close up magic – Page 12

Strange Four Ace Production

I’ve been playing with a production of three cards, but it really didn’t feel right. There’s hardly ever a reason to produce three cards. One, two and four make sense but three? I guess maybe if you’re trying to wrap up a multiple selection routine, but that would be it.

The solution hit me, have a card picked, then produce the remaining three of that value. Here’s what it looks like:

@louiefoxx Four of a kind! #cardtrick #cardistry #magictrick #aces #cards ♬ Bitter Sweet Symphony – The Peppermint Posse

Here’s how to do it:

Set up: you have an ace at the bottom of the deck and the three other aces in the middle of the deck, with a pinky break below the top ace.

Working: Classic force the ace below the pinky break, and keep the break between the two aces in the middle of the deck. While they are looking at the card, use your left ring finger to pivot the card above the break 90 degrees, so it’s sticking out sideways. This is hidden by your right hand.

Set the selected card (ace) face up on the table with your left hand.

Your right hand does Derek Dingle’s Open Sesame move, with the index finger splitting the deck above the sideways cards and pivoting the card below it 90 degrees as your turn you hand over.

BOOM! You have just produced the three cards of the same value as a selected card in a flourishy way.

-Louie

Portland SAM #59

Last week I visited the Society of American Magicians Assembly #59 in Portland, OR. I love magic clubs, and it’s time for me to formally join this one. I’m currently not a member of the national Society of American Magicians, so I need to do that before I can be a member of the local assembly.

I think that of the barriers to entry with magic clubs is having to join the national and the local magic club. It looks like national SAM dues are $65 and the local club is $35, so it’s $100 to get involved. That’s a lot of money for someone who is just starting out in magic. However I do understand why the money is needed, and there is value to the $100. If someone starting in magic actually read the magazines and went to the meetings there’s more than $100 in value.

Society of American Magicians Assembly #59 in Portland, OR

After the magic club meeting, a few of us went down the street for a beer to keep magic jamming!

I’m a HUGE supporter of magic clubs as they helped me a lot growing up and I want to help them succeed. You should support your local magic club!

-Louie

The Turkey Hand!

Every year I post this trick on Thanksgiving. It’s a good example of adding a theme to a trick that already exists.

The idea for this trick is in a Jim Steinmeyer book. For holidays, look at what you already do and look for logical connections then make the trick!

Another great book with math principles for things like this is Body Mentalism by Juan Pablo Ibañez.

-Louie

My Favorite Cards!

With all of the specialty decks and different cuts or finishes on cards that are available to magicians now, what’s your favorite deck of cards?

For me, the best will always be a deck of Bicycle playing cards from the Cincinnati factory! You can’t beat them, they’re the best! Unfortunately they moved to Kentucky in 2009, so it’s been 15 years since these were made. You can still find them, and I actively seek them out when I travel.

What I love about the Cincinnati made cards is that they last a lot longer than the current cards. A deck of the current Bicycle cards will last me about an hour, where the older stock will last me days!

I’ve quietly amassed a large box of them. If they’re still sealed, then 98% of the time they’re perfect! Occasionally a sealed box will have some sort of moisture issue, but that’s rare.

I never pay more than $3 a box when I find them in out there in the wild (aka a junk shop). You can find these decks on ebay for about $5 a deck plus shipping, which I think is way to much.

If you find a deck, buy them and you’ll remember why these cards were soo great!

-Louie

Nick Trost’s Gemini Cards

Over on TikTok I post vintage magic tricks and a recent one that I did was Nick Trost’s Gemini Cards. Also, if you’re not following me over there please do, I’m at: https://www.tiktok.com/@louiefoxx

Gemini Cards is an Out of This World style of card trick. Here’s what it looks like:

@louiefoxx Will the cards match? #cardtrick #magictrick #cardmagic #shuffle #match #vintagemagic #nicktrost ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx

The trick is great, and a fooler. I was trying to think of what it could be done with that aren’t playing cards. Here are some ideas:

Cards with pictures of:
-Red/Black socks
-Cats and dogs

However I don’t want to use things that are pictures drawn on playing cards. So other objects that are “card like” in their natural state.

