2008 Lecture Notes

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Tricks

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Underage Gambling

I LOVE this routine. I came up with it when I was at the IBM 2007 and, while sat at a table sessioning
with some other magicians, started thinking about a routine I had seen, and liked, years ago in Card
College called Sure Bet. The premise behind this routine is that the spectator sees you dismiss their
card and therefore think you have made a mistake. I couldn’t for the life of me remember the
workings of the trick and therefore started playing around with different methods to come up with
the same effect. In fact, I think this is how many routines are born.

My favourite spectator for this is a child at a table of adults, hence the name “underage gambling” or
perhaps a cocky adult who would love to see you fail.

Routine:

You ask the child if they like gambling. If they say yes, you can make a joke about how they are way
too young to gamble, if they say no, you say “well, you’re never too young to learn!” This always
creates amusement for the adults.

You take out a £20 note and slap it on the table announcing that if you get this trick wrong, the £20
is theirs. This is the other reason that I like performing this for a child because, although £20 is a
decent amount of money to you or I, to a child it is an even bigger deal and the idea of winning it is
very exciting for them.

Now say “Ok, let’s see your £20!” Again, this always gets a laugh from the adults. “Ok, never mind,
we’ll just use mine!”

The child selects a card (let’s say it’s the king of hearts) and replaces it into the deck. I like to force
the card and then turn my head as I dribble the cards on the table. I say “put the card back in the
pack...when I say now!” If you act this right, you can really make people believe that you didn’t
mean for them to lose it so hopelessly in the deck. I look at the child and in a jokingly annoyed voice
say “boy you really want to win that £20 note don’t you!”

With the pack facing you in a neck tie position, upjog 5 cards with the 3rd card being the King of
Hearts, as you explain that you are going to try and get their card. As you square the deck and strip
the cards out with your right hand (the deck is still in a vertical position so that they can’t see the
faces) your right thumb contacts the face card and adds it on to the packet.

Put the deck away and say you think it is one of these 5 cards. Spread the cards face up in your
hands, holding the last two as a double. Their card will be second from the left. Ask them if they can
see their card, but not to tell you which one it is. They acknowledge that their card is there.

I now ask the child if they know what a poker face is. I tell them that its where you don’t give
anything away by your facial expressions. For example, if you see your card and say “Hey there it
is!” that would give it away. This gets a good laugh. “So let’s practice your poker face...go on...do it

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now...oh are you doing it? Yea that’s....great!” This is another nice bit of fun where the child either
starts laughing uncontrollably, or they attempt a really stern face which has the adults in hysterics.

You now turn the packet face down and do basically a series of double lifts. Do your first double lift
to apparently show the top card. This will keep the apparent same order that they saw. Ask them to
look at the card and then look at you, but all the time keeping a poker face. Turn the double over,
announce that you don’t think it is their card and place the top indifferent card into your top pocket
hiding the face. Repeat the same step, turning over a double, which will show their selection the
King of Hearts. Look unimpressed with that card as well and turn the double over again and once
again place the top indifferent card into your top pocket which they think is the King of Hearts.
Repeat the same action turning over a double and now express interest in this card. Let’s say that
the 5 of Spades is showing. Turn the double face down and place the top card (actually the King of
Hearts), which they think is the five, on the table. Now repeat the same step as before, doing a
double and showing no interest, but this time put the double away in your top pocket which will
leave you with a single card. Show the last card and express some interest in it saying that you think
that could be a possibility, which we shall imagine is the 6 of clubs.

Pick up the tabled card (the King of Hearts which they think is the Five of Spades) and say, “So, it
must be either the 5 or the 6.” Look like you are really deliberating and then eventually put the 6 of
clubs in your top pocket but don’t show them which one you have discarded. Now place their card
face down onto the tabled £20 and ask them “So, was it the 5 or the 6?” This really sells the idea
that you have got it wrong. They then triumphantly announce that it was neither! Act your best
worried face, even looking to the adults for confirmation asking “it really wasn’t?” which really
hooks them into it and say, “So what was it then?” They tell you it was the King of Hearts, at which
point you turn it over and say “Thank goodness for that!”

Trust me when I say this gets laughs and amazement. It really is a feel good trick and I LOVE
performing it.

I like doing this trick for younger children but I find this trick works especially well with 12 15 year
olds who are a little too confident and cocky for their own good. They LOVE to announce to
everyone that they have won and that you should hand over the money. Sometimes when you turn
the card over it takes them a second to register what has happened which is always enjoyable.

One final note is that if you are doing this trick in a walk around setting, simply put the £20 in your
top pocket protruding half its length and place the 2 cards that you deliberate over in the end on
someone’s hand. Have fun!

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In the hands “Anniversary Waltz”

I have always loved this effect. I first saw it on Doc Eason’s brilliant bar magic tapes and he kindly
gave me permission to include my version on my DVD “Party Animal!”

As a close up magician who does a lot of walk around/mix and mingle jobs, I found the original
method didn’t really work for me as that handling really needed a table which was rarely available.
The advantage of this method is that it still enables you to show the back of each card which Doc
stresses is extremely important.

I generally have a stack of double facers in my left hand ticket pocket (the small pocket on the inside
of your jacket at the bottom) with one double backer on top (furthest away to my body). The set up
from the face of the deck is a double facer and then a double backer. This means that if I relax my
left hand with the deck, I can reach into my ticket pocket with my right hand and pull out those top
two cards, adding them to the bottom of the deck.

Start by doing a Hindu Shuffle force. That is, you hold the deck in right hand and strip packets off
with the left hand until someone calls out stop. When they do, lift up the right hand’s packet and
show them the face card without seeing yourself. Ask them to sign it. Replace the two packets and
do a double undercut to bring the double facer back to the bottom of the pack. You are now in the
original position.

You are now going to turn the double facer over using a half pass. The misdirection I use for this, if I
need it, is to ask the spectator to pass the pen to someone else. This means that they have to look
at each other, at which point I turn the bottom card over. Repeat the same forcing action, having
the second person sign the other side of the double facer.

Now, instead of double cutting it to the bottom, simply drop the right hand’s packet onto the left
allowing the double facer to be approximately half way down. Have them wave their hand over the
pack as magically as possible (I normally have some fun with this and tease them about their
“magical” wave). Now if you spread the pack, the first card will be face up in the deck. Let them see
this and outjog the card. At this point the double backer will be the card above their selection, so
once you have outjogged the selection, strip it out with the right hand, but use the left thumb to pull
the double backer onto the left hand’s packet holding a break. If you then allow the selection to go
back on top of the double backer, you can now turn the two cards over as one.

The nice thing about the last sequence is that it serves two purposes. You are apparently just
turning the card over, but actually you are getting the next card face up AND showing the back of
the card in the process.

Repeat the same action as before, spreading the cards to show a face up card. Again outjog the
selection, but this time outjog the double backer as well, saying “look where it is as well, it’s right
next to your card.” At this point do a two card monte move, turning the double facer and double
backer over, but reversing their positions which gives the illusion of two separate cards.

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I now grab both cards and apparently square them onto the deck, but in fact I drop the double
backer on top of the deck and hold the double facer as two cards. I show both sides of the double
facer and say “If I place them into your hands, back to back...”

A magician once criticised me for showing both sides of the double facer as he said you are giving
away the secret, but if you think about it, that is what it would look like if you held two cards the
way I am saying I am holding them.

I carefully place them into their hands and ask them if they “felt the magic!” and then allow them to
look at the card.

