> Magic 101

Glossary of Magic Terms (42)

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 or an arrogant, boorish "magician." Here then, are the five biggest mistakes made by beginning magicians.

Five Steps to Perfect Your Sleight of Hand Moves
One of the joys and challenges of being a magician is working up new effects and sleight-of-hand moves that you present to your audiences. If you're developing a new move, whether it's a color change, side steal, pass or other, here are five steps that will help ensure success.

Easy Magic Tricks You Can Learn and Perform for Friends
If you want to learn easy magic tricks, you've come to right place.

Easy Magic Tricks With Playing Cards
With just a deck of cards, you have lots of magic options. Among the many card tricks that we have explained in our library of easy tricks, here are our favorites.

Basic Magic Technique
Here are basic sleight of hand techniques that you can use with cards and coins.

Easy Magic Demonstrations
Here are demonstrations of easy tricks that are good ones to purchase for beginning magicians.

Basic Magic Technique: The Swivel Cut
Here's another flashy way to cut a deck that’s harder than the pivot cut. The upper half of the deck turns 180-degrees as it separates from the deck.

Magic Technique: The Pivot Cut
Here's an impressive way to cut a deck of cards. While it’s not as flashy as the one-handed cut, it's a nice flourish that shows that you know how to handle cards.

Beginner's Books and DVDs
If you're getting started in magic, here are some great books and DVDs to help launch your magic.

DVD Review: Card Trick Magic by Stephane Vanel
If you’re a beginner and want to learn some good card magic, Stephane Vanel’s “Card Trick Magic” offers first rate effects that don’t require complicated sleight-of-hand and are easy to learn and perform. The DVD features 12 card tricks and offers an introduction to basic card sleights. The routines here are excellent for beginners.

Magic 101: Is Your Trick Ready for Primetime?
When you‘re introducing a new trick, here’s a checklist to determine if it’s ready for live audiences. This list can save you some grief and prevent potentially embarrassing moments.

Beginning Magic: Your First Show
Many beginners know how to perform simple magic tricks, but few think about putting them together into an entertaining set or show. Here’s advice on taking those tricks and organizing them into a set. We’ll even use some tricks explained here on the site. For purposes here, we’ll aim for about ten minutes worth of material.

Magic 101: Overcoming Nervousness
Perhaps the most difficult thing for a new magician to overcome is nervousness when performing in front of a crowd. While there's no magic remedy for nervousness, here are a few approaches that have personally worked for me.

Buying Magic on the Internet
A young magician recently asked me after a show for some advice on purchasing a particular magic prop. His question prompted some thought and the following article that discusses purchasing magic via the internet. I hope that you find this helpful.

Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic
Numerous magicians began their education in magic with Mark Wilson's excellent book that covers close-up, stage magic and even large illusions. This one is definitely worth the look and is widely available.

Study Guide – Cub Scout Magic
For Bear Cub Scouts, Elective 13 deals with magic. The requirements ask scouts to learn and perform magic, but “The Big Bear Cub Scout Book” only offers a few tricks. To help cub scouts earn this elective, here are some easy magic tricks that we explain here on Magic.About.com that are simple and only require household items, but will also fulfill the requirements.

DVD Review: "Stack Attack" - Lew Brooks
As the name implies, "Stack Attack" offers a collection of impressive card tricks that are based on stacking the deck--putting the cards into a specific, prearranged order. All of the tricks, which end with the magician dealing a winning hand, require no complicated sleight of hand. As a result, the easy tricks on this DVD are perfect for beginners.

The Five Best Magic Tricks for Serious Beginners
For the serious beginner in magic, here are excellent tricks that are easy to learn and perform, inexpensive and can form an early foundation in magic technique and presentation.

Book Review: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Magic Tricks
Tom Ogden’s The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Magic Tricks offers an excellent introduction to magic and a solid foundation to those who want to seriously learn and pursue magic. Like the competing book, Magic for Dummies, Idiot’s Guide is loaded with good beginning tricks, comes with clear instructions and illustrations and is written in a light and entertaining style. But when it comes to magic, Idiots clearly rule over Dummies.

Book Review: Magic for Dummies
For beginners, “Magic for Dummies” provides an excellent set of easy tricks that require no complicated sleight of hand and use common objects that are found in homes and offices, and it offers lots of good suggestions on presentation. It’s a good way for novices, not necessarily dummies, to learn some basic magic.

The Five Best Magic Tricks for Kids
Here are the best tricks for beginning magicians that are easy to learn and perform, inexpensive and are good effects.

The Best Magic Books for Beginners
Visit your local bookstore or library, and chances are, you'll find lots of books on magic. While most magic books explain lots of tricks, few provide a foundation in magic for the serious beginner who wants to learn fundamentals and move beyond mental puzzles. With this in mind, here are several beginning magic books that I highly recommend.

