theory11 — Magic Tricks & the World's Finest Playing Cards
What is the Best Card Trick
- Thread starter XxxTheCardistxxX
- Start date
This is not a trick by David Blaine. It`s an old classic made popular by Paul Curry in 1942 (can be found in Paul Curry's "Worlds Beyond", which is still in print).
Some methods for this trick are even older and mentioned in F.W. Conradis book "Der Moderne Kartenkünstler" in 1896. Interestingly, Dai Vernon called this the "trick of the century".
I have nothing against David Blaine, I actually like what he does.
The problem with these youtube-tutorials is that people get misinformed, because 99% of these are done by people with little or no experience and background (Parasites).
And these misinformations are like a pandemic virus. This is bad in my opinion, very bad.
I don`t care whether people learn it the wrong way or not on youtube, I just hate when misinformation is spread, or parasites getting credit for things they have stolen.
False crediting or no crediting at all, and no respect for the work of others.
Instead, reading books would offer a much, much better foundation and information about different tricks. Although I think it`s sometimes very amusing how you can fool people with concepts and tricks that they think are new (because they haven`t seen on youtube), but are more than hundred years old.
Choose your teachers wisely. If a book a not an option (why limit yourself...a book is a good addition), watch videos made by magicians with background, knowledge and integrity.
I personally don`t think there is a best trick. Just tricks that play better for some people, situations and audiences, and tricks that are better suited for other people, situations or audiences.
Firsto of all:
I didnt said he was the creator. Just said that he did it in the show so you can know about what trick I am talking about.
I totally agree with you all that that youtubers are parasites and Youtube is not the best way to be a good magician. Youtube is the demo-mode of be magician. Bad and incomplete but free. That' s what I think is the best source to non-professional magicians. Sorry I recap-begginers.
Anyway I live in a bad place to magic. I dont met a single magician in my town, dont talk about magic shops, schools etc. I can't buy a Bicycle deck in my town. If I want a book I am going to paid a lot for it buying by internet, so sorry, but books are not the first choice to start learning.
And if you want to still arguing about your hate to Youtube:
I'm not english native and sometimes I dont get the true meaning of a sentence. I apologize about it before. I do my best to understand and write the language.
And I will be glad of talking about piracy and prices if you want to star a topic about it : )
I didnt said he was the creator. Just said that he did it in the show so you can know about what trick I am talking about.
I totally agree with you all that that youtubers are parasites and Youtube is not the best way to be a good magician. Youtube is the demo-mode of be magician. Bad and incomplete but free. That' s what I think is the best source to non-professional magicians. Sorry I recap-begginers.
Anyway I live in a bad place to magic. I dont met a single magician in my town, dont talk about magic shops, schools etc. I can't buy a Bicycle deck in my town. If I want a book I am going to paid a lot for it buying by internet, so sorry, but books are not the first choice to start learning.
And if you want to still arguing about your hate to Youtube:
I'm not english native and sometimes I dont get the true meaning of a sentence. I apologize about it before. I do my best to understand and write the language.
And I will be glad of talking about piracy and prices if you want to star a topic about it : )
I've talked about piracy and the magic world many times. Unless you think you have a new point of view to bring to the table it's just the same conversation I have had before - it never changes. The fact of the matter is you do not actually respect magic and the creators enough to pay your dues. You think that because you don't have a lot of money you deserve to learn these things for free. You don't. No one does.
The people who expose, and the people who support it by learning from those people, are perpetuating an attitude about magic that is at the core of the problem with how magic is perceived. In short - How can we expect anyone to respect what we do, if we don't respect it ourselves?
Let me make it clear - I don't care that much about exposure. It does not effect me. What annoys me is the disrespect. Which is also not really effecting me, honestly. It has actually opened my eyes to the fact that there really are still secrets. There are still groups that keep things underground. It just takes a lot of time to build enough of a reputation to be asked to join them.
And it won't ever happen if all you do is learn from YouTube.
The people who expose, and the people who support it by learning from those people, are perpetuating an attitude about magic that is at the core of the problem with how magic is perceived. In short - How can we expect anyone to respect what we do, if we don't respect it ourselves?
