turn your whole packet over. Take the new top card, which is face up, and turn it over.”

Holding the packet as is.. slowly fan your packet open as Ben fans his open. You will have five face down cards. Ben will have four face down cards and the middle card of his packet will be face up.

After taking serious note of the fact Ben obviously didn’t follow my directions, Ben and I reset the packets, with Ben flipping his odd card face down and I take the top card of my packet and casually put it on the bottom. This brings the double-backer back to the second-from-top position, as it was in the middle.

We repeat the moves, same as above, very s-l-o-w-l-y .. and somehow achieve the same results. The patter at this point is your responsibility. It will get a laugh, no doubt, and you will frequently have a spectator insist you give them a third or fourth chance to get it right.. 

I have actually administered this trick to a couple of my contract drivers, in my ‘other’ job.. as an IQ test. You have to make sure they are good natured though… As with all effects, the right patter will make this effect either memorable .. or not. Devise a good story – give your effect a purpose, and Ben will remember this more so than some of your favorite effects.         
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The Encyclopedia of Card Tricks –  Free PDF Download

If you have not read ‘Encyclopedia of Card Tricks’, you can download this version, courtesy of Tarko the Great (David Blaine?)… Actually, no download is necessary.. opening the link opens the PDF.. and then you can save it.

http://umclidet.com/pdf/Jean.Hugard.-.Encyclopedia.of.Card.Tricks.pdf

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 Ricky Jay and the New Yorker..  article

With the recent release of ‘Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay’ on DVD and Ricky’s recent appearances on late night tv, there has been a very noticeable spike in interest for anything related to Ricky Jay. Although I could write volumns on Ricky and his career accomplishments, the New Yorker published the definitive work in April 1993. Although twenty years ago, writer Mark Singer captured the essence of Ricky Jay like no other writer, before or since. Here is a very small segment of the article…

“Though Jay first performed in public at the age of four, he rejects the notion that magic—
or, in any case, his mature style of magic—is suitable entertainment for children. Nor
does he apologize for his lack of susceptibility to the charms of children themselves. I
once drove with him from central Massachusetts to my home, near New York City. We
had to catch a plane together the next day, and I had invited him to spend the night in a
spare room, on a floor above and beyond earshot of my three sons. While acknowledging
that they were Ricky Jay fans, I promised him that they would all be in bed by the time
we arrived and off to school before he awoke the next morning. As it turned out, we had
no sooner entered the house than I heard one of my six-year-old twins announce “I think
Ricky’s here!” Before he could remove his coat, the three of them, all in their pajamas,
had him cornered in the kitchen. My eleven-year-old son handed him a deck of cards.
The other boys began parroting the monologue from one of his television appearances—
patter from a stunt in which he tosses a playing card like a boomerang and during its
return flight bisects it with a pair of giant scissors. Jay gave me the same look I imagine
he gave Mort, the unfortunate New Year’s Eve party guest. I immediately reached for the
phone directory and found the number of a nearby motel.”

“Just as resolutely as he avoids children, Jay declines opportunities to perform for other
magicians. This habit has earned him a reputation for aloofness, to which he pleads
guilty-with-an-explanation. According to Michael Weber, he has a particular aversion to
the “magic lumpen”—hoi polloi who congregate in magic clubs and at conventions,
where they unabashedly seek to expropriate each other’s secrets, meanwhile failing to
grasp the critical distinction between doing tricks and creating a sense of wonder.”

“One guy in a tuxedo producing doves can be magic, ten guys producing doves is a travesty.”

“Ricky won’t perform for magicians at magic shows, because they’re interested in
things,” Weber says. “They don’t get it. They won’t watch him and be inspired to make
magic of their own. They’ll be inspired to do that trick that belongs to Ricky. Magic is
not about someone else sharing the newest secret. Magic is about working hard to
discover a secret and making something out of it. You start with some small principle and
you build a theatrical presentation out of it. You do something that’s technically artistic
that creates a small drama.”

“There are two ways you can expand your knowledge— through books and by gaining the
confidence of fellow-magicians who will explain these things. Ricky to a large degree gets
his information from books—old books—and then when he performs for magicians they
want to know, ‘Where did that come from?’ And he’s appalled that they haven’t read this
stuff. So there’s this large body of magic lumpen who really don’t understand Ricky’s legacy
—his contribution to the art, his place in the art, his technical proficiency and creativity.
They think he’s an élitist and a snob.”

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1993/04/05/1993_04_05_054_TNY_CARDS_000362341?currentPage=all

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Ricky Jay and his 52 Assistants –  complete video

I’m sure many of you have seen ‘Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants’, his award winning theatrical experience. Running roughly one hour in length and featured at one time on HBO, this amazing display of dexterity can be viewed in it’s entirety below.. I cannot say how long this video will be available.

http://youtube.com/embed/Jljt5Ml28FU?rel=0 
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Turning Tricks on the Street for Fun and Profit – Blog

Tom Frank works the streets of Hollywood. Aside from being a first rate street performer, he is a steady, consistent writer/blogger of street magic and the various ‘situations’.. all based on real world experiences. Tom has also dug up a number of interesting videos of other street performers. Here is a little of one of the post. 

“When I first moved here from Seattle, I was used to working Pike Place Market? , where this is no amplification allowed.  My pitch for the first 6 months of being in LA was the Third Street Promenade? in Santa Monica.  It’s a crazy scene with a street act every 40 feet. . . literally.  I would go to work each night and have to compete with other acts using sound systems.  One night, I had a group of break dancers with a giant crowd (probably 250 people in a full circle show) on one side, on the other side of me was a guy playing bagpipes. Me with no amp and very loud acts on either side, I couldn’t get a crowd to save my life.  Adapt or die.  I bought a sound system and stopped looking at the break dancers with their big crowds as competition.  I am my own man, I’m out there to do my thing, not worry about what anyone else is doing.  There will always be people making better money than you on the streets. . . . but, they’re not you.”

“Typically when there is enough traffic to warrant a bunch of street performers, there is enough to go around.  Be nice to the other acts.  Take the time to get to know them.  They are your peers.  We all have a vested interest in getting along…..”

Being a street performer, Tom has a dialogue remniscent of the streets… (similar to half the folks I know.)  

http://streettips.blogspot.com/

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How To Tear And Restore Items – Tutorial

I love to tear stuff up.. I recently featured an effect by Paul Lelekis that involved a torn and restored napklin, and I’ve featured torn and restored money as well. Here is the basic technique for tearing and restoring  almost anything that fits the bill.

“Learn an amazing (TnR) Tore and Restore routine in this free Magic Revealed tutorial by Mike St. Clair of ScreamfreakRewind. This illusion is impromptu, easy to perform and, can be performed anywhere. Tear and restore money or any kind of paper in this step by step tutorial. Subscribe to learn the secrets of magic!”

http://youtu.be/cyDu1QHJtdE

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10 YouTube Videos That Prove Science Is Magic

Andrea Romano has compiled ten videos, each with a serious connection to magic and science. Thankfully, you can go to this link and view all ten videos without leaving the site.. The ten are:
 
– Magic Mystery Tube
– Inverted Arrows
– Impossible Motion
– Magic Utensils
– Impossible Card Illusion
– Money Magic
– Candle Relighting Trick
– Anti-Gravity Trick
– Magic Tiles
– The Matchstick Trick

“It’s not magic, it’s science! For the science-minded YouTube viewer, those boring old magic trick videos lack intellectual rigor.”

“Some magic tricks can be cheesy, and pulling rabbits out of a hat or shouting “Abracadabra!” is for little kids. Being the more mature, discerning adult that you are, you demand more from your party tricks. It turns out, the world of science can offer you hours of entertainment, as well as knowledge.”

http://mashable.com/2014/03/16/youtube-magic/
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Magic Trick Shirts and Other Magic Stuff..

Tee shirts, coffee cups, gift cards, stickers, fridge magnets, aprons.. you name it, Mister Greggy’s probably got it.

I’m sure most of you have seen the tee shirts that feature playing cards saying “…is this your card?”

Mister Greggy has taken this to the extreme. He features many tee shirts, with many different designs, including some that do not include the ‘prediction’ and are simply ‘magical’ in nature.

