A while ago, I made a set of natural shells for the three shell game, and then made a silicone mold of them. I used that mold to make a bunch of resin shells for a shell game workshop. One of those resin shells recently got 3d scanned and I’ve started printing them!
These are a great beginner set or set to throw in your backpack to carry around and not beat up a nicer set.
You can find or more or order a set at:
https://www.magicshow.tips/shell-game/
-Louie
I was relearning Giovanni Livera’s Shell Shocked routine. This is a three shell game routine and at the end of it you have two dice on the table. Looking at the two dice, I realized that this is a natural transition to the Sachs Dice Routine. I originally learned this as a teenager from the book Routined Manipulation Vol 1 by Lewis Ganson.
If you’re not familiar with the trick, the effect is that you hold two dice in your hand and the numbers on the dice change as you turn your hand over. It’s a great effect and one that Steve Dobson did a lot in his working repertoire. I dug out his lecture notes and grabbed some dice!
The move isn’t hard to do, but Steve does it backwards from how my hands remember it from when I was a teenager. The move is better the way Steve describes it in his lecture notes.
You can learn Steve’s routine from the notes pictured above (if you can track them down) or it’s the basis for the routine taught in Reed McClintok’s Ivory Connection video.
-Louie
Currently I’m playing with Shell Shocked which is Giovanni Livera‘s three shell game routine from his book Confessions of an Italian Magician.
What I like about the routine is that is has an ending that’s a punctuation, not just doing the same thing under more conditions. In the book Giovanni gives you his shell shuffling sequence, but if you already have a few sequences, then you can add his ending to what you already do.
One of the changes I made to the routine is that I’m palming the P the whole routine, instead of stealing it towards the end of the routine. Doing it that way makes sense for me as I don’t keep my shell game props in a bag, so needed a workaround.
If you’re looking for a three shell game routine, this is worth checking out!
-Louie
While I don’t do a ton of shows at senior communities anymore, I still do a fair amount of them. Here’s one from last week, you’ll notice that I’m now using projection in these shows.
I have a very simple set up and don’t ask for it, but if they have a TV or projector in the room, I use it!
The two tricks that I specifically use the projector for at:
The Russian Shell Game
That Way More (my version of the ambitious card)
Both of these routines are interactive, in that they aren’t tricks that the audience just watches. They are involved in some level of the trick. For me, I think that it’s important when doing things that can only be seen with projection is to have an interactive component to the routine. That’s my style, not everyone is like that.
That said, I’m really liking my video set up, it’s small and easy to travel with!
-Louie
PS if you want to learn more about performing for senior communities, check out my book: How To Perform For Seniors
Last week I had a travel day where I got into the city a day before a week long gig. I booked a show at a retirement community that day as I wasn’t doing anything but loading into the fairgrounds.
My current senior show equipment is essentially a briefcase show. Here’s what I bring in with me (not including my audio equipment)
One element that I’ve added to the show is using projection in the show. I have two bits that use a TV screen.
Most senior facilities will have access to a screen in the performing area. Before I rely on it, I always ask to confirm that they do. I also have alternate things, so that if there’s an issue with the TV or whatever I still can do my time.
Here’s my theory on using projection, I don’t use it as a “look at this cool thing I can do“, everything I do on it is very interactive. The two tricks I do are my That Way More card trick, and my Russian Shell Game. The card trick uses someone in the audience (who stays in their seat) and the three shell game uses the entire audience.
-Louie
if you want to learn more about performing for seniors in retirement communities, check out my book How to Perform for Seniors!
Last summer when doing library shows I noticed that probably 95% of the library shows that I did (indoors) had a TV screen in the room that I did my show in. So this year I planned a trick (actually two and a half tricks) that could use the TV as projection for close up magic.
There’s really not much to my set up, it’s an iphone with a camera app, an HDMI adapter and and HDMI cord. This very basic set up allow me to do the two full trick and one revelation with the screen.
In the beginning of the show during my warm up I do my ambitious card that uses projection. Then later in the show I do my Russian Shell Game routine, which is a three shell game on steroids, and then I use it for the reveal of my nest of boxes routine.
It’s working great and every library I’m doing (indoors) this summer has a TV in the room for me. I do have alternate material in case I can’t do use the TV for whatever reason. I’ve only done it once (so far), but it plays great for those routines and I’m glad I’m using something that’s already in the room!
-Louie
A bit ago someone mentioned Giovanni Livera’s three shell game routine. I wasn’t aware of this routine, so I tracked down a his book Confessions of an Italian Magician where his Shell Shocked routine is written up.
His routine has an ending that’s unusual, it ends with three production items. The first two are dice and the third is a plastic P. I have all of the props except the plastic P, but that’s where my 3d printer came in handy.
Within about 15 minutes I had made a plastic letter P and had it printed and can now learn the routine!
This is a great three shell game routine, and I’ll get started working on it later today!
-Louie
I just added a new three shell game set to my collection:
I’m pretty sure this was a home made set, as they look like nothing I’ve ever seen. The look like they started as candle snuffers, and someone took the stick off of them and glued a bearing over the hole. I like their weight, but don’t like how tall they are. The height and strange shape makes working with them a bit awkward.
They’re a great addition to the collection, but won’t replace my working set!
-Louie
The other day I was looking at some three shell game sets on ebay and came across this set:
And here’s the description:
| Vintage Original Three Shell Game This Is the Oldest Con Game Ever Played A high-performance set of shells that handles well on the STREETS. This is YOUR CHANCE to learn this crowd-pleaser and get a top-quality set of shells. Highly recommended! THIS VINTAGE SET IS FROM A MAGIC ESTATE SALE. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THESE WERE PURCHASED IN THE LATE 1940s to EARLY 1950s. I CAN’T TELL IF THEY ARE REAL OR MANUFACTURED! THEY LOOK AMAZING! NO INSTRUCTIONS! YOU GET THE -3-SHELLS AND -1- PEA NO REFUNDS! NO RETURNS! |
What’s wrong with that description is that those shells are 100% 3d printed or made from a mold of a 3d printed shell. How 3d printing works is that it makes things in layers, and that leaves ridges and those are clearly visible in the picture.
The seller say’s they’re from the 1940’s or 1950’s, when really the oldest they’d be is probably 2010, which is a solid 60 years newer than the seller claims. I’m not saying the seller is knowingly lying about the age, however whoever gave them the mid 20th century claim is incorrect.
This is a situation where having a little bit of knowledge of materials will save you $80!!!
-Louie
One of the things that I collect are three shell game sets. I have a pretty big collection of shell game sets, and it’s getting harder and harder to finds ones that I don’t have. I recently came across this set:
And here’s the under side of the shells:
Initially I thought these were resin, but thank to Andrew Pinard’s suggestion, I did some more inspection and they are natural walnut shells that have been filled and coated.
I’m glad to have added these to my collection!
-Louie
