Live, private sleight-of-hand magic lessons via Skype

I started out in the entertainment field as a close-up sleight-of-hand magician. I worked my way through college by table-hopping at a variety of restaurants, from casual Mexican to high-end and high-priced cuisine. And, really, there is nothing more fun than when someone hands you a cigarette, or coin, or napkin and says, "do that magic thing," and they end up yelping in amazement at what just occurred right under their nose.

Now, through the miracle of technology, I will be taking on a limited number of people to teach them fun and funny sleight-of-hand magic with common, everyday objects like playing cards, cigarettes, coins, napkins, salt, matches and lots more. Throughout the lessons, I also like to include some magical effects which, although amazing, are very simple to learn without a lot of practice.

Over the years I developed not only a repertoire of the magic effects which worked very well in a restaurant setting, but also the comedy that I added to each routine (called "patter" in magic circles). When doing close-up, sleight-of-hand magic you should not just do "tricks." Instead, you need to put together a routine which consists of a string of different fun, amazing and funny bits of business. I will work with you to find your own personality and collection of magic effects that you are comfortable with.

A magician shouldn't approach an audience with a "look-how-cool-I-am" attitude, but instead share the wonder and amazement of each stupid little trick you do. :)

If you're interested in trying out a lesson or two, just visit this link. You can sign up for 30 or 60 minute private lessons, and I will do my best to set up a time that is convenient for both of us.

Books and DVD's are a great way to learn sleight-of-hand magic and I still recommend both, but in my past I always found that I could tackle much more ambitious prestidigitation manipulations when someone taught me one-on-one. With a personal, private lesson you get to see exactly what it's going to look like, and I get to see (and objectively critique) how it looks to the spectator. Until together, we create that Wow! factor.

Hope to hear from you.

Currently, I am only accepting adult students.

The most amazing card trick EVER! WOW 2.0. Visual transformation of a card into YOUR card.

I recently was hired to perform close-up magic at a corporate function. I have my close-up, sleight-of-hand case which is packed with all the stuff I need to entertain right under people's noses. A few packs of cards, some sponge balls, a pack of (very stale) cigarettes, a few cool close-up props. Grab the bag and I'm ready to go.

Since I don't often do close-up gigs anymore, I wanted to add something new and visual to my routine. A magician friend showed me WOW 2.0 My initial reaction was WOW!

A card is freely selected, signed and returned to the deck. A clear, see-through plastic sleeve is displayed. The magician then grabs any card, displays it and verifies that it isn't the selected card. Magician then slips the card he chose into the sleeve, where it is totally visible. The audience is told to watch the card in the sleeve and as they do it slowly, and unfreakinbelieveably transforms into the signed card which the spectator chose. The card is then removed, the sleeve is again empty and see-through and the chosen card can be examined.

No bullshit. If you're only going to purchase one trick this decade, make it WOW 2.0. You may just be as excited as your audience.

Check it out.

Private Sleight-of-Hand Magic Lessons via Skype with cards, coins, cigarettes, matches and more.

The TV Card Frame - chosen card visually appears in clear frame - Magic Trick Review

This is really a classic platform, stage magic card trick which I used in my stand-up comedy magic show for many years. Now that I'm revisiting it, I'm gonna add it to some upcoming shows. 

The TV Card Frame is displayed to the audience. It consists of a wooden stand stand and two clear, plexiglass plates. A spectator selects a card, tears into pieces and retains one piece. Any spectator may examine the plexiglass plates and rubberband them together. They are then placed on a wooden stand in clear view at all times. The magician then vanishes the remaining card pieces and instructs the spectator to throw the rest of the deck of cards at the plexiglass plates. The cards all fall to the floor except one card has appeared IN BETWEEN THE PLEXIGLASS PLATES---WITH A PIECE MISSING.

Get yours today!

The spectator is handed the plexiglass plates, removes the rubber bands, removes the card and the retained piece perfectly matches the produced card.

Is that description an exaggeration? Nope. Which is why I've always loved this trick. It's pretty easy to set-up and perform and the climax is visually amazing. The plexiglass plates are totally see-through and are never covered or out of view of the audience. Sometimes, rather than have the cards thrown at the frame (because I'm lazy and don't want another mess to clean up after the show), I just tell the audience to focus on the frame, I count to three and the card VISIBLY APPEARS in frame right before their eyes.

This effect is strongly recommended for anyone looking for a visual addition to a stage or platform show. If you purchase the TV Card Frame, shoot me an email afterward and I'll respond with some details on my handling of the effect and a couple of cool methods for vanishing the card pieces.

Private Sleight-of-Hand Magic Lessons via Skype with cards, coins, cigarettes, matches and more.

"The Royal Road to Card Magic" review - takes you from novice to pro in one read

If I go and search my dusty library of card magic books from my youth, I know there are quite a few written by Jean Hugard. The first card magic book that I ever devoured cover to cover (which is really the only way to use this book) is "Royal Road to Card Magic" by Jean Hugard and Frederick Braue.

As is suggested by the authors, if you want to become a competent card conjurer, read and practice the methods in this book in the order presented and by the final chapter I guarantee you that you'll be pretty damned good. And the really beauty of the book and the teaching method of these to magic literary giants is that you don't have to first learn all of the moves and sleights and

then, finally, at the end of the book, learn some tricks. Hugard and Braue teach you a manipulation and then a practical and pretty amazing application of that move.

