| iG in simple " i ae Jon Allen c i g a m t r i c k s hamlyn tricks JON ALLEN An Hachette UK Company www.hachette.co.uk First published in Great Britain in 2004 by Hamlyn, a division of Octopus Publishing Group Ltd Endeavour House 189 Shaftesbury Avenue - London WC2H 8JY www.octopusbooksusa.com This edition published in 2013 Copyright © Octopus Publishing Group Ltd 2004 Distributed in the US by Hachette Book Group USA 237 Park Avenue New York NY 10017 USA Distributed in Canada by Canadian Manda Group 165 Dufferin Street Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6K 3H6 All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. ISBN 978-0-600-62505-6 A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Printed and bound in China 10987654321 Contents 6 Introduction s Card Magic 2a Rope Magic x1 Paper Magic as Magic with Everyday Objects 7¢6 Coin Magic ss Mental Magic 102 Tricks of the Trade 126 Index 128 Acknowledgements Introduction A Felcome to the amazing» this is a one-time preparation. | W world of magic. This In other tricks, if you destroy book contains 75 tricks, stunts i the preparation, it is easy to and shows of skill that can be either set up the trick or make mastered by anyone, and — the prop again. which are all easy to do. They © You do not need to know any sleight of hand or difficult cover a wide range, from vanishes and appearances to moves to perform any of the predictions, animations, tricks in this book. While _ penetrations and more. While _ sleight of hand is required for the methods are simple, the more advanced magic, tricks effects are pure magic; there performed well are often just are even some fancy as impressive to whoever is flourishes. I include a number watching. As a professional of these tricks in my own magician, I know what the performances, which reflects audience see is far more how highly I rate them. important than what’s Because all the tricks in this concealed from them. It is not book use everyday objects, always necessary to learn many of them can be done on difficult or complicated an impromptu basis — when routines to impress people. someone asks you to doa But even though the tricks trick, you can simply borrow a here are simple, you need to pack of cards, a coin, a pen, a practise to be able to do them piece of paper or whatever is smoothly and convincingly. to hand and do something Learn to handle the props magical. Some tricks require until you are comfortable with _ you to prepare something in them. Repeat the actions as advance, but in most cases often as you need to for them Introduction to become natural. Then, and performance in many of perform the trick in front ofa the tricks. While they may not mirror or, better still, try it out seem important, such on a friend or family member. subtleties make a difference to A mirror will show you what a trick’s success. There are the audience will see, but you also a number of suggested will be looking at your own variations, to help you think of reflection rather than at the different ways to perform person for whom you are some of the tricks. doing the trick. So, practising Each trick is only as in front of a real person is enjoyable as the performer much more helpful. finds it. My personality is Remember that an audience different from yours, and or helper will look wherever yours is different from you look - to distract a everyone else who reads this person’s attention from your book. You make a trick unique hands, look directly at their by the way you perform it. face when you speak to them. Telling a story or having fun The secrets of magic are not with the presentation makes in the props but in how you people relax and enjoy the present them. When I see a trick more. In my act, I like to trick I like or create a new use humour, and because my one, I always ask myself how I audience is enjoying watching can make it enjoyable for me they don’t worry about someone to watch. Simply how the trick works. Do not performing the actions does copy other people's style, not make a trick entertaining. though; find one to suit you. I have given some tips and Practise, enjoy performing hints to help the presentation the tricks and have fun. Introduction Always Get it Right THE ILLUSION You place two packs of cards on the table, one of which contains a reversed card. This card will act as your prediction. A helper cuts the other pack anywhere they like, marking the place as they do so. You now open up the other pack and find the card you reversed earlier. This will match the card that your helper cut to. This incredibly simple trick can be set up ina very short Before you start, note the To do the trick, get a Pick up the lower portion time. So, you will be able to top card of one pack. This helper to cut the first pack and place it on top of the impress your audience any is the card that will be and place the upper portion to original top but at 90 degrees time, any place, anywhere! ‘forced’. Find the same card in one side of the lower one. to it. The audience will believe the other pack and reverse it While the helper has a free that this is done to mark WHAT YOU NEED in the middle of its pack. choice to cut anywhere, ask where the pack was cut. Two packs of cards them to cut the pack somewhere near the middle. DIFFICULTY RATING: 1 Card Magic