magic show tips – MagicShow.Tips

An Easy Trick with an Elmsley Count

Here’s an easy color changing backs sequence with an Elmsley Count. I came up with this the other night, but it feels like I’ve either come up with this same sequence before or read it somewhere.

You need three red backed cards and three blue backed cards. The set up from the top down is: red-red- blue-blue-blue-red

1: Do an Elmsley Count to show four red backs
2: Do an Elmsley Count to show three red and one blue. The final card of the Elmsley Count goes to the bottom of the packet.
3: Do an Elmsley Count to show two red and two blue.
4: Do an Elmsley Count to show one red and three blue.
5: Do a final Elmsley Count to show four blue cards.

There you go, not much to it. Pick up some cards and try it for fun!

-Louie

Magic Shop in Portland, OR

On the way to a gig the other day, I stopped at the new location for the All American Magic Theater in the Pioneer Place Mall. Gaddy is working behind the counter, and he does a great job demoing and is very knowledgeable.

The magic shop has a big variety of magic tricks, from the latest releases, to vintage magic. Portland it lucky to have a well stocked magic shop!

-Louie

The Easiest Way To Improve Your Magic Show

In my opinion one of the easiest ways to work on your magic show is to have other people help you. Last week I was sharing an AirBnB with three other performers, and we had a workshop night.

These are pretty simple; we all did or talked about something we were working on, and then everyone brainstormed ideas.

The trick I was working on was my Juggling Monte idea. We came up with a couple of jokes for it, which is great! Still having a challenge with coming up with the presentation’s hook, however any steps forward are good!

This is just part of the work, there’s still all of the refining needed to really get the routine good! You can learn more about my process here.

-Louie

The Prayer Vase Magic Trick!

When I see a magician perform an old trick and really wow an audience, it really makes me happy. By old trick, I don’t mean an overdone trick, but a trick everyone has had, but no one actually does. Recently, I worked with Michael Mesmer and in his early show he does the Prayer Vase magic trick.

This is a trick most magicians had when they were kids and haven’t thought about since. Michael has a great routine with it, and it really connects with an audience!

Sometimes the easiest way to create something that feels new is to look to the past!

-Louie

A Hard Hitting Card Trick Sequence

I think magicians try to overcomplicate things with the card magic they do. You can get amazing reactions with a couple of very simple things. Here’s a quick three beat trick that gets great reactions:

There’s not much to it: two forces, a top change, and then a double lift. I don’t do a double turnover. The reason for that is that most people who have had a passing interest in magic tricks learn a double turnover in the context of either an ambitious card or simply changing the card. When I do this sequence, it looks nothing like what they’d learned in a YouTube tutorial. While I’m using techniques that they may know, they don’t look like what they’d learned.

This is a good lesson: if you keep getting busted doing something like a double turnover, either find a way to eliminate it or make it look different.

-Louie
PS: If you want to learn about my thoughts on the classic force, it’s in my 2025 PCAM lecture notes.

Snake Wand Surprise – V2

A little over a decade ago, I released my Snake Wand Surprise. If you don’t know what it is, it’s a comedy magic wand that has a big surprise ending! Here’s what the routine looks like:

After over a dozen years of using it in my shows, there’s really not much about it that I didn’t like. The main thing I didn’t like was how bulky it was. I try to be a one trip from the car to load in and one trip to load out. The larger wand didn’t fit into a case, and it was awkward to move around.

Here’s a comparison between the original and the new one:

The smaller size takes up less space and will fit in more varieties of cases, but still oversized enough to get a reaction when you bring it out! The other thing that the smaller diameter wand does is reduce jams, there’s less room inside for the snakes to get stuck!

You can get the Snake Wand Surprise V2 at:
https://www.magicshow.tips/product/snake-wand-surprise/

-Louie

Outdoor Magic Show Challenges

Last week, at the fair where I was performing, it rained one morning. The sun came out right before my show, so my show was going to happen. The only problem was that all of my seating was wet. No one will sit on a seat that’s wet and has a pool of water. So I tracked down a rag and wiped down the chairs!

magician wiping water off of folding chair

Wiping down chairs isn’t my job, but it’s something that needed to happen for my show to happen. Sometimes doing something like wiping down chairs makes the difference between no audience and getting a big audience (which is what I had that show!).

There are times to not be helpful, sometimes there are union rules or the task could get your costume or hands stained. Wiping water off a chair wasn’t a big deal, so I did it.

-Louie

Repairing a Remote Control Card Fountain

A couple of weeks ago, I picked up an old card fountain. This one was non-working without the remote control.

I opened it up and it had some older guts, I’m guessing from the stamp on the base of it, it’s from 2004.

My original plan was to just replace the electronics with a more modern remote control unit. Once I got it apart, I started thinking that maybe I should build it into a more complex unit, like integrating it into a snake basket or something like that.

-Louie

Should You Tip A Performer?

Someone who was performing with a circus posted a picture of them performing, and I noticed this banner in the background:

Let me start by saying that they were performing in a location that should be paying the circus a decent fee. There are many other circuses and sideshows working in similar spots that are paid a great contract price. My question is: why is this circus soliciting tips? Did they take a gig for less so that they could try to make up the difference in tips? Or is this just a money grab?

If you need bonus money, make some stickers and sell those. Virtually the same profit margin as a tip; however, then you’re not contributing to the “starving artist” stereotype. If you have a banner like this in your show (unless you’re a true street busking act), you can’t be upset when people ask you what your other job is because your banner makes them think your wage is tips.

-Louie

Stud Playing Cards

My all time favorite deck of cards are Stud Playing cards. Recently made a post about finding a couple of decks of them at a junk shop. I finally opened up the deck and and starting using them as my “fun” deck.

These cards handle exactly how I remember them! I could immediately do a table and in the hands faro with the deck!

When I was a teenager, these were the cheapest usable decks that were around. There were cheaper, but those were junk by any standard. Stud cards were made on great stock, had a great finish, and were available for a great price.

I wish these were still available…

-Louie