Let me make it clear - I don't care that much about exposure. It does not effect me. What annoys me is the disrespect. Which is also not really effecting me, honestly. It has actually opened my eyes to the fact that there really are still secrets. There are still groups that keep things underground. It just takes a lot of time to build enough of a reputation to be asked to join them.
And it won't ever happen if all you do is learn from YouTube.
We've gotten a bit far from the purpose of this thread with talking about exposure, youtube and stuff (funny it always comes back to these 
) but I totally agree with Christopher. Disrespect and "unskilled exposure" really are annoying.
To comment on the topic also, on of my favourite tricks to do is Spring St. Aces by Steve Forte. Also if we are talking about impromptu tricks and possibly a borrowed deck, then a good "The Trick That Cannot Be Explained" plot is always good. Difficult, and needs a lot of skills but it can be a real magician fooler.
-S
) but I totally agree with Christopher. Disrespect and "unskilled exposure" really are annoying.To comment on the topic also, on of my favourite tricks to do is Spring St. Aces by Steve Forte. Also if we are talking about impromptu tricks and possibly a borrowed deck, then a good "The Trick That Cannot Be Explained" plot is always good. Difficult, and needs a lot of skills but it can be a real magician fooler.
-S
exposure, though detrimental to magic, is the primary income of the industry. not only is it a natural response to the post-Copperfield magic boom that made magic more than just a passing obscurity, it is necessary to keep magic from falling into the dark cracks of a digital age and getting lost.
unfortunately YouTube is, just as many social media sites, a cesspool; however without the resources (money) to obtain the texts and teaching from what is considered "classical method" in magic, one has only the options of learning from someone else (friends) or the public right to share information (ie, YouTube). some with the technical knowledge can obtain these teachings with minimal effort (file-sharing) but in their actions are scorned by the "community" as thieves with no respect for the art.
even in the core post of this thread, a "non-fraternity" individual is looking for free exposure of what someone like Christopher would consider magical secrets. now, I make it a point that I mean you no disrespect, in a sense quite the opposite; but we as magicians are both liars, and cheats, we gamble with the perceptions of those willing to participate and seek to present a impossibility. My point is, even in the accounting of theory without exposure of method, you contribute to the exposure of method. (get over it)
All of that said, in the presentation of magic, we are all alone in learning what methods are best to both educate ourselves and, also, we are alone in learning for ourselves what methods are best for us to present.
I like to perform card to pocket, as a plot is one of my favorite completely impromptu effects. I also commonly pull of a spellbound-like card routine that wouldn't work for anyone without being me, its all YOU and the way you be YOURself.
Once again, "I'm too poor to afford magic, so it's ok for me to take it" .. blah, blah, blah. Nothing new. It's the same rhetoric I hear every time someone tries to justify their entitlement.
I can't afford a quality photographer's work - so I should just download their photos with no compensation? No. I worked with a photographer friend of mine and we made a deal.
There's plenty of magic out there that is both legal and free. Most major sites have stuff they give away for free - usually for signing up for their newsletter. There's plenty of magic books in the Public Domain. The Conjuring Arts Research Center periodically does give aways of magic literature - Their Summer Reading Project/Program. Not to mention the amount of podcasts and such that discuss the background of magic. The history, the life of being a magician, the real stuff.
Network! Plenty of the people who are considered 'big names' in the magic world are very approachable. I make a habit of emailing anyone whose material I purchase and say thanks - it's lead to a lot of good conversations. The connections I've made in the magic world have really helped me learn by leaps and bounds. And the people who aren't 'big names'? They have good ideas too.
Know what kills the chance of those people taking you seriously? Advocating the theft of their intellectual property. Disrespecting their friends. The magic world is fairly small - reputations get established quickly and they are hard to change once established. Be respectful and actually put the work into learning and you'll be amazed how little money it can take.
Also - it only takes maybe 15 minutes worth of material to have a busking set. Work for tips, save those tips, and pay for the material.
I can't afford a quality photographer's work - so I should just download their photos with no compensation? No. I worked with a photographer friend of mine and we made a deal.
There's plenty of magic out there that is both legal and free. Most major sites have stuff they give away for free - usually for signing up for their newsletter. There's plenty of magic books in the Public Domain. The Conjuring Arts Research Center periodically does give aways of magic literature - Their Summer Reading Project/Program. Not to mention the amount of podcasts and such that discuss the background of magic. The history, the life of being a magician, the real stuff.
