The love of magic is an integral part of society.  It’s a vital part of entertainment.  The love of card magic is especially fun! There are so many card tricks to learn.  So whether you are a beginning or an expert you will always have new card magic tricks to learn.

Vanishing card trick are absolutely the most fun of all card tricks.  Your audience will gasp every time as you make their card vanish.  Vanishing card tricks are best executed with a small audience.  In fact corporate magicians can be very successful with vanishing card tricks.  They can be the staple of your routine because of the perfect venue for card magic.  Here are a couple of examples of some great card tricks that are especially effective at the corporate level.

Window card trick- this trick involves the use of a window, small or large it doesn’t matter.  How the effect works is this…the magician takes a deck of card and asks the spectator to pick a card.  Then they are encouraged to place the card back in the deck once they have looked at it.  The magician then pretends to search for their card.  Not being able to find it, the magician gets frustrated and throws the deck of cards up against the window, showing their frustration.  All the cards fall to the group except one…the spectators chosen card is stuck to the window.  This trick is amazing and spectators love it.

A card flourish is an art where you are manipulating a deck of cards with either one hand or both hands.  You can do all sorts of fun things with card flourishes.  You can cut the deck, hide cards, vanish cards and simply amaze your spectator with your skill.  Magicians like to add these into their repertoire of card tricks.  They aren’t the ultimate card trick, but simply a warm up for what’s to come.

Some magicians decline to use flourishes.  They think that if they perform a flourish of some kind that it appears that they are just really good at manipulating cards, and therefore when it comes to the actual magic trick, the magician “must” only be manipulating the cards.

I don’t feel that this is true.  There are some beautiful and unique ways of handling your cards that simply add to the WOW factor in your magic.  Therefore here is a guide to some ideas that you can implement, should you decide to use card flourishes with your card magic.

For starters, it’s important that you learn how to do the one handed cut.  Then there are also the swivel and pivot cuts which are taught on a number of websites.  You can also purchase several books that will teach you step by step the process for performing all of these stunts.  For example Bill Tarr’s now out of print instructional book entitled “Now you see it, now you don’t” has a great one handed cut where the deck is divided into three piles.  Even though it’s out of print, you can find it online.

You can even go to YouTube and search for card tricks, and you’ll find all kinds of instructional videos on how to perform card flourishes.

Most all magicians learn pretty quickly how to master card tricks.  But did you ever stop to consider how important shuffling your cards can be???  To some spectators, the shuffle is just as amazing as the magic trick.  That is, if you’re really good at it.  Here is a classic method of shuffling that will enhance your act tremendously. You have to master this shuffle before moving on to more complicated methods.

The table riffle- this is a classic shuffle trick.  It’s a must for any magician.  Here’s how to do it.  First cut the deck into two piles.  They don’t have to be exactly even, but should be close.   Grip each half in a hand, face down.  Your middle finger and your thumb should grip either end of the short edge of the deck.  Move the two pile close enough to each other that your thumbs are almost touching.  Each index finger should be bent with the knuckle putting pressure on the middle of the deck.  Now, raise one end of the cards with your thumb, giving the stacks a slight bend.  Now, release the pressure of your thumbs on the cards and all of the cards should fall on the table, intertwined.  At this point, you have 2 choices.

You can simply let go of the cards on the table, and them push them together, squaring them up.  Or you can do a bridge, which is the pick up the cards and place pressure on the outer edges, bending them up in the middle.  Gently and slowly release the pressure and they will riffle together right there in your hands.  Most people can do this type of shuffle, but you want to practice it a lot so that you can do it effortlessly, quickly, and perfectly ever time.

Here is some more interesting facts about the history of playing cards….

Where did the four suites come from?  First off, ever since the very beginning of cards there were always four suites. The names of the 4 suites has evolved over the centuries and also started out a little different in different parts of Europe.  In Italy, where the first European cards were manufactured, the four suites were cups, rods, swords and coins.  Some believed that this was indicative of the four classes of people in Europe.  The cups represented clergy, the rods stood for the farmers,  the swords represented the military, and the coins represented the merchants.

In Germany we find that the suites evolved into something different.  The cups became the hearts, representing courage and power.  And the rod became the acorn.  Meanwhile France created their own interpretations as well.  They kept the heart like the Germans, but changed the acorn to a cloverleaf.  The English took ideas from the French and kept the cloverleaf, but called it a club.  They also changed the sword to the diamond.

