Best free (YouTube) and affordable purchased videos teaching cardistry, coin magic etc. fundamentals and self-working tricks?

Oct 4, 2022
79
21
Hi, I'm in my 2nd month of magic as a hobbyist and having a real blast learning it with my sons. We've already bought some good books (Fulves, Scarne, Wilson, Hugard, and Card College Light, Lighter, Lightest) and are devouring them. I've also bought and am greatly benefiting from Blake Vogt's Card Splitting 1&2 and Hondo's Flap 2.0.

My question is what videos in both the free (YouTube) and purchasable (but reasonably affordable) categories you'd recommend for a hobbyist at this point. In particular I'm interested in videos that teach things which are hard to convey in printed form. I'm mainly into cardistry so far but they could be in any genre, coins, rope, whatever, good for a closeup audience of friends and family. Since I'm quite into and am having good success at making gaff cards now, I'm also particularly keen on finding sources that teach you tricks that USE the gaff cards (of the split, acro, shimmed and magnetic types). The videos could be on teaching tricks, or on learning BASIC level sleight of hand skills so I can move on from only doing self-working ones, or both. Videos teaching tricks using stripper, marked and Svengali decks and DIY R&S techniques are also welcome.

I'd also like to know where to get affordable precut shims (just the steel shims, not premade cards) that will ship internationally, as it's a bit hard to shop for and source things here in Taiwan in written Chinese online.

Many thanks in advance!
 

RealityOne

Elite Member
Nov 1, 2009
3,744
4,076
New Jersey
My question is what videos in both the free (YouTube) and purchasable (but reasonably affordable) categories you'd recommend for a hobbyist at this point.

Aaron Fisher teaches a number of slights on YouTube but doesn't put them in context of magic effects. However, BEWARE - there are a lot of YouTube videos that don't convey all the minor nuances or do things incorrectly. Roberto Giobbi has a DVD to accompany Card College 1 and 2 that cover most of what is in the books. Jason England had great videos on specific, more difficult moves here on T11

I'm also particularly keen on finding sources that teach you tricks that USE the gaff cards (of the split, acro, shimmed and magnetic types). The videos could be on teaching tricks, or on learning BASIC level sleight of hand skills so I can move on from only doing self-working ones, or both. Videos teaching tricks using stripper, marked and Svengali decks and DIY R&S techniques are also welcome.

Here, you are better off going to print sources. Simply put, the people who put up free videos don't do the research necessary to find the good stuff.

Hugard's Encyclopedia of Card Tricks has a number of routines for all sorts of gaffs. Some are better than others. The best way to find more is to use conjuringarchive.com. Go here: https://www.conjuringarchive.com/tree/216 and then click on "Cards" and then "Decks" to expand the index tree. A lot of the books you will find listed are in public domain. Many of those public domain books (including Encyclopedia of Card Tricks) are accessible though lybrary.com is you get a free account (on our account page through Learned Pig Project) and the Jinx is accessible through askalexander.com if you sign up for an account. Genii magazine has a number of good effects for various cards and decks. If you get a subscription, you have access to all of their archives as well as the archives for MAGIC Magazine. There is a website that provides a good search function (the search function in Genii's archives is over inclusive and you get a lot of garbage). Card College Light has a great routine (the second or third one) using a Svengali deck in a way you would never expect it. For marked cards, get the book "Hidden in Plain Sight." There is one routine that is worth the price of the book.
 
Oct 4, 2022
79
21
Excellent help as always, thanks! Does anyone else have any favorite videos to recommend that teach basic to low intermediate material which would be hard to learn just from printed materials? Purchasable ones is fine; I've decided to budget for it. I
 

DavidL11229

Elite Member
Jul 25, 2015
589
314
Seattle
I haven't seen the Card College video, but the books are great. I would expect that Vol 1 and 2 of the books with the video is the best way to get into card magic beyond the self working. I also second the recommendation above for the Jason Englund videos. They come either singly or in bundled sets. Yup, just do what RealityOne says above.
 
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