theory11 — Magic Tricks & the World's Finest Playing Cards

Where to start

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CruiseH

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I have been working on plenty of sleights but I don't want to learn cheasey stuff from something like mismag822 - I want to learn good quality stuff.
though I have learned a lot of cheasy stuff already
 
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CruiseH said:
I already have plenty of sleights mastered.
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Mastered? Surely your journey towards mastering sleights has lead you to something.

Go to the T11 store. Search for free stuff. Find Jason Englands book recommendations - pick one.

Also - the amount of cheesiness in any magic trick has nothing to do with the trick and everything to do with the presentation. If you have the sleights and an idea of what you want to do (make this card go from here to there) then what you say is up to you, no need to copy someone else if you don't enjoy their jokes.
 
RikAllen said:
Also - the amount of cheesiness in any magic trick has nothing to do with the trick and everything to do with the presentation.
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Precisely, one of my hardest hitting effects is a self-working one I learned back in 1989, the method is ridiculously easy that even a 12 year old could learn, I know that because that's how old I was in 89', Haha. However, the way I present it is what makes it such a great effect that gets huge reactions.

The biggest mistake you can make is making something more difficult than is necessary. Years ago when I first began learning the one handed top palm it was atrocious, the card kept angle jogging too far and it wouldn't spring up into my hand etc. I realized soon afterwards that I could achieve the same effect by using both hands and it looked exactly the same as if doing with one. I did continue to practice it until I got it down, but when you think about it only another magician would know that's what you're doing and perhaps later on comment that you have an excellent one handed top palm. A layperson on the other hand doesn't have a clue obviously, and they aren't suppose to see you doing it in the first place.

If I am performing for laypeople and I need to do a top palm I could very well do it one handed, but why run when you can walk?

But I digress.

-KZ
 
I ask you, what are you NATURALLY good at already? Knowing this will truly help a lot with what you can (and should) perform.

Are you good at..
storytelling or teaching?
DLs or double undercuts?
cards or coins?

You should find out what your good at, and do more of that. There are PLENTY of laymen in this world. But, most of them couldn't care less about what trick you do. The only thing spectators care about is how they feel when you're performing for them.

But don't give them a side of cheese, unless the cheese makes them laugh.
Then put it on a juicy burger.
Then a Juicier burger.
 
find out what specific type of magic you wanna get into. but i would recommend royal road and expert at the card table.
 
Sleights, in and of themselves are useless. Learn routines.

My recommendation is to start with Card College Volumes 1 and 2. You will learn sleights in the context of routines to perform. You also will learn the sleights correctly -- which is my greatest complaint about Youtube magic teachers.

My second recommendation is to get Stars of Magic - all of the routines are classics.
 
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Easy to Master Card Miracles by Michael Ammar.

Only require basic sleights, but learn the double lift from Gregory Wilson's Double Take and the Elmsley Count from the DVD or Oz Pearlman.

Oz Pearlman's Born to Perform Card Magic is also a very good introduction to cards and sleights although sleights, really, are useless without a routine.

Aldo Columbini also has quite a good volume on self-working tricks called
Impromptu Card Trick (or something like that)
 
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