From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia
The following is a list of
terms used by
magicians,
sorted alphabetically.
- Angles
- the lines of vision of
people sitting at certain position in the audience
which enable a secret to be spotted; usually extreme
left or right or behind. If a trick is "angly" it
can only be done with limited audience viewpoints.
- Back palm
- to palm in the back of the
hand.
- Bikes
-
Bicycle Playing Cards.
- Black art
- an optical principle and
the tricks accomplished by it.
- Burn
- a subject staring at the
magician's hands without averting the gaze, no
matter what
misdirection
is thrown at a subject.
- Copper and Silver (C/S)
- an effect using two coins
of contrasting metals which change place.
- Centre tear
- a special way of tearing
up paper billets used in
mentalist.
- Chop cup
- a cup with a secret
magnet
used with a magnetic ball which can be made to
vanish or appear at will using the magnet.
- Cold
- switching in a stacked
deck.
- Confederate
- an audience member planted
to act in a cooperative manner.
- Change
- changing one card (or
object) for another.
-
Charlier Cut
- One handed flourish cut or
pass.
- Classic force
- a force performed by
fanning the cards and timing the force card to land
under their fingers.
- Classic palm
- to palm with the centre of
the hand.
- Clean
- a hand which is empty or
the condition achieved at the end of an effect where
the magician has no supposedly vanished objects or
gimmicked items in her hands. See Dirty.
- Crimp
- a gambler's move which can
be used in magic, there are many different types;
used for card location.
- Cut and Restored
- see Torn and Restored.
- Deal
- to take cards off the top
of the deck. Dealing "seconds", "middles", or
"bottoms", refers to a sleight of hand in which the
second, middle, or bottom card is disguised as the
top card instead.
- Dirty
- a hand which is contains
an object the audience should not know about or the
condition at some point where the magician has
"vanished" objects or gimmicked items hidden in her
hands. See Clean.
- Ditch
- to secretly get rid of an
object or gimmick.
- Dovetail shuffle
- see Riffle shuffle.
- Equivoque
- a method of forcing an
specific object on a spectator through a seemingly
randomized selection process. See Force.
- Effect
- how a magic trick is
perceived by a spectator.
- Egg bag
- a utility bag often made
of black velvet which can be turned inside out to
vanish an object (egg) or change one object for
another.
- Elmsley count
- a false count (often done
with four cards) where the surface of a card is
hidden while the cards are passed from one hand to
another. Named for
Alex Elmsley,
its inventor.
- Fairy dust
- see Magic dust.
- False transfer
- a technique in which an
object appears to be taken into one hand while
actually being retained in the other.
- False shuffle/False cut
- a shuffle or cut in which
the deck is apparently mixed but, in reality, the
original order is retained.
- Faro
- a shuffle similar to the
riffle where the cards mesh perfectly. An in or out
faro is performed depending on the position of the
top card.
- Finger palm
- to palm in the fingers.
- Flash
- to accidentally expose an
object or part of an object momentarily during a
secret move.
-
Flourish
- a showy move which
displays handling skills.
-
French drop
- a take false transfer with
a coin or small object.
-
Force
- where a card or other
object is made to be selected by the spectator,
despite the appearance of a free choice.
- Gaff
- see Gimmick.
- Ghost count
- see Elmsley count.
- Glimpse
- a secret view of a card or
object.
- Gimmick
- a secret part or object
used to make the trick work. Gimmicks are regarded
as a non-honorable technique by some magicians who
emphasize mainly on sleights; however, gimmicks
often create a much more visual and impossible
effect.
- Invisible deck
- a special gimmicked deck
with one card turned over; often the card is the
spectator's chosen card. Many magicians use the
invisible deck as a backup plan if something goes
wrong in the middle of a routine.
- Invisible thread reel
- a mechanical reel
containing invisible thread used to float small
objects, with a safety pin which is connected to the
inside of a magician's collar. The end part of the
thread is typically connected by a piece of beeswax
where it can be connected to another object.
- Impromptu
- a trick that can be
performed at a moment's notice, usually with
everyday objects and little or no preparation.
- Key card
- a known card used to
locate another. See locator.
- Lapping
- dropping an object into
one's lap to vanish it; performed while seated.
- Load
- to secretly put an object
into a location, or an object in a secret location
ready to be produced.
