Hired as a magician( but don't know a lot of tricks)

Feb 17, 2017
53
12
Hello, i was invited to my friend's birthday party, which is going to be around next week. He hired me to do some magic tricks for $15/ 1 hour. Although i loved the idea, i only know a couple of good tricks. I learned the double lift, bottom deal, and some sleights. I would like to know which magic tricks can "blow the spectator's mind". Any trick would be good, but i prefer free ones over magic that you need to buy( spend most of my money on mechanics by DM, but i would still like suggestions). Does anyone know any good ones on youtube, or the marketplace? Thanks!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Qui Decipitur
Feb 18, 2015
145
96
Is it walk around or table hopping?
Simple Walk around:
Torn and Restored Transpo :)- If not Scarne's switchcraft/ David Blaine 2 Card Transpo Hand Sandwich (DL duplicate)
Ambitious Card w/ Kicker ending to shoe, mint box
Sandwich routine, any one
Invisible Deck (special deck)
Dr Daley's trick (flashy ace production? double lift)
Card at any number (bottom deal, control/cull)
Card to pocket (palming, understanding of misdirection, control)-I enjoy 51 cards to pocket williamson
A torn and restored card (I enjoy the original Hollingworth but others are good)
 

Josh Burch

Elite Member
Aug 11, 2011
2,966
1,101
Utah
Hello, i was invited to my friend's birthday party, which is going to be around next week. He hired me to do some magic tricks for $15/ 1 hour. Although i loved the idea, i only know a couple of good tricks. I learned the double lift, bottom deal, and some sleights. I would like to know which magic tricks can "blow the spectator's mind". Any trick would be good, but i prefer free ones over magic that you need to buy( spend most of my money on mechanics by DM, but i would still like suggestions). Does anyone know any good ones on youtube, or the marketplace? Thanks!

Oh no!

Well, you have to start somewhere I guess. I'm going to really try to help you out here and ignore the problems for now.

First off, a bottom deal and double lift are methods. These are not tricks. Do you know any tricks? Focus on what the spectator sees and how it is magical. So, the description of the trick might go like this: "I can make a card change in their hand", "I can cause their card to appear at the number they call out", "I can have them cut the deck and deal out a royal flush".

Generally you want to have at least 9 tricks. This consists of an opener, a middle and a closer for three different groups. Three sets of three tricks allows you to vary your performances from group to group and allows you to return to an older group and do different material.

It would help to know what kind of tricks you actually know rather than a couple of random sleights.

Okay, problems. I want to be realistic with you and I want to help. I don't want you to embarrass yourself or poorly represent magicians in general.

The party is in a week. This is generally not enough time to learn new magic. Ricky Jay, a legendary card magician, says that he works on a piece of magic for a year before it enters his repertoire. I don't think that you need to follow this rule to the "T" but anyone can follow the spirit of the rule. Put aside some time to learn whatever you are doing, and learn how to do it well.

Which tricks will blow the spectator's minds? This changes from magician to magician. Most magic tricks can blow minds when presented well. I'm continually impressed by David Blaine's ability to take old classics that are overlooked and get great reactions from his presentations.

Two books that you can get for almost free is Mark Wilson's Complete Course of Magic and the Royal Road to Card Magic. Joshua Jay has two newer books that have videos that are also good. They are Magic the Complete Course and The book of Cards by Joshua Jay.

As far as You Tube goes check out Jay Sankey's, Xavier Spade's or Chris Ramsay's You Tube channels. These guys are all good teachers that will give you an idea of how magic works. They all teach magic and have a lot of respect for the art.

Last word, if I was in your position I wouldn't charge your friend for performing. Basically, it sounds like you are just getting used to performing. If that's the case I'd rather go to the party, have a good time, do some magic and stop when I feel I need to. Performing is stressful, you will mess up, it's part of life. At the beginning you will mess up a ton! It's how this works. Understanding this, I think I'd want to avoid the added stress of having to deliver a solid hours worth of magic.

Good luck!
 
