I never set out to be a card magician. But I was looking through my close-up bag the other day and I noticed that fully HALF of the stuff I take to shows with me are of the pasteboard variety.

When I'm sniffing about for something new about 80% of what I see are card tricks.

Then there are the card tricks that don't look like card tricks like Director's Cut or (fill in brand name HERE) ESP cards.

Has so much creativity EVER been poured out on one tiny little pocket of the world as these pasteboards?

I keep telling myself "Okay self: no MORE CARD TRICKS!"

Then something new comes along and Self tells me "Well...doncha think that would be cool for that trade show next month?"

Usually I agree with Self and buy.

And a new wonderful "something" finds its way to my finger tips.

I love card tricks.

I hate card tricks.

:)

Ain't it grand?

David

'Tis grand, indeed! An amazing wonderful world in a deck of cards.

I used to play competitive chess, and I used to marvel at the nearly limitless possibilities that a chess game presents, despite being played with only 32 pieces on 64 squares. But the world of card magic is genuinely limitless, for, unlike in chess, there are no fixed rules. However, as in chess, this infinite richness contrasts so marvelously with the beautiful simplicity of a deck of 52 cards of 4 suits and 13 values.

Jason

You could try having someone randomly hide loaded mousetraps in your card boxes each day so you eventually learn to fear opening one, or you could say "what the hey!" and check out Magicbob's "I Hate Card Tricks" books on my site, for tricks that use cards, but otherwise bear no resemblance to card tricks.

Oh yes, cards are just great... Don´t see myself as a cardman either, can´t do fancy flourishes or manipulation stuff, but I keep buying cards, packet tricks, etc. - In addition, I like the fact, that a deck of cards can be considered as a calendar, i.e. each card represents one of the 52 weeks in a year, each suit in the deck represents one of the 4 seasons, etc.

First 2 years I did only cards. And I still love them, but now, whenever I learn something new, I try to pick up something else than cars. Laypeople seem to have much less fascination in card magic unfortunately.

Strange - I'm always asked to do card stuff - a deck is shoved into my hands, and that's it. Guess my "laypeople" are different than your "laypeople" - or could it be something else!?

I agree with you. From my experience its mostly magicians who get tired of cardmagic (or magicians saying laypeople don't care about cardmagic) but layman are as receptive to cardmagic as they have ever been.

This sounds like a version of the smash and stab.



Lay pepeole can go oh not a card trick. Or some wont belive you are a magican even if you made jumbo jets desapear until you do a acard trick even if it just 21. I think the resson some laypeople don't like card tricks is they have seen bad magicand performing badly. I also think us as magicans try to put that felling acroos that laypepole don't like them. I haave a set of short quick card routines, foled card to mint tin, card thru hanky. And pepole love them.

I have a bout 300% more card tricks than I planed

As an amateur who, like most, tends to perform for the same few people. When I perform for others, the card stuff will always impress, but is much more difficult to make new card effects feel different and magical to those few people for whom I regularly perfom, so I have pretty much stopped performing card tricks for those people.

I wrote quite a few books just for you, Samuwel!

Speaking of books, I plan on buying one of the books from your site Harry in the next couple of months or so once I'm done with the current ones. Also, I keep seeing people around here recommend The Magic Book by you, but it appears to be out of print. Do you plan on reprinting that book sometime in the future?

Also, card magic in my opinion is one of the best forms of magic. My reasoning is that you can carry a deck of cards on you and no one will think it's weird, but carrying around small close-up magic props is kind of weird. Also, you can ask people for their own deck, amaze them and they know their deck is not gaffed which enhances the effects.

When you decide, Metaljohn, come to my personal email address to order (it's the one listed under this post, with the word "earthlink" in it). Easier and faster. Yes, The Magic Book has been out of print for a few years. I have a few copies left -= but seems as if it's become a collector's item (since I have no plans to re-print it), and people have been paying $75.00 (plus the inevitable pstg/hndlng) for an autographed copy. Best - Harry L.

Yes, I must agree, although I am not a cardman, Harry Lorayne is your best bet, regardless which book you buy. Really, I cannot think of a better source to learn so much card magic! My magic is mostly coins, cups & balls, and silk magic, but I have been playing around with cards as of late, since I purchased a new blue, and a new red set of bike decks. When I have finally recovered from this terrible situation I've been in, and move into my new apartment, I plan on building my library again.

One of my first purchases will be the Harry Lorayne books. I like the Apocalypse for the variety of magic: bill tricks, rope tricks, ring tricks, mental tricks, silk tricks, cups and balls, sponge balls, cigarettes, canes, pencils, thimbles, chains, keys, glasses, salt, rubber bands, etc.. Plus, there is phenomenal Card Magic here as well as Coin Magic! Over 700 pages of magic in vol. 2 alone!! You really get your money's worth!

The Classic Collection is pretty much all card magic, which is really where I want to start. Both have a fantastic collection of magic, and if you want to do card magic, I can't think of a better source!

Doug