close up magic – Page 11

Look It Up!

This summer teenagers have been saying, “That’s soo sigma” or just “Sigma” when I perform close up magic for them. I had a feeling that “sigma” meant cool, based on the context it was used in. However, to be sure, I did a Google search to figure it out.

Nothing in life has made me feel older than researching slang on the Today Show’s website!

That confirmed what I thought, and now I can use it correctly. While I think that when a older magician uses kid slang it feels like they are trying to pander to the kids and never seems cool.

In my close up I now say, “that’s soo sigma” but I do it in a way where I’m almost making fun of saying it. Very tongue in cheek, and not using it like it’s something I would normally say.

It’s important to keep an eye or ear out for these trends that kids do and figure out how you can use them to your advantage. For example, there’s the trend of kids asking you to “do a backflip”. I came up with two version of this trick to do when they ask:

@louiefoxx Do a Back Flip! #doabackflip #backflipchallenge #backflip #louiefoxx #magic #magictrick, #surpriseending #old #magician #cardtrick ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx

The other version and the one that I use is published in Vanish Magazine about a year ago.

Simply knowing how to respond to these things will put you ahead of the game!

-Louie

New Opening Bit For My Card Set!

Last week when I was playing with a idea for a trick where a card changes to a selected color, I hit upon a new bit for the beginning of my main card set. The first phase is a multiple card force, so they keep picking the same card.

It begins by asking the person picking the card their name. As they are picking the card, I say, “People named _____ always pick the five of spades.” Then they look at the card and that’s what they pick. We repeat this and they pick the same card again and I say, “See…people named ___ always pick that.” Then I have someone else pick a card, and I repeat the same bit with the their name and the same force card. This is fun, and it get’s me using their names.

I’m really liking this!

– Louie

Packet Trick in Spanish

Earlier this summer I started doing a packet trick in Spanish. The trick is Emerson and West’s Gourmet Mouse. What I like about this trick is that it’s very simple and I can do it for kids. The plot is easy to follow, you have three cards. One has a picture of a mouse, one cheese and one a slice of cheesecake. The cheese ends up disappearing and the mouse ends up changing to a picture of a cat (that ate the mouse).

The trick is pretty simple to speak in Spanish and that’s helping me connect with audiences that I’ve struggled with in the past due to language barriers.

Here’s what the trick looks like:

@louiefoxx Help me learn spanish! #spanish #learnspanish #helpme #magictrick #rat #gato #cat #cheese #cardtrick #louiefoxx #learnalanguage ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx

To learn Spanish, I’m using DuoLingo and asking for help from people I work with who speak Spanish. I’m getting better, nowhere near conversational, but getting better.

-Louie

Color Changing Card!

Here’s what I’m started doing with the Bicycle NERTZ cards. There’s every color of the rainbow, except for orange, and there’s also black. What I’m doing is that I took out all of five of spades and put them in rainbow order in my pocket. This is my pocket index of the colors. I’m not using the black card. I’m also using a blue backed deck with the five of spades on top. The blue card that came with the NERTZ card set is a different blue than the standard bicycle card blue deck color.

When I start my card routine, I ask what the person’s favorite color of the rainbow is. I then force them the five of spades that on top of the deck as they are picking the card, I say, “People who like yellow (or whatever color they say) always pick the five of spades.” Then I proceed with my multiple force routine and my three locations of a card routine. During the three locations, I’ll pull the yellow backed fived of spades from the middle of the stack in my pocket and move it to the top.

After the three locations routine, it feels like the trick is done. The deck is on the the table and the selected card is face up next to it. I’m stealing the yellow five of spades from my pocket and loading it face up six cards from the top of the deck.

I show the tabled blue backed five of spades, put it into the deck and side steal in into my right hand as I hand the deck to the person who said “yellow”. I ask them what color they said, and they’ll repeat “yellow”. I have them deal down cards spelling yellow, dealing one card per letter. When they hit the W, their card will be face up! I use the time when they’re dealing cards to ditch the palmed card in my pocket.

Now all that’s left is to turn the card over to show that it’s back is now their named color!

A couple of notes about this, first of all, obviously use whatever color they say, not just yellow. I have yet to have someone name orange, if they did, I’d just use that as the premise for the multiple force. Next, it’s easy to know the letters. If they name any color except for red or blue, put the card in the 6th position. If they name red or blue, put the card into the fourth position. That will have the selected card end up face up at either the last card of the deal, or sitting face up after the deal.