This is particularly funny to do with two men who consider themselves to be tough and macho.
Having them hold hands always has people laughing. I normally say things like “Can you feel the
love?” or “There’s a lot of love in this room! I’ve got a good feeling about you two...I think you’re
going to make it!!”

One more idea that I used to use is to have the double facer and double backer in my left jacket
pocket. I would force the 2 relevant cards and find them both in interesting ways so that everyone
saw them as single cards. I might spin one behind my back, and then do a transposition with the
other one. As everyone was reacting I would turn both cards face down on top of the deck and
literally dip my left hand, still holding the deck, into my left jacket pocket and pick up the 2 gimmick
cards onto the top of the deck. Everyone would simply see one of the cards. I would ask spectator
number one to sign their card, do the 2 card monte move and then ask spectator number 2 to sign
their card. Now the routine is the same until the end.

Anyway, again, have fun!

Watch This
This is a trick I have been working on recently that has been getting a great reaction and there are a
number of presentations, but the outcome is that a spectator ends up with a folded card under their
watch. Its a bit ballsy, but if you get away with it, it gets a great reaction.

Loading the Card...

The basic technique I use for loading the folded card is under the guise of giving a spectator the
cards to shuffle. I place the deck in their hand with my left hand and load the card with my right
hand as I ask them if they are any good at shuffling cards. If this happens smoothly enough, they
really don’t feel it.

Now there will be occasions where you get stuck and realise that the card just won’t go in for
whatever reason. If this happens, simply move onto another trick and then try it with someone else
later on. They might also feel you trying to load the card, again, simply move on and do something
else.

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The Routine...

The first thing to do is force the card that has been loaded. Have this placed back into the middle of
the deck and shuffled. I then say that I feel guilty for leaving everyone else out so we will include
some other people. Now have 2 other people choose 2 random cards.

I played around with many ways to have more than one card selected. By far the best is Aldo
Colombini’s, where you hold the deck in right hand biddle grip and pull cards off the top with the left
thumb. Each card that is pulled off lands in the left hand. When the spectator says stop, you show
them the top card of the left hand’s packet and then steal it back under the right hand’s packet as
you pull more cards off. It uses a biddle steal action. For more info on this control, see

The nice thing about this control/selection process is that it takes out the ‘selecting and returning’
process and simply has someone look at a card, which, in a multiple card selection routine, saves on
time.

Bring the 2 selections to the top of the deck by cutting and tell the spectator that magic is all about
timing. Riffle your thumb down the side of the pack, look at your watch and say, “If I riffle my thumb
for one second...the first card comes to the top.” Turn over the top card as you say this to reveal the
first selection. Now pick up the card that is second from top, face down underneath the face up top
card. Hold both cards with the second finger and thumb by the top right and bottom left corners.
Use the double to point to your watch and say, “if we count 2 seconds, that card turns into another
card!” The moment that you have pointed and your hand drops out of view again, still holding the
double, use your right index finger to spin the double around so that the other side of the card is
showing. Finally say, “and if we count 3 seconds 1..2..3” Look back at the second card which hasn’t
changed. Try again, still looking at your watch “1..2...3” and then apparently realise that your watch
has stopped. Say “I know why its not working, my watch has stopped. Could you time 3 seconds on
yours please?” When the 3rd spectator looks at their watch they will see the card and freak out. Or,
even better, as has happened with me where someone had a large watch, they don’t see it and
simply count 3 seconds. If this happens say, “NOW look under your watch and see what has
happened!”

The reason I like this routine is that there is a REASON for the card being under their watch. You are
not just making it appear in a random place. The timing thing on the watch really makes it relevant.
You might also like to try it using a biddle steal action, as I use in my “card to anywhere” principle.

Force a card on someone having loaded a card and then take out 5 “prediction” cards. Biddle steal
the force card back onto the bottom of the deck and get rid of the pack. Do a false count to show 5
face down cards and then say “Magic is all about timing.” Look at your watch and then show there
are only 4 cards and that their card has vanished. Ask them to check their watch and tell you
approximately how many seconds that took. Again they will freak out.

The final presentation is to steal someone’s watch, load it on your own wrist and then do the routine
as first suggested, except, rather than having a folded card underneath their watch, you simply
reveal the last selection, and then say, “Not only is this your card, but its your watch!” TRUST me,
this gets an amazing reaction...you simply have to learn to take watches if you don’t already do it.

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Wayne Dobson’s Revelation
Having spoken to Wayne at length about my ideas on this trick, he suggested that I include it in my
lecture.

I LOVE this trick and I think it has been overlooked by a lot of workers. This trick is commercial, the
gags are built into the routine, and the reactions are nothing short of astounding. I have found this
even rivals invisible deck if presented right.

When I get a new trick, I will workshop it like mad when I’m working. I am lucky enough to have a
great residency where I can literally go from table to table all night long working on the routine. The
result is that I end up with a routine that suits me and I sometimes come up with or stumble on
some extra gags along the way.

You get 8 “gag” cards when you buy revelation. After doing the routine over and over again, I found
that once I got to the last 3 cards, I was rushing through them to get to the end, so I cut out the
“credit card, and phone card” gags. This is not gospel by any means as they are great “card” gags; I
simply felt I had enough with the others. I also took out the “Your card is in my pocket” card. I did
still play around with another method which used this card, but again, I found through constantly
working it, that once you got to this point, people felt they deserved a PAY OFF.

I also changed the order of the cards slightly putting the “THIS” card last as I use this to get the
selection as I will explain in a minute. The order I had was the number card that you use to get the
value of their card followed by the 15 of diamonds, 14 of spades, the Bingo card, the NO card and
finally the THIS card. I would have these on top of the deck.

My routine is as follows.

“I have done so many card tricks for so many people that I can normally tell JUST BY LOOKING at
someone what card they might pick. Just let your mind go completely blank...God that was quick!!”

Trust me, with the mind going blank gag, you have to get in quick to say the gag, as someone will
ALWAYS say “that’s not hard!!”

“I want you to visualise a card, but NOT the Ace of Spades. Have you got one?” I always think its
important to rule out the Ace of Spades because it really does get only half the reaction of the other
cards as everyone assumes that that must be the most popular card. It does make you think though,
WHY THE HELL PICK IT THEN! Anyway, the other reason for naming the Ace of Spades, is that if you
see them react when you say it, chances are they were already thinking of it, so you can get a freebie
accolade. If they don’t react you simply say “...because a lot of people think of that card and I want
it to be a completely free choice!” If you are asking a lady, then start with the Ace of Spades and
then say “...but also not the Queen of Hearts!” It is surprising the amount of times you will hit with
these two cards. I do the same thing at the beginning of my invisible deck routine and it gets an
amazing reaction when you hit, because they really feel like you’re in their head. Those 2 cards will
be picked even more often if you put them under pressure to think of one.

So now you introduce the card that has 4 rows of numbers. I struggled for ages to come up with the
best reason for this card and the motivation I came up with was that it was my “research” card. I say

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that I make a note when people say certain cards so that I know how often cards are being thought
of.

I now say “I want you to think of the VALUE of your card. For example, if you were thinking of the 8
of clubs or the jack of diamonds, you would just concentrate on the 8 or the Jack rather than the
suit.” It’s important that you make this as clear as possible in the beginning before asking them
which row their value is on. I have had people ‘give their card a value’ such as 10/10...I MEAN COME
ON!!! But the main reason is that I want to get this bit out of the way as quickly and painlessly as
possible rather than having them ask me questions about what I mean. There should be as little
attention placed on this part of the trick as possible. To add to the research plot, I sometimes follow
it up by saying that you’d be surprised how often people think of the same cards such as in the case
of twins for example.

