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Using a gimmick is no different than using a prop -- except that the audience doesn't know how the gimmick works. I suspect your problem is a fear of getting "caught" or the audience asking to examine the gimmick. The first problem is solved by practicing until you have the performance...

It took me a while to track this down. Amazing... http://www.ted.com/talks/arthur_benjamin_does_mathemagic.html

Harry Lorrayne used to teach memory classes and has written books on memory. One of the things he did as a demonstration of his abilities was give a student a deck to shuffle. He would then very quickly look through the deck at each card. He would then have the student pick a card. By looking...

AI'm sorry if you thought my comment was annoying. I was trying to get your attention so I could help you learn something. Your response was change your question rather than to think about what I said and how it applies to your performance. My response wasn't throwing it back in your face...

I "create" magic by reading. I read books with magic effects, I read books about magic theory, I read books about magic history, I read books on child psychology, I read books that tell amazing stories, I read on-line news articles about all different topics. It is all about knowledge. It...

How do you present those effects is a better question.

A routine is not a list of tricks you perform in the order you perform them, being tied together by the common theme of here is some stuff I bought at a magic shop that I can do and you can't. A routine is a number of effects tied together with a common theme and presentation. I see no...

Something that appears to the spectator as if it is something that the performer just was able to do without any advance preparation.

Don't forget Subsequent Impuzzibilites. All great books. Also, check out Juan Tamariz's Verbal Magic.

I think Craig would agree that there is NO comparison. What he was saying is that if he can overcome being in a wheelchair and Rene Levand can overcome losing the use of his hand, you can overcome "small hands." Christopher often links to a video of a magician who performs without any hands -...

Check out Roberto Giobbi's Genii Session columns in Genii Magazine: List of card methods published January 2006, List of basic card effects/phenomena published in July 2006. List of 104 different card plots published in September and November 2006 If you friend thinks that all card magic is...

I do a card to nested series of boxes using a the torn corner method explained in Mark Wilson's Complete Course. I think it might be from a card to wallet routine. I also think there is a routine in there using a DB card (sorry for the abbreviation Craig...). You could also use a gambler's...

Jim Steinmeyer Mathieu Bich Tom Stone John Bannon John Gustaferro

I'm glad you are getting Card College. That is a lot of material but it will provide you with an amazing variety of sleight of hand. What else to get depends on what you want to learn and what your style is. If you don't know either of those, stick with just Card College for now. The list...

You are wrong. It is a matter of semantics, but the distinction is helpful.

What about something the other way around - how history affects magic? That is, how magic is influenced by other events in history. Arguably, Houdini reflected the culture of the 1920's. The sawing through a woman illusion reflected different attitudes toward woman ( and yes, it had to be a...

For card tricks, see Make a Wish from Caleb Wiles's High Spots. I also do a variation of the Anniversary Waltz where the spectator's selected and signed card changes into a card with a birthday greeting on the face (either using a blank card with a message or a regular card that has a message...

I second that recommendation. You have probably learned more than just the mechanic's grip incorrectly. That is part of the problem of learning from Youtube. Get Card College Volume 1 and 2 and start over learning correctly.

The key is what the spectator experiences. There is a difference between asking a spectator to think of any card, or using a psychological force. It is a question of the degree of perceived freedom and therefore fairness. There is a similar issue with regular forces (see Roberto Giobbi's's...

Why? What is the difference between a freely named card or a freely selected card in the spectator's mind? Both are a random choice. Using cards eliminates the possibility of a stooge. I've seen people try mental forces using equvoque and get the right card and fail. Magician: "So the...