Network! Plenty of the people who are considered 'big names' in the magic world are very approachable. I make a habit of emailing anyone whose material I purchase and say thanks - it's lead to a lot of good conversations. The connections I've made in the magic world have really helped me learn by leaps and bounds. And the people who aren't 'big names'? They have good ideas too.
Know what kills the chance of those people taking you seriously? Advocating the theft of their intellectual property. Disrespecting their friends. The magic world is fairly small - reputations get established quickly and they are hard to change once established. Be respectful and actually put the work into learning and you'll be amazed how little money it can take.
Also - it only takes maybe 15 minutes worth of material to have a busking set. Work for tips, save those tips, and pay for the material.
God. So you say that word-you know, the name of the web where people upload and watch videos- and everybody hates you.
As I said, this is not the place to talk about this. If you want to tell me more about how much magic purist and respectful you are open a new topic and let's argue.
Well, just for no spam anymore here I bring you a trick performed by the best cardmagician in my country, Juan Tamariz. I dont know if he is the owner and I think that the trick name is The Travelling Card (La Carta Viajera).
As I said, this is not the place to talk about this. If you want to tell me more about how much magic purist and respectful you are open a new topic and let's argue.
Well, just for no spam anymore here I bring you a trick performed by the best cardmagician in my country, Juan Tamariz. I dont know if he is the owner and I think that the trick name is The Travelling Card (La Carta Viajera).
You have a "non-fraternity" individual who is looking for opinions of what their favorite card tricks are and (depending on the respondee) places as to where to find them within DVDs and text--NOT where you can pirate impromptu card tricks. He's simply seeking direction for himself (at least I think he's a 'He') and wants to try and help others in being able to direct others to impromptu card tricks within the thread (which has now gone off the rails like a crazy train)
Let me try:
in terms of flat out impromptu:
ACR
(also: triumph, ootw (some versions are impromptu or you could c**l all the colours)
in terms of setup without a gimmick:
2CM
Here then there
OOTW
in terms of setup with a gimmick:
French Kiss
in terms of flat out impromptu:
ACR
(also: triumph, ootw (some versions are impromptu or you could c**l all the colours)
in terms of setup without a gimmick:
2CM
Here then there
OOTW
in terms of setup with a gimmick:
French Kiss
Yes, people who have respect for something tend to get annoyed when others show disrespect for it.
The problem with a thread like this is that ultimately it has no substance. There is no 'best card trick' or best any type of trick. Because it's NOT the trick that makes it good. I do believe there's such a thing as a bad trick - but even a so-so trick can be made amazing by a good performance.
So asking "What's the best card trick?" is useless. That's why these threads always either die fairly quickly (After a bunch of people put up a list of names of tricks they like) or they go way off topic because no one actually wants to read a thread full of lists and most of the people reading this thread aren't going to put any effort into finding out where those names come from. If they were the type to do that kind of research, they wouldn't be the type to be looking at this type of thread.
A much better thread would be, "What is a *blank* trick you like, and why?"
The problem with a thread like this is that ultimately it has no substance. There is no 'best card trick' or best any type of trick. Because it's NOT the trick that makes it good. I do believe there's such a thing as a bad trick - but even a so-so trick can be made amazing by a good performance.
So asking "What's the best card trick?" is useless. That's why these threads always either die fairly quickly (After a bunch of people put up a list of names of tricks they like) or they go way off topic because no one actually wants to read a thread full of lists and most of the people reading this thread aren't going to put any effort into finding out where those names come from. If they were the type to do that kind of research, they wouldn't be the type to be looking at this type of thread.
A much better thread would be, "What is a *blank* trick you like, and why?"
Juan is the best! If you ever have a chance to watch his show or to attend one of his lectures, don't miss it!
I promise it will be one the greatest experiences in your magic life.
He's the guy to learn from.
And to be more ontopic, probably my favorite card magic trick of all time is, coincidentally, Juan`s "Triple Coincidence" from his book "Sonata". You can find several performances by Juan on youtube.
There is no best card trick, just personal favorites. So the thread title should rather be, what's YOUR favorite card trick.
Sorry I mean "Total Coincidence". "Triple Coincidence" is the classic by John Scarney from "Stars of Magic".