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Hi guys! So I'm doing tricks with cards, mentalism effects...and especially when I perform for friends I get the question..What else do you know to do but without cards? So as I am more specialized in cards and mentalism I don't have more to show beside that. What tricks do you recommend without cards? Also not mentalism, not with sponge balls and not cups and balls! Some good effects....What do you recommend?

i recomend you go out and buy Tarbell.

That will answer your question in one. Or the mark wilson..

To me, it looks like you need inspiration, rather than advice, and that will come from either Tarbell, or wilson.



you need your eyes opened to whats out there.

your ignoring coins, rope, paper, pins,liquid, silk, billiard balls, thimbles, poker chips, string....... the list is quite literaly endless.

Thanks Dales...so what do you think is best Tarbell or Mark Wilson?

I'd start off with Mark Wilson, Tarbell's a huge set of books that goes into just about everything. Mark Wilson's a single volume that'll give you an basic introduction into lot of different areas of magic. If you've not got it, it's one that's well worth having.

And don't dismiss sponge balls, give them a go, they're great fun.

List of contents of Mark's book is now at http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/sutra331755. ... ht=#331755

Thanks for all your advices friends. Lady of Mistery I will not dismiss sponge balls but right now I want to concentrate on something else. Mandrake Thanks for the link.

So you specialise in cards AND mentalism, and people are asking what else do you know? I don't understand. Imagine Derren Brown's friends saying "yeah, yeah, Derren, but what else do you know?" Does not compute.

LoveKey1988 wrote:Thanks Dales...so what do you think is best Tarbell or Mark Wilson?

Tarbell is far more complete and covers waaaay more than the Wilson Course though the latter was a major contribution in its day because it was one of the easiest to learn from texts ever compiled (at that time).

As to what else you can do?

THROW AWAY THE CARDS!

I don't say that to be crass or impose my loathing of the things but because you are hurting yourself by depending and focusing on them too much. THERE'S MORE TO LIFE AND MAGIC than playing cards and card tricks but sadly magicians would rather play with their deck than learn how to actually do magic...

You say that you like Mentalism... all the more reason to get rid of the cards... magicians and gamblers use playing cards and though exceptions exist, knowing 1001 pseudo psychic looking tricks with the paste boards does not make you a mentalist, just a magician that's deceiving himself on that point and the idea that the public believes he's using genuine psi or whatever skill you claim to do this or that... again, there's more out there!

If you like to fiddle with things in your hands get Elliott Bresler's SWITCHCRAFT and bust your little tukkis learning how to work with billets. Of course if you do this you really should invest into developing your Reading skills (and I don't mean stock lines and Barnum statements... LEARN HOW TO DO READINGS!) If you learn nothing other than a dozen or two solid Billet routines and how to do effective Readings, you can be set for life... look at the history books and how many empires were built by folks that used little other.

Muscle Reading is another big one for me ESPECIALLY if you are going to call yourself a "Mentalist". This is real mind reading! It is what most folks expected to witness when they saw a Mind Reader work and it remains one of the primary skills cultivated by shut-eye psychics (who aren't aware of the psychophysiological mechanics). If you can learn how to use the ideomotor syndrome to your advantage (and there are many ways of doing this) you will be able to demonstrate the miraculous at the drop of a hat.

BUT there is one word of caution here... you're not a dog and your master isn't Dr. Pavlov so you don't have to do tricks every time someone rings the bell. People will gladly suck your soul out of you if you let them and yet, they don't feel obliged to pay you or even offer to buy you a drink in return. The reason is quite simple; very few people actually respect magic or magicians unless they are some kind of noted star or that rare charismatic individual that's flawless in what they do... this is rare and very, very few of us will ever fit that niche, so stay honest with yourself

Reminds me a Magician who goes by the name "Morgician" who said that sponge balls are the greatest thing ever, because people get "good" reactions. I won't argue that they don't suck, but I don't think people are going to do "MY GOD, TWO OF THEM APPEARED IN MY HAND! THIS IS A GOD!"

I don't see anything really wrong per-say with cards. They're portable and cheap.. But then so are index cards... The thing I like about billets is that you're not really stuck with having to do the same thing over and over again. So it kind of opens the doors for you. Which is why I also like Hypnosis and a few other things in Mentalisim.

Learn some new tricks by all means, but don't write off cards completely.

My personal opinion is that magic performed with seemingly everyday objects is more powerful than with magic props or devices. A skeptical spec will just assume it's some sort of gimmick or rigged mechanism behind it all.

What about coins? I love coin magic because they are so portable. learning how to disappear a coin and making it reappear wherever you like is a staple.

The thing I like about cards, coins (and wallets), is they are geared for impromptu magic and ready to go. Having a menagerie of little tricks rattling around your pockets is a bit awkward, and comes over a bit too contrived for my taste. If you have one or two decks, a few coins and a wallet you have a fifteen to twenty minute routine without being in anyway inconvenienced. The ESP test deck is a nice alternative to a standard deck. Check that out if you like mentalism.

In the end it's horses for courses, but I'm biased and you did ask.

Hello again to all. You have great advices as usual. I began to practice with coins and I really want to learn to do readings as Craig said cause everytime I do mentalism to girls comes the inevitable question: Can you read my palms? Can you read my future? Sometimes I say that I let that to decide for themselves but I will not do it. Sometimes I say..of course not. But when I say that they don't belive me...so...
As about cards I don't know if I'm ready to throw them away as there are so many routines you can do with them...Maybe as I will become much better in mentalism I will be ready to do that...until then...Thanks fellows.