In today’s playing cards, the characters still wear clothing from the English period of King Henry VII, who ruled in the late 15^th Century.  But early cards not only  had the King, Queen, and Jack, but they also had the Knight.

Guess who invented the Joker?  You guessed it, the Americans, and it originated around 1870.

How magical a deck of cards can be!  You don’t have to be a magician to love a deck of cards.  Certainly this has become a staple in the repertoire of a magician but young and old alike seem to have an affinity for playing cards.  From gin to poker, from old maid to solitaire everyone loves cards and you can play with many other people or by yourself.  There is just something to about a crisp new deck of cards.  The sound of the shuffle, the smell of the paper, and the slick finish, they are magical in their own right.

Have you ever wondered about the history of playing cards?  Where did they come from and how did they come about?  This isn’t something we often think about but it is an interesting story nonetheless.

No one knows with absolute certainty where cards came from.  Some think it was China, others say it was India, and some claim it was the Near East.  What we do know is that playing cards arrived in Europe somewhere around 1300.  Card playing has been documented as early as the 10^th Century when the Chinese would shuffle paper that was in the shape and design of dominos, and they would develop new games out of them.  Four suited decks with court cards evolved and were eventually imported by Europeans.  These early cards were hand painted and only the wealthy could afford them.  But into the 14^th Century woodcuts were invented and Europe began to mass produce the playing card.

The Ace of Spades is always different from all the other Aces in every deck, did you ever notice that?  The central spade is different and there is a reason for it.  In the early centuries, Europe always placed a tax on playing cards.  When the tax was paid government would place a stamp on the deck of going showing such.  This stamp was always placed on the Ace of Spades, just for consistency and easy identification.  Eventually this tax was lifted, but the card makers continued to make the Ace of Spades different, as it symbolized the highest ranking card in the deck.

More interesting card history in the next article.

Perhaps the easiest and most popular form of magic is card tricks. This form of magic has been around for years and years and it continues to grow in popularity every year. Street performers such as David Blaine, and large venues such as Las Vegas casinos, and everything in between has helped forward the popularity of card tricks.

Amateur magicians really thrive with card tricks. They are easy to learn, extremely cheap to buy, and easy to carry around. They don’t require any expensive or large props, and with a little practice are extremely effective. For this reason many magicians start out here…with card tricks.

Professional magicians take great pride in their card magic. Most of them guard their secrets closely. But some are willing to hold workshops and classes to share with up and coming magicians their secrets.

Sleight of hand, card marking, trick decks, and a variety of other ploys are used in card magic. Good sleight of hand with cards is not easy and requires years of practice to really get good at it. So appreciate the next magician you see who performs great card magic. Know that they spent years perfecting what appears to be so easy and smooth.

All card tricks are really based on a few simple principles that are developed and manipulated to form new and different versions of tricks.

This is an easy and fun card trick that you can add to your repertoire. Now, the story can be modified to fit your particular show, and you can use any 4 cards, not just kings. Let your imagination go with this and see what fun variations you can come up with. Here is the trick with the 4 Kings.

Fan out 3 Kings so that your audience can see them. Explain to the audience that the 4 Kings are friends and that one of them got lost in the forest (the deck). Tell your audience that the 3 Kings decide to go looking for the lost King.

Place the 3 Kings on the top of the deck. Explain that one of the 3 decide to look at the farthest edge of the forest…place that King at the back of the deck. Now explain that the 2nd King decide to look in the middle of the forest, place that King in the middle of the deck.

And now explain that the 3rd King decided to stay at the opening of the forest and wait for their friend….keep that King right where he is. Now cut the deck and then fan out the whole deck and show your audience that the 4 Kings have now found each other and they now appear together in the deck.

Here’s how it’s done…. Gather all 4 Kings and also 2 other cards (any cards). Fan the four Kings out , only showing 3 of them, and place the other 2 cards behind the second card. Make sure your audience can’t see them. Show the audience the Kings and explain that they are all very good friends.

Now place the kings on the top of your deck. Show the audience the top King and then place it on the bottom of the deck (this is the one that goes looking at the far end of the forest). Place the 2nd card (not a king) into the middle of the deck Repeat this step again. Then show the audience the last King and leave it where it’s at.

Now cut the deck, putting it back together so that all of your Kings ended up together. Fan them out face up and show your bewildered audience how the 4 Kings found their way to each other.