Hope you enjoy it, it’s a lot of fun to day, the only downside is the pocket space it takes up.

-Louie

The Unconquered Card!

When I was a kid, I remember there were two different (gimmicked) three card montes being done. There was Michael Skinner’s and the one put out by Mike Rogers. Both were virtually identical, except that Skinner’s has a snappy flip over. It appears that Roger’s was the first and he had been doing it since the early 1960’s. Here’s what the Roger’s routine looks like:

@louiefoxx Does anyone ever win this game? #gambling #win #cardgame #magictrick #cardtrick #shellgame #threecardmonte #louiefoxx #explained #monte ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx

At the end, I show how I would change the count. His shuffle sequence doesn’t make sense with how the cards ended up after the shuffle. So I changed the shuffle sequence, so that your pull a double, to the bottom, then a single to the bottom and finally another single to the bottom. That shuffle sequence leaves the cards in the sequence that they should be in after the shuffle. Where the original sequence the ace shouldn’t be back in the middle.

It’s a little thing, and honestly I don’t know how much of a difference it makes.

-Louie

Bicycle NERTZ Playing Cards

I finally broke down and bought a box of the NERTZ game playing cards that Bicycle puts out.

They’re $24.97 and you get six deck of cards, each is a different color.

What I don’t like about these is they’re jumbo index and not regular index cards.

I’m going to try to come up with a trick that uses these cards. I’m trying to avoid coming up with a packet trick where the payoff is the cards aren’t red or blue.

-Louie

Using Projection in my Senior Show!

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 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!

Trick from Ginosko

Here’s a trick from the book Ginosko. It’s called Blackjack for Brother John and it’s a packet trick that has a story that has a very 1980’s packet trick feel to it. That’s not a bad thing, but it feels like something Nick Trost or Emerson and West would have put out with novelty cards.

Here’s what it looks like:

@louiefoxx Blackjack for Brother John from the book Ginosko! #blackjack #cardtrick #magicbook #magic #magictrick #closeupmagic #gambling #louiefoxx #ginosko #idahomagic ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx

It’s a great story packet trick, and you only need four cards to do it with. That makes it impromptu, just pull the cards from the pack and you’re good to go. I would probably palm them out and remove the cards from my pocket, as you start by showing four of the same jack.

I recommend you pick up Ginosko, it’s only $25!

-Louie

Nick Trost’s 1-2-3-4 Trick: UPDATED

When I was performing at a 12 day gig, I was playing with Nick Trost’s 1-2-3-4 Trick. I liked the sequence, but thought the ending was just “Meh”. Here’s what the original trick looks like:

@louiefoxx Vintage Magic Trick: Nick Trost’s 1-2-3-4 Trick! #cardtrick #closeupmagic #magic #magictrick #vintage #columbus #louiefoxx #nicktrost #packettrick #cards #foxlake ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx

The main change was the theming, and I kinda changed the end. Here’s what I came up with:

@louiefoxx The One Dollar Card Trick! #cardtrick #magic #onedollar #cointrick #louiefoxx #magictrick #magician #what ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx

I like the ending being a picture across the four cards, instead of four separate cards. I think them being one image wraps up the trick nicely.

-Louie

Ginóskó by David Kuraya – Partial Review

Way back in early June when I was performing in San Francisco I visited Misdirections Magic Shop. Joe mentioned the book Ginóskó to me and said it was really good. I picked it up and finally started going through the book.

I’m only on the third trick in the book and so far I like all three!

The first trick is called Check Yo’ Self and is a production of a deck of card, which I think is fun, but I don’t really have the pocket space for it.

Blackjack For Brother John is the second trick is a packet trick that I’m having fun learning, but it’s not the style. I love learning packet tricks, but I don’t do them. The trick uses four cards, has a fun little blackjack theme and is pretty easy to do. If you’re into packet tricks, you’ll like this one.

The third trick is High Five and a Handshake is one that I really like and while it probably won’t make it into my main close up set, it’s something that I’ve been doing since I read it and it fits my style and gets great reactions! The effect is really simple, the two jokers are put in the middle of the deck and they jump to the top and bottom. It’s got a clear cut effect and David’s routine for it is fun!

Based on the first three tricks in the book, I would highly recommend this book! And at $25, if the rest of the book is junk, it’s still worth it!

-Louie