- Loaded
- a
die
which comes up the same number or an object which
secretly contains another object ready for
production.
- Locator
- similar to a key card; a
card which can be found in some way. It may be long,
short, thick, rough, smooth, crimped, daubed,
marked, reversed, or simply known.
- M5
-
Neodymium magnet,
used for PK effects, balances, stopping watches, and
vanishes.
- Magic dust
- invisible substance stored
in magician's pocket that supposedly makes tricks
work. Excuse for going to a pocket to get rid of a
vanished item. See Misdirection.
- Magician's choice
- see Force.
- Magician's rope
- soft, usually white rope
used for rope tricks.
- Magician's wax
- wax used to temporarily
attach objects. The earliest known magician's wax is
beeswax. Magician's wax can be made easily by
melting beeswax with parts of Vaseline to alter its
consistency. Natural beeswax has the tendency to
stain cards; dental wax is also used by some as a
substitute.
- Manipulator
- a magician with a showy
sleight of hand act, often set to music.
- Mark
- a subject for a con game.
- Mechanic
- an operator who is very
skilled at sleight of hand, usually with cards.
- Mechanic's grip
- a way of holding the pack
in the left hand ready for dealing. The forefinger
is on the front of the deck to help square the pack
and control the cards. A lay person will hold the
deck with the fingers all underneath or down the
side.
-
Misdirection
- psychological techniques
for controlling attention.
-
Monte
- a famous con game where
three cards are thrown down and the mark has to
follow a chosen card; due to a sleight of hand, the
mark never wins. Over time, the three-card Monte has
evolved to many other forms, such as the color Monte and the million dollar
Monte.
-
One Ahead
- principle often used in
mentalist where the magician uses previously
obtained information to stay one step ahead of the
audience to supposedly make accurate
predictions/guesses.
- Out
- an alternative ending to
an effect.
- Overhand shuffle
- a shuffle where the cards
are dropped from one hand into the other in small
random groups.
- Packet trick
- a
card magic
effect involving a small quantity of cards, some of
which are often gimmicked.
-
Palm
- to secretly hold an object
in the hand in a manner which is unnoticeable.
-
Pass
- a secret move to transpose
the halves of a pack; the effect is the same as that
of cutting a deck of cards.
-
Patter
- the script used in the
performance of an effect. Patter styles may differ
from magicians to magicians: some prefer a serious
patter, while others opt for a light hearted
humorous patter to relax the audience and try to
catch them off guard.
- Peek
- see Glimpse.
- Profaned/Pochettes
- large pockets in tail
coats which can be used for vanishes or productions,
although not popular method today due to fashion
trends.
- Pinch
- holding something between
the fingers.
- Plant
- see Confederate.
- Psycho kinesis
- moving things using
supposed supernatural powers.
- Pull
- a device of elastic which
pulls object up sleeve or under jacket as in the
vanishing cigarette.
- Pull through shuffle
- the concluding move to a
riffle where the two halves are pulled through each
other and not mixed.
- Raven
- product name for a utility
vanishing device made from a powerful magnet
attached to elastic to pull a small steel object up
one's sleeve.
-
Retention of vision
- the after-image on the
retina;
applied to certain visually convincing vanishes.
- Riffle
- to let cards come out of
the hand, creating a noise.
- Riffle shuffle
- the most common shuffling
technique in which half of the deck is held in each
hand with the thumbs inward, then cards are released
by the thumbs so that they fall to the table
intertwined.
- Rough
- cards which have been
treated with substance to increase surface friction,
making it easier to keep cards aligned to each
other.
- Routine
- a sequence of effects.
- Run
- taking the cards off
singly during an overhand shuffle which can be used
to stack the deck.
- Servante
- a secret shelf or
compartment behind the magician's table.
- Silk
- a silk
handkerchief.
- Shell
- a hollowed out coin or
ball which fits over the real object allowing vanish
and reproductions.
- Shell game
- see
Monte.
- Shill
- see Confederate.
-
Shuffle
- to randomize a deck of
playing cards.
- Table shuffle
- a variation of the riffle
shuffle, often used by dealers in
casinos,
in which the deck's halves are placed flat on the
table with their rear corners touching. The back
edges are then lifted with the thumbs while the
halves are pushed together.
- Thumb palm
- to palm in the crotch of
the thumb.
