Cutting Up Jackpots…

One of the things that blows my mind is when I hear a magician say that they don’t hang out with other magicians or performers. You learn so much from other performers, more that that, there’s the sense of community. You aren’t alone out there doing you art, other people have the same struggles, and … Continue reading “Cutting Up Jackpots…”

One of the things that blows my mind is when I hear a magician say that they don’t hang out with other magicians or performers. You learn so much from other performers, more that that, there’s the sense of community. You aren’t alone out there doing you art, other people have the same struggles, and successes!


Yesterday there was a fun get together of variety performers. There’s nothing like getting a bunch of us together and swapping stories. In the carney world they call it “cutting up jackpots”. Hanging out with other performers is also good for your soul.


One of the things that makes it helpful is that I’m entering a new market and a lot of these people work this market, so hearing their stories of their experiences really helped me view my struggles in perspective.

Go hang out with other performers!

Three Ball Routine…

After playing some more with the Three Ball Routine, I started to write up a little routine. The routine changed from what I had written yesterday for an ending, however the ending that I wrote make more sense with the routine. I still like the egg idea from yesterday’s post, just not with this routine. … Continue reading “Three Ball Routine…”

After playing some more with the Three Ball Routine, I started to write up a little routine. The routine changed from what I had written yesterday for an ending, however the ending that I wrote make more sense with the routine. I still like the egg idea from yesterday’s post, just not with this routine.

Here’s the routine (so far):


“This trick uses three balls, that’s why there are 2 billion chinese. 3 balls, one for each year of  high school I completed.


What I love about this trick is how pure of a magic trick it is, no fancy boxes, no dancing girls, no dignity.  It’s 91% sleight of hand, 7% my gift of gab, and 2% old school “Magic”


This is probably the most international trick I do.  These balls were made in factory in china, but I bought them in shop mexico and the trick is presented by me, who is from…my mother.


One…two…three.


That’s one, two…did you see the third one go?  It hasn’t yet. And faster than you even begin to throw money onto the stage, there is it!   Don’t reach for your wallet…the moment’s past.

Let’s do it again in spanish.  



Tres Bolas.  Uno…Dos…Tres

Uno…Dos…  .Y No Trace

Let’s try it in chinese.  Ee…Ar…San. San goes into the pocket.

Ee..ar…and San.

One more time…Ee..Ar  …and sam goes into the pocket.  This trick has literally taken around the world…to  pull flags out of fist and name countries”


I like the ending with the flags of the nations because it fits with the theme of the routine. Also the flags should play pretty big, and move the action up towards my face. The patter isn’t finished yet, and I need to come up with one more language to do the final count instead of repeating Chinese. I think there’s something in this routine…


Three Ball Routine

One of my current projects is working on a routine for the three ball routine.  That’s a trick, where aside from the patter, there’s not a lot new you can put into to.  The balls go from hand to hand, your pocket to hand and then maybe end up with the balls turning into a … Continue reading “Three Ball Routine”

One of my current projects is working on a routine for the three ball routine.  That’s a trick, where aside from the patter, there’s not a lot new you can put into to.  The balls go from hand to hand, your pocket to hand and then maybe end up with the balls turning into a larger item.  The less common effect within the routine would be a color change of the balls, or using it with three different colored balls.  


My routine’s framework is pretty simple.  The balls go hand to hand twice. They go from the pocket to the hand once.  The second time they go from the pocket to the hand, there will be a surprise production.  I’m thinking I might do an egg production. 



There’s an coin in egg trick by Nefesch that I think is called Hatchling.  It’s a signed coin in egg…where the coin is actually in the egg.  It’s interesting, and I think that the production of the egg could be topped by the object in the egg.  Especially if it’s unexpected, so not linear where you borrow the object, it disappears, then the reappears.  Making something like  a signed card reappear in the egg that was used earlier in the show. 



The  next step is to work out the patter, and figure out what I’m going to put into the egg…and the general logistics of how it will play out.

The Blow Off

Yesterday I wrote about doing a “spectator as mind reader” type effect and it having to be a clean trick from a method standpoint.  The spectator who reads the mind must be unaware of how you get them to reveal what the other person is thinking.  Today I’m going to talk about something similar, but … Continue reading “The Blow Off”

Yesterday I wrote about doing a “spectator as mind reader” type effect and it having to be a clean trick from a method standpoint.  The spectator who reads the mind must be unaware of how you get them to reveal what the other person is thinking.  Today I’m going to talk about something similar, but the opposite way, where at the end everyone knows how the trick was done.  This doesn’t just apply to mentalism, but to magic. 



Let’s start with a premise everyone knows, which is paper balls over the head.  Personally I dislike this trick, because it has no ending.  Sure, you could produce a bowling ball from the tissue at the end or something like that.  In its standard for you are basically telling the same joke over and over, there is no punctuation on the trick. 



