Posts Tagged ‘magicians’

A Card Trick That Makes Changes The Color Of Your Card Magically.

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

With just some practice everyone can pull off this card trick. Want to leave your friends scratching their temples amazed at how you pulled off a trick? Then practice and it will become second nature to you and do not stress it is always awkward when a trick is new.

Things you will need to perform your color change trick:

Two decks of cards will be needed and they have to be the same size, they also must have different colors on the back for instance one with a blue back and one with a red back. Select ten cards, five from the red deck and five from the blue deck, it does not matter what cards you get out.

To start off:

You can begin by alternating one blue backed card and then one red backed card making five pairs of cards in your hand. Make a fan with the cards and display the face of them to your audience. An audience member now has to select one of the cards in your hand by pointing to it. Now remove the selected card from the group of cards and put it on display facing up for everyone to see. Separate the cards in your hand by putting those that came in front of the selected card into your left hand and the rest in your right. Now place the cards from your left hand on top of the cards in your right hand, do it secretly when the people are looking at you drop the card on the table. Keeping the back of the cards hidden is a must.

The magic happens:

And now that part of the trick which will bedazzle you. Convincing your spectators that all the cards have the same color on their backs is what you must do. Make sure the cards ain a tight bundle after you have placed them back together from both of your hands. All cards have their pictures facing up not their backs. Display the back of the cards by flipping over the one single card at the top of the pile. Now you can proclaim, “All cards have the same backing color.” As you say this you can casually turn the stack in your left hand over showing it also has a blue back. Ask them if they believe that their card has changed color and place both the top card and those in your left hand in separate bunches in front of them.

If the cards you showed were red on the back when you turned them over, then you can tell the audience the chosen card has changed color and is now blue on the back. Flip it over to uncover the secret. Miraculously the chosen card has changed color.  Astonishing!

Closing thoughts:

With great practice this trick will bring joy to your friends. It is all about keeping the stacks closed so the different colors are not revealed. The color of the back of the chosen card will depend on the card the audience chooses. It will not matter which card they do pick. The cards are all in sequence so when you placed the right hand cards behind the left hand cards you restored the sequence.

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A Card Trick That Is Easy Enough For Anyone To Perform

Monday, July 26th, 2010

Performing magic using a simple deck of cards is probably one of the easiest forms of magic that even children can do. All your child needs to be able to do is count to act out this trick, it is based on simple maths and with a little showmanship and lots of practice can be pulled off without a problem.  

What to do first: 

Grab yourself a standard 52 card deck and explain that you will be making some separate piles of cards, proceed to shuffle the cards. The card at the top of each pile is the card that you begin with it is important to hold the decks facing upwards so you keep track of everything that is going on. There will be thirteen cards in each pile, ace is the first then count up from there. The number of the starting card determines how many cards it will take to count to thirteen. Lets say your first card is an ace, now you can take the next card as being two and count all the way up to thirteen making it a pile. Your initial card is a two, so we will take the next card as number three, then the next as number four and so on until we have counted thirteen cards, it wont matter what the suits are. If the first card is a ten then count the following one as eleven, the next as twelve and finally thirteen to finish the pile off. Unlike the other piles this one will only have four cards. Count silently to yourself so you do not give it away. Sort the piles on the table with them facing up so that everyone can see them then once used flip them back over so that the bottom cards become the top ones.

And now for the finesse:

While you are counting, try to make it look like you are NOT counting the cards but merely making some random piles. Do not put a face card in the beginning of a pile. If your first card is a face card just say, “I don’t like face cards” and put it on the bottom of the deck or slide in the deck anywhere. While counting the cards and setting up your piles be sure you are keeping track of the cards faced up you are shuffling. When you come to the end of the deck the remaining cards in your hand will probably not be enough cards to make a full pile. so just You must be able to count to thirteen for each pile so you say, “I think that is enough” and put the remaining cards aside so they do not get mixed up with the piles you have made. Math is what it is about so be sure you keep track of your counting.

The next phase:

You will usually end up with seven piles more or less. The number of piles will not matter. Get the people to take the piles and hand them to you one by one. They will pass you the cards they choose and as they do this put the cards set aside face down in your hand. Add the piles they hand to you to the cards in your hand. You end up with six piles and that means they have to choose three to be taken away, if it were seven piles in front of you they would have to remove 4 of them. The object is to leave three piles. You might tell them they are to leave three piles.

This part is fun:

Let the people flip over the card on the top of any two piles to reveal what is there. Two of the piles now have up facing cards on the top. Tell them you will now search through the deck to find the number of the card that is on the top of the last pile. You will not know the suit, just the number of the card so do not forget to tell them this. More showmanship is here. Without looking like you are counting your cards but merely sifting through the cards in your hand looking at them one by one as if you were searching for the right number. Counting the cards is what you are doing. The first thing to do is count ten of the cards. Then take the card that is facing up on one of the piles and read it out. Look at the second card faced up and count to that number. So, if you had a two and a three turned over on the two piles you will be counting out the ten cards, then two and then three more cards from the turned over cards.  

