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

Teaching People Magic?

Antonio Diavolo

Antonio Diavolo

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Jan 2, 2016
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If a spectator asks you to teach them a magic trick, do you? I almost always do. Usually this isn't when people ask "how do you do that?" it's just when they ask "can you teach me a trick?". It usually seems to come from a place of genuinely wanting to learn something cool to show their friends.

I usually teach them something simple using a key card. So do you teach them a trick? If no, why not? If so, what is your go to trick to teach?
 
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I teach them something incredibly difficult. Like Steve Mayhew's variation on Looy Simonoff's flippant color change. I literally practice it, just for this reason. I don't use it for anything else.
 
I've taught people a key card effect before, but I've since come to the conclusion that the method is too simple in compared to the strength of the effect. That is, learning it is a let down. I also have taught a reversed card effect where the spectator's card isn't found reversed in the deck. Again, the method is too simple.

I nownwillnteach a simple dealing trick. I start with a Royal Flush on top of the deck and deal five poker hands. I say this is how poker looks without magic. I then pick up the delt cards in order and put them on the top of the deck. I then deal five more poker hands. I get the Royal Flush. It isn't the type of trick a magician would use and thenspectator can easily replicate it.
 
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I will always teach a trick to someone that asks me to. If there are straws around, I teach them the one (and I can't remember where I learned it) where you take two drinking straws and wrap them around each other a number of times until it looks like they are hopelessly entangled in knots. Holding two ends of straw one hand and two ends of straw in the other, you pull (and you have to pull kind of hard) and the straws appear to magically penetrate through one another. It's a very good impromptu trick.

If there are no straws around, I teach them a money trick. Any bill can be used. The bill is folded/creased on each side of the President's mouth and then another fold is made in the middle of his face. The exact procedure is very hard to describe in print. Anyway, once these folds are made, then when the bill is tilted downward, the Prez looks worried, upset and forlorn, but when the bill is tilted at an upward angle he looks like he is smiling, happy and delighted. Again, can't remember where I learned it, and I guess it's more an optical illusion than a magic trick, but it's clever and fun.
 
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I'm pretty new to preforming but people occasionally ask to learn something. I don't teach them a trick really but have them choose a card and secretly control it then use a brau reversal during the patter of telling them about key cards. Most folks know about key cards but the revelation of their card reversed in the middle of a deck usually gets a laugh since the trick obviously doesn't use a key card.
 
I was listening to an interview with Richard Turner, and he was talking about Dai Vernon. He said that Vernon would never teach someone above their level. In other words, he would ask to see something from you, and then he would give you a little boost based on your current skill, but he wouldn't go showing you the method behind something he knew you weren't ready for.

I think that's a reasonable way to approach it even for people who know nothing about magic. If someone asks to learn a trick and you withhold the opportunity from them, you're missing a chance to grow the craft. On the flip side, if you start showing them doubles and counts and stuff, then you're really giving away secrets they will probably never use. I think the key card principle or even magician's choice is the perfect place to start. It will wet the appetite of anyone who is serious (or may become serious in the future), and it will seem mundane and unexciting to anyone who's not.
 
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As far as teaching a layman who knows next to nothing a card trick, I definitely agree that we shouldn't be tipping double lifts or other very important moves to them, especially since the majority are unlikely to give the devotion necessary to do it well and are likely to perform it poorly when doing it for others, thus cluing the others into what, in my opinion, should be a well guarded secret. That is not good for us. Yes. I know that the double lift and other sleights can be found in multiple tutorials on YouTube, but there are many laymen (our potential audiences) who are still unfamiliar with these moves.

