Learn Fun Magic Tricks As Explained by Amazing Jeffo

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Effect:
A deck of cards is seen in a sturdy drinking glass. You command a card to rise out of the glass! - And it does!

Secret:
Attach a length of black thread to the center portion of the back of a car toward the bottom. Place this card into the deck about 4 or so cards from the front of the deck. With the card in the deck, bring the loose end of the thread up and have it lay across the top of the deck and over the back of the glass. The loose end of the thread is attached to a button on your coat, shirt or dress.

Take the front card out of the deck and place it down into the middle of the deck, pushing down the thread as you do so.

Now, by taking a step or two backwards, the thread is pulled upward and the card mysteriously rises!

Effect:
The performer rubs a dime along the edge of a table. He removes the dime and two coins are found in his hand.

Preparation:
On the underside of the table, near its edge and about a foot apart, stick two dimes by means of bits of wax.

Presentation:
Tell the audience that magic at times is very handy. If a magician is in need of a bit more change, all he needs to do is place a dime over the edge of the table. (right over one of the hidden dimes) Show that your hand is empty. Then place your thumb over the dime on the edge of the table. The fingers of the same hand are curled under the table edge to reach the hidden dime. Rub the dime against the table top by moving the thumb briskly back and forth. During this action your fingers have loosened the hidden dime and allowed it to fall into the palm. Remove the dime from the table top with a sudden movement so that it also falls into the palm. Bring your open hand up to show two dimes. You may repeat this effect again with a second hidden dime.

Trick courtesy of: "Scarne's magic Tricks," by John Scarne

Effect:
The performer holds his hand up, fingers extended and palm vertical. He places the metal blade of a table knife in various positions on the palm or fingers of the hand. The knife sticks to the hand in any position.

Preparation:
The hand is prepared before the trick by applying to the surface of the hand and fingers a very weak solution of glue. This is allowed to dry. If the hand is cold it can be examined and felt without arousing suspicion. Use only a very thin layer of glue.

Presentation:
Announce that you are going to demonstrate the magical magnetism of your hand. Hand a table knife to the spectators for a very thorough examination. Have them look your hand over to make sure you have nothing hidden in it. Hold the hand up in front of you, fingers extended and palm vertical. Place the surface of the blade of the knife on the palm or fingers and it will stay there. Two positions with the knife can be used. One position will have the blade of the knife on the palm of your hand. The other option is to place the handle of the knife on the palm. Note: when the hand is examined makes sure it is fairly cool. To moisten and warm your hand again, before the experiment, close the fingers on to the palm and hold that way for a short while until you are ready to do the trick.

Trick courtesy of: "Scarne's magic Tricks," by John Scarne

Effect:
This is a little trick that was made famous by the Great Houdini. The performer places a coin in the palm of his hand. This is covered with a handkerchief. The spectators feel for the coin under the handkerchief to verify its presence. Yet, when the handkerchief is removed, the coin has vanished!

Preparation:
The hand is prepared before the trick by applying to the surface of the hand and fingers a very weak solution of glue. This is allowed to dry. If the hand is cold it can be examined and felt without arousing suspicion. Use only a very thin layer of glue.

Presentation:
To make this trick more effective, remove you're coat and roll up your sleeves. Place a large coin in your right hand. Keeping the palm up, drape a handkerchief over the hand. Move among several spectators and ask them to verify the presence of the coin in your palm by placing their hands under the handkerchief and feeling the coin. After they all have been satisfied, step back and ask one of the spectators to tie the ends of the handkerchief around your wrist. This produces, you say, almost impossible conditions in which the coin may vanish. However, you brazenly announce that you will make it do so. After a couple of seconds ask one of the spectators to untie and remove the handkerchief from your hand. The coin has completely vanished.

Explanation:
All you need to work this trick is to have a friend who also knows the secret which is as follows. He should be the last spectator to feel the coin under the handkerchief. He actually removes the coin. If this is done without arousing suspicion, the trick becomes extremely successful.

Trick courtesy of: "Scarne's magic Tricks," by John Scarne

Effect:
The performer suggests to one or more spectators that they have temporarily loss their strength. To demonstrate this performer holds a cane in front of him with both hands and the spectators push against the cane using all their strength to attempt to throw the performer off balance. They are unable to make him budge.

Presentation:
To be most effective, it is suggested that you treat the entire procedure with real seriousness in order to impress your audience with your ability to hypnotize and and your achievement of remarkable strength. Explain to the audience the power of suggestion and the science of hypnosis. Also touch indirectly upon your attainment of remarkable strength due to your magical ability. You will demonstrate as follows. Hold a cane in front of you in a horizontal position, one hand near each end of the cane. Bend your elbows at almost right angles so that your forearms are almost parallel to each other. Get several strong looking spectators from the audience to assist you? Tell them that during their performance that not only will they lose some of their strength, but you, due to your special power, will gain in strength. Have one of the spectators stand directly in front and facing you. He is to grasp firmly the ends of the cane outside your hands. He is to brace himself with his feet solidly and to push his entire weight with all his strength against the cane toward you in a horizontal direction only. He must not use any sudden or tricky moves but the pressure must start and continue very smoothly. He will find even by using all of his strength, he cannot throw you off balance. Ask one or two of the other spectators to help him. Even together they will not be able to help him.

Secret:
It lies in the fact that in the above example, the force of the spectator is dissipated. As he presses against you all you need to do is to exert enough upward pressure against the cane to keep it in position. This deflects almost all the spectator's pressure into space rather than against you. It may be necessary to practice this several times in order to perfect it.

