No cards or coins

Mar 30, 2008
203
0
DC
I rarely come on this site anymore, but if I do its because I need help from people who I think have decent experience in magic

What tricks do you guys do on a regular basis that requires neither cards nor coins?

An example could be Universal Impression. No cards. No coins. If you have good misdirection you can even set it up in front of a spectator with a borrowed notepad and your own Expo. And its pretty fast.

Im thinking about quick tricks that hit hard.

I've had trouble finding tricks like these. Simple, fairly quick, yet they can hit hard.

We've all heard the saying that an amateur magician does 9485032845 tricks not well, while a professional can do 3 tricks extremely well.

Well, in MY opinion (which can most definitely be 100% wrong), one difference between average professionals and GREAT professionals is the ability to adapt the versatility of tricks to the materials one has.

It's awesome if you can do every single card trick in the world perfectly with perfect presentation. But what if you don't have cards? Same goes for coins. And eventually, same goes for if you do not have pen/paper, etc.

What tricks could you do to entertain others when you do not have coins or cards?

I'm trying to get a variety of these kinds of tricks.

Some that I've thought of:
Control, Thread, Universal Impression, Wounded....obviously I haven't thought too hard but hopefully everyone else can come up with more : )

Please help me out guys (annd gals)

Thanks
 
Feb 27, 2008
2,342
1
33
Grand prairie TX
Freezer burn by chris lafferty.
And just alot of my own creations.
Sean Fields magic is always great. I dont go for that "Easy setup!!", "impromptu!!" because they are usually all weak sauce.
You can do miracles with a thumb tip and loops of course as we all know.
 
Nov 19, 2007
15
0
You may want to have a look at "On the Spot" by Gregory Wilson. There is some coin stuff which i know your not looking for.. but there is also other things including tricks with rings and keys.
 
May 2, 2008
753
0
Pennsylvania
As a working magician, the two effects that I find hit the hardest, and are very quick, are:

!Warning by Kostya Kimlat
Redline by Dan Hauss

Seriously, check these out, I work 3 days a week (I'm in high school still) at a restaurant, and these definitely get me through the day ;)

I also second the book Lifesavers! It's great.

Hope that helps :)

-Sanj
 
Jun 10, 2008
1,277
0
You little stalker!
Extreme Burn is by far the best trick in the world. Visual. Easy. and has an emotional hook. And it doesnt use cards or coins

Other than that, you can try some simple mentalism. Center Tear, Billet Switch, etc. Those usually only require a small piece of paper and thats it.
 
Jul 13, 2009
1,372
0
33
Be Creative

I am going to be honest; I never have cards on me anymore. Oh no the world is going to end now. Oh wait no it won’t that is in 2012. I find myself on a daily bases doing the thumb pull off trick. But as a convincer I put a borrowed ring on the tip of the thumb and then pull the thumb in two. I find I use straws a lot now (Starbucks is my GOD!!!) therefore I perform “Marrow” a Sankey effect almost daily with new people. I am an introvert by nature and often use that to my advantage and find new people to perform for when I feel like it.

So I covered straws, I also do a lot of coin moves and card moves with everyday objects. Recapped and flip vanishes always go over well. Recapped is a Gregory Wilson piece found on “On the Spot” But I find myself thinking it is mostly about the coins in that dvd. Also key bending and the ol rolling straw from breathing on it trick goes well if presented right and you get them to look at the straw instead of your mouth.

Hope these help a little
 
Jan 1, 2009
2,241
3
Back in Time
Why do you need props to perform magic? This is a thing I'll never understand about magicians. They think looking like Inspector Gadget makes them Mystery Entertainers. When it really doesn't.

I can't really recommend anything. Besides learning how to read people and not doing anything like "You picked the 6 of clubs" or whatever.

But if you want REAL magic that does look like miracles. I suggest you look up guy's like Paul Brook. He has a ton of advice on how to turn your hokey card and prop tricks into miracles. Also look up One in the Hand. It's a coin effect that isn't a coin effect. And if you want you could be set up for a ton performances and end up looking like a real magician.
 
Feb 27, 2008
2,342
1
33
Grand prairie TX
Why do you need props to perform magic? .

Thats like saying why do you need cards to perform card magic.Its a prop. Honestly.
And because cards lose alot of peoples interest real f'ing quick. And no one wants to look like a one trick pony and be the magician that can only do card tricks. Some people rather do more interesting things like making things float,refill soda cans and walk through things,visually make a portrait decay(HINT:my name).You know,to get out and do something miraculously insane and get out of the safety and shell that card tricks provide. Card tricks are really getting to be weak sauce.
 

Deechristopher

theory11 moderator
Moderator
Thats like saying why do you need cards to perform card magic.Its a prop. Honestly.
And because cards lose alot of peoples interest real f'ing quick. And no one wants to look like a one trick pony and be the magician that can only do card tricks. Some people rather do more interesting things like making things float,refill soda cans and walk through things,visually make a portrait decay(HINT:my name).You know,to get out and do something miraculously insane and get out of the safety and shell that card tricks provide. Card tricks are really getting to be weak sauce.

I think you must have read wrong, he wasn't saying just do card tricks, he was saying look at other stuff, Brook's stuff is all mentalism, some with cards, alot without.

I think the main jist was that you shouldn't appear to need anything to make miracles, that's all :)

DC
 

Deechristopher

theory11 moderator
Moderator
Lol nah, I must say, I have some VERY embarrassing magic floating around my studio - I don't take that out on the road... lol Free download to anyone who guesses :p

I think with mentalism more than anything, you should be able to just perform, it's a little harder with magic because of the generally visual nature of it, but I think everyone should always have a little something about their person, you never know who you might meet ;)

DC
 
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