talkmagic.co.uk

Hi everyone,

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Years ago, when i was a child, rarely a christmas would pass without me recieving some kind of magic trick set. My absolute favourite of which, was a tapered deck of playing cards.

Roll on a few years, I'm now 23, and i've lost all my magic equipement and knowledge. I never was very good anyways

So i start watching The Devil's Picturebook, with Derren Brown. I watched it because it was him, i think the mind tricks he does are marvelous. To my suprise this was a video teaching a few good card tricks. I run to the cupboard and find an old pack of "The Simpsons" playing cards. I visit my mum and reproduce the trick "Out of this word." She was amazed and still cant figure out how it was done. It felt great to confuse somone like that, she really did enjoy it too.

Roll on the next day, i try the same trick for my sister, but i messed it up while doing an angled separation (i think it's called that) and i blame the silly simpsons cards for not sliding apart easily.

I goto the local magic shop and buy a few decks of cards. Bicycle Poker and bridge, bee poker, and a tapered deck as i had fond memories of them. Also i impulse bought three dvd's the Jeff McBride Art of Card Manipulation set. I really do enjoy them.

And that's what brings me here today. I'm looking to learn card magic, no trick decks. I think there's something extra special about using a normal deck of cards.

I'm particularly looking at learning passes and control of the cards. As a note, my hands are quite small so i was thinking of just using the smaller bridge deck. Should i just learn using the bigger or smaller or progress to the bigger from the smaller? I would have just stuck with the smaller deck but i've just seen a video (from here) of a 13 year old doing some tricks (sorry i cant remember your name matey) and i was very impressed.

Currently I'm looking at getting another DVD on learning passes and card control and the few i've seen mentioned are the Ninja Series, The Pass and Born to perform. Am i heading in the right direction with them and can anyone comment on them?

Thanks for reading this far, i went on a bit too long there

David.

Hi Biggz, welcome to the board. I too am learning card magic and its not true about having small hands, there is no probs just practise. Have fun

Thanks for the advice

The reason why i picked up a bridge deck was when in tried palming a card i really didnt think i could hide it I'll give it some more praccy

Hi Biggz and welcome

Dave,

I too have small hands, which is a bit of a bu**er when you are 6' 1" and built like the proverbial brick sh*t house I didn't palm cards for years.

Although I've been performing magic for 15 years and consider myself primarily a card man (I can easily do a couple of hours entertaining with a straight deck) I have never learnt a Pass and have only started palming in the last couple of years.

I use bridge cards and the only Bikes I use are a nudist deck.

I would recommend you learn basic card control (as available in Royal Road to Card Magic). Chosen card into the deck and back to the top is most usefull. False shuffles and cuts. Sleights to learn are the Glide, Emsley and Jordan counts and the biggie being the DL.

These will keep you going. Afterwards, consider palming, passes, top changes etc BUT start with the main basics in the first instance.

Tenko wrote:I would recommend you learn basic card control (as available in Royal Road to Card Magic). Chosen card into the deck and back to the top is most usefull. False shuffles and cuts. Sleights to learn are the Glide, Emsley and Jordan counts and the biggie being the DL.

Thanks for the detailed reply Tenko.

That is exactly what i want to learn, to me having somone place a card in the deck and bring it to the top without them noticing would be a great trick for me

I'm not wanting to be the next big magician, i just want to be able to entertain my family and friends with a deck of cards. Whether that's at the pub or the dining table, it's a bit of fun and everyone loves magic right?

I'll head to my local magic shop (40miles away local? ) and pick up that Royal Road book. I tend to learn better by watching videos i think, i guess it wouldnt hurt to ask in the shop if there's anything to accompany that book.

Again , thanks for your help Tenko.

I have deleted all content of my posts (the rest of the usual silly stuff has been deleted by Mods!)

Thanks Garry

I was reading the forums before and i came accross a post where you recommended the Harry Larayne's book because a lot of people use Royal Road and will recognise the tricks I've since had it written down on a note pad , along with a few other items, that I'm taking to Magic Box tomorrow.

If they have both i'll take a look at them and see if i can judge which i will respond to more, some written styles and diagrams can make a lot of difference right? If the Close up Card magic is around a tenner or so i'll pick up both. I'm a book freak anyways, i love having a shelf full of them. I expect it's also good to have a couple of references. I know that was the case when i got into computer programming, but having never seen a magicians teaching book I'm not sure if the comparision is correct.

I've not seen your other items mentioned before so i'll take a note of them and see if there's any available to scan through.

Thanks again, i must say i do appreciate all the advice being given.

David.

Hello and welcome,

Can be just as frustrating having spades for hands let alone small hands. But getting a bit better with practice.

Royal Road is OK, but the pictures and text arent always the clearest. I found watching video (DVD, download etc) best for me.

Also, how nice it would be to have a local magic shop like you, there isnt one in the whole of Wales

Good luck and keep practicing
Rob

I used to live in south wales, near Newport i wasnt into magic at the time, so it's a good job that i moved?

What DVD's or downloads would you recommend ?

I work in Newport for a large Korean electronics company.

You had a lucky escape then?

Look at magictricks.co.uk for downloads - theres one there called something like - Card moves for beginers (cant remeber now wot its called). I've got that and its pretty good.

Rob

On magictricks.com i've found

Basic Card Control Video
Controls covered include:

* Pinkie break
* Injog
* Key Card Control
* Top Control
* Bottom Control
* Riffle

or

Cald Palming for beginners.

it is that first one that you were refering to ?

Thanks Rob.[/list]

Basic Card control is the one.

I also got the palming one - but the Card control is a good starter. As long as u not expecting Hollywood production values you'll be happy.


Cheers
Rob

After my trip to Magic Box the only choice out of the two books they had was Royal Road. I wandered on over to the local waterstones to see if they had Close up Card Magic. They searched their computers and they couldnt find anything. They recon it's it has stopped being printed The assistant suggested searching the internet for one So i've just ordered that from the 'net as well.

My experiance with the Royal Road is that it seems "ok" i think it needs diagrams for a lot more explanations. It's still a handy reference and for £9.99 and the only book being offered on card magic i couldnt pass it up

This weekend i'll take a trip into the main Magic Box shop and see what they have on offer there.

Thanks again for helping me get started.

Two Magic shops within visiting distance!!! You lucky lucky lucky man you.



Rob