New to Magic

Mar 27, 2011
6
1
Hey guys, I am brand new to magic and discovered this fantastic site. I saw a video posted on youtube by theory11 that had some great tips for beginners by some of their amazing artists. One of the tips was to decide what kind of magic to get into and then pick three really good tricks to master. I have decided that I like card magic, now I was wondering if you guys could share some of your favorite tricks for a beginner. They don't have to be tricks on theory11 but if you could share where they can be learned that would be awesome. Look forward to hearing your thoughts! Thanks guys.
 
The Biddle Trick, Invisible Reverse and Sloppy Shuffle Triumph are three great beginner tricks that require only very basic sleight of hand. You can learn all of them on YouTube. You should also check out a guy called mismag822 while you're on YouTube. He's got a ton of card trick tutorials for beginner trick and more advanced tricks when you start getting better.
 
Lol except for me. I got started on YouTube but after I acquired a basic knowledge of magic I got away from learning off it. Not everyone on there is terrible. You just have to know whom to learn from.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Nov 3, 2010
44
1
If your just starting magic i recommend the biddle trick, Search and destory by aaron fisher and witness by Lee Asher.

My favorite tricks are Matt Mello's modern mentalism dvd 1 ( any card at any number ). Daniel Madison Blind , Tony Chang Sandwiches, Patrick kun Vector Point and Center point.

check those out
 
Sep 1, 2007
3,786
15
Get yourself a copy of Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic. Yes, it's more than just cards, but you'll be hard pressed to find a better value. It's also better to have a wide foundation in fundamentals and general skills before picking a specialization.
 
DO NOT learn from YouTube. ''Mismag'' tells how to do tricks and calls them different things so nobody will accuse him of stealing tricks.

If you want a series that is an easy read, and and filled to the brim with value, go for the Card College Series. It's 5 volumes, but you can buy it separately.


Most importantly, please DON'T learn from YouTube.
 
Sep 1, 2007
3,786
15
Not everyone on there is terrible.

Yes, some of them merely suck.

If you want a series that is an easy read, and and filled to the brim with value, go for the Card College Series. It's 5 volumes, but you can buy it separately.

Card College, while without a doubt the most comprehensive series on card magic, is a bit of an intimidating investment. Royal Road and Mark Wilson's cost less and still give you a stable foundation.
 
Aug 31, 2007
689
12
33
Lacey,Washington
Take Steerpike's advice.

Don't get too shot up getting DVDs. Books are worth their weight in gold.

Card College!
Bobo's Coin Magic

Maybe even Tarbell's course.

Ease your way in and see what kind of magic you would like to do. And yes. Focus on 3 routines and master them!
 

Gop

Mar 24, 2011
4
0
I'm a beginner and I bought Royal Road to Card Magic to take the fundamentals, of course I'll buy some tricks later, but first I think you should learn all the fundamentals (Royal Road to Card Magic has very cool tricks)

So, buy Royal Road to Card Magic and practise, practise and practise

Regards!
 
Dec 26, 2009
242
0
There are a ton of really good places to start but if you choose Royal Road (recommended) there are a few pretty good tricks in its pages as well as the fundamentals in sleight of hand. BTW, you can get Royal Road HERE for under $5.00

But I do agree with what most of these other guys have said.

#1 Stay away from learning from youtube.

The people on there are not doing anything to make magic better. I am not saying they are all bad, but what are they doing to make magic better? Giving away secrets for EVERYONE to see is all they are doing.

#2 Try to stay away from learning from videos for a bit.

I am not saying, don't learn from videos. I am saying give books a chance before moving to video. Books, to me, are 1000 times the learning tool because when you learn from a book you are interpreting what you are reading to suit the way YOU do things. When you learn from a video you are learning the way THAT MAGICIAN performs things, which may not suit your handling of cards, coins or what have you. Some magicians will argue that it is better to learn things the "right way" from a magician that knows what they are talking about via video, but while reading a book you have the exact instructions of how to do the sleights in front of you. The deciding factor is how you interpret what you read and how you feel most comfortable doing the sleights.
 
Dec 11, 2010
124
0
California
This was posted by Geoffrey Weber on TheMagicCafe
I take no credit in making this, All credits goes to Geoffrey.

Geoff Weber said:
This is just one man's opinion. If you are going to tackle the beast that is card magic, it helps to know which skills are the ones you are going to need time and time again, that way you know what to focus your time and energy on during your practice sessions.

Basic Handling Skills:
You want to appear at least as competent with a deck of cards as anyone you might sit down to play cards with.
Deal. This includes knowing the proper dealer grip. Practice being able to just deal cards around the table without any hiccups. As you improve, you can try to get fancy and sail the cards like a Vegas dealer, so they still go to the corrects spots around the table without accidentally flipping over.
Shuffle. Learn classic waterfall shuffle with a bridge as well as an overhand shuffle. This should be clean and neat, without cards falling out of alignment.

Basic Sleight of Hand:
Card Force. You really only need one, although it is sometimes useful to have an alternative method when performing multiple times for the same individual. The easiest is the cross-cut force. The hardest (but cleanest) is the classic force. I think the best compromise between difficulty and fairness is the Hofzinser cull force.
Getting/holding a break.
Double Lift/Double Turn-over. There are many fancy ways to do this. Beginners should avoid all such fanciness and stick to the basic method. Practice making this look the same as the action of turning over a card normally.

(With these two sleights you can perform literally thousands of tricks.)

Flourishes:
To appear like a magician and not a fool with a pack of cards, you must inject some elegance into your handling.
Thumb fan. Being able to form a perfect fan and then close it up is a must.

Control:

Double Undercut. There are many ways to control a card, but none are within the grasp of a beginner as much as this move. It may not look the "fairest" but it is well worth the trade off. Forget the pass, the side steal. Just learn this for starters.

Counts:
Elmsley Count. Hands down, the most useful false count.

More Flourishes:
Dribble the cards
Ribbon Spread
Charlier Cut. (One handed cut.)

False Shuffle:
Slop Shuffle. I would say of all the false shuffles, this is easiest one for maintaining the full deck in order. If you only need to maintain a small section of cards in order, than I would just use a genuine overhand shuffle, not touching the stacked cards.
...more to come later.

(There are many principles of magic you should also be aware of, but I would not categorize them as "skills". Things like key-cards, crimps, stacks...)

Hope it helps
 
Aug 4, 2010
50
1
City of Lost Angels
Royal Road is a bit of a tough read, don't ya' think?

My 9 year old cousin just started and I bought her Royal road for her iPad/kindle and she is already showing signs of invention and next step thinking. So hard read I don't think so maybe a dry read. I like videos here on the site and I own most of them. However till I went back and read RR I was never as good at them.
 
Jun 10, 2010
1,360
1
A quick note on YouTube:

First off, everyone making blanket generalizations about YouTube sucking for learning magic is an idiot. I learned off of youtube for months and adapted the techniques so they would look natural, and it also inspired an interest in magic.

Don't be so quick to write it off.

I agree with whoever said that you just have to know who to learn it from. (I'm sorry, but I'm too lazy to go back and check.)
 
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