I get rid of that card, placing it in my pocket, and thumb off the 15 of diamonds, face down into my
right hand. I now say “This is where it gets weird. Was it a red card?” By holding that card face
down in my right hand, I am making them think that I am saying this is their card, which means they
don’t mind telling me whether it was red or not. What you don’t want is them saying “well you tell
me!” I ask the question in what I can only describe as a “NO WAY!” voice that sounds dramatic. If
they say yes, I build the drama and say “A DIAMOND????” if they say no, I change my tone of voice
straight away and go from dramatic to laid back saying “so it wasn’t the 15 of diamonds then!” If
they say it was a diamond I say even more dramatically “WAS IT THE 15 of DIAMONDS????” but then
I follow it up, again very quickly, by saying “that’s a joke, in case you didn’t realise!”

The fantastic thing about the trick is that you now know what their card is and the following gags
serve to make them forget about the plugs. It really is unbelievable that they COMPLETELY forget
that you asked them about the value and then asked them what suit it was but they do!!!

The next gag card is the BINGO card which I deliver in the following way. I pick up the top card and
hold it so I can see it but they can’t. I announce it as though I have found what I was looking for
“AHA...BINGO!!!” Then I turn the card around. I first saw this gag done in the film Naked Gun with
Lesley Neilson, where he is looking through the bad guy’s draw and announces BINGO, only to pull
some bingo cards out.

I then say with a laugh in my voice “You’re not impressed so far are you?” They normally say NO to
which I turn the NO card around.

You now come to the THIS card. At this point I spread through the cards so I can see them and
outjog their card. I put it face down on top of the deck and say “I think it could be THIS card I really
do!” I now do a double lift to show the THIS card. I then turn the double back down and thumb off
the top card into my right hand, placing the rest of the deck away. I now ask them “Joking apart,
what was your card?” When they name it, I slowly look at the card which is face down in my right
hand and say “How freaked out would you be if that was your card!” I then reveal it to be their
thought of card.

Some final thoughts are that you’ll notice at the beginning I use the 8 of Clubs and Jack of Diamonds
as reference points. This is because if possible, I don’t want them to think of an 8 or a jack as these
are the only 2 cards that require an extra plug. If they do pick one of these cards then you ask them

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whether or not it is a number card and then do the Bingo gag. Its not a big problem, but I would
rather just skip that plug and have them not chose one of those cards. By using those cards as
demonstration cards, you increase your chances of avoiding them.

Card in pocket routine...

One more idea is to have the “Your card is in my pocket” card under the “This” card. Use the THIS
card, as before, to find the selection and place it on top. Do a double to show the THIS card and
then do a KM move to leave the selection on top and place the THIS card away in your pocket. Now
do another double to show the “Your card is in my pocket” card. Let that sink in, turn the double
back over, then palm off the top card and go to your pocket.

This is a strong routine but it’s important to find out what works best for you.

THE ULTIMATE ROUTINE...

By far the best use of this trick is when you are fortunate enough to be working with a partner who
knows the system. For this routine you don’t need the deck. Your partner has the deck and is
listening to the answers they give as you turn each gag card over. This means, that as early as the 15
of diamonds, whoever is helping you can load the selection underneath the unsuspecting spectator’s
drink, while you keep them engaged with the gags.

If you think about this, it really is AN AMAZING trick. The woman...or man I guess, if you really want
to...is completely unaware that you are working with someone, so the actual effect is as strong as it
gets.

Matthew’s Hot Shot Routine

For this routine you really need to know Daryl’s Hot Shot Cut.

I start by having a card peeked (let’s say the 8 of hearts) which I control to the bottom of the deck.

“I’m going to tell you how I find your card. Basically I use estimation. I riffle my thumb down the
side and by doing that I reckon it’s about 23 cards from the bottom. So if I just cut 22 of the bottom
with one hand...You card spins out the deck!” Obviously I perform the hotshot cut as I am saying all
this.

I like doing this because it shows my “skill” factor, which I think is important, because I want them to
appreciate me as a sleight of hand artist, but also because I think people enjoy it as a piece of eye
candy.

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I then say, “Yes, you’re impressed now, but let me tell you a story. When I first started doing this
trick I spun the wrong card out. It was really embarrassing.” I then reach into the middle of the deck
with my left index finger and slide a random card out until it gets to the angle for the spinning
action. “I think I spun out the 29th card by accident!” I spin a random card out and show it, place it
on top of the deck and pick up the double in the same way as in the trick “watch this!” with the
cards back to back. “Guess what I did...Say ‘WHAT DID YOU DO MATTHEW?’” This is a fun bit
because when people say it I follow it up immediately with “Well I’m glad you asked!”

I now point to the deck with the double, again in the same way that I do with ‘Watch This’. I say “I
cut the extra 30 cards off the bottom and when I looked back it had changed into the 8 of hearts!” I
flip the cards as I say “I cut the extra 30...”.

“If I’m feeling really lazy do you know what I do...say WHAT DO YOU DO MATTHEW???” Again, this
is fun as now the whole group start to get involved and says “WHAT DO YOU DO MATTHEW??”. I
follow it up again by saying “I’m glad you asked!” I spread through the cards and have someone else
find it for me. At this point I classic force the card on them. If I miss I follow it up with a top change.

When they react to the classic force, I literally dump the whole deck in my left jacket pocket and
take the selection back, squaring it as though it’s the whole deck. One final time I say “And if that
hadn’t worked do you know what I do?” By this point I don’t have to ask for them to say the running
gag as everyone is into it now. “Well, if that doesn’t work I squeeze the pack and eliminate all the
other cards but one!” I give them a moment to let the deck vanishing sink in, and say “The 8 of
hearts!”

I always have a lot of fun with this routine. It ticks a lot of boxes in that you have some skill and A
LOT of entertainment. As always, there is a running gag and I LOVE running gags that people can get
involved in. Hope you enjoy it.

The Card Locator

I am a big fan of the multiple card location as a general plot. This can be anything up to about 12
cards or so. I generally don’t go above 12 because after that, no matter how different each
revelation is you get the feeling people are thinking “we get it, you can find our cards!” A nice
number is about 8 people.

More often than not for me though, a multiple selection involves 3 5 people who are standing in a
small group. As I say, I love the concept of the multiple card selection because it involves everyone
in the group and turns a “pick a card” trick into a routine. The following is just one of my
presentations and it has a difficult ending and a...not so difficult ending.

As I mentioned in “watch this” I searched for ages to find the best way to have more than one card
selected. If I am doing 6 or more people I generally use Bill Malone’s method of taking all the cards
back in order into their own separate pile and false shuffling that packet before apparently mixing
those cards into the deck.

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For a smaller group I use Aldo Colombini’s multiple card selection the details of which I have put
briefly in “Watch This!” Basically you pull cards off the top of the deck and steal the chosen cards
back onto the bottom of the pack. It really is a fantastically effective method of having cards
selected and controlled.