Trick Review: Suits You
"Suits You" is an adequate "chaser" effect where three piles of three playing cards are dealt to the table. After moving the top cards to other piles, the magician shows that the like cards have followed the lead card and joined it. I’m not fond of card tricks that use piles and require the constant showing of cards, but this trick is easy to learn and perform and you’re left clean at the end.

Learning Magic: Books, DVDs and Tricks
You’re getting started in magic and eager to learn. But you have lots of options ahead: books, DVDs and tricks that are vying for your money and efforts. What is the best and most cost effective way to proceed?

Watching Magic-Guidelines for Magicians
As a magician, I’ve run into my share of problem audiences and pain-in-the-neck individuals and hecklers. But surprisingly, some memorable problems have been caused by my fellow magicians, particularly beginners. It’s difficult to imagine that common courtesy would have to be explained. But here are some guidelines for magicians when watching other conjurors.

Basic Technique: The Coin Vanish
This basic magic technique allows you to make a coin seemingly disappear. It’s a basic sleight-of-hand move that is well known among magicians.

DVD Review: Incredible Self-Working Card Tricks Vol 5
Now with a fifth volume, Michael Maxwell offers another set of "self-working card tricks" that require no sleight-of-hand or skill with cards. This DVD is good for beginners and comes with some decent effects and a couple of no-sleight variations on card classics.

Shopping for a Change Bag
I never thought that I would perform using a conventional change bag-a rather infamous magic prop. However, Paul Gallagher's Miracles From the Sock Drawer DVD explained an excellent change-bag-based routine that is great for young kids. I recently purchased a change bag, but my bag is less than optimal. If you're shopping for a change bag, here are things to consider.

Beginner’s Magic Demo: Cups & Balls
Some consider the cups & balls to be the oldest recorded magic trick, apparently depicted on the walls of Egypt’s Great Pyramids. While professional magicians perform stunning, advanced versions of this classic, beginning magicians can purchase simple, pre-packaged versions that result in a mystifying sequence.

On Learning Card Magic
Forum member, and noted magician and writer Brad Henderson generously contributed this comprehensive and informative post about the major texts for learning card magic. If your goal is to become a proficient card worker, Henderson discusses and compares Card College, Royal Road to Card Magic and lots more.

Beginner Demo: Color-Changing Handkerchiefs
In The Color-Changing handkerchiefs, the magician appears to make a handkerchief of one color change colors by simply pushing it through a hand. At the end, the magician shows that his or her hand is empty.

Beginner’s Magic Demo: Professor’s Nightmare
Professor's Nightmare is a classic rope trick that is easy to perform and is great for beginners who are seven-years-old and up. We take you on a virtual demo.

Beginner’s Magic Demo: Svengali Deck
A Svengali deck is a trick card deck that allows you to easily perform some seemingly amazing feats and it’s a great trick for beginners of almost any age. We take you on a virtual demo of what the deck can do.

Basic Magic Technique: The One-Hand Cut
The one-handed cut allows you to hold a deck in your hand, break it apart into two sections and exchange their positions. It’s a flashy card move that is also known as the Charlier cut.

Beginning Magic Technique: A Shuffle and Bridge
Adding a bridge at the end of a basic shuffle results in a flashy variation. Here’s how, step-by-step.

Beginning Magic Technique: The Basic Card Shuffle
Every magician needs to know how to perform a basic shuffle. Here’s how, step-by-step.

Five Steps For Getting Started in Magic
If you’ve been bitten by the magic bug and are starting out in magic, here are five steps to get you on the right path.

The Magic Commandments
If you’re interested in performing magic, here are basics that all good magicians follow.

Beginner Trick: The Amazing Balanced Cup
Here is an easy trick that anyone may perform. All you need is a playing card and a plastic cup. The trick looks like an incredible balancing stunt to spectators, but it is really just a trick.

Beginner Trick: Fast Find
In this easy trick, you quickly find a couple of cards in almost no time. All this trick takes is a deck of cards.

Easy Magic Trick: The Coin Slide
The Coin Slide is an ultra-simple trick for young kids to learn and perform. It’s available from any magic dealer and many toy stores for less than a couple of dollars. A mechanical trick, the effect does all the work to make a coin disappear and reappear.

The Amateur Magicians Handbook
Not for kids, Henry Hay’s magic classic offers an astounding amount of information, but it's a harder read. It's an excellent book to add to your magic library. When I want to kick back and relax, this is one of the books that I like to pull off the shelf, open up and see where it takes me.

Now You See It, Now You Don't: Book Review
Bill Tarr's well-illustrated books offer step-by-step instructions to learn and perform sleight-of-hand with coins, cards, balls, and other objects. This classic comes in two volumes and both are worth buying and studying. While the books feature some routines, they're mostly dedicated to moves. This book provided me my early magic foundation.

The Magic Resolutions
This New Year’s eve, as you vow to spend more time with family and friends, lose weight, exercise, make serious financial decisions or take on new ventures, don’t forget to include your art of magic. For 2006, here are some magic resolutions for consideration.