The big finale: 

You are still holding some cards that are left in your hand. You could have ten or one card left it does not matter. Count the last cards without being obvious and then put them down and say, “Okay, I have found the right card”. The number of the top card on the last pile is “.” After counting out all of the other cards be sure to say what the remaining cards are. So, if there is just one card left you will say the card is an Ace. Or, if there were two cards left you will say the card is a two, and so on. To create a shock let the audience flip over the final card and read the number for themselves.  

In closing:

Correct counting will guarantee the trick always works.

The piles must remain intact, when the piles are turned over make sure the top card remains on top.

52 cards is what you must begin with.

The smoother you are when you are counting the greater impact your trick will have. This is guaranteed to impress.

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A magical night out

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

Has it been difficult to come up with ideas for a fun night “on the town” with your partner?  When the coveted date night comes around, it’s always wonderful to spend some time with that special someone.  Though dinner and a movie is the old stand-by, it can also be a bit of a bore.   If you’re stuck in a rut, it’s time to consider something new:  find out where local magic acts perform. It is true that not every city has a dedicated magic club, but you can find magic acts performing in nightclubs and comedy clubs all over.  Check your local paper’s weekend entertainment section to locate a show. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to see a popular street magician style show in the comfort of the warm indoors.

 

Many magicians and illusionists make the backbone of their act the classic card trick. Everyone loves a card trick, so it’s only natural that this would be the skill upon which repertoires are built. Cards are inexpensive, accessible in most circumstances, and portable to boot.  Street musicians use a wide variety of objects to perform their tricks, but most popular remains, as always, card tricks. 

 

Street style magic is now found in nightclubs, with the rise in popularity of certain street magicians like David Blaine. David Blaine magic is what seems to fire up crowds lately, where astounding sleight of hand done with ordinary objects.   The appeal of the street magician is not surprising.   These magicians generally eschew expensive illusions that cost thousands of dollars to pull off. These acts are mainstays of the Vegas strip, and certainly have their appeal. Street musicians bring a contrast to Vegas acts by combining classic sleight of hand with unassuming, yet cool and collected showmanship.  The street musician ethos is dependant on spontaneity, but a talented performer can bring this street attitude to the performance stage.

 

So next time you’re looking for something creative and different to do on a Saturday night, consider tracking down a local magic show. You’ll see something memorable and very special. Your partner will be delighted with your creative idea for a night out, leaving boring dinner and a movie night in the dust.  Go ahead and give it a try, you won’t be sorry!

The Magic Castle, A Visitor’s Guide

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

If you have the opportunity to visit the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, California, go!  If you want to see some amazing magic tricks, and you’re free for an evening, go enjoy some grown-up fun. Your visit will be a life-long memory - as it is a place unlike any other.

Back To Basics – Things To Know Before You Visit

A word of warning before you start planning your visit to the Magic Castle: not everyone can attend. Just because it is a private club for those who love magic and for magician, members (Associate members and Magician members) pay for the privilege of attending as much as they wish in any given year. For you, (a non-member) to attend, you will need to know someone who is a member and get a guest pass from them. Or, even better, get them to take you with them.

Attending the Magic Castle is a formal affair. You would not be out of place in a tie and jacket (for men) or evening gown (for ladies) – in fact, it is required. What? You don’t have a jacket, you say? Don’t worry – the front desk has several jackets and ties they lend for the evening, so you might be just fine. But don’t show up with running shoes on, or expect to take your jacket off once you get inside – it just isn’t done. Formal places call for formal attire.

The Magic Castle is situated just north of the Kodak Theater. There is not much parking on the streets, so expect to pay for valet parking. It will run you less than ten bucks, which is a bargain in that neighborhood.

Also, expect to have dinner in their fine restaurant. They have great food – many selections for those who love meat, seafood, or are vegetarians. Prices range from $28.00 to $65.00 for an entrée, and there are plenty of “adult beverages” to be found at the several bars throughout the Castle.

Once You’re Inside

After you enter the Magic Castle, you’ll have to get past the receptionist by showing your identification of adulthood. If you’re there on a guest pass, present the pass and pay the door charge - $20 each. They will also confirm the reservation for your dinner table for which you made a call earlier. If you are there along with a member, there is no door charge, and the having dinner is optional. You will then be given the secret code word to be able to enter the door to the showrooms.

As for the shows, expect to be fully entertained. There are three major showrooms – the Close-up Gallery, the Parlor of Prestidigitation, and the Palace of Mystery. The shows in those rooms run on a schedule, and you’ll want to be in line early in order to get in. Also, many nights there are other magicians to entertain you in other various rooms -  down in the museum, or in the dungeon, or even roving magicians to show you effects while you are in line for another show. There’s always plenty to see and do at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California.