I think we should do a PET Scan and a Funtional MRI Scan on Mickey as he passes a coin through his head and see what parts of the brain are active while he is performing. I suspect the entire brain will light up and the circuit breakers will blow in all the machines!


I hope like hell Mickey ain't using magnetic coins !

Mike

When I started, I thought my hands were too small to work with US Half and dollar coins. I also thought they were to small to use "Poker Sized Cards".

Both luckily have proved to be more fear based, as well as wanting to be able to go to the head of the magic class.(without the years of study, practice, rehearsal and the opportunity to be bad)

The longer I am in magic, the more I realize I don't know.

Harris Deutsch
Laughologist and Nearly Normal Coin Guy

Isn't that true of everything....You THINK that you know all there is about something only to find out you really know just the BARE MINIMUM BASICS.

All you have to do is watch someone who is a TRUE professional and you will see that you are nowhere close to knowing what you thought you did....

Oh sure........you might know how to do all the moves in the correct manor...but to watch someone who knows WHY they are doing them is another thing all together!

Believer:

In addition to all the good advice found above, consider this. This is one thing you should not trust your eyes and the mirror to evaluate.

If you are not taking charge of misdirection and timing, spectators will let you know, not your eyes. This is often discovered when someone starts doing things like Paddle magic. They give up in disappear because they “see the move.” You seeing the move does not necessarily mean others will.

Bob

Believer,

I've got the spindley finger too and won first place in the New England Magic Competition Close up division doing nothing but coin work, the good news is you know this and can cover for it.

It's going to take practice and more practice. Take 3 half dollars stick them in finger palm and keep them there all day, you'll get used to keeping your fingers together, when you get used to it your hands will look more natural.

Following the advice of Mickey Silver up there is a great idea, his coin handling is fantastic, and he knows what he's talking about.

Dear Depressed Believer,

After the post graduate level advice from our Esteemed Colleague, Professor Silver, I feel a bit shy about adding any advice... however, here's my experience that may be of some help:

I have a faily big gap between my second and third fingers so I worked out a way of addding a little extra pressure and holding my fingers just right(to cover the gap. (I move my thrid finger out slightly to cause the gap to disappear)

After many years, this modified finger palm became second nature and is very natural. Today I can "hold out coins" till the cows come home.

For me, coin magic took a long time before it became natural so my advice is don't loose hope. It will come with an insane amount of persistance. So don't be depressed.

P.S. Micky, not only are you an awesome coin worker, your willingess and ability to share your knowlege is awesome!

Hey Richard, that was fantastic ! the way you figured out how to cover the gap. Moving your third finger out slightly causing the gap to disappear is absolutely ingenious. "NOW here is a guy "...that was so determand to hide that gap, he came up with his own moderfied finger palm. So it just goes to show everyone that persistance can and will pay off providing it is applied right.

Excellent post Richard! That's something many people needed to hear.

Your Friend,
MICKEY

Awesome! thank you all for the great feedback. real inspirational stuff. are there any recommended web sites that discuss with photos the different palms?

You might want to try DVD's, I find them really helpful, and more convenient than video.

If you're just starting out in the coin world, try the Easy to Master Money Miracles from Michael Ammar.

If your looking for a challenge Palms of Steel series from Curtis Cam.

And don't forget the David Roth collection.

I don't know of any web sites that have any live pics.

Another good idea is finding your local magic ring (IBM and/or SAM.)

Most if not All local rings have workshops and lectures filled with some great info on all areas of magic.

Hey, I feel your pain. Im 14, and I have small hands, the best way to solve your problem is use misdirection, if the spectator isn't looking at your hands, he or she wont be able to see them in your hands.

I noticed that, after a few months of constant practice with moving the coins in and out of various positions, and most especially after learning "The Swivel Pivot" the gaps in my fingers had reduced. I am assuming that the practice developed muscles in my fingers that are normally almost impossible to develop. Or possibly after a month of laying in bed practicing coin moves I lost even the excercise of finding where the dropped coins went and just got fat. So there you go, two ways to reduce gaps - practice a lot or just get fat. Perhaps you would be interested in my new "High carb" diet?

Skinny fingers? Swing your arms back and forth to get the blood into your hands. Your fingers will fatten-up, I kid you not! This is from a friend of mine that has skinny fingers.

Keep practicing and eventually you'll get it believe in yourself