I particularly like the ‘magic mug’. They are plain black in color, but, when you add a hot liquid, they transform into a white mug with a reproduction of a Thurston poster on the side! Nice…  

The Magic Roadshow is pleased to freely support businesses that support magic. If you have a unique magic related business you would like to see featured in the Roadshow.. let me know.  
 
http://www.zazzle.com/MagicTrickShirts

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The Real Secrets of Card  Magic.. Jay Sankey

What are the REAL secrets of Card Magic? Jay has created a 14 minute video where you’ll learn two of the essentials of card magic – a convincing false cut and a card force that will leave your audience sure you’re on the up and up. Follow that with a super easy prediction effect that makes the video well worth your time.

Remember, Jay seldom complicates card magic. He is direct and simplistic.. in a good way. He has been to enough rodeos to know what works.. and what doesn’t. And he is enough of a born entertainer to know how to capture his audience with a combination of humor, skill, and showmanship.

http://youtu.be/V-VN4FtaaPA

Starting from ONLY $9.95/month, you can learn the real secrets of master magicians, and have instant access to over 250 premium-quality training videos.
 
http://www.insidedeception.com/

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The Business of Table-Hopping
Paul Lelekis

I wanted to compose a nice ad for Paul and his super-conprehensive Business of Table-Hopping, but what can I say that the table of contents can’t? This should give you a very good idea of what you’re missing..

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1) Introduction
2) The Business of Table-Hopping
3) What Tricks Should I Perform?
4) How Do I Choose A Restaurant?
5) What Do I Wear?
6) How Much Money Do I Charge?
7) Meeting the Staff
8) When Do I Approach Tables?
9) How Do I Approach Tables?
10) The Different Kinds of Spectators
12) How Long Should I Stay at Each Table?
13) Tips!

If you want to actually make money with your magic, you HAVE to buy Paul’s instant download and get started today. I can honestly say I’ve read a number of articles on table-hopping, but nothing I’ve read covers the spectrum in the minute detail of The Business of Table-Hopping. ( #3, ‘What Tricks Should I Perform?’, is more than worth the cost.. Check out Paul’s other downloadable ebooks, including Magic Tools of the Trade, Defective Cups and Balls, and Showcase Magic..)

http://www.lybrary.com/paul-a-lelekis-m-163788.html
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Lives of the Conjurers – Free eBook

The Famous Mr. Fawkes – The Bottle Conjurer – Cagliostro – Katterfelto – Robertson – Comus – Torrini – Signor Blitz – Maelzel – Robert Heller – Henry Box Brown – Bellachini – Henry Slade –
Otto Maurer – The Bangs Sisters – Servais Le Roy – Bert Reese – Charles Morritt – C.W. Starr

These are the conjurers who’s lives are detailed in the first volumn of ‘Lives of the Conjurers’, by Professor Solumon. The good Professor has given me permission to share this 165 page illustrated ebook with you guys, au gratis..   

Among the stories.. learn how The Bottle Conjuror earned his name by telling an audience he would ‘crawl in to a quart bottle, sitting on a table in full view of the audience..’. Believe it or not, the Bottle Conjuror did just that.. 

Many thanks to Professor Solomon for permission to share his work with the Roadshow readers.
Professor Solomon is a magician and author. His books include How to Find Lost Objects, Japan in a Nutshell, and Coney Island. They are available athttp://www.professorsolomon.com/.

 http://www.professorsolomon.com/conjurers-book-page.html

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Liquid Scarf by Jessica – Video
FernandoP1 – Art Zone Productions FernandoP1 – Art Zone Productions

This is a nice version of the ‘scarf through the neck’, or the ‘rope through the body’ effect. Like many effects, it’s not about the effect itself so much as the performance. With the right patter, this is a great effect,  within the scope of virtually all performers. No expensive props, no months of practice…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI0Z-EjnSJA&feature=em-subs_digest

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Stand – Art Zone Productions

Want to make a card ‘stand’ vertically on the back of your hand? This super easy technique is easily accomplished by virtually anyone with one little prop that 99 percent of us own. Practice a few simple moves and you’ll be balancing a card upright on the back of your hand in no time..

http://youtu.be/DRsOs5RX4bc

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VANISH  –  Latest issue is ready
Free Download…

Edition 13 – This marks year three of VANISH and what better way to start than with The Magician’s Magician on the cover DARYL. Nick Lewin was able to sit down with Daryl and get an in-depth look in to this amazing magician.

DOWNLOAD it from  http://www.vanishmagazine.com/ or READ it online by visiting the link and clicking on the e-magazine version.

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Substitute for Keepvid…

From time to time, I run across Youtube videos I want to download and keep. If they disappear from Youtube, I’ve still got a copy on my computer. I’ve used Keepvid for years, but I’ve noticed lately that the Keepvid site is full of unnecessary ‘junk’ that either tries to download, or persuade me to download. Keepvid even wants me to download a version of Keepvid to my desktop.

I’ve used Clipconverter of late.. I don’t have to download it, the conversion takes place online, and there is a little less junk. That said, If you are asked to download anything not DIRECTLY related to your video.. don’t… You may be asked to download a codex update or some such, but simply click out of it. I have downloaded several videos using this service and all seem to work fine. Follow the download directions and you should be fine.. resist the temptation to click any big ‘download’ buttons.. they are all ads that will take you away from the site.  

http://www.clipconverter.cc/

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Everything Illusions..  resource

Interested in the super-secret world of illusions? The newly opened IllusionBookstore features plans, downloadable PDF’s, DVD’s, mentalism, close-up, and fully constructed illusions for every level of performance.  Many of these products are not available anywhere else in the world…

“The Illusion Bookstore is the exclusive distributor of J C Sum’s complete inventory of internationally critically acclaimed illusion books and digital plans including illusion products and book sets only available through us.”

Be sure to check out the just released “How to be an Illusionist“, available to the magic community for the first time on April 21, 2014. This course was created for the modern illusionist performing for a contemporary “Street Magic-cultured” audience. It focuses on what works today and not what worked 20 – 30 years ago.

In this course, you will learn step by step how to put an illusion show together, regardless of whether you perform illusions for fun, as a hobby, part-time or professionally.

You will receive a goldmine of information that will empower you with practical knowledge to take on the world of grand illusions. It is a complete education on performing modern illusions all in one single source.

 Click Here

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Six Ways to Escape from Handcuffs, Zip Ties & Duct Tape!

Yes.. another Scam School video. This one will show you several ways to escape a set of handcuffs.. plus, methods to get out of zip ties and duct tape. This is good news for someone wanting to add a little ‘escapology’ to their repertoire. This is BAD news for anyone wanting to use their newfound skill to escape from the authorities. Yep.. they now have you for ‘Escape’, as well as whatever you were initially incarcerated for.. and Escape probably carries a greater penalty than your original charge. ( In my home state, Escape gets you One year) What you seem to forget, and I know this from years of experience, is that by the time you get out of the handcuffs, the cop already has your drivers license in his pocket..  

I’m taking a chance publishing this link.. because like the effects I’ve published in the past that include Fire, there’s always one dumbass out there who ignores the obvious warnings and tries to make me feel bad for leading them down the wrong road. So when I say there’s only ONE road here, I mean it, and when that inevitable email arrives, I’m going to share your name with ALL the Roadshow readers.

http://youtu.be/0Gr6HX_IKpw  
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Be sure to visit MAGIC NEWS. I am proud that I’ve managed to publish over 200 news stories in the past four months. I’m guessing this is more than the other magic news sites combined.  http://magicnews.org/

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Finding a Relationship Between Mental Math and Mentalism –
Several Mentalism Effects Disguised as Mathematics

This is my free manuscript with a number of mental math effects that were selected because they resemble magic much more so than math. These are NOT you typical math tricks, but effects that will amaze anyone.. magicians included. I am going to expand this manuscript in the near future and it will only be available as a paid read..

http://www.divshare.com/download/25446276-f09

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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..

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

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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:
[email protected]

“May my next issue find you well..”
 
 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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Magic Roadshow #152

Magic Roadshow #152

Comments 0 Comment

March 2014,  Rick Carruth / editor
Copyright (C) 2014, All Rights Reserved.
Hello Friends..

It’s been a long, strange winter in Upstate South Carolina.  To properly honor it.. I’ve put together a long, strange issue of the Magic Roadshow.

I don’t know how this winter affected you in your corner of the world.. but I truly feel for you if you live anywhere north of me.  Oh, and WELCOME to the new Magic Roadshow!

