Liam Montier is back with his new trick Timeless! He has released many PDFs in the market like his awesome PDF called Pandora! Timeless is presented by Vanishing Inc. If you don't know what or who is Vanishing Inc, it's basically a magic company that produces only the best! The founders of Vanishing Inc are Joshua Jay and Andi Gladwin, these 2 magicians have high expectations of the tricks that they produce and definitely will not disappoint you! 

» Get Timeless Here!

Since close-up magic tricks only involve a small audience at the time that it is
performed, many performers who are not good in establishing rapport with the audience
prefer this. Of course, it is indeed a lot easier to conduct magic when you are not
nervous at the sight of a large audience. Additionally, a small audience can help you
concentrate better because there is less noise and less commotion, among other things.
Moreover, you also have to deal with less audience reaction if you simply perform close-
up tricks for a small group. However, magicians and even beginners at performing
close-up tricks should note that they should still make special considerations for
their audience, regardless of the size of the group. Here is a rundown of the common
mistakes that audience are commonly irritated with. I personally cringe at those who are
performing magic tricks and are guilty of these.

1. Being arrogant while performing
It is important to feel confident and to have a
sense of pride while performing. Everybody would look down on a performer
that seemingly does not have enough guts to pull off perfectly what he has started
onstage. However, going overboard with an arrogant attitude is never a good
idea. When a performer acts in this manner and behaves as if he or she is
smarter than everybody else in the area, it is a total turnoff.

If you are performing magic for an audience, you should remember to strike a
balance between a sense of pride at what you are doing and a humility that you
possess internally. Remember, even if you do not speak and communicate with
your audience, your body shows how you perceive yourself. A facial expression
that is too smug and an arrogant stare is all it would take to make your audience
scoff at you and your magic tricks.

2. Causing the humiliation of a person in the group

In their attempt to be funny and amusing, some performers of close-up tricks
have a tendency to make fun of the people in the audience. This is especially the
case when they need some to volunteer for them in order to perform a particular
magic trick. This is another mistake that you should not commit. Volunteers are
there to help you and they should not be given cause for embarrassment, even for
the purpose of entertaining others.

When making a speech, remember also not to crack jokes about a volunteer’s
race, ethnicity, physical impairment or appearance. Some of the audience may
find this funny but I assure you, most wouldn’t welcome it.

3. Lack of Preparation

If you are the type of person who does things at the last minute, perhaps
performing magic is not for you. No matter how good you are at your gig and
regardless of the fact that you have mastered a routine already, you still have to
practice to avoid mistakes. Also, you have to make preparations before the
actual performance of magic to ensure that everything you need is in place.
Otherwise, your mind will not be put at ease because you keep on thinking about
what you have missed preparing for.

4. Being too Spontaneous

Spontaneity is good, yes. Even I would not be able to appreciate a performer that
has everything laid out as if it’s on a script because everything seems too fake
this way. However, being too spontaneous, to the point of not even having a plan
for the show can also put off your audience. For all you know, you may have
performed the same trick twice, simply because you have not planned the tricks
you will show off to your audience.

5. Trying to Captivate your Audience with a Character Costume

A character costume can be pulled off well by some performers but not all
performers can do it. If you think you are one of those who can wear it and not
look silly, then go ahead. Remember, though, that wearing a character costume
should be in-line with the tricks you plan to perform. Do not wear a fortune
teller’s costume if you will not use a deck of cards. It’s pointless and it’s weird,
too.

To sum it up, you should bear in mind that performing a close-up trick or even
teaching close-up magic lessons is not a license to forget about your audience. You
should make equal efforts to please your audience whether they are a small group or
a large one. In performing close-up magic, you should also remember to establish
rapport with your audience to keep them happy and not just amused and entertained.