In this case we are having 5 cards selected and controlled and for the sake of explanation let’s say
that they are the Ace through 5 of clubs. I take out the joker and say that this is my card locator. It
can help me find any card. I now use a move of Greg Wilson’s to spin to cards as one through the
deck. With my right hand holding the joker face up, I pick up the top card underneath it and hold
them as one card. I explain that if I dribble the deck onto the table I can spin the card finder through
the pack and it will find the first card. If you dribble the cards onto the table and spin both cards
through the pack, when they land on the table on the other side of the pack, it looks like that face up
joker knocked another card right out of the deck. Full credit goes to Greg for the brilliant spin move
which is far to intricate to go into here, but for more information get his brilliant DVD “Card Stunts”.
If you can’t do that move, simply hold the two cards together in right hand mechanics grip with your
right index finger curled on top of the joker and throw them both through the pack. You should get
a similar effect.

At this point I’d like to point out that if I’m doing this walk around and there isn’t a table I will skip
this step and will have most probably only had 4 cards selected in the first place. However, if there
are only 4 people and there is a table, I will glimpse the bottom card of the deck (e.g. 3 of diamonds),
and bring it to the top so that it is on top of the selections. When I start to explain about the card
locator and how it can find any card I say “So for example, if I wanted to find...I don’t know...the 3 of
diamonds, all I have to do is spin the joker through the pack and it finds that card.”

Whichever way it happens I now return to the first card if the next card. I explain that anyone can
do it. I now hand the first spectator the joker face down and explain very clearly what they have to
do. “Ok, hold the Joker with your thumb and index finger, thumb on the top, and push that card into
the pack anywhere you want; but don’t let go of it.” They push the card into the deck and I separate
the packets slightly, at which point I execute a slip cut force under the guise of showing them where
they had inserted it. This brings the first card to that spot which is the first revelation.

You are now apparently going to have the second spectator find their card in the same way.
However, you show the joker and execute either a top change, or as I like to do, Lennart Green’s
Windmill. Ask the second spectator to insert the card the same way as the first person, being sure to
hold onto the card. Repeat the first step and slip cut the top card, which is now the joker, to the
chosen spot. Ask them what their card was and then look confused when you turn over the card
locator. Now turn your attention to the card they are holding. This is one of the strongest moments
in the routine when they turn over that card and find that they are already holding their selection.

So now you are going to find the last two cards at the same time. The difficult way is to now cut the
top card to the bottom leaving the last card on top. Cut the pack and use a Paul Le Paul automatic
injog to get a break. At this point you perform Greg Wilson’s Boomerang Card, again from his
fantastic DVD “Card Stunts”. Trust me when I say that this takes a lot of practice, and if you don’t
fancy months, if not years of hard work, it probably isn’t for you. However, I have to say, that
although you might think laymen don’t appreciate things like this, the reaction I get when spinning
the joker into the air and catching it between the last two selections is nothing short of spectacular.

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If you don’t fancy the months of paper cuts and frustration that it takes to nail this spectacular
effect, then there is an alternative ending, which is still very enjoyable.

When they are reacting to the card changing in their hand, use that moment of great misdirection
to...surprise surprise...do a deck vanish. I know what you’re saying...”Matthew Dowden doing a deck
vanish...SURELY NOT!!” Yes its true, I do like my deck vanishes, and here is what you do with this
one. Pick up the top two cards in a biddle grip with your right index finger curled on top and drop
the deck into your left jacket pocket with your left hand. It sounds ballsy, but trust me, as long as
you know that no one is looking, it goes unnoticed. Now transfer the two cards to your empty left
hand. All this is done in about 2 seconds as they are still reacting to the second revelation.

Use a tilting action with the top card and place the joker face up between the last two cards. Explain
that if you place the card finder into the pack and then squeeze the deck, it doesn’t find the last two
cards, it eliminates all the others. Trust me this will get a great reaction. What I like about this is
that you get a few reaction moments. The first is when they see that the deck has vanished. The
next two come from revealing the selections.

The nice thing about this routine is that if you are performing at a cocktail scenario or at tables for
an event with a time schedule and a set amount of people, you often only have time for a couple of
things. I like to do one card thing and one non card thing. If you use this as your card trick they get
to see a lot of magic in a short time and it involves more than one person. Once you combine it with
something of a non card nature like sponge balls for example, they will really feel like they have seen
a “variety” of magic.

As always...have fun!

13
Matthew’s Combination Force
This is something that I came up with quite recently. I have showed it to quite a few magicians, all of
whom seem to like it, including the world famous Juan Tamariz. It is basically, as the name suggests,
a combination of different forces, all of which rely on timing and psychology.

There is a force that I have seen used where you control the force card to a position near the top of
the deck. You begin counting single cards onto the table and then look at the spectator expectantly,
almost guilting them into saying stop. I have always liked the idea of counting single cards onto the
table as it seems very fair but apart from that I have never been keen on this force for a number of
reasons. Firstly I don’t want people to feel like I guilted them into saying stop and second you are
getting them to say stop in the extreme top portion of the pack which to me doesn’t have the feel of
a completely free choice.

There is another force I have used in the past where you cut the force card about 2 thirds of the way
down in the pack and start cutting packets of cards onto the table as you give instructions. The main
idea behind this force is that you don’t get to the part about asking them to say stop until you are
quite deep into the deck and they say stop because if they don’t you will run out of cards. There is a
heavy influence from that in this combination force.

Explanation

Control the force card 5th from the top of the deck. You can do this a number of ways. One way is to
simply spread through the pack and look for the force card and then cut the cards so that it is 5th
from the top. The way I normally do it if I am controlling a selection is to get it to the top, run 5
cards and injog a card. I then shuffle off the rest of the pack and cut at the injog which brings the
force card to the 5th position. I now cut the pack so that what was the top of the deck is now about 2
thirds down and hold a break. This means that the selection is the 5th card from the break.

The wording is EXTREMELY important from this point on and I will break it down into sections.
Explain that you are going to count cards onto the table.

Phase 1: Count 3 single cards onto the table from the top of the pack while saying “I might do it
singly.”

Phase 2: Cut about half the remaining cards above the break onto the table while saying “I might do
it in groups.”

Phase 3: Now dribble the remaining cards above the break onto the table while saying “I might even
dribble some cards.”

Phase 4: Begin counting those 5 single cards onto the table. On card number 1 say “...but anywhere
you like” on card number 2 say “...just say the word stop!”

DO NOT go too slowly but also don’t rush. The amount of words that you have to fit in on the first 2
cards should suggest the pace.

Just as in the cutting force that I mentioned earlier, you have a couple of chances to hit it. If they say
stop and you have counted 4 cards onto the table, you simply give them the card on top of the

14
packet you are holding. If they say stop when you have just counted 5 cards onto the table, then
pick up the last tabled card and give it to them. My favourite scenario is when they say stop while I
have the force card still in my fingertips.

There is no doubt that this is not a “sure fire” force like a slip cut force for example. However, I use
the classic force as my main force and that is not technically sure fire either. Try this force on
yourself. I know that sounds crazy, but go through the motions and you can actually FEEL the
moment that you would want to say stop. It’s DEAD ON the 5th card if you fit the instructions in the
first 2 cards.

The Strongest Presentation

Possibly one of the strongest effects that I have used this force for is a thought of card. In special
circumstances, such as where I am one to one with someone and there aren’t a lot of distractions, I
will use the peek method of dribbling though the deck and asking someone to simply think of one of
the cards. Method wise you simply look at the dribbling cards and decide which one you think you
would go for and you’d be surprised how many times you get it. Explain to a fellow magician what
you are doing and then try it a few times together and see how many times you both think of the
same card. A little touch I have on this is that if the spectator doesn’t get a card the first time you
dribble the deck, then don’t square the pack up fully before trying again. This will give you an almost
svengali effect which means that you will get some definite cards that stick out.

