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Can anyone recommend a book of magic tricks using a tarot deck. Thanks.
Steve B

Hey, let me show you my ambitious card routine, but using the Death card.

There are some nice routines using tarot cards, but they really shouldn't be presented as tricks, in my opinion. There's 'Gypsy Curse', which has a nice little story. That's available to buy with all necessary cards.

There's also a routine on Wayne Dobson's DVD (currently only one volume out). The DVD is based on his TV shows and, while he doesn't do a lot of explaining, he tells you enough to allow you to reconstruct the effects for yourself. He does a nice little routine with half a dozen tarot cards which I think is very effective.

Your best bet is probably a book on bizarre magic, but I have no titles to recommend. Also consider having a look at the Black Hart website:

http://www.blackhart.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/

They sell some tarot-related effects, although I don't think they produce a book just of tarot 'tricks'.

Best known one is "The Book of Thoth" by Steve Minch.

It takes standard tricks but uses Tarots and appropriate presentation.
Even if you never use any of the routines in the book it will get you thinking along the right lines.


For tricks, there's Paul Wilson's "Gypsy Monte" which is basically the story from Gypsy Curse combined with the routine "Colour Monte" but using (supplied) Tarot cards.

I'm sure there was some mention recently about a gimmicked tarot deck which suggested a lot more possibilities (cards4magic?). Perhaps converting a standard deck into a stripper deck might offer a relatively easy way of doing some 'startling' revelations? Come to think of it, a lot of effects for ordinary cards could probably be done with Tarots - as long as the specs are OK with such a deck. Most folks I know are rather wary of them.

Mandrake wrote:Come to think of it, a lot of effects for ordinary cards could probably be done with Tarots - as long as the specs are OK with such a deck. Most folks I know are rather wary of them.

I didn't really mention this in my first post, but it's quite right. The very first thing you need to decide is whether you really want to go there at all. A lot of people can be a bit funny about the cards, just as Mandrake says.

Then you need to come up with a good story or reason for using the tarot deck.

I suspect the wariness is exactly what Tarot users want - we all know they are just nicely printed rectangles of card but there's still that certain feeling of unease about them. What's the betting that 'readings' from different Tarot readers would not bear much similarity except for superficial details and any information gained by cold reading techniques. Perhaps one for Derren Brown to try next time he does a show!

There's a very wide range of card designs around (even in my favourite cheapo haunt - The Works!) and I can see that it would be very easy to use a marking system along with regular card force techniques to give a very spooky effect. I guess most folks would be upset by such a process, unless it was presented as purely a magic/entertainment effect and it was clearly explained that it isn't anything to be wary of. OK, nuf sed - I don't want to upset those who do readings or dark effects - Black Hart is a big guy and lives less than 1/4 a mile away from me!

Black Hart is a big guy and lives less than 1/4 a mile away from me

you think you could ask him to be an Interviewee?.... always been kinda curious about this..

almost forgot..."the book of Thoth" may or may not have certain connotations... by this i mean the "thoth" tarot deck was devised by Alestair Crowley, who as we all know was not a nice person... makes you think doesnt it?..lol

you think you could ask him to be an Interviewee?....

Now there's a thought - I'll see what I can do. I don't actually know the guy but I've seen his articles etc on magicweek and he seems to offer an entertaining experience tied in with the darker sort of stuff.

Crowley certainly was a dodgy character - I think he styled himself as the most evil man on earth.

But I think the book is about the ancient Egyptian character Thoth, the God of Wisdom and Magic.