- Sleeving
- dropping an object up a
sleeve to vanish it.
-
Sleight
- a secret move or
technique.
- Slicks
- highly polished cards or
coins which are more slippery; useful for
flourishes. See Rough.
- Slide
- a tube used to get an
object to an otherwise impossible to reach location.
- Slip
- to retain the top or
bottom cards, or both, during an overhand shuffle.
-
Sphinx Principle
- the concept that two
mirrors at 90 degrees and with their apex facing the
audience can be used to reflect the side curtains or
walls, which are the same pattern as those at the
back, enabling an object to be hidden behind the
mirrors; first used in the
Sphinx illusion.
- Sponge
- a sponge ball.
- Spread
- flourishing a deck of
cards onto a tabletop.
- Stack
- a prearranged deck or part
of the deck of cards, or to rearrange while overhand
shuffling.
- Steal
- a sleight used to obtain
an object secretly.
- Stodare egg
- a hollow egg used in
vanish or production of a silk.
- Stooge
- see Confederate.
- Sucker effect
- a trick where the
spectator is lead to believe he has worked it out,
only to be proven wrong.
- Switch
- to exchange one object for
another.
- Talking
- inadvertent noises made by
the props which can give away the trick.
- Torn and Restored
- a trick in which the
magician rips something up into many pieces and then
"restores" it.
- Tourniquet
- see French drop.
- Woofle dust
- see Magic dust.
- Zombie gimmick
- a secret rod to make an
object float, usually under the cover of a cloth, as
in the
Zombie Ball
illusion.
Useful Items
for Magicians
Our thanks to
Alessandro Scotti for this bunch of business below
No
description or price information available yet, please
bear with us while we reorganize our inventory to offer
you a better service. Thank you.
A pre-bent spoon for the lazy mentalist
A solid
piece of rope (has already been cut and restored at the
factory)
A force
deck with 52 different cards (so you can force any card
you like)
A
rough-and-smooth deck with no rough for fanning
Non-alcoholic scotch and soda for children
A
sleeveless escape jacket (for use in the summer)
A deck of
playing cards without the first card (for second
dealing)
The 3.14
of clubs (for math buffs)
A
pre-compiled forum message recommending The Royal Road,
Card College and Bobo's book
An empty
case (to show the invisible deck is there)
A set of
eight key rings (for beginners)
A set of
eight solid rings (if you are the real thing)
Instructions on how to hold a funny break (taught by
David Blaine)
A postage
stamp for the homing card (if you perform abroad)
Card
to Walllet Facts
Credit for this
information goes to Doug Atkinson
Wallet Types
There are two broad
categories of wallets:
Switchers: Allow you
to switch one card for another, make cards disappear,
and so forth. Not usually limited to cards only. These
include Himber Wallets and other switching wallets
such as the Eclipse wallet by Chazpro. Himber wallets
can be used effectively for a card to wallet effect,
but can also be used in any situation where you want
to exchange one card for another.
Loaders: Allow you to
load a selected card into a seemingly impossible area.
That is, a marked card appears in a zippered area in a
closed wallet, and sometimes in an envelope in the
sealed area. These include Balducci/Kaps, LePaul, and
Mullica wallets.
General Advice: Note
that some wallet designs combine features, so you may
have a combination switching and loading wallet, or a
combination of loading techniques available. Also,
wallets vary greatly in quality of construction.
Expect to pay $50 or more for a quality wallet,
although some of the less expensive wallets are
certainly usable. Depending on your use, even a vinyl
wallet may suffice. In many cases, gimmicked wallets
are not even necessary, and many prefer to gimmick
their own wallet purchased from a department store. In
most cases, a wallet that looks like a "normal" wallet
is best.
Switching Wallets:
Richard Himber made famous
the "Himber" wallet, as it is known today. The Himber
wallet allows you to switch cards, bills, and so forth
with other cards, and can also be used for
card-in-wallet effects.
There are two designs of the
Himber wallet. The original design by Richard Himber
uses straps that keep the opposite side closed. The
other basic design is a Z-fold arrangement. The
advantage to the strapped wallet is the ability to
have the spectator partially handle the wallet without
fear of the "other" side falling open. The advantage
to Z-fold wallets is the lack of the tell-tale straps
that indicate a Himber wallet is in use. If you are
performing for other magicians or magic saavy
spectators, you may prefer to use a Z-fold wallet.
