Beginners Magic Tricks
Close up magic is very popular and magicians intrigue adults and children alike. Some tricks are closely guarded secrets but there are beginners magic tricks that are shared with the general public. These books and DVDs enable the novice to astound their family and friends. All it takes is a bit of practice.
Card Tricks for Beginners by Wilfrid Jonson uses diagrams and easily understandable instructions. Over 50 techniques are described, such as the classic Palming, Reading the Pack and the False Shuffle. Many magicians start off with simple card trickery. Magic for Beginners by Walter Gibson is a revised edition of a book that is suited to all age ranges. More than 100 tricks and 85 illustrations are included. Gibson, who was the first Vice President of the Magician's Guild of America, shows beginners magic tricks involving coins, cards, hypnosis techniques, knots and manipulation of the mind. There is a list of relevant websites and magic dealers.
DVDs are helpful too and deal with specific aspects of magic. Bob Kohler presents Aces in their Faces, which is a variation on four different routines with different skill levels. Addict - The Ultimate Can Penetration by Edo demonstrates a coin penetrating a sealed can. Sponge balls are great fun to play around with and they can be part of beginners magic tricks routines. Sponge Ball Magic goes through the step by step techniques with the use of freeze frame. The DVD shows how to dematerialize a sponge ball, how to change its color and how to change a sponge cube into two sponge balls.
Behold the Scarabaeus is another 'penetrating' beginners magic trick. Cell phones, keys, wallets, sunglasses and other everyday items are made to penetrate a water bottle. The Color Changes DVD demonstrates how to make a card change into another card from the deck. This is basic close up card magic and the tricks are filmed from different angles, making it easier to copy. Luis Otero is a well known magician on TV and for his live performances. In his DVD, Enlightened, he demonstrates his advanced card magic routines.
When you have studied the books and DVDs on the subject, you may be ready for something more advanced to try out on your friends. There are various beginners magic tricks on the market to start you off and you can progress to tricks, such as juice for card marking. This is meant to be used in magic acts and not for gambling! It is a liquid that is applied to the back of the cards, giving them an invisible marking. Magicians and entertainers in mind reading acts have used this method. The marks are quite difficult to read but the magician can learn how to identify them, a skill that the general public doesn't possess and they can't see the marks. It just looks like a normal deck!