 If this is your first visit, I’m sincerely glad to have you here. I hope you find something that makes you want to come back. Look for a link near the bottom of the page that will whisk you away to a safe place where you can download some true magic classics. If you’re not a subscriber, look for a link to take care of that little oversight… 

There has been magic galore.. readily available to anyone wanting to seek it out. There’s been a couple of conventions in my area, including the just-concluded Winter Carnival of Magic. I fully intended to go, right up till the morning I was scheduled to leave, but life stepped in and said, “no, no, no.. I’ve got other plans for you this weekend.”

Happy 25th Birthday to the World Wide Web (www.) on March 12th. I can’t believe it’s been that long since our buddy Al Gore brought it to fruition.. Are you old enough to go back nine more years to 1980, and remember getting excited over a Commodore VIC-20  , or a Texas Instrument TI-99/4A... We thought we had the world at our fingertips.

Comments and Questions? Email Me at: [email protected]

SPECIAL OFFER !! Take a moment and ‘LIKE’ the Magic Roadshow on Facebook. If you’ll ‘like’ the Roadshow, I will give you one FREE alibi of your choice. Just let me know the time, date, and location, and I’ll swear you and I were at the park, performing magic shows for little kids. If you want me to cover your butt cause you stayed out all night.. we’re going to have to come up with something else…    http://www.facebook.com/magicroadshow

True story.. (the lead in – not the joke)

I had a joke I was going to insert (here).. After putting it in my draft, I noticed entirely too many “trigger words” in this joke. I was afraid I would have more readers than I have subscribers. ( Some of you will get this..) So…. I decided to leave the trigger words out and substitute a blank.. Now, the agency in question may wait another day to read the Roadshow.. and the joke is not that funny anyway…    

“A popular magician who travels a lot was concerned about the possibility of someone planting a ___ on board his favorite means of transportation.   He consulted with a famous mathematician, determined the probability of this, and  found it to be low – but not low enough to suit him. He was told by the famous mathematician, who holds magicians in low esteem, that there was a solution…. the probability of TWO _____ being on board would be infinitesimal. The magician now carries one with him everywhere he goes.” 

Editor’s note… It bugs me no end that I actually have to concern myself with the content of my correspondences with my friends and family. And it equally bugs me that I have to worry about an unwarranted audit based on how I vote or what organizations I belong to… Nuff said…

On with the (Road) Show…

PDF Version..  Roadshow 152

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
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– Coin Opener –  Paul Lelekis
– Karl Hein and Marc Salem – Podcast
– Werner Miller – Monthly Feature for Magic Roadshow Readers
– BUSK! – The Heart of Street Performance (full doc, 42 min)
– Mental Magic and Mentalism –  A Quick Review
– THREE FROM XAVIER PERRET
   How to Fan Cards Like No One Else..
   Amazing Self Working Card Trick
   Card Control Tutorial
-THREE FROM FERNANDOP1
   One of the best card tricks – Color Transfer (Remake)
   Flying cards made easy – Spread Control, Tossing cards and Hot Shot – Tutorial
   Spin Pass – Easy Card Technique
– Things That Do Funny Things…  Two videos
– Magic Posters and Playbills – An Amazing Resource
– How to Embarrass Your Significant Other With a Straw – Tutorial
– Jay Sankey’s Classic Pass Tutorial –  video
– Penn Jillette’s Thoughts On Fake TV Magic! – Video
– 6 False Shuffles. Tutorial Card Tricks
– Add Letters – A fun tool
– What I Worry About At Night. ( Aside from my weight, my bank account, and my hair-line.)
– Free eBooks For Subscribers….

– Bonus – If Other Professions Were Paid Like Magicians

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A word to the wise ain’t necessary – it’s the stupid ones that need the advice.
Bill Cosby

A day without sunshine is like, you know… night.
Steve Martin

A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.
George Bernard Shaw

If you can’t get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you’d best teach it to dance.
George Bernard Shaw

( http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_funny3.html)
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COIN OPENER
Paul A. Lelekis

Adults and especially children, love coin magic!  The “clinking” of shiny coins draws the attention of all spectators. I’ve spent years practicing sleights and have found that the use of a few judicious, easy sleights is all that is needed for the majority of close-up performers to really entertain people with coins.

I use this opener as a sort of warm-up for my next routine, Metallic Attraction.  Both use a few sleights that require minimal practice, but are choreographed to present a pleasing outcome.

All you need for this routine is a single coin…I use a U.S. half dollar.

EFFECT: A coin is produced (magically or otherwise) as you patter about what coins can do.  My patter appears non-sensical and innocuous but draws interest.

I hold the coin in my left hand in French Drop position. (This will be explained from a right-handed point of view.)  I then pretend to take the coin in my right hand as I drop it into my left hand.

I then shake my right hand and then pretend to throw the coin off to my LEFT with my right hand wide open!  KEEP THE PALM SIDE OF YOUR RIGHT HAND hidden from view.  This is designed to “condition” your audience for the next phase.

Now “Snap!” your right fingers and “inadvertently” turn your right palm to the audience so that they know (without bringing attention to it!) that the coin is NOT in that hand.  This is important!

Now open your left hand to show the arrival of the coin!  This will usually draw gasps from children (and sometimes adults) – but be prepared for those who “know” how it’s done!

IF the kids are genuinely amazed, repeat the same actions as above!  If you do the French Drop a second time, you will, almost assuredly, have kids screaming “Oh, you just left it in your other hand!”  Show that the coin has jumped to your left hand again.

NOW you will probably receive screams from the kids claiming that you just left it in your hand!  This is actually GOOD!

At this point say, “No, no kids!  That’s not the way it works!”

Now re-take the coin into your left hand (exactly as before) and this time perform Marlo’s Spider Vanish.  This will mimic the French Drop that you have just performed!

The Spider Vanish is performed as if you are going to take the coin from French Drop position (as above), however the left fingers actually push the coin into right-hand Classic Palm position.

Repeat the tossing motion with your RH to your left (you really have the coin in your RH palm!) and everyone’s eyes will immediately go to your left hand!

Open your left hand to show that the coin has “vanished”!  This vanish is a very strong moment for everyone – but make it quick!

I next mention that, “…the coin is still there – it’s just invisible!”  I then close my left hand and perform the L’Homme Masque Load as follows:

Use your right middle finger to “massage” the back of your left fist and then, as you turn your LH, palm up, drop the coin from your right palm into the small hole created at the base of your left thumb.

Continue massaging the back of your LH as you again turn your LH palm down.  Now remove your RH and snap your fingers as you reveal the arrival of the coin!  This is another very strong moment! 
Normally I’ll end this mini-routine at this point.

However, sometimes I’ll continue by performing a retention-of-vision pass from my right hand to my left.

I’ll then bring all attention to my left hand (supposedly holds the coin) as I maneuver the coin in my RH into Tenkai/Goshman Pinch.

I then turn to my right and move my RH up and down (open palm of hand facing the audience) as I retrieve the coin by reversing the Pinch actions.

Here’s a little secret: Move your right hand, up and down (palm out) and as your right hand is on the down-stroke, move your right thumb over to contact the middle phalanx of your right middle finger (the bird finger!).

At the bottom of the down-stroke, move your middle and index fingers around the coin.  Your right thumb will cover this half of the exposed coin.

Continue with your up-stroke and then as you go back down to the bottom of your down-stroke, move your right pinkie and ring fingers behind the coin, fully exposing the coin.

Continue the up and down strokes a couple more times, slowing them down.  AT THE SAME TIME, your right thumb will push the coin outward to the tips of your fingers and it will appear as if the coin suddenly materialized right in front of their eyes!

I have had many, many women loudly gasp when they see this!  Open your left hand now, to show that the coin has apparently jumped to your right hand!

This sudden appearance of the coin gets a very strong reaction and is an excellent kicker to this mini-routine.

Paul Lelekis

Paul Lelekis is an award-winning magician and lecturer, having published many effects, one-man parades and mini-parades in respected publications like The Linking Ring.. Please check out some of Paul’s other compilations, in easily downloadable ebooks, at:   
http://www.lybrary.com/paul-a-lelekis-m-163788.html

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Karl Hein and Marc Salem – Podcast

The Magic Word features podcast with some of the most interesting folks in magic and mentalism. “A Podcast for Magicians, About Magicians, Hosted by a Full Time Professional Magician, Scott Wells.”

