Card Trick Ideas

May 3, 2016
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22
What card tricks can be done without any deception or misdirection? Question inspired by "The Ethics of Deception".
 
Apr 19, 2015
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118
32
Florence, Italy
Mathematical effects. Then you prove the Heisenberg Uncertainty relation for energy and time and you wait for each atoms of the decks to quantum tunnel through the table.
100% Science!

Joke.
Automatic effects work, but only with a good presentation. I think you have to forget about ethics, cause deception is part of the entertainment.

PS: if you want to try the first effect described, you may wait a while!
 
Jun 6, 2015
119
84
Charlotte NC
Check out the Mismag youtube channel, there's a lot of fun self-working tricks, and some with very minimal soh.

I've heard "Self Working Card Tricks" by Nate Kranzo is also pretty good, it includes 17 effects.
 
Apr 18, 2016
159
125
46
USA
There is no trick that can be done without deception. If you are worried about the ethics, all you need do is not take anything from the spectator. Magic is the art of deception. It only becomes unethical when you claim to have powers that are reserved for the gods.



Book
 
My bread and butter reputation making effect that I always go to is a card trick I invented called Camper. Depending on what you want to do with it, it's self working and requires absolutely no sleight of hand and no set up. Thus why I choose to do it when someone wants me to validate myself as a magician and there is a deck of cards around, I instantly jump to that effect. Don't let the impromptu-ness of this effect deter you, I actually am using it in a stage show and it floors the audience.
I've heard "Self Working Card Tricks" by Nate Kranzo is also pretty good, it includes 17 effects.
That's good to hear. I wanted to pick this effect up but I'm a little hesitant to get any of his releases after 52 Gone. I've been burned pretty badly on purchases from Ellusionist in the past....and yes that includes Pyro! :D
 
Hi there,

Like Mr.Book said there isn't really any magic trick that can be done without deception I guess, as every trick requires the spectator to be in the unknown on how the trick was done, making them believe it was real, or at least leaving them scratching their heads on how it was done. However there are many places to get some awesome, and super simple card tricks that require little to no sleight of hands if that is what you are looking for.

Hope this helped!
 

obrienmagic

Elite Member
Nov 4, 2014
1,469
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Orange County, Ca
www.obrienmagic.com
I guess it all comes down to how you interpret these terms. For example, deception and misdirection go hand in hand, but mean different things. I can deceive someone without using misdirection (maybe the story gives me a reason to perform a certain action that otherwise would not make sense) I can also misdirect someone which I guess would technically be deception, but used in a different way.

For me the part that becomes "unethical" is when you flat out lie to someone. Try to avoid saying things like "your card is on the table" because if it isn't, they may want to check and they will reveal that it is not the case. Not so much an ethical thing IMO just rather good storytelling and misdirection. Not sure if any of this is coherent, lol makes sense in my head I guess.
 
May 3, 2016
102
22
I guess it all comes down to how you interpret these terms. For example, deception and misdirection go hand in hand, but mean different things. I can deceive someone without using misdirection (maybe the story gives me a reason to perform a certain action that otherwise would not make sense) I can also misdirect someone which I guess would technically be deception, but used in a different way.

For me the part that becomes "unethical" is when you flat out lie to someone. Try to avoid saying things like "your card is on the table" because if it isn't, they may want to check and they will reveal that it is not the case. Not so much an ethical thing IMO just rather good storytelling and misdirection. Not sure if any of this is coherent, lol makes sense in my head I guess.
Actually it does make sense, but it's actually really hard not to lie to people with stuff like that, which is mostly why I thought I'd get into cardistry.
 

obrienmagic

Elite Member
Nov 4, 2014
1,469
1,422
Orange County, Ca
www.obrienmagic.com
Actually it does make sense, but it's actually really hard not to lie to people with stuff like that, which is mostly why I thought I'd get into cardistry.

I hear ya. Maybe makes for a fun challenge to see if you can go an entire routine and make it magical WITHOUT telling a single lie :) would be hard but I'm sure it is possible! Maybe just tweaking the words you use could help out (ie. if you want them to believe the card is NOT on top of the deck you could say "It is somewhere in the deck" VS "it is in the middle of the deck.") Technically not a lie because the top is somewhere in the deck rt? :)
 
May 3, 2016
102
22
I hear ya. Maybe makes for a fun challenge to see if you can go an entire routine and make it magical WITHOUT telling a single lie :) would be hard but I'm sure it is possible! Maybe just tweaking the words you use could help out (ie. if you want them to believe the card is NOT on top of the deck you could say "It is somewhere in the deck" VS "it is in the middle of the deck.") Technically not a lie because the top is somewhere in the deck rt? :)

Yeah totally, I used to try that. but people are ridiculously gullible, so they were always misled rather than seeing through my trick, to the point that I could say something after doing a double lift and picking up the top card: 'I'm NOT inserting your card into the deck' and they'd still be surprised that their card was on top! So, because people are so easily misled, and I don't like deceiving people, I went into cardistry. I'm wary of other illusionists as well because, if they will lie for entertainment, what else could they be lying about? Thoughts?
 

obrienmagic

Elite Member
Nov 4, 2014
1,469
1,422
Orange County, Ca
www.obrienmagic.com
Yeah totally, I used to try that. but people are ridiculously gullible, so they were always misled rather than seeing through my trick, to the point that I could say something after doing a double lift and picking up the top card: 'I'm NOT inserting your card into the deck' and they'd still be surprised that their card was on top! So, because people are so easily misled, and I don't like deceiving people, I went into cardistry. I'm wary of other illusionists as well because, if they will lie for entertainment, what else could they be lying about? Thoughts?


That is the thing though. Define lie? If you are saying that lying during a routine (i.e. saying you card rose from the middle to the top when in reality it didn't, it was controlled there moments before) then that really isn't a "Lie" in the same way it would be to say lie to your mom that you finished your homework when you didn't. It is literally two different things. If you stand behind "not trusting an illusionist because they are "lying" during their performance" then you should also not want to watch any movies either. Because they are not really doing what they are showing you in the film either. Batman isn't real. Superman isn't really flying. It is all part of the show. :)

Having said that now, there is a fine line between giving a convincing presentation and straight out lying to an audience (ie. telling them you can communicate with the dead.)

But at the end of the day I guess it all comes down to that word "lie" and what it means to certain people. I can honestly say I have never lied to anyone about my performance. They know it is sleight of hand, but it is still amazing. To keep them wondering I obviously have to tell them something to mislead or misdirect them, but again it is just for the demonstration. Same way we will suspend our disbelief to watch a movie.

Great points my friend and good way to get people to think about these things!
 
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