Another feature to look for
in a Himber wallet is the "passthrough" feature. This
is not necessary for every routine, but may be
important for some. A card or bill placed in the
middle section of the wallet will also be available
when the other side of the wallet is opened. Not all
Himbers provide this feature. If your needs are for
pure switching, you may not need it.
One of the premier Himber
type wallets was developed by David Bendix and is
known as the Bendix Bombshell wallet. It is marketed
by
R.A.R. Magic
in the U.K. The Bendix wallet is a Himber wallet that
incorporates a zippered compartment in the middle. The
zippered compartment provides a unique passthrough
capability that is not possible with standard Himbers,
even those with a passthrough.
There have been several
variations made through the years. For example, Chuck
Leach's Eclipse Wallet and Randy Wakeman's
One Eyed Wildebeast wallet provide visual
switching mechanisms. That is, a card can be seen
through a hole in the wallet, yet a swtich can be made
when the card is removed.
When buying a Himber wallet,
you also have to decide what size you want to use. For
example, Michael Ammar's
Showcase Wallet
is a small vinyl switcher designed for simple
switching of gimmicked card packets for ungimmicked
ones. On the other hand, a full size pocket secretary
type Himber wallet will allow you to place envelopes
or bills into the wallet without folding.
Loading Wallets:
One of the earliest types of
loading wallets was based on a "document case," which
was essentially a pocket-sized leather folder zippered
on three sides. In about 1950, Dick Washington of
Chicago designed and made a gimmicked version of a
document case for Paul (Braden) LePaul to use in place
of his gimmicked stack of envelopes from which he'd
remove a sealed envelope containing four marked aces
which had vanished from his deck. LePaul used this in
place of the stack for several years.
The Washington Wallet only
zipped on two sides, but looked like it would on the
third, which was actually open with two leather flaps
inside for feeding cards into a sealed envelope.
Ron Bauer obtained an early
copy made by Howard Bamman from Don Alan in the late
fifties, and had Dave Hertzberg make several samples,
including one that was part "pocket secretary" and
part LePaul wallet. He gave a prototype to Larry
Jennings who was on route to California. Jennings
marketed this design for a time, which is why Mentzer
calls modern versions of this wallet "The Jennings
Wallet" in his "Card to Wallet" book. Credit really
belongs to Bauer/Washington for this style wallet.
You will also see many
references to Balducci/Kaps. According to Jerry
Mentzer in his Card
to Wallet book, Balducci first developed the
loading mechanism, and Kaps improved it by adding a
slide. The end effect is much like the LePaul wallet,
but without the envelope. The loading is aided by the
mechanism. The concept appears in Hugard's Magic
Monthly, Vol 15, No 11, April 1958 (thanks to Chris
Wasshuber's
http://www.lybrary.com/mlp
Magic Lineage Page and Wesley James' entry for this
wallet).
The Mullica wallet is another
variation that allows loading without needing to palm
a card. The card is loaded into a wallet that fits
inside another wallet. The original can be purchased
from
Tommy Mullica's
site.
There are also many
variations on the above, as you will see as you read
the product descriptions on the Card to Wallet
reference page.
There are many factors to
consider when buying a loading wallet. Can you palm a
card, or do you prefer a no-palm method? Do you want
the wallet to fit in your hip pocket, or do you wear a
jacket? Do you need an instant reset, such as for
table hopping? The LePaul wallet requires you to rip
open the envelopes, so the reset is not as fast. Most
Kaps/Balducci loaders provide an instant reset when
the wallet is put away in the pocket.
The quality of the wallet can
vary. Some wallets are as low as $30, others well over
$100. Some wallets combine several features, such as
Tony Miller's BKM wallet. BKM stands for Balducci,
Kaps, Mullica, and combines the features of each. Some
combine a Himber feature with a loader, that provides
some unique routine possibilities.
Highly Recommended:
Two fairly recent books are execellent: Jerry
Mentzer's Card to
Wallet (1991) covers many of the current wallet
designs and includes many routines for both loading
and switching wallets ($40). Harry Loryane's
The Himber Wallet
book is a super thorough coverage of Himber wallet
effects ($35). While I haven't seen it, L&L Publ