Jan 26, 2017
2,173
1,338
23
Virginia
I agree with everything everyone before me has said, but would like to add this:
If you are looking for the in-depth stuff you're gonna have to buy, I heavily recommend getting the books and DVDs these guys sent.

However, for the free stuff, I recommend YouTube Channels that know what they're doing. Let me give you a break down of a few great Magic Channels, so you can choose where to go.

52Kards: A huge library of card moves published in books, or moves long being staples in magic. Here, Asad and Vinh Giang will go over specific sleights to learn, and show you the proper etiquette for performing them. This would be a great place to go after the birthday party, but because it focuses more-so on the moves and not complete tricks, you would find out how to form a routine here, rather than getting good tricks.

Chris Ramsay: A one on one with Chris, Chris goes over magic ethics, and does teach you a lot of moves. Overall, this will help you strengthen your previous tricks, so I would comeback to this channel later too.

Jay Sankey: World renown magician Jay Sankey creates and teaches you specific tricks from beginner - intermediate (sometimes masterclass), and goes over how to do the move, make a routine, and goes over how to perform it in a real life scenario.

Rise Magic: Relatively new group, Rise magic goes through a well organized, ethical system of teaching magic which will cover everything you will need to start performing the trick.

Scam School: Brian Brushwood goes over easy to do tricks you can perform, as well as the social techniques you need to perform magic.

All of them properly go over the history and credit the correct authors.

To learn straight up tricks, Jay Sankey, Scam School, and even Rise Magic will be the best ones for you right now. They will teach you the straight up tricks you need, as well as how to perform them. However, definitely check out 52Kards and Chris Ramsay when you want to learn more about actual sleights.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Josh Burch

RealityOne

Elite Member
Nov 1, 2009
3,744
4,076
New Jersey
So let me speak to the elephants in the room....

i only know a couple of good tricks.

If you don't have a show that is prepared, you shouldn't perform. You are setting yourself up for failure. Turn down the offer.

I would like to know which magic tricks can "blow the spectator's mind"

Tricks in themselves are neither powerful nor entertaining. It is the magician performing the effect.

i prefer free ones over magic that you need to buy

You get what you pay for.
 
Jan 26, 2017
2,173
1,338
23
Virginia
...

If you don't have a show that is prepared, you shouldn't perform. You are setting yourself up for failure. Turn down the offer.



Tricks in themselves are neither powerful nor entertaining. It is the magician performing the effect.

...

This is very true. A couple of tricks in and of themselves will probably only get you angry spectators, especially if you have no story what so ever. I wouldn't necessarilly decline it if it is in the far future, but definitely get some experience performing major tricks for people - whether on the street, in school, at work, whatever - before you start straight up performing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Antonio Diavolo
Aug 16, 2011
141
18
In the great words of General Ackbar "It's A Trap!"

Politely turn down the offer from your friend and let him know you would be more than happy to perform a couple of effects(THAT YOU KNOW WELL!) without charge, but you do not want to be promoted as the magician for the party. Also, sure it's cool having your friends like your magic, but unfortunately, from personal experience, I find that friends are actually more harsh and skeptical of your magic than people who have no idea who you are. You can make up a story or put on a different persona with people you don't know, but with friends, they know who you are and your personality, so as soon as you introduce a new magical element, they just think "neat trick" or are on you more to tell them how you did the effect. However, if you mess up the effect, they may make fun of you or make jokes for a while, as guys tend to do.

I would recommend picking up the Royal Road to Card Magic(RRTCM) and also buying Born to Perform Card Magic by Oz Pearlman. Just make sure it's the 2014 version where Oz is wearing a yellow shirt. The book will cost you less than $10 and I believe you can get the PDF for free since the RRTCM is now public domain. Born to Perform is $29.95 and is an instant download on penguin.

If you genuinely spent several months studying and performing the effects in RRTCM and Born to Perform, you would have more than enough material to perform and feel like you truly have mastered the fundamentals of card magic and be truly ready for a paying gig. Performance is everything, but you can't truly begin to work on your performance until you've mastered the fundamentals. Only once you can stop concentrating on the sleights and the method, are you truly ready to concentrate on the performance aspect. Good luck!
 