Once I think I know what card they are thinking of, I control that card 5th from the top and go from
there. I have some really sceptical friends who have seen most of my magic. I did this on one guy in
particular and he didn’t say anything for an hour or so. He just stared into his coffee trying to work it
out. The great thing about this presentation is that there IS NO explanation that they can come up
with. There is so much psychology going on in there that they probably wouldn’t believe you if you
told them. I don’t think they know how many chances we are willing to take to get that PERFECT
trick and this is as near to a pure and fair trick as I know.

15
New Card to Any Number
Card to any number seems to be the “Holy Grail” of card magic to magicians. I already have a card
to any number that I put on my Party Animal DVD set, but this is something that I came up with
quite recently while sitting in Starbucks drinking coffee and messing around with a deck of cards
(one of my favourite past things to do).

Again it uses 2 cards but in this effect, one card appears at a chosen number from the top of the
deck and the other from the bottom of the deck.

You have 2 cards selected, which you control to the bottom of the deck. Ask someone to give you a
position in the pack saying that to keep it simple, make it between 10 and 20. This is not essential
but it’s just I personally don’t want them saying a really high number as it slows the effect down.
Saying between 10 and 20 obviously prevents a stupid number like 47 being called and as far as I
have found, doesn’t diminish the effect.

When you ask them to name a number, use that moment of misdirection to half pass the bottom
two cards, that is, turn them over underneath the pack. Let’s say that the number 15 has been
chosen.

You are now going to use an old idea of counting a certain amount of cards and then turning the
deck over. The way I do it is to count 14 cards onto the table and push off the 15th card as though I
am going to drop that onto the table too and then at the last minute, I place the card back on the
pack. My reason for doing so is that I ask them to hold out their hand, which I demonstrate by
holding out my hand. On that relaxation point I turn the deck over.

You now have the deck face up with the 2 selections face down on top. Carefully push off the top
card and place it onto their awaiting hand. The second selection covers the fact that the deck is face
up. That is one of the things I like about this trick, in that the face down card is not only part of the
method, but also serves another purpose.

When you place the first card onto their hand, simply turn the deck face down onto the cards that
you have just counted onto the table. This means that the second selection is now upside down 15th
from the bottom of the deck.

I ask the first person what their card was at which point they turn the card in their hand over to
show that it is their card. I then give the second person a choice. I say “Would you like yours face up
or face down?” If they say face up, I turn the deck face up and say “Ok, 15 cards from the top of a
face up deck.” If they say face down, I say “Ok, not only will your card be 15th from the bottom, but
it will be face down.” This really does make it look like they had a real choice and the credit for the
choice touch should go to the amazing Charlie Frye. I have reworded his suggestion, but the original
idea was his for which I thank him sincerely.

So there you have it. 2 selections at a named number from the top AND bottom of the deck...hope
you enjoy it!!

16
 Getting a Residency

How to successfully get a regular residency job.

17
Getting a Residency
As a professional magician who relies mainly on close up magic, I don’t think there is much that can
beat a good residency. Not only does it pay the bills in quieter weeks, but it also keeps your act
sharp. It is a fantastic place to work in new material and you can get a lot of private bookings from
it. Here are my thoughts on HOW to get a residency.

I hear a lot of people talk about how they THINK you should go about getting a residency but I can
normally tell when they are talking “theoretically.”

Step 1: Find a restaurant or venue that you think is going to be good FOR YOU. Don’t just randomly
enquire if somewhere wants a magician. You want somewhere that is going to be good for
performing magic. For me that means large tables as well as just 2 and 4 seat tables. It also needs a
regular flow of large parties as that is when I am at my best and it gives me the freedom to
“perform”. It should also be busy so that a lot of people are seeing you work.

Step 2: Call the venue and ask who the main manager is. Don’t waste time talking to whoever
answers the phone as they will only end up telling you that you need to speak to someone else, or
they will say no when they don’t have the authority.

Step 3: When you get through to the MAIN manager, explain that you are a PROFESSIONAL magician
and you would love to come down and have a chat some time; don’t talk specifics yet. Arrange a
time when s/he isn’t busy, more often than not a weekday afternoon, to go down and chat with
him/her.

Step 4: When you go to the venue, dress in a suit and possibly open neck shirt. You should look
smart but not over the top. Explain what it is you can offer and why magic would work in that
venue. A couple of the main points are as follows. Magic keeps customers happy who are waiting
for tables or food. Magic adds something extra to the customer’s evening and makes the restaurant
different to its competitors. Stress how well it goes down with kids, even if you don’t do a lot of kid
based effects. Unless you do balloons as part of your act, DO NOT suggest or agree to balloon
modelling at this stage as it will be very hard to get out of once you start.

It is VERY IMPORTANT in my opinion that you stress you are all about the REPEAT customer. DO
NOT tell the manager that you will bring in LOADS of new customers. Yes, this might happen as a
result of people telling their friends, but you do not want your residency to judge your usefulness
based on how many new customers come through the door each week. It is better that the
management go by how complimentary everyone is about you as this is a MUCH easier standard to
live up to.

Step 5: Ask him/her when their busiest time is. This will most probably be a Friday or Saturday
evening between about 7pm and 9pm. 2 hours is what you want to be aiming for. DO NOT agree to
3 hours as if this becomes the norm you will exhaust yourself. Trust me, I have covered residencies
for other magicians in the past where it was 3 hours and it wasn’t easy at all.

Mention what your normal fee is for 2 hours and then say that you will come down at their busiest
time COMPLETELY FREE OF CHARGE. Make sure that it’s ok for you to have a chat afterwards about

18
making it a weekly thing. The great thing about this is that not many people will turn down FREE
entertainment.

Step 6: This is probably the MOST IMPORTANT element to this system of getting a residency. At
every table you visit on the trial night , explain the situation and that it is a trial run. Ask them if they
wouldn’t mind saying something to the manager about how much they enjoyed the magic. Point
out the manager to them and say that you really appreciate it. I used to jokingly say “Tell him you’re
not coming back unless the magician is here!” Although this was obviously meant in a humorous
way, you’d be surprised how many people would say things to the manager along those lines.

Now imagine that you are the manager of a restaurant. You are trying out a magician and people
keep coming up to you, patting you on the back and saying what a good idea the magic is and how
much they all enjoyed it, especially the kids. They stress that they will definitely be coming back!!
How can you NOT hire that magician now??

Trust me THIS WORKS. I have heard all the theories about doing magic for the staff etc and causing a
commotion which is then supposed to lead to the manager hiring you on the spot. Personally if I
was a manager and a guy was stopping his staff from working, I would think “There is no way I want
my staff being distracted like that every week.”

A residency is a great thing to have and I highly recommend finding one. I hope the above comes in
handy.

19
Building a Trade Show Crowd

How to successfully build and keep a crowd at a trade show

20
My Tradeshow Background
For many magicians, trade shows seem to be the “promised land” of magic work. This is mainly
because the monetary rewards can be very good and I guess it also gives one a feeling that they are
a “corporate” magician, something that a lot of magicians I know seem to be obsessed with.

I have done a lot of trade shows over the past few years but have now decided not to pursue them
as vigorously as I once did because, well to be honest, I found them soul destroying. I have had
some pretty big contracts in my time and have worked for some of the world’s largest companies
including Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and Sony. My biggest wage came from my first ever trade
show which was for NPower. I won’t put in print what I charged but it was a ridiculous amount of
money which I still can’t believe I managed to get. If you bump into me I might tell you but I think
the reason I closed the deal was that it was my first show and I thought that other magicians were
charging similar amounts and I guess that confidence swayed the client. I also have a sneaking
suspicion that the girl who hired me was new to the marketing section and perhaps a seasoned
marketing manager would have haggled me down to a more reasonable amount or simply said no.