Recently, they’ve published podcast with both Karl Hein and Marc Salem.  Although very different in style and presentation, they are both two of the most popular and original performers today.

Karl Hein is known around the world for his ability with cards, and his highly interesting lectures. He has performed over 100 lectures in more than 15 countries.. “Karl Hein passed through Houston during his recent lecture tour of the U.S. While visiting as my house guest, we sat down to talk about his performing philosophy, his approach to magic and his creative process. As the creator of the “Heiny 500”, “Heinstein’s Dream”, and “The Heinstein Shuffle” among other effects, Karl has a unique perspective that has given him success in the magic world.”

 http://themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/karl-hein
(70 minutes in length – look for the black video bar beneath the pictures)

Marc Salem holds a Doctorate in Education from New York University and a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. To quote The Magic Word:
“Marc Salem stopped by for an extended chat about mentalism, world travel, building a show and the structure of a show, theatre work, celebrities he has worked with and known, and more. In particular, he shares some stories about his appearance on the TV show, 60 Minutes, stories from the stage perspective, stories about Uri Geller and more.” ( I’ve included a link to the 60 Minutes interview- 16 minutes in length.)

http://themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/marc-salem
(104 minutes in length – look for the black bar beneath the pictures…)

 60 Minute Interview  
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Werner Miller – Monthly Feature for Magic Roadshow Readers

Long Distance Surprise

Imagine that I’m talking to you on the phone. Get a deck of cards and follow my instructions.

* Shuffle the deck, then count off the top six cards. Discard the rest of the deck.

* Deal these six cards face down into two piles of three: left – right – left – right – left – right.

* Decide on either pile. Lift up this pile, so that you can see the face of the bottom card. Note and remember this card, then place this pile on top of the other one.

* The value of your card is either odd or even (J and K are odd, Q even). Spell in your mind “O-D-D” or spell “E-V-E-N”, with each letter dealing off the top a single card into a new pile, then put all the remaining cards on top of this pile.

* Deal the cards singly into two piles (left – right – left – right – left – right), then place the left-hand pile on top of the right-hand pile.

* The color of your card is either red or black. Spell in your mind “R-E-D” or spell “B-L-A-C-K”, with each letter dealing off the top a single card into a new pile, then put all the remaining cards on top of this pile.

* Deal the cards singly into two piles (left – right – left – right – left – right), then place the left-hand pile on top of the right-hand pile.

* Turn the combined pile over. You are facing your noted card!
Sixpack

Sort out the values Ace through Six of two contrasting suits, each set in numerical order, e.g. AH – 2H – 3H – 4-H – 5H – 6H, AS – 2S – 3S – 4S – 5S – 6S. Place one set on top of the other, square the cards, and turn them face down. Ask two spectators (A, B) to give the cards each a complete cut, then deal the cards singly and alternately into two piles, one pile for each spectator. (Because of the rotation of the values, in each pile top and fourth card are “mates”, also second and fifth, third and bottom card.)

Have each pile once more completely cut by the respective spectator. Then instruct your participants to remove the top cards and to place them next to the piles without looking at their faces.

Now the remaining five cards of each pile are mixed; guide the spectators verbally step by step through an Under/Down Deal. Finally each spectator removes the top card of the mixed pile, places it next to the card removed before the mixing, and turns over both cards simultaneously: They have the same value!

Two 4-card packets remain. (In each packet top and bottom card are “mates”, also second and third card.) Take either packet, thumb off the top two cards, and place both pairs side by side (face down). Split the remaining 4-card packet also into pairs, and deal these pairs onto the pairs already tabled. (Situation check: The top card of either pile and the second card of the other are “mates”, also the third card of either pile and the fourth card of the other.)

Ask spectator A to designate a pile. Take the chosen pile, shift one card from top to bottom, place the pile back, remove the top cards of both piles, and place them before A. Now it’s B’s turn to select a pile. Take it, shift two cards singly from top to bottom, place the pile back, remove the top cards of both piles, and place them before B. Return to A, and repeat this procedure, this time transferring three times a card from top to bottom. The remaining two cards go to B.

Ask the spectators to turn all the cards face up: The values match in each pair!

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Werner Miller is a retired math teacher living in Austria. He has created literally hundreds of math based magic tricks. His primary interest is recreational math and applying it to puzzles and magic.
He won the 1989 and 1992 Tenyo Magic Competition each with a Flash Dice Routine. In addition, Werner has written extensively for magic publications.. including The Magician, Abracadabra, The Mystery Magazine, and Club 71. Lybrary.com feature a number of books authored by Werner, most in English and some in German. 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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BUSK! – The Heart of Street Performance (full doc, 42 min)

“BUSK! is a character-driven documentary film that explores the joys and pitfalls of performing on the street for tips. With an inquisitive and playful spirit, the story delves deep into the lives and aspirations of a singer, a magician, and a sketch artist who regularly share their art in uptown Charlotte. From love of art to local law, we live their stories.”

Not only was this documentary filmed close to home, an hour away, but features the amazingChris Hannibal ( http://www.chrishannibal.com/ ) .. Busking is not easy. It’s a fine art that is practiced by the skilled and the brave, and those who possess a true passion for their craft. You don’t busk with a heavy heart… You busk with pride and great big smile… You busk with a free spirit and an entrepreneurial eye… You busk because you love it…

   https://vimeo.com/63880539

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Do you have your OWN magic show? Do you WANT your own magic show?
Do you want someone to show you HOW to develop your own show – start to finish – including the effects you need to wow your audience?
Watch an hour of FREE videos..

https://magicroadshow.com/julian.php

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Mental Magic and Mentalism –  A Quick Review

First, I’m not going to get into the many differences between mental magic and mentalism. If you ask three different magicians, you’ll get three different answers. Let’s assume you perform magic tricks that ‘appear’ to be a form of mentalism, but are acknowledge as tricks by you, or perceived as tricks by the audience..then you’re performing mental magic. If your magic appears supernatural or as ‘real magic’, and the audience doesn’t know whether you are ‘reading their mind’ or using some innate ability to achieve your results, then it probably qualifies as mentalism. These are very broad definitions..  

I’ve had several reader express interest in mentalism recently, and I thought this article may give you a basic understanding of the art. The original title was ” Mental Magic Tricks – Categories, Methods, and Effects”, By Kenneth L. Ball. I would recommend the title be ” Mentalism – Categories, Methods, and Effects”, although, as I mentioned above, no two magicians seem to agree. I DO agree with what Kenneth describes as mentalism…

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The four basic categories of mentalism effects are: Predictions, telepathy, clairvoyance, and telekinesis. Predictions, of course, are effects in which the future is apparently foretold. Telepathy is the ability to “read people’s minds.” Clairvoyance is the “power” of second sight. In telekinesis, one seems to move (or otherwise effect, ie. bend) physical matter with the power of thought.

Methods

The four basic methods of mentalism include forcing, stealing, loading, and guessing. “Forcing” is that act of coercing your spectator to make the choice you want them to make while they seem to have complete freedom. Stealing, on the other hand, the covert obtaining of information. A good example of this is the classic mentalism effect “The Center Tear,” which will be described later in this article. “Loading” usually happens in prediction effects.

Say, for example, your spectators believe your prediction is sealed in an envelope. They now freely select one of several objects on a table. If you were able somehow secretly insert your prediction after the selection was made, that would be “loading.” The last one, guessing, is exactly what it sounds like. In mentalism, however, “guesses” are usually educated guesses. A perfect example of this is a mentalism technique known as “cold reading.” In cold reading, the mentalist is essentially guessing certain facts about a person, but these guesses are based on observations the performer has made. With that, let’s look at several classic mental magic tricks:

Spoon Bending

Spoon bending, or bending other metal objects is accomplished, like all magic, secretly. What I mean in this case is that the bend is actually made while the spectators aren’t looking, then revealed in such a way as to make it seem like it’s happening right then.

The Gold Star

In this effect, the spectator is given a free choice of one of three different colored stars. There is no forcing involved. Still, the magician is able to predict in advance which color the subject will choose. Here, we use a principle known as multiple outs. That is, there are actually three predictions prepared ahead of time, and the appropriate one is revealed after the fact.

Drawing Duplication

Here, yet another new principle is encountered. It’s called “dual reality.” Before a show, a spectator is chosen and asked to draw one of several pictures and keep their drawing with them. Later in the show, when the drawing is “telepathically” duplicated, the rest of the audience is led to believe the subject could have drawn anything. (Finding out which drawing the spectator did choose is accomplished different ways.)

