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"Master Magician" like "Master Hypnotist" is one of those archaic terms that some magicians still use to try to sell themselves to the gullible. There is no system in magic which confers any titles that have any meaning . I think it's nice that the Magic Circle at least limits membership to the...

John Cornelius is one of the most creative - and ripped off - men in magic. He has largely walked away from magic because of that. When smart people stop sharing WE loose out. Except for a few very close friends, most of us will now never get to benefit from his amazing ideas. So, if you care...

If you price yourself cautiously and over deliver, you will always be invited back. If you price yourself aggressively and under perform, you have lost the job and every potential job those contacts could have brought to you. So, I for one, think you are making the smart choice! Good luck.

If this is your first time doing restaurant magic, then what you stand to make in experience is a lot more valuable that what you stand to make in cash. For a first timer, your fee is very fair. After you have learned the ropes, THEN ask for more - with the SECOND restaurant you book. Always...

Azril, the problem with lines like that is it pits you against them. It makes them NOT want to like you. It makes them want to dig into you more. If the people like you and are on your side, it's amazing how much more respectful they can be of your magic. Nate, The Tamariz book is out...

Many of our greatest performers were also amazing creators - Tommy Wonder, Roy Benson, Channing Pollack, Hofsinzer, Robert-Houdin, Al Baker, Don Alan, Max Maven, Robert Harbin, Buatier Dekolta...I think you get the point. First step - the classic books. Tarbell and Greater Magic are good...

I am a huge fan of Tamariz's Magic Way. (It is an extension of Daryl's Theory of Elimination.) Basically, you want to construct your presentation so any possible method is addressed and eliminated before it becomes viable to the audience. Now, you don't have to eliminate it by talking about it...

Eugene Burger's The Performance of Close Up MAgic Henning Nelm's Magic and Showmanship and if you want some grounding in aesthetic theory (though not about magic per se) Suzanne Langer's Philosophy in a New Key Many recommend Ortiz's Designing Miracles, but I have not had the chance to...

Whenever someone offers an explanation, especially if it's wrong, listen! Change your presentation so you address that idea and eliminate it as a possibility. After a few months of working and re-writing you will eventually have an iron tight presentation that keeps all the wrong ideas from...

I once had two very smart, young magicians come to me and ask that I teach them technique. They were very creative and thought that if they learned technique they would be able, on their own, to create new ideas. They tried. Guess what? All their ideas were awful. Think about it this...

Don't want to sound like the big meanie, but is it really the nicest thing to try to pick apart someone else's trick? I mean, let's say you performed a trick for your friends at school and then they came on here and asked us to tell them how to do it or where to buy it? Professional...

Two of the best have yet to be mentioned.

Magic Live, which traditionally brings out the leading performers and most experienced artists in our field, came in at less that $1,200 even once you factored in registration, hotel, meals, AND air fare. You could go to the combined IBM/SAM convention in Louisville which promises to be the...

Went to the shelves and pulled out the original Topit book. Ammar talks about his deck switch claiming the best application to be "Scotty York's version of Himber's Razored Deck." I did a little digging and found out the proper name is "Richard Himber's Big Trick." It was being sold in 1956...

There are many moves where you want the spectator to be looking straight on at the deck. Tall people work for short and vice versa. When you angle on a move is important, raising your hands up or down doesn't have to be (and often isn't) the best solution. Instead , try tilting the deck so...

Paul Wilson went to great pains in his work on the DVD translation of the book. Unlike a lot of guys (and companies) who offer awful translations, I know that Paul has the knowledge and care it takes to do a good job. Having said that, let's be pragmatic. You can go to abebooks and find...

The "two card monte" is a name often given to a trick properly called "Be Honest, What is it." It was created by legendary bar magician Eddie Fechter. It is in his book Magician's Nightly. That book also has dozens of other tricks that he used to use to entertain real people at a very popular...

How old are you? Believe it or not, that makes a difference. When you are younger, people react to you differently than when you are older. (When I was in high school working for my friends it was entirely different than it is now when I approach people as an adult who makes his living as a...

I think "broken in" is a better term than "worn down." If the decks is warped or if cards are crimped you will have a hard time with a perfect weave. Likewise, if the cards are dirty/stick they will bind. Once you start working with a deck and it starts faroing well you will find (often) that...

Believe it or not, how the cards were cut at the printer (face up versus face down) affect how they faro. If you have a deck that seems to bind when you try to faro them, try turning the cards over. They should slip in more easily. Also, the faro is not a heavy handed move. It takes a light...