A good card trick to teach a layman who wants to learn a trick and an easy one for them to learn and perform (and one which surprisingly fools a lot of people) is the one where there is a secret prearrangement of two cards on the top of the deck, for example, the nine of hearts and the eight of diamonds. The magician goes through the deck and finds the nine of diamonds and the eight of hearts, and after briefly flashing those two cards (the nine of diamonds and the eight of hearts) to the spectator, the magician inserts them into different parts of the deck. The fingers are then snapped, the hand is waved, or whatever, and it shown that the two cards that were lost in the deck a moment before have magically risen to the top. Of course, they are not the same two cards, but because most people are not observant enough to catch the discrepancy, they will believe they are the same two cards they originally saw. I like to first perform it, then teach it. They will appreciate any trick more if it is one you have first fooled them with. It's a good trick. Try it sometime if you haven't done so.
 
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kennethcmerrill said:
I was listening to an interview with Richard Turner, and he was talking about Dai Vernon. He said that Vernon would never teach someone above their level. In other words, he would ask to see something from you, and then he would give you a little boost based on your current skill, but he wouldn't go showing you the method behind something he knew you weren't ready for.

I think that's a reasonable way to approach it even for people who know nothing about magic. If someone asks to learn a trick and you withhold the opportunity from them, you're missing a chance to grow the craft. On the flip side, if you start showing them doubles and counts and stuff, then you're really giving away secrets they will probably never use. I think the key card principle or even magician's choice is the perfect place to start. It will wet the appetite of anyone who is serious (or may become serious in the future), and it will seem mundane and unexciting to anyone who's not.
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Really? Key card, He card
 
I like to teach simple rubber band tricks, like the Band Jump and the Rising Ring. For coins, the simple French Drop. For cards, some cool presentations with the Key Card Principle and, if they REALLY want to learn more magic for the future, the Erdnase Change and the Cross-Cut Force.

...Sometimes I wonder if I was a terrible magician for giving away so many secrets, willingly and accidentally. Different kinds of magician's guilt. Don't worry; I'm much better nowadays in holding out! But I like to give people a small sample of the excitement in learning the secrets of a magic trick, which is what got me into magic.
 
RealityOne said:
I really stopped teaching magic. I've noticed two thing. First, people are often disappointed by the explanation. Second, it make them view anything you later perform differently.
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Exactly why I teach them one of the most difficult pieces of sleight of hand I know. It isn't really practical live, so I don't really feel like I'm giving anything away, and it shows how hard I actually work at this.
 
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Antonio Diavolo said:
If a spectator asks you to teach them a magic trick, do you? I almost always do. Usually this isn't when people ask "how do you do that?" it's just when they ask "can you teach me a trick?". It usually seems to come from a place of genuinely wanting to learn something cool to show their friends.

I usually teach them something simple using a key card. So do you teach them a trick? If no, why not? If so, what is your go to trick to teach?
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I teach a variation of the thumb pull off we all did as kids. It looks better by a considerable margin. So my friends like to be taught that.
Or I teach them the simple bets. Ever heard of the fists vs finger challenge? I LOVE to perform it and then REVEAL it.
Look for it in YT, I believe Rich has a video in it. It is cool, and funny XD
 
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Lord Magic said:
I teach a variation of the thumb pull off we all did as kids. It looks better by a considerable margin. So my friends like to be taught that.
Or I teach them the simple bets. Ever heard of the fists vs finger challenge? I LOVE to perform it and then REVEAL it.
Look for it in YT, I believe Rich has a video in it. It is cool, and funny XD
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Funny you mention the thumb trick because almost every person at school I perform for will say "Well I can pull my thumb off" or something along those lines haha.
 
Antonio Diavolo said:
Funny you mention the thumb trick because almost every person at school I perform for will say "Well I can pull my thumb off" or something along those lines haha.
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Kainoa Harbottle taught me how to vanish my thumb using a retention vanish. It makes people think you really vanished your thumb for a moment until reality kicks back in.
 
Antonio Diavolo said:
Funny you mention the thumb trick because almost every person at school I perform for will say "Well I can pull my thumb off" or something along those lines haha.
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that's what I wanted to say...I teach a VARIATION which is considerably BETTER than the age-old thumb pull off.
Because I would have taught the keycard stuff...but everytime I try to do even a simple card trick some hecklers are like 'Oh, they just see the card before yours'...so I teach something which they dunno, but like more.
 
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