Here are some ideas:
-paint swatches
-number flash cards: evens and odds match each other
-photographs (maybe of my dog and cat)
-postcards: I have custom made “postcards from home” that I use for a torn and restored postcard routine. I could use those and postcards from exotic places.

I think that the Gemini Cards definitely has potential, just not sure how to use it!

-Louie

Flippy Triumph

For years I’ve been playing with flippy thing that I read in the book Underground Man by Lou Gallo. Here’s what it looks like:

Recently I’ve put in some dedicated time to get it pretty consistent. Then the next thing is to figure out what to do with the move. Lou Gallo uses it as part of a two card production. A while ago I came up with a four ace production that uses it, and I’ll write that up sometime.

The other trick I came up with using it is this:

@louiefoxx Always shuffle the cards! #cardtrick #magic #magictrick #shuffle #triumph #cards ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx

I like this routine, it’s not harder than a traditional Triumph…once you learn to do the flip over move. I’ve been out doing this a lot recently and just wrote it up and it’ll be in the December Vanish Magazine!

-Louie

Splitting Creamer

While I was a hotel, I accidentally discovered you can split a coffee creamer lid!

How would I use this?

Essentially you could reseal something inside the creamer pod and keep the integrity of the original seal.

Do what you want with this new found knowledge!
-Louie

Making it “Easy To Do”

Sometimes there are magic tricks where the instructions are the least effective way to do the trick. Then you realize they are dumbed down to make them easy to do. One trick is The MisMade Card by Daryl.

Here’s how the trick looks when done how the instructions say:

@louiefoxx How to turn a playing card into amazing art! #art #diyart #craft #creatingart #howto #asmr #louiefoxx #impossibleobject #1990s #magictrick #cardtrick #daryl ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx

I did make one change, there’s a discrepancy in the instructions. You can’t do the trick as written. When you tear a card into 4 pieces, you cannot make it form the same pattern as the final mismade cards. The two backs visible will have the borders on the inside. I added a switch of the quarters that show backs.

However the whole, put the card in a sleeve, then wrap it in paper is soo much process and weakens the trick. A better method would be to tear the card in quarters, do the JC Wagner torn and restored card switch and unfold it show the card is restored. It’s a much more direct trick AND you can actually do it.

I do understand why making the trick easy makes it a lot more marketable as a lot of people don’t want to learn a sleight of hand move to do a trick. One of the things I do whenever I get a new trick and start to learn it, is try to figure out a more direct way to do it!

-Louie

My Favorite Trade Show Trick!

Right now is booking season for the summer of 2025 and I’m going a lot of booking conferences and trade shows. My absolute favorite trick to do at these is my Out For Beers trick.

This trick leaves buyers with an item that has been magically altered, that they can show people. More importantly, they trick still works when they bring people over to me who know what will happen in the trick!

This routine starts with a gag and ends with a trick where picture of a full pitcher of beer empties itself!

Out for Beers is $19 and includes free shipping in the USA!

If you order Out for Beers anytime in November 2024, I’ll throw in and extra 25 of the empty beer cards! You don’t need to do anything to get these added to your order, they’ll automatically be included!

Click here to order Out for Beers!

Magic Club – SAM #59

A couple of weeks ago I popped by the Portland SAM magic club. It was their close up contest night! There were three contestants that all did card tricks, and all with very different styles!

Then after the contest we saw some magic by Gaeton from France and a demonstration of the Vampire Block Escape!

The Vampire Block Escape is a trick I’ve seen on shelves of magic shops, but had never seen any actually do the trick. This particular one was homemade and probably 60 years old!!! The trick looked great and while the style of prop isn’t modern, the trick is still great!

I’m a huge fan of magic clubs and if you aren’t popping into your local magic club, you should. Contribute to your local magic community.

-Louie