Last but not least, you should select the magic tricks that you will perform for your gig
in the way that would not tire people. They should be excited to see you perform, so
keep your energy levels high and be wise in choosing tricks. Combine close-up tricks
that you think would suit the audience’s tastes. Do not perform sets of tricks that you
have repeatedly done. Make certain variations and adjustments so as not to create a
reputation for yourself as someone who recycles magic tricks. You wouldn’t want that,
would you? Among other things, remember the five tips mentioned in this article as you
go about your career as a close-up tricks performer.

Are you a budding magician and looking at a career to perform on stage? Did you start with street
magic using cups and balls to amaze your audience or even card tricks and borrowed rings to awe
your audience? Whatever it is that you do to amaze the people watching you, close-up tricks are still
somehow different from stage magic. Stage Magic to distinguish it from paranormal or Ritual magic
is a performing art that entertains an audience. The magician or the illusionist is usually the one who
performs the “magic tricks” or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats of magic.
Some performers are called an escape artist if they specialize in vanishing. Some are called mentalists
or conjurors, depending on their specialty. Whatever it is that they are called, they have to have stage
presence in order to perform the trick correctly, without the audience seeing that it’s a trick, they have
to sell it as if it was really magic. Whatever types of magic performance they do, these illusionists
have to act as well. Most of the time the whole thing needs to be staged and the preparation is a grand
production. The whole thing has to be like the theatre, whether its sound effects or lights, you have to
grab your audience’s attention.

There are different types of magic but for one to be an illusionist, a conjurer, a mentalist or whatever
you like to be, there are a few things you have to know about being a magician.

Secrecy of the trade. Generally, illusionists or magicians are very secretive about the tricks
of the trade. They say that exposure will kill it as an art form and will reduce it to intellectual
puzzles and not be entertaining anymore. It kind of kills the “oohs” and “aahs” of the audience.
Sometimes, the trick is so simple and the audience feels let down or disappointed. That is why
keeping it secret can preserve the trade and the audience’s amazement.
To be a good stage magician, you have to be a good performer. Look at Criss Angel, he sets
up the stage and sets the mood in order to make the illusion more amazing and even more
believable that it is some supernatural or super human act. I think it might even help to
take up a little acting class! The stage is usually far from the audience; therefore your actions
somehow need to be exaggerated and theatrical so it can be viewed by your audience.
You have to love the craft. Having stage presence with stage magic takes dedication. It requires
hard work to make your assistant from a cabinet disappear and then re-appear to the other
part of the stage. Magic and stage presence go hand in hand.

So now that you know these things, maybe you would also be interested to know that in magic, there
are so called categories of effects. These are just what they call or would classify under some tricks.
Some magicians would argue that there are limited numbers of categories under magic; because
other magicians would like to make “penetration” separate although some would consider part of
teleportation or a form of restoration. So here are some of the explanations and examples as to what
these 8 categories are:

1. Transformation- This involves changing one object into something else. Like transforming a
hanky to a bird, a silk handkerchief that changes color, a card trick where the volunteer’s picked
card is transformed into another card like clubs into hearts or when a wand becomes into a
flower. An even more elaborate trick is transforming the assistant to a tiger.

"Is this practical?" Yes it is, you just need your deck of cards and the gimmick is easy to carry around. You can even borrow the deck and just load the gimmick to the deck. 

"Is it easy to do?" Yes it is. With just a few hours of practice, you will be able to start performing this trick, no difficult sleights are needed just the basics!

"Is it examinable?" Well it's not that examinable. You can't hand out the deck to the spectators because the gimmick is inside the deck, you can always ditch the gimmick and hand out the deck!

In this DVD, Chris teaches you many many routines in GREAT detail. When I say GREAT, it's really very detailed, when you are expecting the explanation to end, he continues on to explain more details ! This will definitely be one of the most well explained DVDs in the market! Some of the routines taught in the DVD includes Fuse Redemption, Covered Redemption, Torn Redemption, Dollar Redemption and many more! Also you can use this gimmick as a device to switch cards very cleanly. Chris will teach you how to create your own gimmicks with any other decks you want to use, and he has also given many tips for this trick. 

