With the upcoming holidays and gatherings, there's no better time then now to finally learn that magic routine that you've been wanting to perform and polish it up.

Here are resources to get you started.

Selecting Tricks for Your Act
Before you learn a trick, you have to select the right ones for your skill level, venue, angles and crowd.

How to Learn Magic Tricks
You now have some tricks that you want to learn. The next step is to learn the tricks, develop presentations for them and get your feet wet standing in front of and performing for audiences.

The Five Biggest Mistakes Made by Beginning Magicians
Why do so many in the general public loathe magic? It's probably because they've seen poor magic and/or arrogant, boorish "magicians." Here then, are the five biggest mistakes made by beginning magicians.

Dealing With Nervousness
The number one problem facing most beginning magicians. Here are tips to keep your composure when you're in front of a crowd.

More Reading:
Seven Themes to Improve Your Magic
Five Steps to Perfect Your Sleight of Hand Moves
Performing Routines Versus Tricks

I've been performing at a sports bar and I came up with the following poem to accompany a simple trick with balls. It's a tale of woe and a fall from grace. In the trick, Tiger Woods and his girlfriends are represented by napkin balls that magically appear and multiply in a spectator's hand - events that correspond to recent news.

Here's my poem for the trick:

There once was a master of golf,
who kept his lone mistress far off,
At his insistence,
The press kept its distance,
The public was not there to scoff.

One night when our golfer was drivin'
From his irate wife he was hidin'
The car did he crash,
And his image did dash,
And the number of mistresses widened.

The public were shocked when they knew it,
The sponsors found out they had blew it,
PGA in a tizzy,
The networks went dizzy,
All because Tiger Woods said "JUST DO IT!"

To learn the trick, please visit my instruction page.

If you perform the routine, please comment below and let me know how it goes. And if you can add a stanza for everyone, please do contribute it. Hope you have fun with this one. Please do not post or publish this elsewhere as its copyrighted.

More Reading:
The Best of the Easy Magic Tricks
Easy Magic Tricks With Playing Cards

After reading my article on the "Ten Best Close-Up Magicians," many of you wrote on the response page and identified magicians that I missed and offered your insights into the topic. Thank you to all who wrote.

Some noted close-up magicians that readers suggested include: David Blaine, John Carney, Michael Close, Aldo Columbini, Dean Dill, Paul Harris, Wayne Houchin, Armando Lucero, Cyril Takayama, George Tovar, Richard Turner, and Paul Vigil.

Many of you submitted recommendations for Doc Eason, Lennart Green and Eugene Burger, three magicians that I said I initially considered for my list."

I enjoyed reading your responses. Here are a few:

"Tough to hit the sweet spot between performance and creativity. I would agree with others about Paul Harris and Lennart Greene - genius minds!"
-Oscarf

"One magician who I believe deserves a possibility of achieving the list is a magician that is an all around entertainer who warms the hearts of all he performs for and is as terrific off the stage as he is on it. That performer Is....Aldo Colombini..."
-George Zuk

"I don't know if he fits the criteria of being active in trade shows and such, but for me, it's Paul Harris; creative, off-the-wall, hugely influential, and a great teacher of magic."
-davidigor

"Don't leave out Doc Eason or Michael Close. These two guys are sharp and funny, especially Doc."
-jmallendds

"You should have included Dean Dill on your ten best closeup magicians list. Some of the magicians on your list go to Dean for advice on how best to do an effect...I also think that Dean is one of the best closeup card and coin magicians I have ever seen. and believe me, I have seen the best."
-Barry Sokolsky

Reader Christopher even contributed a top ten list of his own: 1. Juan Tamariz, 2. Eugene Burger, 3. Ricky Jay, 4. John Carney, 5. Dave Williamson, 6. Armando Lucero, 7. Lennart Green, 8. Paul Vigil, 9. Paul Gertner, and 10. Cyril Takayama

Finally, Paul Coff understood the challenge of coming up with such a list.

"Considering that we're ALL closeups here, 10's a bit cramped, should be top 30, or more. Dr.Green meets all the criteria, I've seen most and he's still on the A list. I don't know who I'd bounce of the 10. Just make it 11."
-Paul Coff

Who's on your list of top ten magicians? You can add it to the article's response page.

I would also like to hear from those of you in Europe. As many readers pointed out, I have an American slant. Who is Europe's best close-up artist? Benjamin Earl, Lennart Green, Guy Hollingworth, Juan Tamariz, Etienne Pradier, Michael Vincent or Boris Wild,? How would you rank these magicians? Who am I missing?

Again, thank you to all who have written. I welcome your opinions.

More Reading:
Ten Best Close-Up Magicians
The Top Ten Magicians of Our Time

"A good crowd is crucial...a good-looking crowd is equally important," says the article. "Organizers seat some of the more 'camera friendly' patrons near the stage, where they're more likely to be filmed...a greeter asks everyone to smile. A lot. Oh, and don't look at the cameras."

"Frewin hits the stage with his usual show opener-the dove illusion...Only this time, when it's finished there's a weird pause as the stage goes black. The crowd doesn't know what to do," says the article. "The crowd sits through some tricks two or three times as the TV crew gets what they need."

This article reinforces what I have always suspected. When you're filming magic for television, and for that matter, any show with a performance and live audience for TV, everything should be done for the camera.

Need to do the illusion four or five times? No problem. Need more crowd reactions? Simply ask for it. Only want good-looking people in your crowd? Simply move them to the front rows.

Because I live in LA, the process sounds much like that of taping a TV game show, which I've witnessed as part of an audience over the years. (In the back row no less - are the producers telling me something?)

This care is something that was missing from the recent "Masters of Illusion" television series where sequences were not re-shot to help cover mistakes.

More Reading:
Opinion: What Makes Great TV Magic?
Readers Respond: What Makes Great TV Magic?
The Top Ten Magicians of Our Time