Anyway, apart from the corporate giants, I have also worked for A LOT of small companies. In fact,
I’m not sure what it is like in the US and other parts of the world, and I’m not sure whether other UK
magicians will agree with me, but as a UK trade show magician I found that the larger shows were
breaking down into lots of smaller shows and that these smaller shows were often just shell scheme
events. That means that the bulk of the shows weren’t full of the massive and impressive stands
that you might get at a huge event in Las Vegas for example. You simply have rows and rows of
small companies who don’t have the budget that some of their larger competitors.

Having said all this, I do believe that you can make a VERY good living working regularly for these
smaller companies if you keep your fee to a reasonable level. One of the main advantages of trade
shows is that they are mostly mid week which means that they don’t interfere with your weekend
parties and events. It also means that even if you are charging a more modest fee for your trade
show work, combine it with your weekend rush and your salary starts to look really impressive.

However, I decided a while ago that trade shows weren’t for me. I was working for a company at a
show that was getting 2 and 3 people walking past at a time. I would stop them and do the same
patter OVER AND OVER and at the end of the day, not only was I sick of the sound of my own
voice...incredible as that may seem...but I was starting to detest the magic. Now anyone who knows
me knows that I LOVE magic; it consumes my days. I love thinking about it, practicing it and
performing it. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t consider myself extremely lucky to get to do
something that I love so intensely for a living. I know people say that every job has aspects that you
don’t like, but for me, I am of the philosophy that life is too short to be doing something that you
don’t enjoy and anything that makes me start to hate magic just has to go.

I’m not saying that I will never do another trade show, but I certainly don’t actively pursue them
anymore.

21
What I tend to do if a crowd isn’t appropriate
One of the big questions when I was starting out in trade shows was how to get a big crowd around
your stand. In those days I never really thought about whether a crowd was the best thing for my
client, I think I just wanted to feel like I was making a dent. Building a crowd is only really
appropriate, in my opinion, where you have a client who wants to reach the majority of the
attendees. There isn’t much point in having a large crowd if your client is wanting to filter through
the majority and find those select few important clients. In those cases, what I do is ask my client for
a specific question that would help me find out if the person I stop is a potential client. My job then
becomes to stop someone quickly with a trick and ask them that question within a minute or less.
This means that if they aren’t a potential client I say “no problem, well I hope you enjoyed the
magic” and send them on their way. However, if they are a potential client I say “well let me
introduce you to someone.” I then make the introductions between them and the sales team who
take it from there.

If I stop someone who is a potential client and the sales team are busy with people I have set them
up with, my job then becomes to keep them there and entertained until someone is available. Also,
it is important to have a basic grasp of the product or service that the client is selling. This means
that you can sometimes answer quick questions for potential customers which always impresses
your client...trust me! You don’t have to learn intricate details about the company or service, that is
what the sales team are there to do. Your job is to make the introductions.

The way I sell trade show magic to clients is to say that I am an expert in breaking down barriers. My
job is getting people to like me very quickly and impressing them in a short space of time. This takes
the pressure off the sales staff who often aren’t comfortable making the initial point of contact. I
always say to clients “how many times do you see sales staff standing around on a booth, waiting for
someone to come and talk to them?” I explain that I keep them busy all day long.

Building a crowd
The method I’m about to share is also only really effective where you have a constant stream of
traffic going by your stand. You need a PA system and something to stand on. It can be summed up
in 3 words...

Multiple Card Selection

This is what I do. With my PA system turned OFF I approach a group of 3 5 people and say “Hi guys,
my name is Matthew and I’m the ABC magician here today. Sir, please take a card! Ok, show it to
your friends I’ll be back in a second.” I leave him with the card. I then quickly approach another
group, the bigger the better. Again I ask ONE person in that group to take a card, show it to their
colleagues and friends and hang onto it. I will typically do this with 5 cards depending on how many
groups I can see in the general area. I then switch on my PA system, go to my stand and ask
everyone to squeeze in so they can see.

22
Now think about this for a second. Let’s say, in the best case scenario I have stopped 5 groups of 5
people. That is 25 people who are now around my stand. The great thing about this method is that
the people with the cards are committed because they aren’t going to walk off as they have my
property. Also, the people in their group are committed because generally they aren’t going to leave
without their friend. Finally, they want to see whether or not you can find all these cards.

So, have all the cards returned to the deck and while you’re doing so say “By a show of hands how
many people have heard of ABC company?” Now as you’re shuffling you can get a brief pitch in
about what the company does, what they are specifically pushing at the show and who they are
looking to speak to. All the time, other people are wondering what these other 25 people are
finding so fascinating. This builds your crowd even further and you haven’t done any magic yet. I
have had 60 people watching me within the space of 10 minutes which might not seem like a huge
crowd to some US trade show magicians, but I think most UK magicians would agree that is a fair
size.

I am not going to go into detail about the rest of my trade show act as the point of this was to tell
you how to get over the initial hurdle of getting your first group going. However, I will say that for
me I always found that a chance for them to win some money in a mentalism demonstration was
always a winner. As always...hope you found this useful.

23
 Getting the Best “Reaction!”

How to get the maximum reaction from your performance at a table!

24
About me...
My name is Matthew Dowden and I am a professional magician. The main bulk
of my work over the last few years has been performing close up magic in a
drinks reception environment and at tables during dinner functions and other
events.

I also have a fantastic residency that, unlike any other residency that I have had
in the past, gets a lot of fresh faces every week. People seem to go there in
large groups to celebrate birthdays and other occasions. This means that I am
rarely faced with the problem of running out of material having performed for the
same group for 2 years. Having said that, I have a large repertoire, and one of
the things I learned from doing a residency that is comprised mainly of
“regulars”, was how to alter tricks just enough to make them appear new.
Spectators rarely remember a trick that you did 6 weeks ago if you provide a
new spin on it. You just have to look at Daryl’s “revelations” DVD to realise that
to a spectator, each of those tricks is a different effect, despite the fact that we
know the methods are generally the same.

However, the main advantage of this restaurant is that it is comprised mainly of

large tables (my preference) rather than simply tables of two, which lends itself
well to creating a great atmosphere for performing. This means that I have had
a lot of experience working on the best ways to get the most out of a table.

One of the questions that I get asked from magicians who are just getting
started is how to get a table to respond in an enthusiastic manner.

Getting the BEST possible reaction

The “proposal”

Lets say that you have been seeing the same girl for a few years and you have decided
to take the plunge, attach a ball and chain, hang up your bachelor shoes, say goodbye
to making your own decisions etc. Joking aside, you have decided that you want to
marry her and so you buy a ring with the intention of asking her that night.

25
“How would you propose?”

With something so expensive, and for a moment so special, you wouldn’t just hand it to
her in a Tesco bag during the adverts of Coronation Street. And if you would, you don’t
know much about women.