Three Way Test

The “One Ahead” principle is used in this one. Any three thoughts (as long as one can be “forced”) are obtained from the spectators. In apparently writing down the first thought, you’re really writing down the third one (the one you’re going to force). Secure your first slip, then ask them the thought. Write the first thought while you seem to be writing the second one, etc.

The Center Tear

In the center tear, the spectators write some information, say a number or some initials, inside a circle drawn on the “center” of a small slip of paper. This slip is then folded in half, and half again. The paper is then torn in such a way as to secretly retain the center of the paper. Under cover of various forms of misdirection, this piece is then secretly read, effectively “stealing” the required information.

Living And Dead

If you tear a piece of paper into nine squares, the center one will be the only one with torn edges on all sides. If you have your audience member write the name of a famous dead person on that slip, and famous living people on all the other slips, you’ll have quite a trick on your hands. Have them place all the slips into a paper bag and shake them up. You can then reach in and extract the slip bearing the name of the deceased merely by the sense of touch! I hope you have fun learning mental magic tricks.

Kenn Ball is a magician from Greenville, SC, where he lives with his wife and sons.
Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kenneth_L._Ball

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THREE FROM XAVIER PERRET
How to Fan Cards Like No One Else..

Notice that this issue is full of moves and sleights. I honestly believe the better we control a deck, the more likely we are to expand our library of ‘tricks’. Being able to produce nice card flourishes gives us a reason to search for a nice effect to compliment it… 

 Click Here

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Amazing Self Working Card Trick

This is my favorite effect in this issue. Yes, it requires a set-up deck.. and yes, it’s self-working. But I could really care less. It’s all about the entertainment value.. and this one is loaded.

* Although this isn’t critical, if you can ask a spectator to shuffle the deck, then perform a DECK SWITCH, this greatly enhances the effect. Think of a way to switch it. (If you’re sitting at a table, for example, you have built-in cover.)  

Here is the setup of the deck. (I’ll save you the trouble of watching the thumb-through of the deck – watching and writing for an extended time trying to get everything in the right order. The 7 of Clubs will be the top, face down card on the setup deck. King of Spades is the bottom, face up card. Be sure to begin the lay down by putting the 7 UNDER the deck and the Ace of Hearts as the first card put on the table. (They will be face down..)

7C AH AD 2H AC 3H 2D 4H QC 5H 3D 6H 2C 7H 4D 8H 8C 9H 5D 10H 3C JH 6D QH JC KH 7D AS 4C 2S 8D 3S 9C 4S 9D 5S 5C 6S 10D 7S KC 8S JD 9S 6C 10S QD JS 10C QS KD KS

http://youtu.be/tPQEF24XWAc

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Card Control Tutorial

An easy card control that’s disguise as a cut. This is a relatively short video from Xavier Perret, who always produces well-scripted and well produced videos… The story of my life… “If everything were only as easy as it looks..”

http://etricks.info/
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THREE FROM FERNANDOP1
FernandoP1 – Art Zone Productions FernandoP1 – Art Zone Productions

One of the best card tricks – Color Transfer (Remake)

This is a remake of an earlier Art Zone production. The constant color changes are nice, and employ three techniques described in three additional videos… Click on the ‘Show More’ link, just above the comments, to access these three vids…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsOdar5uRHs&feature=em-subs_digest

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Flying cards made easy – Spread Control, Tossing cards and Hot Shot – Tutorial

Extensive tutorial, about 25 minutes, covering a variety of moves and sleights. I think you’ll really enjoy this video, although it’s been on Youtube for a couple of years. Check it out at:

http://youtu.be/TujYRTbLiSA

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Spin Pass – Easy Card Technique

This is the first of two pass videos in this issue. I think you’ll like how easy this pass looks.. and actually, it’s not that difficult – assuming you practice your angles.

http://youtu.be/gOWzi5EkynU

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Things That Do Funny Things…  videos

I received this interesting video from my friend, Julian Mather. Julian asks the following question..

“What could you make from this?. How could it be incorporated into a magic presentation?”

a) magic prop?
b) stage backdrop?
c) ?? (suggestions)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umfvm8I9_oU&w=520&h=315]

 

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And speaking of things that do funny things…  Ghostblocks

Check out the Ghostblocks on this video on Magic News..  Imagine a giant origami sculpture made of wood and you start to understand Ghostcubes. A series of interconnected wooden cubes that can be manipulated into an assortment of shapes and configurations, Ghostcubes are the invention of Erik Åberg, a Stockholm-based designer, juggler, woodworker, and magician. In one deft, fluid motion a Ghostcube can be folded, unfurled, and refolded to make a vast spectrum of ellipsoids and polyhedrals.

Click Here

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MAGIC NEWS – Quickly becoming the #1 site in the world for up-to-the-minute Magic News. We’ve published over 136 magic news stories and videos since the first of the New Year. If you like the Magic Roadshow Journal of Magic, you’ll love Magic News.org ..    * New stories daily

http://magicnews.org/

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Magic Posters and Playbills –  An Amazing Resource

This is a wonderful collection of rare and unusual magic posters and playbills. The featured collections are housed at the Harry Ransom Center, located at the University of Texas at Austin. (note the page navigation is located at the upper right of each page.. not the bottom) To quote from the site:

“About this collection – The magic posters and playbills digital collection contains selected visual images from the Ransom Center’s Harry Houdini collection and Magicians collection pertaining to magicians and the history of magic from 1750 to 1920. Approximately 3,000 magicians are represented in the full collection. This digital collection includes selected posters, playbills, prints, and other ephemera documenting the careers of Harry Houdini, Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, Harry Kellar, Henry Evanion, and others.” 

Look in the left nav bar for click boxes to take you to a variety of other collections, including the  Alfred Junge Collection, Bouts Rimes Manuscripts by John Tenniel, Brontë Family Collection, and the  Carl H. Pforzheimer Collection..

http://hrc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/p15878coll5#nav_top

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How to Embarrass Your Significant Other With a Straw.. Tutorial

I think the title is actually “How to Do 5 Amazing Tricks With a Straw”, but I prefer to call it ” 5 Tricks With A Straw to Embarrass Your Significant Other”. Try pulling these off while you’re waiting on your meal in the fancy-do restaurant. This is the very reason my wife tells me she can’t take me anywhere..
 Be prepared to take a cab home.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm2oOc7be10&w=520&h=315]

 

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Jay Sankey’s Classic Pass Tutorial –  video

We all know Jay. And we all know Jay handles cards in a very casual and unassuming manner. That’s the basis of his Classic Pass tutorial. This is NOT a difficult move to learn. Like virtually all passes, it IS a difficult move to conceal. Speed is the key. You don’t want to be so fast you look like you’re trying to strangle a snake. Instead, you want to be fast enough that it appears as if you’re making a VERY slight adjustment to your hand position. Ideally, the audience sees no adjustment at all.. but that’s asking a lot of the manipulator. 

We all have attempted to learn the pass at some time or another. Go back and give it another try if yours isn’t up to par…

See above…
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I, along with many of you I’m sure, received this from Jay a few days ago.

PENN JILLETTE’S THOUGHTS ON FAKE TV MAGIC!
“For all of you who, like myself, are frustrated with the fake magic shows, you’re going to find this video especially interesting. Penn is definitely one of the smartest people in magic! And if you feel these fake TV magic shows are misrepresenting the REAL art of magic, please share your views with friends on Facebook + followers on Twitter. Long live REAL magic.” Jay Sankey
 
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9s9smBP04Pc
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6 False Shuffles. Tutorial Card Tricks

False shuffles are not necessary. You can live without a good false shuffle. BUT.. they definitely add to the psychological aspect of shuffling a deck of cards. A good false shuffle goes a long way toward convincing the audience that what is about to occur is a fair action. These false shuffles are not difficult to learn and I promise you can learn any of them in a short amount of time..

 http://youtu.be/-dvsCRmwY5E

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Add Letters – A fun tool

I’m not going into great detail about this online tool. Check it out for yourself and see what you think. The Bart Simpson pic at the top of the newsletter was created with Addletters. You can also create yourself a fake diploma to pad your resume and further your career possibilities, although you didn’t read that here, you dimwit..

 http://www.addletters.com/index.php

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 And now for that part of the Roadshow that has nothing to do with Magic.. Don’t worry, it’s just the ramblings of a soon-to-be old coot…
What I Worry About At Night… 

( Aside from my weight, my bank account, and my hair line..)
Sunken Nuclear Subs..

