I am just getting started in cards. I have gotten the ultimate self working card tricks, all 3, and Ryan Schultz miracles without moves. I have done tricks from them but only combined 2 of them as was suggested on vol 2. I was wanting to know if any of you have made a whole routine with 3 or 4 of these self workers. Is that to many tricks to do with them all being self workers? Would like to hear what you more experienced magicians think.
Thanks,
David

David, If each effect looks distinctively different, three is fine.

Why worry about how many self- workers you are doing? If a trick is good, then it is good. Make it your best piece, whether you are using a self worker or are, indeed, using sleight of hand or some other auch subterfuge.....it is the effect and how it is perceived that is king. Who cares whether it is self working or not.....the audience certainly doesn't. It is all about your presentation of the effect that counts. Nothing else. I have a few routines which can run from one self worker to another, where one effect sets up for the next etc. But pick them as the above poster states, because they are different. There are some amazing self workers out there (as well as a lot of lame ones, too!) so do your research and hunt them out and when you find them, don't automatically use them in the way that they are being used. Modify them, adapt them, make them your own....and don't limit yourself! A good trick is a good trick, irrespective of how you achieve the effect. Who cares how many of them you are using?!

^ A little adamant, but right on.

Great post!! David95, what is important in magic is effect. Period. Method is a means. [Someone should write a book with this title]. Anyhow, the same question could be asked that you have but substitute "sleight" for "self-working." What I am trying to echo from my friend captainsmiffy is that your spectators should not be able to differentiate between method. If they can then you are doing something wrong.

I love sleight of hand but I am tired of it being privileged over other methods. Read Annemann and Vernon and what they had to say about sleight of hand and method as it impacts effect. So called self-workers have really grown from the ginger haired and knocked kneed stepchild hidden in the crawl space and many are every bit as powerful as some of the most demanding knucklebusting tricks you will ever encounter. Captainsmiffy is too modest so I would direct you to check out his Up the Ante for something that if presented well is truly a powerful effect and there is not one single sleight at all. I have reviewed it but more importantly, a magician much MUCH better than I could ever hope to be, namely Barry Fernelius, has also reviewed it. So please do use the Café search engine and find Barry's review.

It's unfortunate that some magicians still think of so called self-workers as tedious tricks with endless counting and dealing ending in a mediocre effect at best. Yet bear in mind that most of the world's great card magicians created powerful "self-workers" including Darwin Ortiz, Harry Lorayne, Allan Ackerman, Ed Marlo, Dai Vernon, Larry Jennings, Dr. Ken Krenzel, Peter Duffie, Derek Dingle, etc. etc.

Steve Beam's Semi-Automatic Card Tricks series of books contain commercial, mind bending effects and as an nice bonus, each volume contains a routine builder. This conveniently sorts tricks into methods such that you can easily build complete routines. I've never seen anything quite like this and Steve Beam should be commended for this innovation.

Please do yourself a favor and check out even more great resources like:
Effortless Card Magic by Peter Duffie

Scarne on Card Tricks by John Scarne - this book is quite inexpensive and contains some very strong magic

The Encyclopedia of Card Tricks edited by Jean Hugard

Karl Fulves' Self Working Card Tricks series

The Card Magic of Nick Trost - perform Intuition and thank the magic deities that you learned it and so many other great workers from this classic book.

Annemann's Card Magic - a nice mix of "self-workers" and sleight of hand

Just about anything you can grab written/filmed by our recently departed master Aldo Colombini

The Essential Stewart James - this is a distillation of the mammoth Stewart James in Print and The James File. Learn Ten Nights in a Cardroom and you will look like the greatest mechanic ever.

Card College Light, Lighter, and Lightest by Roberto Giobbi - these books are a counterpart to Signore Giobbi's Card College. Those books are a course in sleight of hand. These three books I have just listed are a great crash course in so called "self-workers."

Hmmmm...

Seems like my good friend Atom would say I am even more adamant than captainsmiffy; the thought makes me smile!

Slainte,
Vlad

Thanks guys. Up the Ante is on the wish list. With a lot of books. Steve Beam's sounds good with routining of the tricks. That is something I am having trouble with, putting the effects so one flows into another. It seems the some of the strongest start with a stack, then the next is not as strong. I thought of doing two then have a deck switch to get another stacked deck. Like I said I am new to this and have a lot to learn. Thank you all for your help.
David

David, I hope that you do try Up The Ante......and Vlad, my thanks to you for proposing it in the first place!! David, Vlad has given you an excellent list of people/resources to follow up on - I would also like to add to this the work of Simon Aronson. Some marvellous self workers from him, too.....

Yes, Vlad, adamant in a GOOD way.

I totally agree with you!

Great call on Simon Aronson captainsmiffy! And Atom, thanks for the bouncing smiley - it is quite suitably adamant!

David, A thought occurred that you might want to try. If you have access to the Karl Fulves' Self Working Card Tricks learn Gemini Twins. Then go get two packs of Tarot cards. Using just the Major Arcana from the two packs, perform Gemini Twins. To kick it up a notch, you can find tons of free resources online with which you can familiarize yourself with the meanings of the Major Arcana. Alternatively you can grab the book titled Mastering the Tarot by Eden Gray.

Also, there is the consideration that many effects we do with regular cards can easily be adapted to the Tarot and at least in my experience the Tarot adds a little bit of an interesting edge. In fact, you might also want to track down a book titled The Book of Thoth written by Stephen Minch. This contains over a dozen tricks done with Tarot and perhaps you might find something you would really like. Tarot fascinates people and Tarot opens up a world of presentation possibilities.

I will however offer two caveats that you should consider and both have to do with knowing your audience:

1. Many people of faith, or, more specifically, some faiths in the Abrahamic tradition (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) may find the Tarot to be offensive so tread carefully. I have never run into a sitution where this is a problem however. My rule of thumb is that if I am booked to perform for a church - and no I am not a so-called "gospel" magician as my magic is all "secular" - I simply do not perform effects that use the Tarot even in Liberal churches such as Anglican churches.

2. This is a bit more tricky. Some adherents of non-Abrahamic faiths consider the Tarot to be as sacred to them as the Chalice is to an Eastern Orthodox or Roman Catholic Christian. Again, know your audience to minimize offending someone.

Again, I offer these caveats more as a reminder than anything. Even with the second point I have had no problems performing with Tarot.

And lastly, if you don't know any deck switches yet, bringing in a Tarot effect affords you the opportunity to ring in another pack of "normal" cards later in your set - perhaps one ready to rock Up the Ante.

Slainte,
Vlad

PS: Another great route to go is ESP cards!! You can really pull off some amazing magic with these. When using them you are straddling two worlds: magic and mentalism and performing what is termed "mental magic." Sources for great ESP effects include Nick Trost, Sam Dalal, U.F. Grant, and many more.

Thanks Vlad. What could be a easier deck switch than that. Nothing sneaky and totally justified.
David