Effect:
The performer folds a dollar bill in half. With it he hits the center of a pencil which is held in the spectator's hand and the pencil breaks in two.

Presentation:
Give a long pencil to a spectator and ask him to hold it tightly in both hands out in front of him in a horizontal position. Borrow a dollar bill from another spectator and fold it in half lengthwise. Rub the finger of the other hand over its edge as if you are testing for its sharpness. Grasp the end of the dollar bill with the thumb and forefinger. Raise it high up over the pencil and bring it down on the center of the pencil with a sharp blow. The pencil will easily break in two. What really happens is that when you have come down on the pencil with the bill, you quickly extend your forefinger under the cover of the bill, though it seems to the audience as if the bill itself broke the pencil. The finger does the actual work. Challenge any spectator to do this. His frustration will increase with each effort.

Effect:
Borrow a coin and place it on the table. Cover the coin with a mug or coffee cup. To your volunteer say, "Without touching the mug, I shall remove the coin from under it!"

Wave your hands magically over the mug and say, "Alakazam!"

After you've done this, you say,"Please lift up the mug to see whether or not the coin has moved!"

As the volunteer does so, pick up the coin and declare, "You see! I have removed the coin from under the mug without touching the mug."

Effect:
Five coins are placed on the table. A spectator touches one of them. The performer's assistant names the coin although he is out of the room.

Preparation:
Place five pencils in your upper vest or shirt pocket. Four of these pencils should be of one color. These pencils should be of graduated lengths. The smallest a half inch shorter than the second, the second a half inch shorter than the third and the third a half inch shorter than the fourth. On the edge of a pad of paper, mark off from the bottom of the pad the lengths of these pencils. Place this pad in your side pocket along with these four pencils put a pencil of another color of any size into the same pocket.

Presentation:
Ask several spectators to place different coins on the table so that you have one penny, one, nickel, one dime, one quarter and one half dollar. Tell the audience you are going to demonstrate an experiment in telepathy. Hand the pad to your assistant and tell her to go into another room. When the assistant has left tell any spectator to touch one of the coins. Tell the audience to concentrate on that coin. Now say in a loud voice so that your assistant can hear, "Will you please rite down the denomination of the coin we are thinking of. After a slight hesitation the assistant comes in to borrow a pencil. Hand her the appropriate pencil, the shortest designating the penny, the next longest, the nickel, the third longest the dime and the longest the quarter. The fifth and odd pencil designates the half dollar. The assistant leaves the room with the pencil and all she has to do is measure the pencil according to the mark on the edge of the pad. This will tell her what coin has been selected. Of course, the fifth and different pencil does not have to be measured. It always designates the half dollar.

Trick courtesy of: "Scarne's magic Tricks," by John Scarne

1. Write a number on a piece of paper equal to the current year times two.
(example: 2006 x 2 = 4012).
2. Fold the paper and put it in your pocket.
3. Give your friend a piece of paper and a pencil.

Tell your friend to write down the following:
A. The year he was born.
B. The year he started school.
C. How old he will be at the end of this year.
D. The number of years he has been in school by the end of this year.
E. Make sure he doesn't tell you any of these numbers!
F. Tell your friend to add up all of his numbers.

Now, take out the piece of paper in your pocket and amaze your friend by showing him the same number he just wrote!

If you are using this trick for your parents, or someone finished with school, you will have to change the questions to the following:
A. The year he was born.
B. The year he graduated high school.
C. How old he will be at the end of this year.
D. The number of years since graduation, by the end of this year.

Effect:
Open a hard bound book and place four coins on it in the crease of the two pages. Tell someone you will pour the coins into their cupped hands, but, in doing so you will cause the coins to multiply to eight in number.

Secret:
Before hand, hide four coins inside the back binding of the book. Close the book and the coins are secured. When you open the book, the hidden coins will slide out, joining the four original coins.

Effect:
A red balloon is shown. In a flash, a loud bang is heard, and the red balloon changes to yellow!

Secret:
Prepare this trick by stuffing a yellow balloon inside a red one. Blow up the inner yellow balloon, the red one will swell up with it. Tie off the neck of the yellow balloon. Now blow more air into the red one to cause an air pocket between the balloons. Holding the red balloon above your head, prick it with a secretly held pin, which is held between your pointer and middle finger at a right angle. The red balloon will burst and the yellow balloon remains!

Effect:
A coin and three small paper cones are on the table. You instruct one of your audience to place one of the cones over the coin as your back is turned. You then turn around, glance at the cones, and pick out the one that covers the coin!

Secret:
All you do is glue a fine hair to the coin and the hair is visible to you when you look at the cones. So you will know which cone contains the coin. It's just like magic.

Effect:
With this trick you throw a narrow piece of paper into the air. As it falls, you snip off the end of it with your scissors in mid air! Your audience will be amazed at your dexterity!

Secret:
Before hand, cut off one end of the piece of paper. Hide this between the blades of your scissors. When you toss the piece of paper into the air, the hidden piece falls out from between the blades as you snap at the larger piece. It looks exactly like you did cut off the end piece.

If you enjoyed learning this Trick, Amazing Jeffo invites you to one of his three Magic Classes: Abracadabra, Discover The Secrets of Magic, and Hocus Pocus.

Please encourage your local group, such as Community Education, Church, Scouts, etc., to contact Amazing Jeffo. Let them know you would like Jeffo to teach you more Amazing Illusions. For more information please click here for the "Magic Classes" page.