Many years ago, when I was performing close-up, table-hopping, sleight-of-hand magic in restaurants, I would also teach sleight-of-hand magic a couple of evenings per week. In many cases I was starting from scratch with the student just wanting to learn, and having spent no time mastering even the most rudimentary tricks. They just knew that they wanted to take up a new "hobby."

I learned very quickly, that if I spent the full session just teaching them how to do the mechanics of sleight-of-hand and not actually teaching them "a trick," that they'd probably get bored and not want to come back (or pay me). Plus, if they didn't quickly master the sleight, they'd get frustrated and decide that this magic crap isn't for them.

So, what I would do every week was first demonstrate what I considered to be a really cool close-up magic trick or routine, and tell the student that they were going to learn to do it at the end of the lesson. There are literally thousands of essentially simple to perform tricks (remember, it's usually all in the presentation), and once you become proficient at the more difficult ones you can throw in the really easy ones (which often are more astonishing that the ones you spent countless hours mastering).

So, before I would force them two learn two or three double-lift methods, I'd show them the something like the penetrating match trick and then show them how to do it at the end of session.

That's essentially what Hugard and Braue do with "The Royal Road to Card Magic." You learn a method of performing a specific sleight, then you learn an effect using that sleight. Next you move to the next technique or method which also utilized the first sleight you learned, then again another effect, and so on.

I strongly recommend purchasing this book (it's also available for your Kindle or Kindle app for your Smartphone) and reading and practicing EVERYTHING in the book in order. Once you're done, I guarantee you will be a pretty damned good card manipulator.

So do it, or screw it.



Private Sleight-of-Hand Magic Lessons via Skype with cards, coins, cigarettes, matches and more.

Impromptu Magic: The Penetrating Stick Match Trick

My passion has always been magic that you can pretty much do any time, any place using common everyday objects. I like this very magical effect because it's visual and can be performed surrounded (with just a little care). Please visit my web site for tutorials and lessons on sleight-of-hand magic and please subscribe to this blog and follow on Twitter for all of the updates.

Please send me an email or comment if you want me to upload a tutorial on any effects featured.

Private Sleight-of-Hand Magic Lessons via Skype with cards, coins, cigarettes, matches and more.



Another Incredible Cigarette Vanish - and how to do it!

This is a very visual and astonishing sleight of hand close-up cigarette vanish. First see how it looks:

And here is how it's done.



Practice, practice, practice. And make sure you learn a number of cigarette effects before performing it. Otherwise, it's just a puzzle for people to figure out.

Don't forget to subscribe so that you'll be kept up to date as new close-up sleight-of-hand magic is added. Some of the upcoming tricks you can learn with everyday objects include: matches, cards, table salt, more cigarettes and some psychic, telepathy mind-reading tricks.

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How to do an incredible mind reading trick with a phone book or dictionary or any book

This is truly a mind blowing mind-reading, telepathy effect for the spectators. A little preparation is required, but well worth the effort. This telepathic demonstration will have your audience scratching their heads.

EFFECT:  Begin by announcing that you are going to make a prediction. On a small piece of paper, you jot something down, seal it in an envelope, and give it to a spectator to hold. You then ask each of three spectators to give you a one digit number. You take those three digits and reverse the order and subtract the smaller from the larger. Take that result, then reverse it as well and add the two together. You then instruct the spectator to open the phone book (or dictionary) and go to a page and location corresponding to the numerical answer you arrived at. The name (or word) exactly matches the prediction in the sealed envelope.

HOW IT'S DONE: This can actually be done with any book and these days you may have to use something other than a phone book or dictionary. I know I don't have either of those handy, since I can just grab my Droid and get a phone number or definition, so another type of book may be necessary.

Prior to attempting this feat, you must decide which book you're going to use. Go to page 108, and count down nine lines. That name, word or phrase is your prediction.

First ask each of three people to give you a one digit number from one to nine (if one of them repeats a number already given, say they need their own number). If there aren't three people, have one person give you a three digit number (again no repeated numbers and avoid zeros).

Write that number down in clear view on a pad or chalk board. Let's say the number is 652. You then explain that you're going to reverse the order of that number, and subtract the smaller from the larger. 652 minus 256 equals 396. Take 396 and reverse it as well (doing all of this in clear view). Take those two numbers and add them together (396 plus 963). The total is 1089. Instruct one spectator to go to page 108, count down to the ninth line and read aloud what is on that line. Ask another spectator to open your prediction envelope and POW! BAM! WHALLUP! They match!

This can be an amazing feat, but be vewwy vewwy careful with your numbers. If you mess up, there's no going back.

NOTES: Make sure that each number is unique. 427, 891, 643 NOT 229, 443 828. Repeated numbers will throw off the equation and make you look silly.

If you wish to make it even more dramatic you can have three books and use a force to have them choose the right one.

This is an amazing demonstration of how to read minds and psychic skills. Because the mind reading, telepathic trick is so simple, it's very important to play it up with adequate drama.

It's also a good idea to have a number of mind reading and psychic effects ready to  perform. You don't want to give the spectators time to overthink how you may have done it. If they start playing with numbers, they may figure out that the solution is always 1089. Of course, if pressed and they ask you to give numbers, use repeated numbers if that issue did not come up. That way you'll have a different total.

Make sure you visit the Incredible Magic website to learn more fortune telling, mind-reading psychic tricks as well as learn incredible sleight-of-hand, close-up magic.