Together with the DVD, you will receive a nice looking box, some spare cards for you to tear up, the gimmick, a deck of bicycle cards with the other part of the gimmick inside and a nice piece of fabric. Judging from the packaging of the DVD, you can tell that Chris has put in a alot of effort on this project, you will definitely not be disappointed with the amount of wonderful material you are getting in the DVD. The gimmick is also made in high quality and will last you long, it comes in either a red or blue gimmick. For the cheap price of $34.99, it's definitely worth it.

Overall I rate this trick 8.5/10

Some Pros and Cons to take note of.

Pros

•Very visual

•No difficult sleights are needed

•You can perform surrounded

Cons

•Deck is not examinable unless you ditch the gimmick

•May cause some sound "effects" when you do the change

What are the sleight-of-hand skills required for coin magic? Which ones are the most
popular?

-Muscle Pass –This Requires the coin to be passed from one hand to the other so that it
-gives an illusion of gravity defiance.

-Lapping Method – This gives an illusion of a coin vanishing. This is one of the most
popular due to it being a relatively easy method.

-Palming – This is the most common sleight-of-hand move that results in concealment.
Palming needs fast and smooth hand movements coupled with different levels of
misdirection.

-French Coin Drop – The French Coin Drop involves making the coin disappear after
passing it from hand to hand. Vision is what is manipulated or deceived quickly in this
particular trick.

What are the most popular and most-loved tricks? Which are the most performed and
what are their descriptions?

Coin to Glass – The “Coin to Glass” trick is a coin transfer from a hand to a
glass.

Coin Bite – This involves a coin being bitten and wrecked and then having it go
back to its original form right in front of the people watching.

Matrix Coin Magic – This involves moving a number of coins under the cover of
playing cards.

The Three Fly – In front of a close audience, three coins are transferred from
hand to hand.

Wobbly Coin – In this trick, a coin is moved on a palm with the assistance of a
needle. This is still considered part of a group of easy magic tricks.

Vanishing Coin – This is one of the most well-known coin magic tricks and
involves a coin disappearing and make it appear somewhere. This is usually
the first type that is learned and mastered.

Chink-a-Chink – This is a variation of the “Matrix Coin Magic” with the use of
just a thumb and some fingers.

Can multiple magicians perform a single trick or is a single person usually more

acceptable or advised to perform? Which would be better?

There is no maximum number that is considered a limit. It would really be up to the
number needed to execute a powerful trick properly. The success of the trick and how
good the audience reaction is would determine if the number used is acceptable. People
often associate coin magic with just a single person though and so multiple people
are usually just reserved for the hardest illusions. Those who choose to pursue tricks
with three or more usually tie in the tricks they are doing with other forms of magic. It is
important to note that with the internet, it is difficulty that reigns nowadays. Remember
that the more difficult the trick, the more people will be amazed and blown away by it.

How Do I begin my journey to become a coin magician and learn how to perform?

For those interested in getting into coin magic, there are a lot of ways to start out.
There are countless instruction videos that are available in video shops. There are
also countless videos on the internet. Also, most major cities would have a good number
of magic shops and coin seminars. Over on the internet, it is possible to find coin
illusion masters that would give magic coin trick lessons and magic coin trick
guides. Definitely, the internet is rich with how-to sites about this. Most people would
try to get a hold of a seasoned professional in one way or another and they would go
through a period of mentoring. This would be most helpful to those who would want
to get into Coin Magic deeply and would want to become a professional. It would be
invaluable if a person could learn the trade from a guaranteed master who has a lot of
years of doing coin magic under his or her belt.

Coin Magic is truly a special branch of close-up magic and magic in general. Its
simplicity against other tricks and illusions gives it a very intimate setting and feeling.
The harder coin magic tricks are regarded as some of the most difficult to perform and
some of the highest level magic illusions. The world is very much familiar with types
of coin tricks and these popular tricks are loved by people of all ages. It is a perfect
melding of general fun, escapism and performance art appreciation. Coin Magic is
surely a type of Magic act that will stand the test of time and is here to stay.

