The TV Card Frame - chosen card visually appears in clear frame - Magic Trick Review

This is really a classic platform, stage magic card trick which I used in my stand-up comedy magic show for many years. Now that I'm revisiting it, I'm gonna add it to some upcoming shows. 

The TV Card Frame is displayed to the audience. It consists of a wooden stand stand and two clear, plexiglass plates. A spectator selects a card, tears into pieces and retains one piece. Any spectator may examine the plexiglass plates and rubberband them together. They are then placed on a wooden stand in clear view at all times. The magician then vanishes the remaining card pieces and instructs the spectator to throw the rest of the deck of cards at the plexiglass plates. The cards all fall to the floor except one card has appeared IN BETWEEN THE PLEXIGLASS PLATES---WITH A PIECE MISSING.

Get yours today!

The spectator is handed the plexiglass plates, removes the rubber bands, removes the card and the retained piece perfectly matches the produced card.

Is that description an exaggeration? Nope. Which is why I've always loved this trick. It's pretty easy to set-up and perform and the climax is visually amazing. The plexiglass plates are totally see-through and are never covered or out of view of the audience. Sometimes, rather than have the cards thrown at the frame (because I'm lazy and don't want another mess to clean up after the show), I just tell the audience to focus on the frame, I count to three and the card VISIBLY APPEARS in frame right before their eyes.

This effect is strongly recommended for anyone looking for a visual addition to a stage or platform show. If you purchase the TV Card Frame, shoot me an email afterward and I'll respond with some details on my handling of the effect and a couple of cool methods for vanishing the card pieces.

Private Sleight-of-Hand Magic Lessons via Skype with cards, coins, cigarettes, matches and more.

"The Royal Road to Card Magic" review - takes you from novice to pro in one read

If I go and search my dusty library of card magic books from my youth, I know there are quite a few written by Jean Hugard. The first card magic book that I ever devoured cover to cover (which is really the only way to use this book) is "Royal Road to Card Magic" by Jean Hugard and Frederick Braue.

As is suggested by the authors, if you want to become a competent card conjurer, read and practice the methods in this book in the order presented and by the final chapter I guarantee you that you'll be pretty damned good. And the really beauty of the book and the teaching method of these to magic literary giants is that you don't have to first learn all of the moves and sleights and

then, finally, at the end of the book, learn some tricks. Hugard and Braue teach you a manipulation and then a practical and pretty amazing application of that move.

Many years ago, when I was performing close-up, table-hopping, sleight-of-hand magic in restaurants, I would also teach sleight-of-hand magic a couple of evenings per week. In many cases I was starting from scratch with the student just wanting to learn, and having spent no time mastering even the most rudimentary tricks. They just knew that they wanted to take up a new "hobby."

I learned very quickly, that if I spent the full session just teaching them how to do the mechanics of sleight-of-hand and not actually teaching them "a trick," that they'd probably get bored and not want to come back (or pay me). Plus, if they didn't quickly master the sleight, they'd get frustrated and decide that this magic crap isn't for them.

So, what I would do every week was first demonstrate what I considered to be a really cool close-up magic trick or routine, and tell the student that they were going to learn to do it at the end of the lesson. There are literally thousands of essentially simple to perform tricks (remember, it's usually all in the presentation), and once you become proficient at the more difficult ones you can throw in the really easy ones (which often are more astonishing that the ones you spent countless hours mastering).

So, before I would force them two learn two or three double-lift methods, I'd show them the something like the penetrating match trick and then show them how to do it at the end of session.

That's essentially what Hugard and Braue do with "The Royal Road to Card Magic." You learn a method of performing a specific sleight, then you learn an effect using that sleight. Next you move to the next technique or method which also utilized the first sleight you learned, then again another effect, and so on.

I strongly recommend purchasing this book (it's also available for your Kindle or Kindle app for your Smartphone) and reading and practicing EVERYTHING in the book in order. Once you're done, I guarantee you will be a pretty damned good card manipulator.

So do it, or screw it.



Private Sleight-of-Hand Magic Lessons via Skype with cards, coins, cigarettes, matches and more.

Lessons from the Way of the Showman - 59

When creating an act aim to transcend the skills. Doing just tricks becomes like abstract art, but all the while, consciously or otherwise the Crowd look at you for story. Even when you try to say nothing, much is told. Consider the story you tell, and make it a good one.

Consider story.

Skills are an integral part of the act, in many ways they are the justification of getting time in the spotlight of audience attention, but to really connect with the Crowd there needs to be another level of content and development in your act. This can be thought of as aspects of narrative.
The tricks are the skeleton of the act. They belong in a certain order to optimize the strength. Their order is also a form of narrative.
In its simplest form narrative can be: Beginning, Middle and End. But there are many aspects that can further story, in a loose sense.
Character transformation or change, a development from the beginning to the end. How you feel about the tricks throughout the act, which are difficult, which are fun? Your handling of them, mimicry, gesticulation, words spoken all tell the audience how to react to what they see. You give your material meaning, Show them emotion and they more involved.
Your relationship with the Crowd can also change and add to the story. Some tricks are easy and fun and they get a lot of attention, others are so difficult you become introspective, it all reads as story.
Be conscious of the story aspects of your act. Why not seek inspiration from one of your favorite stories.