"Stebbin's Drop" (#132)

"STEBBIN'S DROP TRICK" (#132)

(refer to # 129 for the setup)

Hold the pack of cards in your right hand and slowly let them drop into the palm of your left hand, asking your spectator to say "stop" where ever they want. Secretly look at the bottom card of the remaining pack in your right hand and ask the spectator to take the top card of the pack in your left hand and memorize it. Tell them they must concentrate on their card, you then name their card.

"predictive Cards" (#128)

"Predictive Cards" (#128)
Effect: The spectator is shown a fanned out set of cards and asked to pick one & concentrate on that card. The chosen card is not revealed by the spectator. The magician appears to read the spectators mind and pulls out or even tears up the spectators secretly chosen card.
Preparation: For this trick you'll need two sets of cards, each with five cards. (The cards should be five different cards, but should resemble each other (for instance, if you had a Jack of spades in one, use a Jack of clubs in the other). ie SET ONE : JC,KS,KH,QS,JD. and SET TWO: JS,KC, KD,QC,JH.

Method: Hide the second set of five cards, but keep them somewhere close, so that you can secretly switch them with the other set of five cards. Now, fan out the five cards. Tell the spectator to remember and concentrate on one of the cards. Now, as you collect the cards, you'll need to switch between the two sets. Now spread out the second set of cards on the table, face down.
Use some play acting and appear to be concentrating deeply as if reading the spectator's thoughts. Place a finger on one of the spread ot cards and slide it out from the rest of the cards. The finishing move is up to you, either:

1) Turn over the remaining four cards to show that the spectator's card has been removed.
2) Tear the card that you removed into small pieces, making sure that the spectator does not see the face up side of the torn card.

A simple trick but with a powerful finish. This trick is only as good as the performance and patter that you can use to make it entertaining.

"Invisible Dice" (#127)

INVISIBLE DICE(#127)

TRICK: The spectator rolls a pair of invisible dice. After doing what seems like some random math the magician divines the numbers that they rolled.
The magician hands someone an invisible pair of dice. He asks that they roll the dice and inquires, “What number did you roll?” After their response, the magician insists “Roll them again.” Upon complying the magician asks, “What number did you get this time?” After responding with a different number the magician proclaims, “So they are not loaded!” Everyone chuckles.
The magician asks that they roll the dice one last time. He adds, “This time don´t tell me what you rolled. Instead choose one of the two numbers that you rolled and double it. Now add five to your new number. Multiply the result by five and add the number on the other dice to it. What is your new total?” Upon their response the magician astonishes everyone by revealing the number(s) that they rolled. The magician adds, “Do you know how I guessed your numbers? It was easy… you left the dice sitting on the table.”

SECRET: The real method uses a little math.Let´s say they rolled a 5 and a 2.If they choose the 5 and double it that makes 10.Adding 5 to 10 makes 15.Multiplying 15 by 5 equals 75.Adding the other number 2 to that total equals 77.The secret is to subtract 25 from this last total!77 minus 25 equals 52.The result 52 translates that they rolled a 5 and a 2.

This always works. It is amazing!

If you decide to try this on an elementary school student, someone who has been drinking, or someone who just doesn´t seem that bright, you might want to hand them a pencil and paper or a calculator to work out the calculation. :-)

"Ping PONG PANIC" (#64)

"PING PONG PANIC" (#64)

This gag is always good for a laugh........always !

We gave this one a “medium” on the difficulty scale because the setup can be a little more difficult than some of the other pranks we present here. The basic premise is to fill a kitchen cupboard with ping pong balls and then watch in surprise as your co-workers panic when they are showered with a bunch of ping pong balls.

However, given their nature, it’s next to impossible to simply dump a bunch of balls into a cabinet and shut it fast enough to keep them inside.

Our suggestion is to use a flat piece of cardboard to cover the bottom three-quarters of the shelf area of the cabinet so that you have a small opening at the top to pour in the ping pong balls. Fill up the area as much as possible so that when the door is opened, the full effect of the waterfall is experienced. Once you have loaded in as many balls as you can, close the cabinet on the cardboard, then slowly slip the cardboard out from behind the cabinet door to seal in the surprise. You also might try putting the balls into a plastic bag, then tear the bag enough that you can pull it out while leaving the balls behind in the cabinet.....

