Current Events > Anyone else ever wonder how magicians pull off their tricks?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I've been watching some clips of America/Britain's Got Talent and perplexed as to how magicians actually pull off their "tricks" during their performance. I just have wondered how it is really done or if they really sold their soul to the devil for supernatural power. Jk but I've heard about that theory a lot before.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/4/45515ce6.jpg

Magic

I am a professional magician, so yes and no.

David Blaine is a wizard. His card tricks are real magic. He learned it from mystics in the eastern realms.

It's basically a lot of repetition (like hundreds of hours to perfect even one trick), and mastering the seven moves of sleight of hand:

Ditch - covertly dispose of what is hidden in the hand
Load - placing props/tools on the body/in the clothing before the trick begins
Misdirection - calling the audiences attention to something other than what you're doing
Palm - hiding an object in what seems to be your empty hand
Simulation - miming that you're doing something when you aren't
Steal - retrieving a Ditched or Loaded item to use
Switch - subtly changing out one item with another

"Illusions, Michael"

ablegator posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/4/45515ce6.jpg

Yes.

I once knew a guy who thought magicians really used magic.

For the longest time I thought he was just kidding around.

Turns out he was just pretty stupid lol

No because I have watched Val Valentino AKA The Masked Magician reveal the secrets to magic tricks in Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed.

All episodes and clips of individual tricks are available on Youtube.

Sometimes. I would rewatch the trick twice and try to keep my eyes on their hands.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/0/05150edf.jpg

I went to a show in Vegas and was really impressed with a trick I saw. The guy made a woman write her name on a $100 bill. Then he revealed a huge crate of Ramen. He asked her to choose a pack of her favorite flavor at random. Then he asked her to open the pack, toss the noodles and keep the spice pack. When she opened the spice pack the $100 with her signature was inside it.

Weirdly with the really competent magicians, the best way to get an idea how they did it is to not actually pay attention to what they're doing.
Like, if you spot one hand hovering close to one of their pockets while they're trying to distract you with a monologue, then (assuming the magician isn't just shit, of course), they want you to spot that and assume that it's something to do with the trick, so really you can discount that pocket entirely from having anything to do with it.

The way they are constantly talking with the audience or monologuing during a trick is very obviously a distraction, but usually they know that you know that so throw in other layers of distraction.

There used to be a dude who would hang around outside the bars in my local town centre, doing card tricks for the smokers outside for tips. The trick he was most fond of had him shuffling the deck at the start while he was chatting with you about your night and so on - the eagle-eyed (and more sober) marks might notice that one of the cards was slightly dog-eared at the corner, and when shuffling he would hang on that one for just a fraction of a second longer. That card has literally nothing to do with the trick at all, but once you've been "smart" enough to spot it it's hard to pay attention to anything else.

that david Blaine trick where he throws the deck at the window and your card is stuck on the other side of the window makes me believe in magic lol

josifrees posted...

that david Blaine trick where he throws the deck at the window and your card is stuck on the other side of the window makes me believe in magic lol

What this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEVDh-1_vh4

I did a magic trick

Stuck thumb tacks on my thumb.

The secret?

Use a glove and cut up a carrot, stick the carrot inside the thumb part of the glove then poke it with the tacks.

For added effect use a fake blood pack to enhance the illusion.