There are currently 8 sunken nuclear submarines around the world. They all contain a nuclear reactor in various states of damage or decay…

Now, how am I supposed to go to work tonight knowing these things are lying at the bottom of the ocean?
How am I supposed to go to sleep? How am I supposed to interact with my fellow Facebook friends knowing this horrendous fact?  Damn Wikipedia….

Here’s a list:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sunken_nuclear_submarines

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Lost Nukes – ( Don’t you hate having to tell your CO you lost a nuke?)

To quote Business Insider.. ” Since 1950, there have been 32 nuclear weapon accidents, known as “Broken Arrows.” A Broken Arrow is defined as an unexpected event involving nuclear weapons that result in the accidental launching, firing, detonating, theft, or loss of the weapon. To date, six nuclear weapons have been lost and never recovered.” ..and one of those ‘permanently irretrievable’ weapons was off the South Carolina coast.. just another reason for me to be ‘permanently pissed…’

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/www.mhpbooks.com/nuclear-folly-locator/#ixzz2vcYympNz

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And If Those Weren’t Bad Enough..

I just found out the Early Middle Ages didn’t exist! Yikes! It’s called the Phantom time hypothesis, developed in the 1980s and 90s by German publisher Heribert Illig. Heribert proposes that there are periods in history, specifically that of Europe during the Early Middle Ages (614 – 911) that didn’t actually exist. When the Julian calendar switched to the Gregorian calendar, there should have been a correction of 13 days, but there was only a 10 day correction. The three days mean that ~300 years never existed.

The theory states that there has been a systematic effort to cover up that fact. The people responsible for this have altered, misrepresented and forged documents and evidence to do so. OMG-FACTS has 18 more similarly explosive ‘facts’, but I couldn’t handle reading them all… it’s just too unnerving!! Maybe you can read it and email me a gentler, kinder synopsis..

Read more Here
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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.. https://magicroadshow.com/

http://streetmagic.info/cbmall3.html

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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:
[email protected]

“May my next issue find you well..”
 
 Rick Carruth / Editor
 
Senior Professor – Camelard College of Conjuring of Chemmis, Egypt
“Magic’s Only Worldwide Honor Society”
http://www.camelardcollege.org/

Magic Roadshow #151

Magic Roadshow #151

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Hello Friends

Yes, it’s time for another Magic Roadshow. Thanks to the ‘snowstorm of the century’ that wasn’t, I had a couple of days indoors to numb my eyes working on this issue.

I hope you guys appreciate that between this and the MAGIC NEWS, I’m going to have to get new glasses..

( Wait… is that violins I hear, playing softly in the background? ) 

 

I hope you enjoy this issue. If you’re visiting.. be sure to sign up for the Roadshow  HERE..  This will get you on my list of subscribers and you’ll receive an email notification when we publish a new issue. You will then be free to download anything offered in the Magic Roadshows “Free eBooks for Subscribers” section, including Erdnase’ Expert at the Card Table, JP Jacquard’s  “Easy Mentalism“, and Hugard’s  “Royal Road to Card Magic“. Although there’s nothing to stop you from downloading these ebooks without signing up.. I trust you to trust me with your email – in return for some of the greatest books on magic ever written.

Carolyn and I hope to attend Winter Carnival of Magic in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee the first weekend in March. I’ll attend the conference.. and she’ll shop. If you’re there, as I know some of you will be, look me up. 

I’ve published many new magic-related articles in MAGIC NEWS. You’ll also find that I’ve included videos in the mix. Please take the time to check us out…  http://MagicNews.org

Do the Magic Roadshow a big favor and go to  http://www.facebook.com/magicroadshow and LIKE our page. That’s your assignment.. should you choose to accept. ( I wonder how many of you are old enough to ‘get’ that last line??..)

Wow.. we just experienced an earthquake. It’s about 10:30 Friday night, Valentines Day, and the whole house shook for several seconds. The lights almost went out and I had to close the computer for awhile and re-gather myself. My wife has never felt an earthquake, so it was a first for her. Social media and TV has lit up. Apparently there was a 4.something about 50 miles from Spartanburg SC. Nice…..

I look forward to your comments concerning this issue.. good or bad, That’s the ONLY way we get better…
EMAIL ME

PDF Version..  Roadshow 151
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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– CLAIRVOYANCE WITH CARDS – From: The Art of Magic – T. Nelson Downs
– A Selection of Vanishing Puzzles.. Mariano Tomatis – Wonder Injector
– Dai Vernon – The Spirit of Magic – Documentary
– Houdini Never Died – Documentary
– Why Magic on TV Bothers Me…
– Counterfeit – by Jay Sankey
– DECIM – Simon Holm
– Criss Angel’s BeLIEve – Watch all Past Episodes Online.
– Modern Mechanix – Yesterdays Tomorrow Today
– Practice.. Practice.. Practice – A Truthism
– Werner Miller’s Monthly Feature for Roadshow Readers.. 3 Effects
– Build Your Magic Show –
– Hofzinser Force – Video Tutorial
– TWO From FERNANDOP1 –  Video Tutorials
    Finding the Aces
    One Hand Turn Over Switch
– TWO from XAVIER PERRET – Video Tutorials
    How to Shoot Cards – Video Tutorial
    Criss Angel Card Trick Revealed
– Vintage Comic Ads..
– Secret Fun Spot – A Blast from the Past
– For the Musical Side of Your Noggin’ – video
– From Our Archives…  Physic Tricks –  Free eBook
– Physics-org  – Five Videos of the Best Busking Tricks.
– Vanish Magazine – A New Issue
– Free eBooks For Subscribers….
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“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.” Mark Twain

“Life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well.”  Jack London

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CLAIRVOYANCE WITH CARDS
From: The Art of Magic
T. Nelson Downs

(Editors note: I wanted to rewrite this effect, but after reading it once or twice, or ten times, I decided to let Mr. Downs tell it in his own words…)

This, in the opinion of the author, Theodore DeLand, Jr., is the most perfect method of reading cards ever invented. It is really a brilliant and bewildering trick.

The effect is as follows: A pack of cards is offered to the audience for shuffling, and while in possession of the audience a number of cards are drawn—six, eight, ten—any number, in fact, although six will be found the most effective number for the trick. These cards are replaced and the pack is held to the performer’s forehead, whereupon he divines the name of each selected card. The cards are not forced, nor does the performer employ the pass or palm or any other sleight. Furthermore, the method is absolutely undetectable. The trick, we believe, is the invention of Theodore L. DeLand, Jr.

In order to accomplish this effect two packs of cards are necessary. One pack is quite unprepared, but the other is not so innocent as it appears. Two of the cards are unprepared, but each of the remaining fifty has one of its indexes cut out.

Consequently, if an unprepared cards is replaced in a pack so prepared the index is plainly visible. The working of the trick will now be clear to the reader. The six cards, of course, are selected from the unprepared pack. While the cards are being marked the performer changes the unprepared pack for the prepared one, which can be done on the table or in the pocket. The faked pack has an unprepared card on top and one on the bottom, so that it does not differ in appearance from the ordinary deck.

Holding the pack with the prepared end in the crotch of the left thumb, the performer riffles the other end and invites, the spectators to return their cards, calling attention to the fact that the cards are replaced in different parts of the pack, and that everything is square and aboveboard. Now slip the unpre-pared card from the bottom to the top of the deck, and, if the pack is placed to the performer’s forehead (the back of the cards, of course, toward the audience) it is a simple matter to read the index of the first card, or, more properly, the card nearest the front of the pack.

The card should not be named immediately. The performer should press the pack to the forehead and endeavor to create the impression that the result is achieved by clairvoyance. After naming the first card the performer fans the pack, removes the card, and, handing it to spectator, requests him to identify the mark. The reader will understand that it is necessary to remove each card after it has been named, in order that the index of the card next nearest to the front may be seen. Whenever the face of the pack is exhibited cover the missing index with the flat of the thumb.

We have explained merely the bare bones of this effective trick, leaving it to the individuality of the performer to present it in as dramatic a manner as possible, and with suitable patter.