Now when the door is opened, get ready for the screams and scrambling as people not only try and shield themselves from the falling ping pong balls, but also trying to collect the balls as they bounce all over the room! Gotcha !!

"QUEEN TELLS ALL" (#61)

"QUEEN TELLS ALL" (#61)

This trick really fakes them out---just practice it a few times....

On the pretense of looking over the deck to locate a Queen, glance at and remember the two cards next to the bottom card of the deck. These two cards are the cards that the Queen will whisper to you at the end of the trick.

Once you find a Queen, lay her on the table face up. Then, place the deck on the table face down and have someone cut the deck into two heaps without restacking them after the cut.
Here’s where you gain the advantage on the volunteer. Have the volunteer count the bottom half of the cards onto the table in front of them so that the half deck of cards is inverted (i.e. the top card of the half deck becomes the bottom card of the counted half deck). When this is done, the bottom card will be on top of the deck and the two cards you remembered should be beneath them, but in a reversed order, so make sure you guess the correct card! Restack the entire deck into one pile with the counted half on top.

Tell the volunteer to take the top card and place it into the middle of the deck. Then, tell them to do the same with the bottom card. This gives the volunteer the illusion that you are “burning” the top and bottom cards and thereby giving away any advance you may have had in seeing the top or bottom cards.

Have the volunteer place the now top card (the first card you remembered) in their shirt pocket or in one of their pants pockets. Then have them do the same with the next card (the second card you remembered).


Now, this is just for effect, so ham it up as much as you like, but not so much that you make your mark suspicious. Have your volunteer rub one of the cards in their pocket on the Queen that is lying on the table and place it back into their pocket. Pick up the Queen and “listen” for the card she has supposedly just seen, but you know anyway. Divulge the card to your volunteer and soak up the reaction.

Then, just to drive it home even further, repeat the last step with the other card. This helps allows the volunteer to believe that you didn’t perform a simple force to see the top card since you actually know two different cards from the deck. Whoa !

"ANTI-GRAVITY BOTTLE" (#49)

"Anti-Gravity Bottle" (#49)

This trick is the basis of many "store-bought" tricks and special gimmicks.

The magician asks for a volunteer from the audience who looks inside a bottle to make sure it's a normal, empty container.
The volunteer returns the bottle and then examines a magic wand to ensure it is normal.
The magician drops the wand into the bottle (noting how easily it falls in).
He/she turns bottle over and lets go of the wand.
The wand magically remains suspended in the bottle.

Supplies:
~a magic wand (could use a pencil instead) that is taller than the bottle (when you drop the wand into the bottle, part of it should still be sticking up through the opening.~a bottle that has an opening large enough to fit the wand in (but not too big). The bottle cannot be see-through ~an eraser

If you don't have a bottle that is dark, you can put some dark paint inside the bottle and shake it around so the inside is painted.
Cut a piece off the eraser, just large enough to wedge the wand into the opening of the bottle. The eraser is what makes the trick work!

Secret:
Pass the bottle to the volunteer and ask them to make sure its empty.
Take back the bottle and give your friend the wand. Meanwhile, slip the piece of eraser into the bottle without anyone seeing (you can have it in your pocket until this point). You'll need to practice this a few times.
Take the wand back and drop it into the bottle.
Pick up the wand and bottle and turn them VERY SLOWLY upside down (mumble all sorts of enchantments while you're doing this). Pull on the wand slightly when the bottle is turning over so the piece of eraser gets wedged into the opening (you'll need to practice this a few times too).
Let go of the wand...... It doesn't fall out !
Slowly turn upright again. Let go of everything and the wand remains suspended in the bottle (it doesn't fall back down).
To remove the wand, push it slightly to release the rubber and then take it out

Chicken Bone Knot (#48)

"ABRACA-CHICKEN !!" (#48)

