The Five Best Magic tricks?

As a sidebar to an interesting article about Bill Malone and Ed Marlo that recently ran in the Chicago Tribune, the writer lists the "five best magic tricks." The writer doesn't offer sources for these opinions, but according to the story, the best "invented" card tricks are:

1. Oil and Water
Red cards and black cards that are mixed somehow separate, all by themselves.

2. Triumph
A deck of cards is shuffled with one-half face-up and the other face-down. The magician somehow straightens out the deck so all of the cards are facing in the same direction, with the exception of a spectator’s selected card.

3. Out of This World
A trick that makes order out of seeming chaos. By seemingly using their intuition and dealing cards, spectators are able to sort black cards from red ones without looking at them.

4. Card Warp
A card seems to turn over as it's slid through another folded card.

5. Ambitious Card
An effect where a selected card continually rises to the top of the deck after being placed into the middle of the deck.

I can personally attest to the power of "Card Warp," "Ambitious Card," "Triumph" and "Out of This World," all of which I perform. Among these, I most often perform "Card Warp" and "Ambitious Card."

I wonder who was consulted for this list. The list leaves out transpositions, card to impossible place (often used as a finale to "Ambitious Card," usually a wallet), "Chicago Opener" and variations (this being a story about Chicago, it's hard to see this one left out). The list leaves out the magician staples such as finding a spectator's selected card and impossible prediction (Martin Lewis' Cardiographic, for one). Lastly, I think Bill Malone's own "Sam the Bell Hop" belongs on the list in place of "Oil and Water."

I occasionally perform a version of "Triumph" called "Licked at Last" by John Luka from his "Uncovered" book and DVD. I particularly like this one because it's all in the hands and doesn't require a table.

The impromptu version of "Out of This World" that I perform is one by Harry Lorayne from his "My Favorite Card Tricks" booklet. (One of these days, I’m going to work up Dean Dill's version called "A New World.") I would perform "Out of this World" more often, but I rarely have a table in my restaurant and strolling venues.

The only trick from the list that I don't perform is "Oil and Water" although I have worked on a version of this trick by Joshua Jay from his "Talk About Tricks" DVD. The routine was all worked up technically, but I couldn’t come up with an entertaining presentation. (Perhaps no one can perform it any better than Rene Lavand).

Got an opinion on the five best magic tricks? Click below on "comments" and be heard.

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