There is a common denominator with most magicians I know; they claim that they were very shy growing up.  About 90% of the magicians I have had the pleasure of meeting and talking to say that as a kid they felt awkward, unable to start conversations with people, and struggled in relationships ever since a young age.

WOW, this was shocking to me at first, and I am sure that many people would find that hard to believe after having a witnessed a great performance of a magician who seemed larger than life.

Getting to know these magicians a little more I discovered that the reason they got in to magic was due to this social inadequacy that they felt.  They started learning magic as a way of “breaking the ice” in conversations with people and it got them a lot of attention that would otherwise not have had the confidence to generate with their own personality.  They felt confident with their magic and were able to let their personality come through with the magic as their anchor.

This has created a lot of success for people in their lives, regardless if they went on to be professional magicians or they simply use magic tricks in their existing profession.  One of the best stories is about the shy car salesman.  A gentleman got a job as a salesman at an upscale car dealership.  He had trouble with his confidence and was not very good at approaching people on the sales floor, and his results showed it.  He was struggling financially and emotionally, not sure if this was the right career for him.  One day he remembers that an old friend of his was a magician and he was always in awe of what he could do with a deck of cards.  He got the brilliant idea to call and ask his friend to teach him a few card tricks, with the intention of using them as a way to “break the ice” with his potential clients.

Not only did this work to have him feel more comfortable to approach people, it also boosted his sales big-time!!  One client even told him that if he could guess the card he had chosen, without returning it to the deck, he would buy a car from him that day!!  Not only did the salesman guess the card, he also produced his business card with a copy of the actual card the client picked on the back.  The client was so blown away he bought right then and there.  Our salesman became the top salesman at the dealership several months in a row.

Card magic is so popular. Most everyone has experienced being the recipient of a trick using a deck of cards.  The greatest magicians as well as anyone “pretending” to be a magician has pulled out a deck of cards and requested, “pick a card, any card”.  The fact of the matter is that there are hundreds, if not thousands of card tricks.  But what do the majority of them have in common?  They require the spectator to “pick a card”.  This is the basis for most card magic.

Now, there are certainly card tricks that don’t require choosing, for instance the famous 2-card Monte, or something where you magically make the aces change into hearts, etc.  But if you really think about it, the majority of card tricks require choosing in some way.  It’s what is done with the chosen card that can either bore your participant because they have seen it a hundred times, or can absolutely blow their mind.

So if you are going to attempt card magic, you must think outside of the box.  You must reveal their chosen card in such a unique way, that they are left thinking about your trick for days!  Do something with their card that is totally unexpected and you will have them hooked!  Most people are just expecting you to sift through the deck and simply pull out their card. No one would expect you to do something such as, pulling his or her card out of a sealed envelope.  Or having their card appear under a tablecloth.  How about having their card appear inside the spectator’s purse, or in their coat pocket.

Do the next time you pull out a deck of card and ask, “pick a card, any card”, be prepared to do something special.

If you really want to do the best job you can for your particular audience, you have to consider who’s watching!!  For instance if you are performing for kids, throw away all of your card tricks, or complicated mind reading effects.  They won’t care!  They want to see flash and color!  Make a dove appear and they are thrilled.  Live animals always draw them in.  Do tricks with colorful props and familiar characters.  Throwing in a few balloon animals at the end is a must.

When performing for adults you can throw all those silly props and corny jokes out the window.  Adults need something to stimulate their minds.  Card tricks are great for adults.  As well as anything that vanishes, changes location, or appears out of nowhere.  Throw in a few mind reading tricks and some adult humor and your golden.

If you perform at trade shows or even out on the street, you need some hard hitting, attention grabbing effects.  Something that will stop people in their tracks and draw them in.  Master this and you will be in high demand for corporate entertainment.

If you are performing in a large theater there are many things to keep in mind.  First off, the up-close card and coin tricks won’t work.  No one will see them.  You will need to rely on the large illusions and grander scale effects.  You will likely need at least one assistant with your larger shows.  Also, audience participation is important in these larger shows.  It will draw your audience in.  Make sure that you make your participant from the audience look good!  It’s not a good idea to make fun of them, or ridicule them on stage.  This can make them and their family or friends uncomfortable.  And it won’t look good on you.

The more adaptable you are to your different audiences simply opens many doors for you to be even more successful in what you love to do!