RickEverhart

forum moderator / t11
Elite Member
Sep 14, 2008
3,637
471
46
Louisville, OH
So basically in a nut shell I would take a few of these guys' recommendations and go with:

1.) Do not do it for pay, nor have your friend build you up as the great magician that is going to be wowing them all night. Aka the performing monkey.
2.) Just prepare maybe 4 actual routines or pieces that you can do well with proper patter/story line and present those at some point during the night. Always leave them wanting more.

What you will gain from this is performing experience and you'll see how to manage your angles and "if" you can control and keep an audience/spectators.

I'd be interested to have you chime back in after the event and tell us what went well and what you can improve upon. Be brutally honest with yourself as sometimes we magicians tend to sugar coat others magic as to not want to hurt their feelings.
 

Josh Burch

Elite Member
Aug 11, 2011
2,966
1,101
Utah
So let me speak to the elephants in the room....



If you don't have a show that is prepared, you shouldn't perform. You are setting yourself up for failure. Turn down the offer.



Tricks in themselves are neither powerful nor entertaining. It is the magician performing the effect.



You get what you pay for.


This is the best
 
  • Like
Reactions: Maaz Hasan
Dec 30, 2014
279
344
I don't know if you need any more now but stand up Monte (3 card monte which David Blane performed) always gets great reactions. I did it the other day to about 15 people and it had them falling on the floor. Highly recommend it! But I also agree with the other comments.
 
Jan 26, 2017
2,173
1,338
23
Virginia
I don't know if you need any more now but stand up Monte (3 card monte which David Blane performed) always gets great reactions. I did it the other day to about 15 people and it had them falling on the floor. Highly recommend it! But I also agree with the other comments.
Great trick, but when did DB perform it?
 
Nov 12, 2016
77
58
1. You shouldn't have accepted the offer.
2. Why would you put in the time to practice the bottom deal before you got the fundamentals down.
3. Stay away from free magic. It's usually taught badly and more importantly hurts the art.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ChrisW11394
Jan 26, 2017
2,173
1,338
23
Virginia
1. You shouldn't have accepted the offer.
2. Why would you put in the time to practice the bottom deal before you got the fundamentals down.
3. Stay away from free magic. It's usually taught badly and more importantly hurts the art.
https://www.theory11.com/forums/thr...dont-know-a-lot-of-tricks.48227/#/post-463299

A) this is a relatively old post. If you were answering the OP, the opportunity has passed.

B) I have to disagree with you on point 1. If you read the above posts, you will find out what he should've done (and I think did do); He should have rejected the money, but still performed at the party (though not extensively)

C) Point 3 is very wrong. You will find a ton of great free stuff - even here on the Wire. Besides that, you can find free stuff in a library and on creative commons; books are freely open too. Not to mention the fact that if you are looking at the right YouTube channels, you can find a ton of well taught stuff (see my post above). Yes, as I stated in the post, I think he should be learning from books, dvds, etc, BUT YouTube is still a great source if you know where to look and what to look for. There is a reason that even the major magic companies teach freely on YouTube.

D) As for point 2, I'm baffled not as to why he learned it, but how. How does one learn a bottom deal without being heavily into magic (or card cheating, in which case you would have some magic experience)? I really feel like the bottom deal is advanced when it comes to magic, and do not understand how and why one would use it without learning cops, palms, steals and controls. Also kinda salty that he knows a bottom deal and I still can't pull one off at all after a few months of practicing.
 
Feb 17, 2017
53
12
No reply back yet...I guess he lost his Nerv....or should I say, we lost our Nerv :)
sorry, i turn off notifications. i turned down the offer and did some tricks for free for about 30 minutes. i blew them away with torn and restored by justin miller. in the end i enjoyed it and he payed me 15 dollars anyway.
 
Searching...
{[{ searchResultsCount }]} Results