One way some people end it is to reveal the paperballs on the floor to the person.  The problem with that is there is a bridge missing, the person doesn’t know how they got there, they just see them on the floor.  Did the disappear and reappear there…you miss the moment where they are let in on the gag.  Watch Michael Finney do the card on the forehead, it ends when we get to see the person onstage react to the finally seeing the card. You’ll never get the same reaction when the person sees the paper balls, plus they will be turned around looking at them, so we can’t see them. 


My point is when you do a trick where everyone knows how the trick works, except one person, you need to completely let them in on the trick. You have to essentially tell them what happened, or they will not react well because they are trying to cross a bridge that’s not there.  The challenge is to completely reveal the trick in a second or two.  At a glance the person on stage should be able to figure out what happened.

Reading Minds…

In my show I do a bit that’s a “spectator as mind reader” sort of bit.  That’s where one person from the audience tells another person what they are thinking.  This is an interesting sort of trick in that you are removed from the magic or mind reading.  It comes down to how it’s framed, … Continue reading “Reading Minds…”

In my show I do a bit that’s a “spectator as mind reader” sort of bit.  That’s where one person from the audience tells another person what they are thinking.  This is an interesting sort of trick in that you are removed from the magic or mind reading.  It comes down to how it’s framed, are you giving this person a power, are you doing something to influence both people, are you reading one person’s mind then putting the thought into the other…or something else. 

One of the things to make this trick work onstage is that both people need to be surprised that the other one knows what’s happening. What I mean by that is if you “stooge” one or both people they will not react with genuine surprise and the trick will lack impact.  Using an “instant stooge” where you cue someone in real time is an method that’s slightly better than preparing the person before the show, as you will get a more genuine reaction…but still not as good as if they their thought is random.

So how do you do this trick?  There are many ways, my first introduction to this was from a book by Ken Dyne.  He has a great routine and method, but it’s not for how I work, however it got me interested in the premise. 

In my roving show I do a think where I guess a color someone is thinking of multiple times.  As I did this more and more, I wanted to make it more challenging for  me as a performer, and I started having another person guess with me and I would talk them through the process.  Essentially I would guide their guess, and that started to play really well. While I was clearly guiding them, both people would react when one revealed the color to the other.  Doing this trick really showed me the impact a person could have. 

In my stage show, I’ve decided to show the process of mind reading.  This works great for my style of performing.  I’m teaching the person how I do the trick…then they actually do it!  My favorite part is after the show, when people surround the person from the audience that read another person’s mind and try to get them to tell them how they did it. In my method, the person don’t know how they do it, they just did what I told them to do, which is what everyone saw. 


I guess my point is to strive to strong premises and clean methods that work you and your style of performing.

Second Thought…

One of the books I brought with me to read while I’m performing on this cruise ship is Seven Thoughts by Sungwon Kim. This is all card magic, and I brought it to give me something to do, and two work on.  The second trick is called Swing Cut Aces.  Basically you swing cut a … Continue reading “Second Thought…”

One of the books I brought with me to read while I’m performing on this cruise ship is Seven Thoughts by Sungwon Kim. This is all card magic, and I brought it to give me something to do, and two work on.  The second trick is called Swing Cut Aces.  Basically you swing cut a deck and a face up ace appears.  You do this until you’ve produced all four aces. 

When I first tried it, it looked like garbage, I wasn’t even sure how the trick looked “magical”.  I kept plugging away and doing it over and over and finally it’s starting to look intentional, not like I accidentally cut to a face up ace.  Mechanically, it’s not too difficult, but it needs to be done smoothly.


The key to this was to keep going, and not give up on it until it got smooth(ish).  I think if I was on land I would have bailed on this before it got smooth, however at sea I’ve got a ton of time.   I’m glad I did put in the time for this.  It’s not something that I’ll use in my main card set, but it’s another tool I’ve added to my toolbox of sleight of hand moves with a deck of cards.

Now this has me thinking about all the moves that I’ve read in books that only tried a dozen times and dismissed them a junk.  I think that deciding to “learn” a new move or not is a balance.  It’s a mix of how much time you, and how useful the move may be in the future. 

Work It Out…

One of the things I do when I buy a magic book, is that I try to work through everything that’s reasonable to work through.  What I mean by that is that I I’m not going to build an illusion if it’s in the book, but I will build simpler project. I try work through … Continue reading “Work It Out…”

One of the things I do when I buy a magic book, is that I try to work through everything that’s reasonable to work through.  What I mean by that is that I I’m not going to build an illusion if it’s in the book, but I will build simpler project. I try work through every trick that doesn’t require a crazy gimmick I don’t have.


I think this makes me a better magic creator and performer.  It allows me to improvise much better as I’ve already done something a few times, it makes it easier to recreate when the moment occurs.  It also makes you look at props differently.