Mentalism may refer to a concept that is popular not only because of the number of
mentalists who engage in this highly intuitive activity. Rather, some of the popularity
of mentalism is also attributed to the influence of the media. Aside from television
programs and magazines that sometimes feature mentalists, some television series also
shed light on the life of mentalists. Among these is The Mentalist and Psych.

Special Abilities of Mentalists

Come to think of it, mentalism is indeed very interesting and it would be so wonderful to
master hidden mentalism tricks, such as:

Telepathy – Communication between and among minds without the use of
neither technology nor sensory perceptions.

Clairvoyance – Seeing events and objects beyond the use of traditional human
sensory perceptions

Mediumship – Cooperative effort between a man and a spirit, the latter alleged to
belong to another realm

Mind Control – Manipulating the mind of another person to tailor-fit his or her
acts in a different way

Precognition – Advanced knowledge of an event that is predicted to occur before
it actually does

Divination – Foretelling events, usually through signs or omens

Some people are skeptical about the abilities of mentalists. If truth be told, the
validity of their claims and their creditability as a performer really depends on how
they execute their performances. Regardless of these, there is one important aspect to
being a successful mentalist. Beyond being able to amaze and amuse the members of
the audience through bewildering acts of mentalism, mentalists should also be able to
establish rapport with their audience.

If you are a mentalist who is serious about magic, this is important for you because you
might as well start taking the importance of rapport seriously. Personally, I think the
talent and skill of a mentalist would be wasted if the performer is not able to establish
rapport with the audience. When you have rapport with your audience, you have a
special bond of affinity, a common bond of trust and a sense of a strong verbal and non-
verbal communication with your audience. Below is a short list of ways by which you
can successfully establish rapport with the members of the audience. Learn the steps by

looking over these:

1. Have a similar body language – With this, you do not necessarily have to copy
the actions of the volunteer or the body language that he or she is expressing.
You also work on this strategy in a very subtle way, so as not to set off your
volunteer. If you do not have a volunteer who is part of the audience, you can
simply mimic the actions of the members of the audience. The intention of this
strategy is to create rapport by letting your audience know that you are one of
them. Doing this can also send out the signal that you are putting yourself among
them. If successful, this strategy can make the audience like you as a performer
and not only the mentalism techniques you have showed them.

2. Be sensitive with your choice of words – In further trying to create rapport with
your audience, you should watch out with how you speak to your audience. It
is not enough that you are nice and charming and amusing to them. To work
on your goal of establishing rapport with your audience, you should try to
speak in the same way that they are speaking. Choose the words they are using
and familiarize yourself with it. Your goal in this case is not to humiliate or
annoy your audience, but to express a level of affinity with them. I have seen
performers do this quite well and I daresay it’s very impressive when they were
successfully able to create rapport with the audience.

3. Level with the audience’s tone of voice – This means that you should use their
tone of voice, their slang and even the rhythm of their speech. Once you are
successful at this, you can really captivate your audience because you have
somehow expressed to them that you are leveling with them. Again, be careful at
doing this strategic advance because it is not for amateurs. If you have started
on the first two steps, you can practice them a bit more before jumping into this
more advanced strategy.

As mentioned, establishing rapport with your audience is very important if you
are performing mentalism techniques. Equally important is how your present your
performance to your audience. It is a plus factor if you are successful at conveying
your magic tricks without errors but it is also necessary that you are able to convince
them that what you have performed is worthy of an applause. Some cynics watch
mentalist performances and you should be prepared to awe them even if they claim not
to believe in highly intuitive abilities such as yours. Adding to the list of a successful
performance is the ability to conceal the flaws or imperfections of your trick, if there is
any. Additionally, you should always strive to try something new so you can give your
audience a fresh set of tricks to be amused about.

It is fun and interesting for the audience to watch mentalists. I myself have personally
enjoyed them and I imagine it is fun and interesting for the performers as well. If
you are a mentalist who wants to improve your craft, remember the tips in this article.
Improve your magic by working on it constantly, establish rapport and follow other
necessary means to make everybody in the audience a happy and amused crowd.