If you wanted to do it right you would take her away for the weekend maybe to a fancy
hotel or perhaps even Paris if you were feeling flush. You’d wine and dine her and take
her for a walk to a picturesque spot on a bridge where you’d hired a local string quartet
to play her favourite song. Then when the moment was just right, you would get down
on one knee and tell her that you want to spend the rest of your life making her happy.
You bring out this beautiful box and hold it out in front of her, very slowly opening the
box and saying the words “Will you marry me?” She hopefully cries her eyes out and
shouts YES YES YES!! Cars are tooting their horns now as they go by seeing that you’ve
just proposed and people are cheering and shaking your hand which all adds to the
atmosphere of the moment. Other couples are stopping to congratulate you and she
proudly shows the ring to them. You walk back to the hotel on cloud 9, overflowing with
romance. Finally when you get back to the hotel…the REAL magic happens. It doesn’t
even stop there. For weeks she is showing her family and friends the ring and telling
people of the experience and how you proposed. In fact, just like in magic, she
probably adds a few details to impress people further. It was PERFECT!!

The reason for telling you these two scenarios is to demonstrate how important it is to
build something up in the right way. It’s important to remember that it is the same ring
in both scenarios and the proposal of marriage is present in both, but the two reactions
are WORLDS APART.

An interesting point to note is that by the time you started telling her how important she
is to you, she may have already started to guess what you were about to do. She may
have had an inkling the moment you suggested going away for the weekend, but rather
than spoiling the surprise, it actually added to the build up. It meant that for the whole
weekend she was excited and wondering if, how and when, and also meant that she
was about ready to burst the moment before you took out the ring.

IT IS ALL ABOUT THE BUILD UP!

26
How does this translate into what we do?

Let’s take the two performers doing the same trick, with the same general routine. That
is they are doing the same phases in the same order. One is getting huge thunderous
applause and laughs while the other is getting polite but sporadic bouts of clapping.
What is the difference? What is it that gets that other performer the fantastic reactions?

Part of it could be due to the performer’s persona. One of our magicians could simply
have a quieter style and therefore is bound to get less volume in his responses. But for
the purposes of demonstration let’s assume that the two magicians have similar, if not
exact personas.

The answer is that one magician is building his tricks up to the “climax moments”. He
has thought about the structure of each trick and where the best moments are in order
to draw as much attention to them as possible. He is utilizing methods that get
everyone to react in unison and for there to be NO DOUBT where the applause cues are.

Applause

Applause can be a funny thing. If you are a half decent magician, your audience doesn’t
mind applauding, on the contrary, they WANT to show their appreciation but sometimes
no one wants to be the first to start. This is demonstrated whenever I am watching
someone performing for magicians. We all know that magician audiences are THE
WOST to perform to because most people have heard the gags and everyone has seen
the tricks. But if I am sat in the audience and a fellow member of the magic fraternity is
demonstrating things that have taken him years to master, I ALWAYS start the applause
off because as his colleague, I know exactly where the applause cues are. Even though
I might have seen the trick a thousand times and I know how it is done, I know where
the impressive bits are and I think it is only right that I support him as we all should. My
point though is that if no one is clapping and I start to applaud, EVERYONE joins in.
They haven’t been forced to clap, they were simply prompted that it is ok to show their
appreciation. They wouldn’t join in if you simply started clapping at a random moment,
it is just that someone has broken the silence and they know now that they aren’t going
to be clapping on their own.

This is why it is so important to let your audience know that it’s ok to clap. After all, if
you are good at what you do, you deserve it. However, it also adds to their general
experience of your magic and serves to focus everyone’s attention which is VERY
important.

27
The most effective way to get your audience at a table used to clapping is asking them
to applaud your first volunteer. Ask someone their name and say “Give my new
assistant a big round of applause!” I even start the applause off because you are not
asking for applause for yourself, it is for someone else. Not only does this get people
clapping, but they laugh at the fact that their friend is playing the role of your
“glamorous assistant!” The other advantage to this is that if this is your first table in the
room, the other tables are now curious as to what is going on, making it that much
easier to command everyone’s attention at your next table. Also, they are more likely to
applaud without being prompted as they have heard other tables doing it. Finally, if I
finish a trick and they are speechless, I simply say “That’s an applause cue folks!” Some
might see this as cheating, but as I have already said, they are obviously impressed and
want to give you credit, you are just reminding them that it is ok to applaud and again,
it adds to their overall memory of the experience.

Focusing their attention

Ideally when you are performing for a table you want them all to be reacting in unison.
I know when I approach a table I speak to everyone and apologise for interrupting any
conversations, but I WANT their attention. If you allow two people to continue talking
to each other then, again, like the applause, others might follow suit during a relaxation
moment as they think it’s ok to talk during your act and before you know it you’ve lost
the full attention of the table and they miss an important reaction moment.

Applause is a good example of something that focuses everyone’s attention. It is

something that they all do in unison and it is difficult for them to do anything else whilst
applauding so you know everyone is pulling in the same direction. It also means that as
soon as that applause ends, there is an important quiet moment that you use to engage
them again to let them know that you’re not finished yet and that you have more to
show them, or that that was your last trick, in which case you thank them for their
attention and say you hope they enjoy the rest of their night, to which they will normally
applaud again as you leave the table.

Focusing people’s attention like that is also EXTREMELY important in the build up to a
climax moment. We all know where the climax of a trick is, or where the most
impressive moment is in a multi phase routine and we want to draw as much attention
to it a possible.

28
The moment before…

Ideally we want the moment before that climax to be like the proposal. We want our
audience to be like the girlfriend who is about to burst with anticipation as you are
uttering the important words and opening the box.

Let’s take a simple “pick a card” trick. You have had a card selected, and you have done
a few shuffles and then eventually end up with a card in your hand face down.

The audience, like the girlfriend, might have seen this coming. After all, when you show
her the ring box and you’re on one knee, she doesn’t think that you are going to ask her
the time. Similarly the audience have already made assumptions that the card in your
hand is their card. However, rather than just turning it over the moment that you take it
out, and getting a flat “yes, you’re right” reaction, you should build it up and provide the
right atmosphere for the revelation. There should be an element of tension or suspense
and this can be done in numerous ways.

The Pause

I read an interesting article in “Magic” a while ago about the use of a pause and how it
can be a good or bad thing depending on why it has occurred. I enjoyed reading it as it
coincided with a lot of my views. It spoke of how there are good and bad pauses and
pauses for different uses. In this case I am interested in the kind of pause that just
delays the climax for a couple of seconds. This does something very important.
Properly placed, the pause unifies everyone in a moment of expectation and
tension. This means that the climax comes as a release of that tension but more
importantly it prepares everyone for that climax. It tells everyone that this is the
moment to watch as all is about to be revealed.

In its most basic form the pause is exactly what it sounds like, simply waiting a beat
before revealing that you have found the selection. Take Daryl’s hot shot cut. I love
this effect as an opener as it is quick, to the point, and it shows an impressive display of
digital dexterity. In this situation, the pause would happen like this.

“…one card spins out the pack and believe it or not…Pause a beat…(turn over card) it’s
the four of hearts!”

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With a trick as impressive as this, the pause also serves to give the audience a moment
to appreciate what has just happened. The fact that not only did you cut the cards with
one hand, to a specific location, but also spun a card through mid air and caught it is
quite a lot to process as they are not used to seeing that. The pause gives them a
moment to appreciate it and to catch up. But it also unifies them in readiness for you
turning the card over and showing them it’s their selection.

Letting the audience catch up...

This is one of the primary reasons for the pause and one of the key principles in getting
the best possible reaction. In order for you to get a “unified” reaction from your
audience, you need to make sure that they are all on the same page and that they are
ready for the revelation or climax. As in the last example of Daryl’s Hot Shot cut, there
is a lot to take in, and if you rush the revelation, you won’t get the reaction that it
deserves. It is a bit like having unwrapped Christmas presents underneath the
Christmas tree. This means that on entering the room, a child sees all the presents and
knows instantly what they are. Wrapping the presents means that not only is there
more suspense and excitement, but each present gets its own individual reaction and
consideration.

