talkmagic.co.uk

So I have $76 in store credit for a certain online store.. Don't seem to have a good rep around here, but I haven't had problems with it. I have been compiling a list of things to get, and have came up with this:


9" silk 1.99
omni deck 13.34
fiber optics 26.21
bike deck 2.63
stripper deck 6.56
blank back 4.95
1 way force 7.50
3 way force 8.95
svengali 8.75
dancing hanky 8.75
bigger finish 15.00
radar deck 17.50
lone stranger 13.13
cullfather 26.25
model bottle 66.75
rocky raccoon 30.63
paint surprise 51.75
bill flash card 38.50
d'lite 9.95
Mnemonica 56.88

Now some are tricks, some are props and so forth, but I am stuck on what to get. Any tips would be great, thanks.

I think it very much depends on what you have and what level you are at. What sort of things are you presently performing?

All sorts of card tricks. Bill Switches. But that's the thing.. I'd like to get some effects that don't involve cards, and presently my biggest hit is a bill switch.

On a side note, my first 'street magic' experience, was folding up a restaurant bill and turning it into a 20$ bill for the waitress, who then had me go show 3 bartenders.

So anyways, I'm not into performing for shows or anything yet, so basically at parties and for friends. Which is why I included things like model bottle and paint surprise.

I suggest you buy books, not props and effects. Nothing wrong with a few double back/face and blanks though, they are proper useful.

While you should get books, you should also get some of the basic stuff. Out of that list, I say the top four things you should get are the silk, the bikes, the stripper deck, and the svengali deck.

One thing I am real interested in is the cull father. I amTERRIBLE at culling and never do it, so that could be a good investment. I am really looking for a review for it.

I suppose you already have a tt. If not, that would be a sure winner. Lots of magic for the bucks. With it you can buy Darwin's 101 tricks for tt. I agree with the others about getting basic stuff like books, decks, silks, etc.

monker59 wrote:While you should get books, you should also get some of the basic stuff. Out of that list, I say the top four things you should get are the silk, the bikes, the stripper deck, and the svengali deck.

Indeed, some basics. However, I bought two silks and have never used them. If I could go back now, right to the beginning, and I had about 40 quid, I'd buy:

A brick of reds
A brick of blues
A few sharpies
A couple of card guards
RRTCM

I'm sure you're ahead of that stage, so I thought about what would come next and came up with:

ID or the other one whose name I've forgotten
3 or 4 one ways (because then you can make two ways and three ways)
doubles, blanks and other animals
Expert Card Technique
Strong Magic

I agree with Marvell, I'd not buy to many gimmicks. I've stopped buying gimmicks as they nearly always end up in my 'magic suitcase' and only see the light of day when I'm getting a new deck out.

If you buy to many gimmicks you'll go through them and not use most of them. When you could buy more cards and related items that you will use.

I'd go with the D'Lite and buy the 101 tricks with the TT for more tricks with it. That one book alone will last longer and give more material than 6 gimmicks.

Wills wrote:I'd go with the D'Lite

I think magicians buying D'Lites is usually a mistake. Even though they look cool, it can be pretty easy to see what's going on. Don't get me wrong, though, there are some amazing performances with D'Lites, but thsoe are few and far between.

Fair enough, thats your preference. If you use them in the right conditions they are good but obviously if you perform in a well lit room you'll get caught out.

They can look well in clubs and dark bars for some fast visual magic, which can attract people over. Of course you wouldn't know about that yet as you aren't allowed into them places

Only messing

Of the things in your list I'd get cullfather, some bikes, a one-way force and maybe some double face / double back / blank cards, but probably not.

Hi Jeux,

Everyone here will have differing views to such a question, me included. A bit difficult without knowing what you already have and can already do.

I would certainly stay away from forcing decks and gimmicks, get RRTCM and learn how to force a card from a normal deck. I personally wouldn't touch a stripper or svengali deck, I think they're too well known by Joe Public.

I'd recommend a coin trick, maybe Hopping Halves. Pen thro' Banknote. Get yourself some Loops and also a TT.

Consider branching out into other forms of magic. You will find that when you are performing, the audience will want to see more than just a bunch of card tricks. You should deffinatly start learning coin magic. I strongly believe that there is not book, not even RRTCM, that is more valuable to the magician than Modern Coin Magic by J.B. Bobo. I say this because much of what you learn in Bobo's book can be applied to almost any small object. Bobo's comes with a complete guide to sleeving technique (anyone into close up magic should be exceptionally good at sleeving), different concilments that can be aplied to countless items other than coins, many different methods of doing a retention vanish (I challange you to find a small object that could not be vanished by one of the methods in the book) and much more. For example, whenever I do a sponge ball performance, I get huge reactions, and all of the sleights I use come from Bobo's Modern Coin Magic. Once you have become skilled with this book, you won't need to carry anything around with you (though I never leave the house without my trusty Bikes ). You will be able to look pick up or borrow pretty much any small object, and amaze your audience. In my mind, one of the strongest effects a performer can perform is picking something up that he has never handled or seen before and performing an amazing effect with it. This is what Bobo's will allow you to do (by the way, I haven't even mentioned how much Bobo's will help your coin magic).

It would also be worth while to look into getting 13 Steps to Mentalism and On the Spot by Greg Wilson (assuming the store you are buying from sells these).

Tenko wrote:I personally wouldn't touch a stripper or svengali deck, I think they're too well known by Joe Public.

Please tell me you're joking.