Hi everyone. I would be interested in knowing the 2 or 3 best tricks you would recommend to the beginning or intermediate magi.

Also, I see Crazy Mans Handcuffs mentioned a lot. What book can I find this in?


Thanks, Brian

Hi Brian,

Hard to recommend two or three tricks but I think gaffed decks like Invisible Deck, Brainwave Deck or Deja Vu Deck are quite simple to use and could be very impressive...

Concerning CMH, it's explained in Ammar's book, The Magic of Michael Ammar. A booklet containing the corresponding chapter is also available from some magic dealers.

Earl.

Sponge balls and some self working card tricks should get you started.

Hi Brian,

I would recommend TT with silks, money, sugar or something else.
Some spongeball routines and Cups and balls perhaps.
Easy to master will be Secret Box of Close up Magic from Marvin.
To recommend a card deck - in my opinion it is comfortable to deal with Deland`s automatic deck.

Hope that helps

Magically yours

Manipulix

Very good suggestions so far. Brian, what if you bought a good book instead of props? Mark Wilson`s Complete Course in Magic is a huge book full of excellent routines that are suitable for magicians of any skill level. Highly recommended.

Best wishes

Risto

I think I first started out with self-working card magic (there are plenty of books out there on this alone).
I would also recommend self-working prop based tricks such as dynamic coins. You can get a very strong effect and good reaction from a well practiced self-working trick.

Hope this helps

PT

Hey! Another Brian!
I would suggest anything with silks, tt's, sponge balls, get a book on cards at your local magic dealer. Man, so many things can be done with just cards. Umm, some gaffed coin tricks may be fun to try too. I would learn basic coin sleights before using gaffs though. Check out Michael Ammars introduction to Coin Magic (DVD). And every beginner should not be with out Bobo's Modern Coin Magic book. Hope this helps. Talk to you later.
Brian

A cheaper alternative to The Magic of Michael Ammar is the book called Elastrix in which there are several elastic band tricks including the Crazy Man's Handcuffs. I got this for about $20 (CAN).

Hi Brian
All great advice and I especially like Risto's suggestion of Mark Wilson's book because it contains a superb cross-section of magical effects, many of which are not difficult to perform.

I especially like the cut and restored string which is described in this book.
The gaffed 'Invisible Deck' is a mind-blowing effect for laymen who can't begin to visualise the gaff and I always enjoy performing 'Phil' using another gaffed deck.

Michael Skinner's 'Ultimate Monte' is also easy to perform with massive impact.
Hope this helps. Kamelion Koins and IT thread routines like 'Floating Bill' are also strong and easy to perform.

Bill Parkinson

Try something easy first. But focus on your presentation. Once you are more confident in presenting in front of others then work on your skill.

All the tricks suggested so far are good for starters.

My 2 cents worth.

BG,
The Magic Book, by Harry Lorayne, is undoubtedly the absolute best book for the beginner and, probably, intermediate magician.
Written for the lay reader, it assumes absolutely NO prior knowledge and, so, you don't get lines like "use your favorite force" or "use the shuttle pass".
Everything -- and I mean "everything" -- is explained in its most basic form.
cheers,
Peter Marucci
showtimecol@aol.com

I picked up a great book for only $.25 at a garage sale. The Amateur Magician's Handbook by Henry Hay. It covers everything from Card magic, Coin Magic, thimbles, Billiard balls, mentalism, silks, small gimmicks and fakes, close-up, and platform magic. Anything you may be interested in along with a great emphasis on presentation!! this book is excellent to learn a little bit of everything.

I am just starting with magic also and picked up Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic. It is such a great book there are already quite a few tricks in it that I can do well, consistantly. In only a week! I love it. I recommend it to any beginner.

Hey, someone gave me the first three Tarbell's Course in Magic awhile ago, and they are great, even if they've been around for ages! I have a favorite card trick in there, where the color of the cards change from red backs to blue backs...
It's awesome, fairly easy to do, and it could be a good thing to get you started.

Also, rope tricks are pretty good for just starting out!

Good luck! Dive in!

5150,
Bird Brain

Peter Marucci said:
The Magic Book, by Harry Lorayne, is undoubtedly the absolute best book for the beginner and, probably, intermediate magician.

Any idea where I can get this book in the UK, Peter? I can't find anywhere obvious.

Cheers

Alex

I feel the best value anyone can buy has to be videos. You can easily learn great tricks without gaffed decks or coins and thus stand the scrutiny of your spectators, which when starting out can be tough to deal with. Trying to get rid of a gaff is tough and will ruin what was a great trick. I learnt this early on. have faith in your self. ammars card videos are great. You do need to pratice a little but you feel so much happier when you have learnt a skill rather than handling a gimmick. ????? make sense??

Bear in mind you can do easy tricks without gaffs. As a beginner start off with an effect that is not too technical (which should make you less nervous about your ability to do it successfully!)Even the simplest tricks can be made into little miracles with the right presentation.

The rubber band presentation is also in Tarbell Vol.7. The books mentioned earlier may be available at the magic shop in Glasgow when you visit But if you ask Roy what books would be suitable for you on your visit, he WILL recomend something suitable and not just try and sell you anything.

Paul Hallas

New user

1 Posts Posted: May 25, 2002 6:41am

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First posting ...
Help im really struggling wirh CMH .saw the trick on holiday, brilliant .Got the bands got the method . I end up in knots!!!
Is there a video to help me on this ??
thanks . im in the uk

A good book to buy is mark wilsons complete course in magic. However the best place to start is with videos. Daryl's Encyclopedia of card sleights is a classic. Although if you are on a budget i hear of some excellent quality videos by a chap called tod buchanan. Starts with the basis on cards sponge and coins. Three seperate tapes.

Click here to view attached image.

Hi,

My general advice for beginners whould be to first start with classical and almost "automatic" tricks in order to get introduced in the magic world and have the opportunity to get a quick result with minimal risk of failure. It's also interesting to concentrate on presentation and not on complex sleights, at the beginning.

Then, as written above, getting vids is very benefic for starters, because it shows how a trick or sleight looks like and how to perform it, in a (usually) pleasant way.

But finally, I think the best information can't be found out of books. Getting classical books about sleights, presentation, etc. is, IMHO, mandatory for a successful trip to the World of Magic!

Of course, applying to clubs or other organizations can be of great value at any time.

Earl.