theory11 — Magic Tricks & the World's Finest Playing Cards

beginner card magic questions?

inferno23

inferno23

Nov 17, 2011
40
0
iowa
hey everybody i am new to card magic and and i have been watching the royal road to card magic DVD series by Paul Wilson i don't have the book but the DVDs help me out a lot. now here are my questions after i get done with the royal road i was thinking about getting the tricks DVD by Dan and Dave is this a good step to make or is there something else out there that is good for after the royal road DVD any advice will help also i but i've been doing cardistry for two years and i'm pretty dexterous would that help with card magic and or sleights
and yes i know guys this is a very long sentence HA HA HA

thanks
 
Okay so you are new.... Don't get the dan and dave DVD. They will be too hard and complex. I recommend you get the biddle trick from theory11, an invisible deck, a triumph routine and, if you really want a challenge, get vector by patrick kun which isn't too hard but requires time and patience.
 
I'd highly recommend getting the Royal Road book to supplement what you're learning from the DVDs. That way, you'll begin to get used to learning magic from books (a skill you'll definitely want to develop as you progress in magic) with the safety-net of the DVDs in case you feel that you need to see the techniques and tricks performed.

After you've got everything in Royal Road down, get Expert Card Technique by Jean Hugard and Frederick Braue (who also wrote Royal Road). Buy a third edition if you can find it, as it has a couple of extra chapters. Third editions in print are fairly scarce but I believe the eBook version sold by Lybrary.com is taken from the third edition, so has the extra content. You don't necessarily have to master everything out of Expert Card Technique but you'll find a lot of good material in there and it'll definitely open your eyes to what's possible with cards and give you ideas about where you want to take your magic.

Then, get The Expert at the Card Table by S W Erdnase. I don't think there is a single card magician (who's worthy of the name) who doesn't count this as one of the most important books in the history of card work. It's not exactly easy, but once you start to get to grips with the sleights, tricks and, more importantly, the thinking and subtleties described by Erdnase, you'll be very glad you did.

After you're familiar with the material out of these three books you won't be a beginner any more, and you won't need anyone's advice about where to go next.
 
oh my god this helps me out so much thanks guys i will definitely get these books and thanks for all the advice you guys rock
 
An advice of a master:

Dear Mr Ortiz,

I have been seriously into cards for 6 months now. I bought Royal Road, Expert Card Technique and your book, Strong Magic. I also have some videos, and I have learned things like a DL, a Pass, false cuts, etc.

Do you have a suggestion where to start learning things? How do you study a book like Expert Card Technique? What do you suggest I start with?
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Here is my sincere advice. Put Expert Card Technique aside for a couple of years. Put the videos aside indefinitely. Buy volume one of Card College. Don’t buy any other books or videos. Study Royal Road and Card College until you’ve mastered everything within.

Sincerely,
Darwin Ortiz
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I think the bold thing is very important. Buying more and more material is contra-productive, especially in the beginning.
 
I once got this email from an interested student of magic:

Hey Jason, Hi I am Kind of an Intermediate at Magic, And Have never been Much into Card moves, But recently i Got Interested In Learning Sleights. I have been Wondering which DVD Set To buy to learn from,
There are 3 sets I couldnt chose from, Allan ACkerman(EATCT),Wesley James(EATCT), and Revelations (vernon) , Can You please guide me on buying the Right one ? , And to Follow Along i was Purchasing the Expert at The Card table Book. I am ordering both the Normal Hard Bound and The Pocket Version.I Hope it will be fine ? , Please let me Know, Thank You!
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My response was virtually identical to Darwin's. It was:

I wouldn't buy any of those DVD sets. I would buy Card College 1 and 2 instead. They're great books and you'll learn more from them than you would from the DVD sets.

If you already have Card College 1 and 2, then buy volume 3 (and eventually, volume 4). The Expert at the Card Table is an advanced book and although there is nothing wrong with reading it right now, you'll make faster progress if you start with books that were written by a great teacher. Roberto Giobbi (the author of the Card College series) is a terrific teacher.

Jason
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I'm pleased to see that my advice parallels Darwin's advice.

Jason
 
Uhhh - What Darwin and Jason said.

I own too many books that I don't reference often enough. Card College 1 and 2 (and recently 3) are my go-to card magic books. Any time I need a move for a situation it's in one of these books and explained very clearly. Don't skip the forwards and history of cards, very interesting read.
 
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