T. Nelson Downs

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Use your creativity and you’ll find MANY uses for this deck. DeLand knew his stuff. As the creator of DeLand’s Automatic Deck, he displayed an ability to create lasting magic effects. Honestly, this deck, utilizing cut out pips and numbers, is patiently waiting for some sharp magician to re-introduce to the magic community, complete with an accompanying DVD, and you’ll see in the small print..”adapted from an effect originally published by Robert DeLand Jr.”

Let me give you a couple of tips.. making your own deck, which I promise you, will be well worth your time, may require you to buy a paper punch. You can get one at most craft stores. Here’s one available from Walmart… EK Success Nesting Paper Punch, Circle, 1.25 .. Copy and paste this description in Google and you’ll see a number of places where you can buy it in-store or online. This particular punch will punch a 1.25″ clean cut hole, which may be too big for your purpose.. but other sizes are available. Trying to cut out fifty squares with an Exacto knife may leave you hating me. Finding a good paper punch that’ll cut through card stock will be worth the effort. You can make yourself a couple of decks.. and then work on a couple more for your buddies. The right hand picture is a deck altered with a punch. The punch was purchased at Michaels craft store and is a ‘Recollections’ brand… about seven bucks.. The cutout is scalloped, but who cares…

This is the second alternative. I made a complete deck in about twenty minutes simply cutting out the pips and numbers as shown. The downside is.. it requires slightly more cover when performing the effect, but it WORKS. You can still place a Joker on top and it will conceal the cut-out. This is by far the easier of the two options. 

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A Selection of Vanishing Puzzles..
Mariano Tomatis – Wonder Injector

While researching Theodore DeLand Jr. I ran across this site, featuring what is called ‘Vanishing Puzzles’..  If you aren’t sure what they are.. click the link…

  • Advertisement from Okito’s Magic Shop:
    (This version was copyrighted in 1907 by Theodore L. DeLand Jr)
  • Sam Loyd’s Disappearing Bicyclist
  • The Magic Egg Puzzle (1880)
  • Mel Stover’s colour changing pencil
  • Masao Atsukawa’s Warp 9 video -The Warp 9 puzzle is in Japan Ingeneous by Richard Kaufman, his new book.

 http://www.marianotomatis.it/blog/research.php?url=20110715

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Dai Vernon – The Spirit of Magic – Documentary

Published on Feb 29, 2012 as “Dai Vernon: The Spirit Of Magic”.. This was a Documentary about the life and work of magician Dai Vernon, aka “The Professor” (David Frederick Wingfield Verner, 1894-1992).
46 min of pleasure..

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeIBCLw4p8o#t=382

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Houdini Never Died – Documentary

Published on Jan 20, 2013 as “Houdini Never Died…”
This was a Documentary about the life and work of magician Harry Houdini (Ehrich Weiss, 1874-1926).
28 min of vintage photos and magic history..

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kvADObB4ro&list=PLTeSU0MfpHX7AuIxQv7CD4O0cAMoN6jvb

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Why Magic on TV Bothers Me…

Zach King’s ‘Magic’ Vine Compilation.. Many of you may have seen this popular video already. That’s OK.. you can watch it again big guy.. Although this video is done in jest.. it’s still a good example of what a little electronic or video manipulation can accomplish.

No disrespect intended toward Zach King, as I understand his intentions.. everything is created tongue and cheek. He has created a series of 6 second videos, each depecting a magic ‘trick’ of some sort. His intention is to smoothly intergrate the videos to create magic effects that, although they ‘look’ good, are clearly impossible. This is exactly the opposite of what ‘some’ TV magicians try to accomplish. They perform effects that are impossible, and try, via video trickery, to make them seem plausable.

I don’t mind being fooled by Zach.. he doesn’t represent his videos as ‘genuine’, or having been filmed using ‘one continuously running camera’. Instead, he uses video trickery openly to show what CAN be accomplished with a camera. What I DON’T like is certain TV magicians who are lying to their audience, representing themselves as something they aren’t, namely MAGICIANS, and making a mockery of magic. Reminds me of Milli Vanilli, the early 90’s group that ‘got caught’ lip synching their videos, and it turned out they weren’t even the voices on their album. They were a complete ruse.

I’m afraid a couple of well known magicians are going to crash and burn one day under the same set of circumstances. .. And ALL of us will suffer… ( Sorry for the rant..)   

Watch Zach’s Video at:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJIx4fRuOmE

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Counterfeit – by Jay Sankey

Jay sent me, and several thousand other magic junkies, this nice presentation of one of my favorite ‘quick’ tricks. I’ve used this effect for a number of years.. but I always enjoy watching others perform it. This is performed with a dollar bill and is a quick stunner. I know.. I know.. some of you are going to say you saw this long ago in a magic book for kids.. and maybe you did. But it’s STILL a good piece of magic for the layperson. Not everything good has to fool other magicians. If that’s your mantra, you’re missing out on a full range of magic that’s easy to perform and constantly catches your audience off-guard.

How many guitar players play Zeppelins “Whole Lotta Love”? Probably 90%.. But it’s NOT whether you can play it.. but how WELL you can play it. Same goes for COUNTERFEIT…

http://www.etricks.info

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DECIM – Simon Holm

The Routine:
A card is FREELY selected from a deck of playing cards. This card is signed by a spectator. Without any funny moves, the magician places the deck aside and shows his hands empty except for the selected card. He then rips a corner off the card and places in to his palm. Now comes the finish: The torn piece is thrown on to the card and in the blink of an eye the card is restored!

The card can be handed out as a souvenir and the setup required to perform this trick is minimal. Watch the video and get YOUR download for LESS than ten bucks. Support LuxonMagic and the Magic Roadshow…

http://www.luxonmagic.com/id25

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Criss Angel’s BeLIEve – Watch all Past Episodes Online.

Did you miss episodes of Criss Angel’s BeLIEve? Spike TV is making ALL episodes available to watch online. Nothing to download.. just click and watch.

http://www.spike.com/episodes/b1a1c8/criss-angel-believe-ship-appearance-season-1-ep-107

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Don’t forget about MAGIC NEWS.. I’ve received so many good comments from our over-ambitious attempt to report all the breaking magic news from around the world. I’m also adding videos to the mix to give your mind a break from all the reading.

http://MagicNews.org

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Modern Mechanix – Yesterday’s Tomorrow Today

If you’re anywhere near middle aged.. you’ll fondly remember Modern Mechanix. I recently ran across some interesting articles in old, and I mean REALLY old, MM’s. One would be considered politically incorrect.. and the other would be considered way too dangerous for todays coddled children.

PARLOR MAGIC with CIGARETTES published in March of 1933, teaches several effects with cigarettes, including how to tie a cigarette in a knot.

MAGIC TRICKS for the AMATEUR CHEMIST, published in April of 1936, provides a wide variety of ways to set your friends on fire.

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/parlor-magic-with-cigarettes/

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/magic-tricks-for-the-amateur-chemist/
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Practice.. Practice Practice

How well-known magicians practice has been a long-time  interest of mine. Why is it that some guys master all the difficult sleights.. and others ‘practice’ forever with minimal improvement?. Is there a proper way to learn that the rest of us will never understand?. Is there some ‘inside secret’ the rest of us don’t know? Is there an inner society of magicians beyond the inner society of magicians we all think we belong to..? The ‘10,000 Hour Rule’ has received it’s share of publicity recently, particularly related to musicians, magicians, and athletes. I ran across this quote in “The Hidden Driver of Excellence”.

The “10,000-hour rule” – that this level of practice holds the secret to great success in any field – has become sacrosanct gospel, echoed on websites and recited as litany in high-performance workshops. The problem: it’s only half true. If you are a duffer at golf, say, and make the same mistakes every time you try a certain swing or putt, 10,000 hours of practicing that error will not improve your game. You’ll still be a duffer, albeit an older one.

No less an expert than Anders Ericsson, the Florida State University psychologist whose research on expertise spawned the 10,000-hour rule of thumb, told me, “You don’t get benefits from mechanical repetition, but by adjusting your execution over and over to get closer to your goal.”

The Hidden Driver of Excellence (public library), celebrated psychologist and journalist Daniel Goleman

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Werner Miller’s Monthly Feature for Roadshow Readers.. 3 Effects

24. Hybrid

To prepare, sort out the twelve court cards and arrange them so that suits and values run cyclically, e.g. JC – QH – KS – JD – QC – KH – JS – QD – KC – JH – QS – KD.

