Suggestions to buy magic related stuff from Amazon

Feb 22, 2019
4
0
Hello Everyone! I am relatively new to magic and mentalism, as I have started them about 2 years ago. I have mostly just used cards and coins to do my tricks, and have tried to master all the different sleights and tricks on YouTube, and in some books (The Encyclopedia of Card Tricks, etc). I only use basic bicycle decks for my magic, nothing special at all. The only trick I really have bought is the "Invisible Deck". However, now I want to buy material that will take my magic to the next level. I have a budget of $50 from Amazon. These are the broad category of things I really want and I would be thankful for some of your suggestions:

1. 1 marked deck, that looks decent and is not too expensive
2. 1 highly visual effect that would be really cool for street magic
3. 1 impossible mentalism effect, that would surely blow minds
4. Different gimmicks which would enhance my portfolio(such as Loops maybe, or Flash Paper)

OR

Just one magic routine, that is extremely good.

I would really be looking forward to you suggestions, and thank you in advance to all the people who will reply.

P.s. I know the $50 budget is ambitious, and I am willing to go over for something extra ordinary. However, please try to give suggestions that would come in the $50

Thanks
 

Antonio Diavolo

Elite Member
Jan 2, 2016
1,092
881
24
California
What I would recommend is to invest in a few books. Books are great because:
1. Most of the stuff isn't on YouTube
2. For $20-$50 (Most books are around this range. Some are crazy expensive though) you can get dozens of tricks, as opposed to spending $20-$50 on one gimmick.

Mark Wilson's Complete Course is a great resource as well as the Art of Astonishment books that Reality One recommended. Just one of those books has enough material for an entire show. Almost every trick has multiple phases and are well thought out routines. It is still important to make sure you add something of your own to the trick through your patter and presentation of it.

However, I can also recommend a good marked deck. The Penguin marked maidens are $1o, look inconspicuous, are easy to read, and are printed on their elite crushed stock so they feel great too. Plus, they come with duplicate jokers, a blank card, and a double backer. It also comes in mnemonica stack and comes with a download explaining a few tricks you can do with the deck. Here's the link.

As for a highly visual street magic trick, I'm not quite sure. It's all personal preference. It also depends what you mean by "visual magic". I'm personally not really into the hyper-visual, heavily gimmicked stuff you'll see online. They may be visual but they just aren't practical for me. My issue is that you often have to carry around the extra gimmicks, they often can't be handed out, and they are usually the type of trick that happens a little too quickly. It's good for Instagram but not so much for a performance imo.

There are plenty of visually interesting tricks in books (including AoA and Mark Wilson's) that you can learn as well. So it just depends on what you're into.

For a mentalism trick, one of the most versatile things you can learn is a billet peek. It basically allows you to secretly view whatever someone has written on a small piece of paper. The most common is probably the center tear (which is taught in Mark Wilson's). Other than that, 13 Steps to Mentalism, Practical Mental Magic, and Self-Working Mental Magic are all great books with tons of mentalism effects inside.

Like I said, I am personally not a huge fan of using tons of gimmicks. Although, I do carry around loops in my wallet as they allow for a wide variety of tricks. They take quite a bit of practice though as they break super easily.
Flash paper is usually used as an enhancement for other tricks like a vanish or production at the beginning/end of a routine.
 
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ID4

Aug 20, 2010
482
228
For 2 & 3 look for the at the table live lectures by Jay Sankey and Mark Calabrese. Or look for other magicians at the table live lectures.

For 4 get yourself a TT if you dont already own one.
 
Oct 19, 2015
317
220
I too was a 'newbie' a few short years ago! I too started out buying tricks and gimmicks, they were great fun at first. Then when I started doing magic for friends and neighbors, I quickly realized that I did not have a performance, I only had some tricks with a few comments that came with some tricks....something big was missing.

What I have now learned is that first you need a thirst for learning many different forms of magic, hard work and all the elements that create a performance. Most all good magicians write and memorize their complete scripts and movements that go with the trick, they tell a story (except a few who say nothing and pantomime the story) . And of course, all learn to do the actual magic, flawlessly. Then putting together a show, they build an overall theme and character for themselves that ties with the stories. Putting all of this together is the only way I have learned to perform and actually entertain. As already mentioned a good starter is the book... Mark Wilson's Complete Course ……….you can usually find a used one on line, eBay or other search areas. As for performing, scripting books are available, but the two I have are over your budget. I think studying the performance and scripts of good magicians that entertain you is a good start as you read and learn more about the art of magic. Good luck on your journey!
 
Dec 15, 2017
5
2
There is a rockridge magic thing of an invisible deck, svengali deck, and a normal blue backed bicycle deck for about 20. All of them are blue rider backed bicycle cards
 
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