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I had to slow down after two years of ordering a custom deck almost every week. Thought I was gonna have to call DA (Deck-a-holics Anonymous). I open mine though, cuz it's so great to look at the cards, use them for magic and flourishes, they are like works of art. I almost make a little...

This is a great opportunity for you to get some performing experience! I would recommend that you tell the host ahead of time that you do some magic and ask him/her whether they would like you to walk around and entertain the guests with a few tricks at the party. They are almost certain to...

I will second, third, fourth and fifth what Rick, 010rusty, Dockler and Hgagnon have said about the ID. With the possible exception of Card on the Ceiling, it has consistently gotten the best reactions from spectators of any card trick over the many decades I have performed as both an amateur...

I guess I have a bit of a different perspective on this issue. It has been suggested that YouTube provides an accessible and inexpensive way to learn magic for entry level magicians, and I get that some people prefer to learn from videos, which obviously includes YouTube. I understand that...

For generations people have had this preconceived notion about magicians using their sleeves. Just like they often say, "The hand is quicker than the eye." (And maybe that's true, because otherwise you would never see anyone with a black eye). For the most part I think that if we have short...

To me, Magic is a performing art, which, since age 6, has brought me a lifetime of fun, joy, entertainment, intrigue, fascination, inspiration and wonder, but the highest purpose of which is to bring those things to the audience.

Sooner or later, despite our best efforts, regardless of our experience level, or how much we practice, we will flub up - because we can never practice not being human - well, on this current plane of existence, anyway. Although as time goes on, mistakes become fewer and further between, and as...

"If you liked that one, I can do a great torn and restored banana..."

That's one of the great things about being a member of this Forum. People who are willing the share and help one another out. And these types of topics really stimulate thought and help even experienced performers to analyze their presentations and improve. I wish I had the benefit of...

Great choices! CONGRATULATIONS to Andrew, David & Michael, and to all of us, as we are lucky to have them!

The most important definitions may well be how we define ourselves and what our goals are as performers. And then, tailoring our performances accordingly. Does one wish to be what Eugene Burger called, in the Performance of Close-up Magic, the "generic magician," performing the same effects in...

Yes, i would think that in addition to the element of great showmanship, theatrics and presentation, clarity is paramount; without it, all may be lost.

How does he approach guests at an event he is working? What is his opening line(s) to them? Does he introduce himself verbally, and say he is a magician?

Incidentally, a good tip (no pun intended) when doing vanish effects involving a TT, is to push the index finger into the fist right before pushing the thumb in, and then, after pushing the thumb in and stealing the tip, push the index finger into the fist one last time. This provides good...

My favorite trick with a TT is the vanish of a lit cigarette. Roger Klause said that the strongest trick you can do for a layman is the barehanded vanish of a lit cigarette. Of course, smoking is not that prevalent these days, especially indoors at public places, and I personally do not smoke...

That looks very good! Smoother and cleaner than the passes of many of the pros I have known or seen. My only advice to make it virtually foolproof is to use appropriate timing and misdirection in conjunction with doing it. For example, looking up at a spectator and addressing a remark or...

PS Sorry for the misspelling of your name. It was late LOL!

@DominusDolurum: Excellent post. Spot on! BTW, if you want to have some fun with other magicians who aren't aware of Marlo's Convincing Control (and there are plenty of them), tell them that you have come up with a new way of doing the pass that is completely invisible, and that you'd like to...

I think that this proves what Antonio said about the 21 Card trick and other tricks - that they can be made entertaining depending on the performer. It also supports the comment of Reality One as to character and presentation, and Maaz's comment about self-workers. I have seen quite a few...

I have found that most people love stories. Story-telling has been a ritual of human civilization going back for centuries. The great majority of my most popular routines center around a story. When the story is introduced, you can just see them relax and start to settle in, their analytical...