The magician apologizes to the audience -- he forgot the magic rope for his rope trick. BUT, luckily he had chicken for lunch, so he'll use a chicken bone, say a magic word and turn it into a rope with a knot in it.
The magician shows the audience the magic box inside and out ( a Kentucky Fried Chicken box would work well). He can also let them examine the chicken bone (if he's comfortable that no one will break it).
The magician places a chicken bone into a magic box. He says abracadabra but nothing happens. He considers for a moment (consults his magic puppet or assistant if he has one) and realizes he should have said Abraka-chicken.
He places the bone into the box again. He reminds the audience to help him remember the correct magic word. He waves his magic wand over the box and says Abraca-chicken!
Oh no! (either the assistant or the magic puppet or the audience can point out that he's used the wrong magic word again).
What can it mean? What happened? The magician looks nervous and tells the audience that Abraca-chicken is a very advanced magic word... he wasn't ready for magic that advanced.
The magician reaches into the magic box and pulls out a chicken bone with a knot into it. (remember, it was supposed to turn into a rope with a knot in it).

Supplies:
two magic boxes that are identical
main work table covered in a table cloth
OPTIONAL: handkerchief and magic wand
lower table in front of the work table that only the magician can see
two identical thin chicken bones
vinegar

Secret:

BEFORE THE TRICK:
This trick is half science.
Drop one of the chicken bones into the vinegar. Make sure it's totally immersed. Leave it there for a day. (you will notice it bubbling). The bone will now be like a piece of string. Tie it in a knot. Leave it sit on the table for another day. Carbon dioxide from the air will re-enter the bone making it hard again.
Put the knotted bone inside one of the magic boxes. Leave the other one empty, set them both on the low table that no one but the magician can see.
DURING THE TRICK:
Note: If using a handkerchief, fiddle around with it a lot to make the audience think it has something to do with the magic.
Take the empty magic box and put it on the table. Let everyone see that it's empty. Place the chicken bone in the box. Cover with a handkerchief (optional). Wave your magic wand over it and say Abracadabra. Remove the handkerchief, pull out the bone and look very disappointed.
When you're revealing that nothing happened, look embarrassed and quickly put everything back on the table. Make sure you put the box as close as possible to the other box.
Make it look like you're getting ready for / starting to explain the next trick. Then have your assistant or magic puppet remind you that you used the wrong magic word. (or remember yourself).
Look very excited and start repeating the correct magic word ALAKA-CHICKEN to yourself. Moving quickly like you're excited to get going again, put the bone back in the empty box WHILE IT'S STILL ON THE LOW TABLE.
Now turn to the audience and ask them to help you remember the new magic word.
Pick up the box with the knotted bone inside. Cover with a handkerchief. Wave the wand and say ABRACA-CHICKEN.
In all the excitement and confusion the audience should miss the fact that you switched boxes.
Realize that you've said the wrong word again (with the audience's/magic puppet/assistant's help). Look nervous -- it's an advanced magic word *gulp*. Remove the handkerchief. Reach in and pull out the chicken bone with a knot in it.
(you can say something like: The bad news is that it didn't turn into a rope. The good news is that it does have a knot in it).
You can give it to the audience to look at.

ROPE KNOT !!(#45)

Rope Trick (#45)

Holding a piece of rope, the magician places the ends of the rope into his hands and closes his fingers around the ends. The magician shakes the rope slightly, says a magic word, blows on his hands and drops one end of the rope. Magic! The end has a knot in it!

Secret:
The rope already has a knot in one end... Tie a knot in one end of the rope. Hide this end with the knot in your hand and bring the other end of the rope up next to it. Shake your hand as if you're trying to knot it. Drop the end with the knot and it looks like you have tied a knot in the rope using one hand. Great fo the little neices & nephews!

#44-- TOOTHPICK Scatter

TOOTHPICK SCATTER(#44)

The magician shows a pan full of water with five toothpicks in the shape of a pentagon.
The magician takes his magic toothpick and dips it in the center of the pentagon. The five toothpicks fly apart, breaking the pentagon!
Someone from the audience says... oh, that's just what happens when you do that, it's not magic. The magician arranges the five toothpicks back into a pentagon and hands the person in the audience the magic toothpick. The person dips it in the center. Nothing happens. It really was magic!