When I travel, I try to make little videos of magic tricks with things found in my hotel room, or in today’s case my state room as I’m performing on a cruise ship this week.  This morning when I was brushing my teeth, I noticed the cups in the bathroom were big enough to hold a deck of cards.  That then led me to thinking about the trick Everywhere and Nowhere by Hofzinser that uses a glass to isolate a deck of cards.  That led me to wondering if a “flap card” would work in a glass.  Turns out a flap card works great in a glass, and I like the isolation that the glass adds to the change of the card. 




Now it’s got me thinking about how I can use this in a show. In a cabaret show, or a stage show where you have video projection, it would be a great reveal for a tossed out deck.  You start with one card in glass as your prediction.   The three cards are selected and the prediction changes to three different cards.  If they saw their card they sit down.  This moves the flap card from essentially a close up trick to something bigger. 

Maybe I’ll start to write a tossed out deck routine using the flap card as the premise/ending.

Old Tyme Music…

Over a decade ago I wrote a book about performing in “senior market”. These are shows at retirement homes, assisted living communities, etc. I don’t really perform in this market anymore, however I am in a couple of Facebook groups for people who do. I’m constantly amazed at how much bad advice is given. The … Continue reading “Old Tyme Music…”

Over a decade ago I wrote a book about performing in “senior market”. These are shows at retirement homes, assisted living communities, etc. I don’t really perform in this market anymore, however I am in a couple of Facebook groups for people who do.


I’m constantly amazed at how much bad advice is given. The one that drives me nuts is when someone will ask what kind of tricks to do for these shows and someone says to use music like Glenn Miller’s In The Mood.or music from the 1940s or 1950s.



Whenever I hear that advice I want to tell them to do the math. Glenn Miller put that song out in 1939, which makes that song 80 years old…but for that song to be relevant in your life, like the music you would have listened to in your teens, you’d be 95-100 years old.



That age range is within the demographic for the senior show, HOWEVER it’s a small slice of the demographic. The average lifespan in the USA is just shy of 80 years old. That means your market for these shows is about 70-95.



Let’s redo the math. It’s currently 2019, we’ll subtract 80 years for the age of the people at the senior gig, that gives us the year 1939. However were going to add 17 years to put the music when they people where in high school and we get 1956. That math means if you want to reach people purely on a musical level, your need to use music that was released in 1956 or later.



A quick Google search and it appears Elvis was king at that point. Remember that year is the bottom rung of the ladder, and we’d be assuming they never listened to music past their 17th birthday. If you fast forward a decade to when these people were 27 years old, you get the Beach Boys, Neil Diamond, the Rolling Stones. Jump forward another decade to when they were 37 and now you’re into Disco.



My point is if you assume senior’s are only into the music that was popular when they were young, you haven’t thought this through. How old are you? Do you only listen to music from when you were 17 years old?


P.S. You can get my book at www.perform4seniors.com






Standing Ovations and You…

My favorite part of the Southern Side Show Hootenanny was how different acts punctuated what they did.  It’s the showmanship aspect of it that I find interesting, and one of the things that makes all of the acts unique. That’s also something  (one of the many things) that separates the amateurs from the pros. One … Continue reading “Standing Ovations and You…”

My favorite part of the Southern Side Show Hootenanny was how different acts punctuated what they did.  It’s the showmanship aspect of it that I find interesting, and one of the things that makes all of the acts unique. That’s also something  (one of the many things) that separates the amateurs from the pros.

One great act was the Tinderbox Side Show.  They had three performers and they did a high energy act that ended with a knife triumphantly stabbed into a table.  The could have stopped there, and it would have been a great ending, however, Trashique, put one hell of a punctuation on it.  She paused, picked up the table and smashed it on the ground!  It made the audience jump to its feet and got them a standing ovation!


It’s the little things like smashing a table, or holding an applause pose for just a second longer that makes a huge difference.  People love it when you triumph, that’s why escapes are such a popular ending.  I’m a big fan of things like mic drops, balloons popping, confetti, etc. Go see a circus show whether a tent show or a more modern circus show and see how they end their shows.  Then apply what you’ve just seen to your show.

Emceeing a show

This weekend at the sideshow festival, they have a pre-show and then the show.  The people from the preshow stay for the main show. The MC did the same two bits for the two shows.  I was kinda anoyed at that. To me that’s a lack of respect for your audience. Bring enough material to … Continue reading “Emceeing a show”

This weekend at the sideshow festival, they have a pre-show and then the show.  The people from the preshow stay for the main show. The MC did the same two bits for the two shows.  I was kinda anoyed at that. To me that’s a lack of respect for your audience. Bring enough material to fill the time.


Being the MC on a show is hard to do, especially a variety show.  You’ve got to keep it moving and you’ve got to fill time. A good MC will talk to acts before the show to get an idea of their set up and take down.  Based on that you’ll know what bits fill what spaces best.

An good MC is one of those things that you aren’t aware of, but when you see a bad one it’s obvious.  The key to MCing is talking to the acts, and watching them. That way if anything happens, you can reference it in between…or are prepared for a mess, props moving behind you and with time to fill.