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Anybody know which DVDs are best to get started, best supplies (coins, cards, etc), and best places online to get em?

I have noticed in the past and get many emails asking 'how do i start in magic'. This essay started because of an email i received the other day. A new person to magic wanted to be able to perform for friends at parties. This person told me the list they 'had to buy' and i was shocked! it came to £700. So here goes.

1. 'I want to be like Criss Angel' You are yourself (as Craig said in another essay). Don't try to be a carbon copy of someone else, be original and be yourself. You must remember that these famous magicians have a huge budget and years of experience in the business. The companies who book magicians always like to see something different. Being yourself is great and who knows, one day people might want to be the next you!

2. 'I need to spend lots of money in magic shops to start' What a load of rubbish that is. I started with the Royal Road to card magic BOOK, two decks of bicycle cards and some sponge balls. Your local library may have some books to recommend for you. If you want to be modern and have a DVD then try to go for 'Born to Perform' or the 'Royal Road to card magic' DVD set.

3. 'How do i practise the moves' Practise in front of a mirror or film yourself with a video camera. You get a good view of what the audience sees.

4. 'When can i start charging people for my act'. This is a real bug bear of mine. Too many people try to run before they can walk. Anybody can go into a magic shop, buy some tricks and call themselves a magician. Magic is not about tricks, it is about people and how you interact with them. You are an entertainer and need to make sure the audience have a good time. Never advertise your act until you have a full act that has been practised and you are confident with. A bad act could really affect later bookings if word gets round in your area. When you are at a booking you are doing so much more than magic. For example when you work a restaurant you are providing business for the owner, you help distract the customers if the meal is late etc.

5. 'You say don't spend a lot of money on tricks but you do' What you have to remember is that working and professional magicians are buying effects as tools. This is how we earn our money. So don't try to keep up with all the latest trends.

6. 'What tricks should i learn' This depends on the magic you like. I would suggest starting with a few card and coin tricks. These will give you important skills in sleight of hand that will prove invaluable at a later date. Take your time learning the effects and enjoy what you do. There is no rush at all. Slowly work through the book or DVD and don't move on to the next section until you are confident with the last. Can you perform the trick while standing over a table, while talking to people etc. It is not a race to see who can finish the book or DVD first you know!

7. 'I am shy and don't know what to say to people' Practise your patter in front of mirror. Keep on saying it until you can do it in a clear and confident manner.

8. 'Isn't it easier to buy self-working tricks' I don't agree with this at all. Ok it is fine to have a few but too many people depend on them. These kind of tricks teach you nothing about magic. You don't learn any skills with them and it can work out more expensive. If you have good card skills then you can pick up a card book or DVD with say 20 tricks on for the same price as a couple of 'self-workers'.

Born To Perform and Royal Road To Card Magic are good DVDs to get started on card magic.

On coin magic I have no idea as the only coin literature I have is JB Bobo's Modern Coin Magic (which is, by the way, fantastic).

Supplies wise... for cards you'll probably want Bicycles.
They're cheap and very high quality.
Some people prefer Tally-Hos but I understand they're more expensive.

For coins, I'd suggest using half dollars, although if my sources are correct, even in America you don't have too many of them


Why not pop over to the "Introductions" and tell us a bit about yourself?


Hope I've been of some help!

I havent seen either one of those here in the states, any other DVDs you might know of?

Yeah, half dollars are almost as common as a three dollar bill here! Usually the quarter is the biggest you will find here.

Born To Perform is on Penguinmagic.com

Not sure where in America you can get RRTCM though! Sorry.
Have a look for magic shops on google, sure you'll find dozens


Yes, I wanted to buy some half dollars off some Americans who are regulars at my workplace, and although they all work on the base and thus have American money, none of them had any half dollars either on them or at home... How strange

jaymeister99, Ecko has named some good sources for you. I would agree with him regarding "Royal Road To Card Magic" (even though the DVD versions of the original book are a little pricey due to the amount of material that is on them). I have not seen "Born To Perform" so I cannot say anything about this one.

I also agree with the literature he recommended regarding coin magic: “JB Bobo's Modern Coin Magic”. A DVD that would complement this book would be: “The Complete Introduction To Coin Magic” by Michael Ammar. I think this is a fantastic DVD! It takes you through a lot of commonly used coin sleights very clearly and thoroughly. What I love about this DVD is that it teaches many fundamentals that are required when performing any kind of magic, which unfortunately many DVDs seem to skip on crucial information like this.

Stephen, very wise words! Your post should be made into a sticky within the CUPS forum ! It would help a lot of misled souls !

EckoZero wrote:For coins, I'd suggest using half dollars, although if my sources are correct, even in America you don't have too many of them

That's because Seige orders them all to sell to us!

Edit: I'm thinking a "Just getting started?" Sticky thread might be a good idea, with posts from people with what they started on in the fields of coin/card/mental magic

LOL Indeed.

Yes I heard they're not too common. THis sounds stupid - but they look nice which is always good for a performance.

..i did suggest a little while ago to do a "starter pack" for each section of magic...it would be kinda useful i reckon...

but basically, what everyone else has said...

Yes that's a good idea. It would work better if the forum was split into different styles of magic ie a metalism section, stage etc. but i like the forum how itis.