"Is this practical?" Extremely practical. You will definitely carry around a Sharpie along with you when you are performing. 

"Is it easy to do?" Yes it is. For both phases, there are no difficult sleights to know, within minutes of practice, you can start performing!

"Is it examinable?" Yes, you can hand everything out for examination including the sharpie.

In this DVD, Richard will teach you everything you need to know in detail. This trick or rather this gimmick is extremely practical because it's a 2 in 1 gimmick. What does that mean? It means that with 1 gimmick you will be able to accomplish 2 effects, the blister effect and the sharpie effect. The gimmick is the sharpie but it can still be examined and used for normal use. Even if you are not a magician, you will still carry around some pens with you, carry this trick with you, laymen will never suspect the sharpie. This sharpie gimmick is an ingenious yet simple gimmick that is very practical. Honestly, you will not need to watch the DVD to learn these effects, when you received the gimmicks, you will immediately know how the effect works and you can perform it. Watching the DVD is just some ideas for your routines.

You will receive the sharpie gimmick also also the DVD. The gimmick is made in high quality and will last you for very long. The way you get the blister in your hand is just brilliant. You will not feel any pain because it's not a real blister, but it really looks like one! There are many blister effects out there in the market like Tim Trono's Branded. However this is a very practical method for the blister effect, and after the blister effect you can go straight into the sharpie effect! This is one of the gimmicks you definitely should have with you when you perform! For a cheap price of $30, you will be getting an extremely practical gimmick that you will use!

Overall I rate this trick 8.5/10

Some Pros and Cons to take note of.

Pros

•2 in 1 gimmick

•Extremely practical

•Fully examinable

Cons

•Some strength is needed

Before learning about card trick basics, perhaps knowing about the history of card
tricks can pique your interest as well. It is common knowledge that card tricks have
been around for a long while but as I see it, tracing its history is also very interesting.

Where it began

Actually, it is quite a challenge to pinpoint how magic card tricks emerged. The earliest
account, though, was traced back in 11120. It was said that Seun-Ho from China was
the first person to use card tricks for entertainment purposes. According to reports, he
used cards not only to entertain himself but also to entertain and bring amusement to the
people around him.

In around the same period, the use of cards also started in Egypt and India. Whereas
in China it was used as a form of entertainment, it was different in Egypt and India
because there, cards were used for religious purposes.

The use of cards for personal entertainment was also cited. At this time, it is the
tarot cards that were used. Fast-forward to the contemporary period, tarot cards are
now being used by palm readers and fortune tellers. Some individuals who are said to
practice both black and white magic also make use of tarot cards in certain cases.

The Progression of Cards’ Popularity

Because the rich and the powerful have become interested in the use of cards to predict
future and to provide them with amusement, it was noted that members of the Royalty
were the next group to be interested in cards. In history, it is common knowledge how
a popular king in France, King Charles VI, had a deck of cards that were personally
created for him by a famous painter in the kingdom. After which, the servants in the
palace, who were also caught in the lure of cards, started to popularize its use by copying
certain aspects of the cards used by the royalties.

The First Shape of Cards

It might amaze you to know that playing cards were not rectangular shaped as we now
know them. Rather, they had a round shape. There was also some debate as to what the
figures and images on the cards used by royalties were, but definitely, kings and queens
were not yet part of the package until the 1500’s. At this time, the cards’ shape was also
changed from circular to the rectangular shape that we now use.

The King of Cards

Howard Thurston was among the first individuals who were reported to have used a
deck of cards in performing magic tricks. He was a magician and an illusionist who
could perform bewildering magic tricks that were really unbelievable. It is said that
this man was the King of Cards because during his time, he was the only magician who
could perform magic tricks with expertise and precision.