A similar rule applies to the question of how long to wait until showing them your next
trick. If they are still reacting to one trick and screaming, the last thing you want to do
is say “here, take another card!” Let them savour the moment.

Tables…

The above works well if you are strolling amongst guests in a cocktail scenario and you
are dealing with a group of no more than 4 or 5 people. However if you are performing
for a table of 10 or more, the added numbers mean that you have to work harder to get
and keep their attention. In this situation rather than just a pause you can fill that
moment with something. It is still a pause between the moment you spin that card out
and the moment you show it’s their selection, but filling it with something makes the
pause play bigger.

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Filling the pause…

You can fill a pause with something as simple as a few words of preparation for the
climax. For example, you have just spun the card out of the deck and everyone gasps in
amazement. You hold the card face down and say something along the lines of,

“…one card spins out of the deck! Are you ready? Are you excited? I know I am.
Ladies and gentlemen...pause a beat...it’s the FOUR OF HEARTS!!!!!!”

How you announce this is very important as well. You need to think along the lines of
someone introducing Mohammad Ali to the ring. They wouldn’t just suddenly say “Uh,
excuse me everyone, here’s Mohammad!” They would give him the hype and the build
up that he deserves. Their voice would get louder and more energetic as they
eventually say “The one, the only, the indisputable heavyweight champion of the world
Mohmmaaaaaaaaaaaaad Aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!” and everyone would go crazy.

This is just another example of giving something the proper build up. The whole way
through that build up everyone is on the edge of their seat, waiting for their opportunity
to applaud. Like a race, where the runners are “ready” and then “set...” At this point all
they are waiting for is the word “GO!” It has been made very simple and everyone is in
the same state of readiness.

This is how you should think of your audience. You want to get them to a place where
all they are waiting for is the word “GO!” and they will go crazy with applause. To do
this, you firstly perform the trick to the moment of climax...”Ready?”...then clarify what
you have just done and let them catch up...”Set?”...and then reveal the climax or
finale...”GO!”

The Drum Roll…

Sometimes before revealing the card I ask for a drum roll. Again this fills the pause but
has the same function. It builds the tension and unifies everyone in one action. The
subtext is that at the end of the drum roll, if you have found the right card, they should
all go wild with applause. It is also fun and if you do it with the right group they get a
real kick out of it making a bit of noise.

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You are surprised…

I remember watching Bill Malone’s fantastic DVD set “On The Loose” and one of the bits
of advice he gave was that when you approach a group, the most important thing is to
look like you’re excited to be there and that you should come across in a manner that
suggests everyone is going to have a great time.

For me, the same principle applies to the climax of a trick. If you get excited that you
have found the right card then they will feed off your enthusiasm. You should act as
though you are seeing it with them for the first time yourself. Apart from anything else,
this is funny and shows you aren’t taking things too seriously.

Invisible Deck...

One major example of a trick that deserves a big build up is the invisible deck. I don’t
think there is a better card trick in any magician’s repertoire, and doubt whether
anything will ever be invented to top it. Not only is it an amazing trick, but it is the
perfect “out” for when things go a bit wrong.

There are many ways that this trick can be done. If someone asks you to do something
very quickly, you can simply ask them to name a card and say that earlier on you had a
funny feeling...so to speak...and that you turned one card face down in the deck, etc.
At the other end of the spectrum, you can make a full routine out of it and have your
assistant doing all manner of invisible things with invisible objects before getting to the
climax. I have been known to get five or six minutes out of that little prop that fits in
your pocket. It is this particular presentation that I would like to talk about, where you
have done all the necessary actions and comedy and you are about to reveal the miracle
climax.

When I first started out in magic, and did this trick for laymen, I would simply spread to
show the card face down and let them take it out. They would turn it over, but although
they would be impressed, “reaction” wise it wasn’t what I was looking for. This
encompasses everything I have just written about. I realised that the trick was SO
amazing, that they just didn’t have time to compute everything. They were SO taken
aback that all they could do was try to work out what just happened and applause just
hadn’t entered their minds.

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The funny thing is that the invisible deck is also the perfect trick in that it epitomises the
“keep it simple” principle. They name a card and it is face down in the deck. It is a very
easy concept for the spectator to understand. The problem though, is that it is SO
perfect, that the first thing people do when seeing it, is go blank with disbelief. They
suddenly have a million thoughts running through their head. “Does everyone pick that
card?” “Did he influence me with what he was saying?” “is he the devil?” and so on and
so forth. What I realised was that you had to give people a moment to catch up. There
is a perfect moment for this when you have the face down card in your hand. This is
why I am not so keen on the Brainwave deck. Although the different colour back is a
nice idea, I think when you spread the cards and they see their card face up in the deck,
it is never as strong as having them see a face down card first. You are giving them a
chance to say “NO WAY!” and THEN you have the revelation. Let me give you an
example of how I present it now. The spectator is called John. The card he was
thinking about was the King of Diamonds and I have just done about 3 minutes worth of
gags.

“...As you can see there is only one card face down in the pack. John...” I now offer
the card to the spectator John, but then just as he goes to take it out I pull back and say
“...Are you excited?” He laughs and says that he is. I look at the other members of the
audience and say “Are you all excited? I mean, if that’s the card that John was just
thinking about, that would be a miracle right?” They all say yes. I now say in a louder,
more excited voice “And you’d all go wild for John right?” They say Yes even louder!
“JOHN, GO FOR IT...IS THAT YOUR CARD...”

So the audience are now watching with baited breath to see if it is indeed his card. I
have summarised the trick and given them a simple instruction. If the card is correct
they applaud and go wild. They are all now like runners waiting for that word “GO!” and
the King of Diamonds is their cue.

He takes it out and I shout “LADIES AND GENTLEMAN THE KING OF DIAMONDS, LET’S
HEAR IT FOR JOHN!!!”

The great thing about this is that they do all their thinking after the applause dies down.
Rather than turning that card over and everyone saying “How the heck did he do that?”
They applaud and go wild as per my instructions and then say “How the heck did he do
that!” as I am leaving the table to thunderous applause.

Every now and then you get an awkward spectator who, when they look at the card say
“Its not...ha ha ha, its the wrong card!” and then refuse to turn it over. This completely
kills the moment and is one of my pet hates. This bolsters the theory that there is a
specific moment or optimum time to reveal the card. I had primed the table for the
revelation, but by pausing even a few seconds too long for that spectator to make what
he thinks is a funny joke, you lose that big reaction. By the time you get the card back
off him and show it is the selection, the moment has passed. What you get instead is
people beginning their reactions at different times and applauding in drips and drabs
rather than all going wild in unison.

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And Finally...

I would say that one of the most important things to remember when performing magic
at tables is that, when there are 5 or more people, you should forget that you are doing
close up magic. You should think of each table as a mini cabaret show. At my regular
venue they have large tables and often have two or three large tables pushed together
and I find myself playing to groups of anything up to 20 people. There is NO point
trying to do something that only plays to the 3 nearest people in this situation.

Adapt your close up tricks to play bigger and involve people at different parts of the
table. Use running gags and give people roles in your routines. This all helps to keep
everyone’s attention throughout your act. If you can get everyone involved and excited,
then the reaction to your tricks can be huge and you can be sure that you are getting
“The best possible reaction!”

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