When performing, ribbon-spread the cards face up, then gather them up, turn them face down, and square. Invite a spectator to give the packet one or more complete cuts. Have the final top card removed and tabled by the spectator, sight unseen.

Take the remaining eleven cards, and perform two Klondyke Shuffles. Then thumb off the top two cards as a unit, turn them face up (thus reversing their order) and fan them so that the faces of both cards are clearly visible. Name the cards, emphasizing the value of the left card and the suit of the right card, e.g. “Jack of Hearts, King of Spades”. Omit the unstressed parts of the names, while pointing to the cards in turn once more (“Jack … Spades”), then combine both getting the name of a new card: “The Jack of Spades!”

Ask the spectator to turn over the tabled card: It is really the JS!

 

25. Misleading

Openly sort out the four Queens and the four Kings. Take care that the Queens are in the same suit order as the Kings (e.g. QH – QS – QD – QC, KH – KS – KD – KC). Place one set on top of the other, then square the cards and turn them face down.

Ask a spectator to completely cut the packet. Then take two spot cards (e.g. a red Ace and a black Ace), and place one of them face up on top, the other one add face up at the bottom.
Now perform two Reverse Forward Faros. With each RFF the face-up cards switch places; they are now both back at their starting positions, giving the impression that the original order of all the cards has been restored.

Turn over the remaining eight cards in pairs: Each pair consists of a Queen and a King of the same suit!

 

26. Families

Openly sort out the twelve court cards, dealing Jacks, Queen and Kings face up into three separate piles. Take care that in each pile the cards are in the same suit order (e.g. JH – JS – JD – JC, QH – QS – QD – QC, KH – KS – KD – KC).

Assemble the three sets by placing one on top of the other, square the combined packet, turn it face down, and have it completely cut by a spectator. Then thumb off the top six cards (without disturbing their order) and set this portion alongside the bottom half of the packet.

Show the Joker, hand it to the spectator, and turn your back. Ask the spectator to decide on either packet; the top card of that packet will be his chosen card. Have this card (without looking at its face) replaced with the face-up Joker, then the Joker packet put on top of the other one.

Turn back. Mix the combined packet Under/Down style, then thumb off the top three cards and spread them. The card in the middle is the face-up Joker; remove it and ask the spectator to slide his card face down into the gap. Turn the 3-card fan face up: Jack, Queen and King of the same suit. Set this “family” down.

Give the remaining 9-card packet a Monge Shuffle, then thumb off cards in groups of three: The three other “families” are complete, too.

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Werner Miller is a retired math teacher living in Austria. He has created literally hundreds of math based magic tricks. His primary interest is recreational math and applying it to puzzles and magic.
He won the 1989 and 1992 Tenyo Magic Competition each with a Flash Dice Routine. In addition, Werner has written extensively for magic publications.. including The Magician, Abracadabra, The Mystery Magazine, and Club 71.  Lybrary.com feature a number of books authored by Werner, most in English and some in German.

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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Build Your Magic Show –

What do you REALLY want from your magic? Do you want to entertain your kids/grand kids? Do you want to impress fellow magicians? Do you want to attend magic meetings.. and silently watch as others present all the magic?

Or, do you want to develop a FULL magic show.. one you can present for REAL money, to a REAL audience, plus all the above as an added bonus? Let one of my favorite magicians in the world take you by the hand and show you EXACTLY what you need to do to succeed in Magic.. Watch an hour of Free Videos at:

https://magicroadshow.com/julian.php

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Hofzinser Force – Video Tutorial

One of the most impressive forces that doesn’t require a ton of experience. You can master this force in short time, and add an additional level of skill to your performance. Personally, I consider the Force and the Double Lift as the two absolutely must-have sleights you MUST master to take your card magic to the next level. Self Working card tricks will only take you so far…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxN_Gk7RDYw

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TWO From FERNANDOP1 –  Video Tutorials

Finding the Aces

Produce the Aces from four randomly chosen cards by a spectator. FernandoP1 will show you all the critical moves in this nice 9 plus minute tutorial… Look for the links to four additional tutorials that will teach you the additional sleights… Controlling a Card to the Bottom, Turning over a Card, the Cover Pass, and the Real Pass.. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN22OWUOO6Q

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One Hand Turn Over Switch

Another fine tutorial from FernandoP1, running about 21 minutes in length. This switch compares to the MacMillian Switch. If you enjoy slightly more complex moves that require a little work and practice, these two videos will be right up your alley… wherever your alley is located.. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctTx8M3Lu8k

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TWO from XAVIER PERRET – Video Tutorials

 

How to Shoot Cards – Video Tutorial

Let Xavier Perret teach you how to shoot cards from one hand to another. This is the easiest way.. if there is such a thing.  Once you learn the secret.. Practice is the key

http://youtu.be/bONBF-6CdEk

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Criss Angel Card Trick Revealed

OK, I don’t know that this is necessarily a Criss Angel card trick. I suspect Xavier gave it this name to garner more views on Youtube. Regardless, It’s my type of trick.. basically self working, and a fooler if performed with style. This is NOT a new effect. I’ve seen it performed and written about many times… But, it IS one of those effects folks (magicians) tend to shrug off because it’s so simple. Don’t fall into that category. This is a great trick for the bar or for performing for one or two spectators.  Note – although Xavier uses three marked cards, it’s not really necessary. If you show the two unselected cards first, you’ll know the third card by default. I suppose there is a certain level of security in the markings though.     

http://youtu.be/Zj5OlfSJtIM

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Vintage Comic Ads..

Sometimes the best source is… Google. This is one category where the Google image site has more to offer than the best of the rest. I’m sure you’ll see some ads here that really bring back some memories. Something you wanted, but didn’t have the money to order.. Or something you ordered and wished you had your money back…

 Click Here

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Secret Fun Spot – A Blast from the Past

Don’t visit this site until you’re ready to make a considerable investment in time. Tourist Traps, Dime Stores, Retro Signs, Wallpaper, Goofy Gifts, Adams Pranks… and the list goes on and on.

Check out this amazing site for a real trip to the past. Whether you’re that old or not doesn’t matter.. if your young you’ll wonder what the heck was wrong with your fathers generation.

http://secretfunspot.com

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 For the Musical Side of Your Noggin’

Really interesting video. I have never seen an instrument like this.. but it makes sense. Sort of a steel drum in reverse..

 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=647516071951717″ data-width=”466″
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From Our Archives…

Physic Tricks..  Free eBook

I ran this one a couple of years ago and according to my stats it was one of the most downloaded ebooks I’ve ever offered. I thought it would be a good idea to run it again and give the new guys a chance to get it.. or, those of you who are like me, can’t remember where you put it…  There are guys who ‘busk’ using these tricks, just as one would with magic tricks.
 
Here’s the physics tricks:

1. Alka-Seltzer Rocket
2. Water-Proof Hanky
3. Straw Oboes
4. Cloud In A Bottle
5. Lifting Lemon
6. The Power Of Words
7. Potato Straw
8. Erupting Fizz
9. Magical Match
10. Amazing Marshmallows
11. Cartesian Diver
12. Balloon Kebabs
13. Lager Lamp
14. Shrinking Coin
15. Extra Bounce
16. The Swing Thing
17. Egg-Citing Physics
18. One In The Hand
19. Bernoulli Balls
20. Tame Tornado

http://www.divshare.com/download/25177541-412

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Physics.org

Physics.org lists their top five tricks for busking.. most based on the above. If you would like to see videos of effects – including Amazing Marshmellows, Tame Tornado, Cartesian Driver, Straw Oboes, and Water Proof Hankey… just visit:

 http://www.physics.org/tricks/

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Vanish Magazine – A New Issue

Paul Romhany announces a new Vanish Magazine..

“I am pleased to let you know that Edition 12 is now ready for you to read and download for FREE. This marks the end of the second year for VANISH MAGAZINE and with well over 100,000 readers we have now firmly established ourselves in the world of magic. Please share the magazine with all your magic friends and club members as that is what VANISH is all about. Be sure to join us on FACEBOOK and share it with your friends on there as well.”

Edition 12
Free to Download or read online..

 http://www.vanishmagazine.com
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The Magic Roadshow Journal of Magic

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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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’re not a subscriber, you can sign up above…

http://streetmagic.info/cbmall3.html

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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:
[email protected]
 
“May my next issue find you well..”

  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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