Using Cards for Magic

In our time, we already have a lot of people performing magic tricks regardless of
their profession. Being able to perform card tricks these days does not require you to
be a magician or illusionist. In fact, there is so much advice and tips that are published
in books and magazines which can help you perform magic tricks. Meanwhile, you
can also look up certain card tricks on the internet. You can type in card tricks and
find videos uploaded on Youtube; looking for card entertainment and learning to do
it for yourself can be that easy. You just have to watch and learn through the use of
instructional materials. There are certain tips that you should not forget if you want to
be successful at performing card tricks.

1. Practice often – Do not think you have the trick mastered just because you have
done it right the first time. Performing tricks requires a lot of practice to hone
your skills and to give you an edge over the other performers.

2. Focus – Do not lose concentration. Your goal is to baffle your audience so keep
your mind on what you are doing and do not let your mind wander. Otherwise,
you will not have the proper execution of your card trick.

3. Have a spiel ready – Have a speech for your audience and make it short. This
way, you can easily establish rapport with them as you perform the card trick of
your choice.

If this article has indeed engaged you and piqued your interest regarding card tricks and
how it began, you can look up more about it. I’m sure you can find some more fun facts
and discoveries that will catch your attention. For now, though, you can use the trivia in
this article as part of the introduction you will give to your audience as you perform card
tricks in front of them. Remember that performing tricks is learned easily if you pay
close attention to what you are doing and if you have the passion to deliver these tricks
to your audience. After mastering this art, you can decide to try coin magic tricks as
well.

Get Magic Card Tricks Here!

Matt Sconce has came back with his new DVD called "Note", he was the creator of Spin and Power Word Fall. If you don't know what his new effect is, it's basically a revelation effect on the SPECTATOR's arm! Now, if you have seen the demo, you will notice that this effect is very similar to Rich Ferguson's "Tagged", which is also a revelation effect on the spectator's arm. However the gimmicks and routines on these 2 DVDs are completely different. The gimmick for Note is much more practical and smaller than Tagged and for Note, the chances of you flashing the gimmick is very slim compared to Tagged. Some questions you might have in mind now.

"Is this practical?" Yes it is! You can carry the gimmick along with you , it's very light and does not that up much space at all. You can even set the gimmick up while you are walking around, no one will notice it.

"Is it easy to do?" Yes it is! This effect is completely easy to do, just a little misdirection and a few hours of practice and your job is done.

"Is it examinable?" What's there to examine? You leave the mark on the SPECTATOR's hand, they can see and feel it on their arm. You are left clean in the end with nothing to hide.

In this DVD, you won't see Matt teaching you anything however it is Robert Smith also know as B. Smith teaching you everything you need to know to perform this wonderful effect. There are many variations of this effects taught in the DVD, variations with cards, phones, note pads..etc, he also goes through everything in great detail. In the trailer, it might not look too good, but in real life, this will fry your spectator's mind and have them going crazy after they see the revelation on their arm! You can stand far away from them, to eliminate all possibilities of you "getting the ink on their arm". This is a trick that you definitely must have with you, it's simple and hard hitting, this is definitely a reputation maker.

You will receive the gimmick together with the DVD. When you see or hear the word "Gimmick", you might think that this gimmick is hard to find or can't be made yourself. However, that's not the case for this trick, you can EASILY find the gimmick from your office supply store or any wall mart, the chances of you having this gimmick already in your house is very high and don't worry, no matter where you are in the world, you can always easily find this gimmick. If you have previously bought Tagged by Rich Ferguson and may have gotten disappointed with the gimmick, don't let that stop you from buying Note. Because the gimmicks are completely different and the gimmick for Note is 100% more practical than Tagged. Also, the routines taught in the Note DVD, you can use it for other uses, not necessarily for Note. You will love this effect. For the price of $29.95, it's very worth it for this reputation making effect.

Overall I rate this trick 10/10

Some Pros and Cons to take note of.

Pros
•Its very easy to do
•Angle free
•Endless possibilities for this gimmick
•Very practical

Cons
•Gimmick can't be reused(but the gimmicks that they provided you with can last you for some time)

» Click here to get Note by Matt Sconce!