Supplies:
a tinfoil pan (a pie plate or leftover Chinese food plate work well)
water
6 flat wooden toothpicks
the magic ingredient: liquid dishwashing soap

SECRET:

Dip one of your toothpicks in liquid dishwashing soap. Set it aside for now.
Make sure your pan is clean. Rinse it well with water. Fill it quite full of water (but not so full that you're going to spill it).

Arrange the five SOAPLESS toothpicks in the shape of a pentagon. Make sure the tips of the toothpicks overlap so your pentagon stays together. This can be a bit of a challenge the first time you do it, so practice arranging the toothpicks at home a few times first.....
Now, when the audience is settled, let them look at the pentagon. They may have to stand to do this or you may want to do the trick on the floor with the audience around you in a U-shape.
Tell the audience that you've arranged the toothpicks into a special five sided shape called a pentagon and that you're going to cast a spell on the sixth toothpick to imbue it with some of your magical force so it will be able to break apart the pentagon....or make something else up....
Take out the sixth toothpick (the one that was dipped in dish soap) and wave your hand over it while chanting some magical words.

Now, dip the magical toothpick into the center of the pentagon (Make sure you dip the soapy end in the water and try to get it as close to the center of the shape as possible -- the soap shouldn't be visible anymore). The five toothpicks will fly apart.
If you have a non-believer in the audience, offer to let them try the trick. Arrange the pentagon in the water again and hand them the magic toothpick. Let them dip it in the center. It won't work!
If the audience asks you to do the trick a second time, just tell them that it takes awhile to recharge your magical force, or something like that..!! This works because of "science."---don't ask me for details !

DISAPPEARING COIN (#43)

Effect:
The magician shows a glass, upside down, and a coin on a sheet of colored paper.
He puts a handkerchief over the glass and moves it over.
He pulls the handkerchief off and Abracadabra! the coin has disappeared.

Supplies:
A sheet of construction paper (1), a clear glass, a handkerchief, glue, and a coin.

Preparation:
Trace the glass onto the sheet of paper and cut the circle out. Then glue it to the rim so when you put it onto a piece of paper the same color it blends in.

Secret:
When you do the above put the glass onto a piece of paper and just basically move the paper covered glass over the coin while the whole thing is under the handkerchief so the glass covers the coin. Pull off the handkerchief. The coin will have "disappeared.

Don't worry---this fools a LOT of people !!

Sugar Cube Transfer (#42)

Sugar Cube Trick(#42)

This trick is great for the young ones at family gatherings !!

The magician asks for a volunteer from the audience.
The volunteer picks a number between 1 and 10.
The magician writes the number on a sugar cube.
The magician drops the cube into a cup of water and holds the volunteer's hand over the water.
He/she turns the volunteer's hand over and Poof! the number is on the volunteer's hand.
Supplies:
~a pencil (must be a pencil, pen will NOT work)~a sugar cube (you can have several for effect)~a glass of water

Secret:
Have the volunteer pick a number.
Write it onto the sugar cube with a pencil (press hard).
Then, hold the cube between your thumb and one finger.
Hold it so the number transfers onto your thumb and say," Now I will put this cube into the cup".
Press the cube as hard as possible so the number is on your thumb.
Put the cube into the water and hold the volunteer's hand above the water, make sure your thumb is in their palm so the number from your finger transfers onto the volunteer's hand. This always gets the kids going !

WHY THIS WEBSITE ??

Well, let us count the reasons :
1. Magic is fun, educational, & motivational
2. Magic is entertaining to others
3. Magic is a GREAT way to meet people
4. Most people are NOT talented magicians, but most people ARE able to perform to some degree.
5. My Uncle Norman-----who used magic to make our childhood even more enchanting than it already was.....

RULES THAT MUST BE FOLLOWED !!
1. NEVER GIVE THESE SECRETS OUT TO ANYONE !!
2. Practice these tricks until you can do them with confidence !


OUR PROMISES:
One or two new tricks will be added weekly to this site. All of these tricks have been tested with audiences and classrooms, and found to be successful in their entertainment value. All of these tricks can be performed by even the least talented person you know.