How to do Street Magic

Ellusionist.com has come out with a "How to do Street Magic" video. I first ordered it a few years ago, and I have to say - EXCELLENT! There are several effects you can learn with just the first video. This is a great resource for beginners. There are also some tricks on there that you really could use to add to a more experienced repertoire, but probably by the time you have become fairly experienced the tricks shown here have already been learned. Let's go through the DVD and review the tricks one at a time.

Burned

Effect: Card is selected and returned to the deck. Selection is written on a piece of paper, crumpled up and burned. The magician uses the ashes to mystically reveal the chosen card on his arms. He rubs the ashes on his arm to show that the card is now readable on his arm. This apparently has been done through some kind of communication with spirits.

With this trick, it helps one learn a method of a card force. It's a basic method, so don't get your hopes up too high.

Pros:
Very cool effect when done right.
Definitely has "wow" factor.
Teaching technique and tips given on the video are really good

Cons:
There is fire involved, so you really can't perform it everywhere.
The method of the card force is a bit too basic.
Preparation involved.

Now, remember - this video was intended for beginners. It really is a great trick for beginners to learn, and helps represent some basic sleights of hand in a good way. I like the effect, but I have never performed it myself. I've enjoyed this type of effect and would recommend Wayne Houchin's Stigmata instead of this specific trick.

Glass Stinger

This trick is about placing an object on a table, and through magic, having the object pass through the table. In this case it is a shot glass, or glass cup.

Pros:
great trick for beginners
can be done in most places, like homes, lunch table, while out to eat, etc
no setup is required

Cons:
This trick is a common beginner trick. A lot of people may already know the secret before purchasing the video.
Can't really perform everywhere because a table is required, as well as a napkin or paper towel.

My sister had a boyfriend when I was young and he knew this trick before the video was released. He showed me the trick and taught me how it was done. To me I feel this trick is filler material but helps someone learning magic with some of the psychology behind magic. For instance, part of the video explains to have the spectator's concentrate on coin. The trick is supposed to be to make a coin go through the table. When this doesn't work, the glass shot goes through the table. It is a good beginning to misdirection.

Sick Aces

I really love Sick Aces. I start out with this because I have shown this trick several times and no one understands how it is possible. I have never been caught, and it's an excellent trick. I like the video and how it explains false shuffles, and how to incorporate them with this trick. Shuffling at the beginning, handing the cards to the spectator, and having them do all the work. After having them split the deck into 4 even piles, and shuffling cards around from there, having in the end all 4 aces at the top of each stack.

pros:
Definitely has "wow" factor
simple and easy to do
spectator does all the work - they are the ones handling the cards

cons:
some setup is required

Even though some setup is required, it is really easy to setup without being noticed. The false shuffle covered in the DVD is a good one. It might seem rather basic, but honestly you will not be caught with it unless it is done wrong. I've performed this trick several times and would really recommend it for others.

Trace Unseen

Ok, so this one is pretty good too. The magician riffles through the cards and has someone tell him when to stop. Then a card is seen by everyone, and not even taken out of the deck. The deck is turned over and each card is dealt one at a time. The chosen card is no where to be found. The card is found in one of the spectator's pockets.

Pros:
Easy trick to perform, and the method is excellent
Location of the card in the end can be anywhere you'd like
it can be done surrounded
it can be done anywhere

Cons:
some setup is involved
spectator can't inspect the deck of cards

This effect is really good. Honestly, I really would recommend it. I have performed this trick before, and it has dropped the jaws of people who saw it. This has been the favorite trick of some of my friends. The setup is really easy, and the work placed into the effect is definitely worth the reactions received when it is done.

Merger

This trick is done with a business card or any other kind of card. A rope is fed through a hole torn in the middle. The card is covered with a hankerchief and then the card is no longer on the rope and is not torn. It is still in good condition, except for the hole torn in the center. The rope apparently passed through the card's edge without causing any damage.

Pros:
Easy, good for beginners

Cons:
some setup involved

The video's commercial makes it sound like if you were somewhere and someone asked you to show some magic, that you would have a lot of magic to show on the spot. This trick is not an on the spot kind of trick. It's good magic, but at the same time the explanation is kind of obvious. It's a good trick to show after presenting some other mind blowing material. Having the history of other mind blowing tricks followed by this kind of effect is a good idea. People will still be in awe from the previous effects, their mind will be boggled enough not to come up with how this one is done. All-in-all, a good trick - but not a show starter.

Trick Switch

Whoa, talk about great magic. Definitely a good sleight of hand introduced by learning this effect. There are some great steps, and when carried through it looks like magic!

Card is selected - shuffled back into the deck. Spectator cuts the deck into 3rds and is told that they will cut to their card. After showing the bottom card of each stack, the bottom card is dealt to be shown face down side-by-side the other cards from the bottom. One of the cards is the selected card, but the magician says that he doesn't think that was the card. Then, asks the spectator to give a number 1-10. That number of cards is counted off the bottom of the stack, and at the number the spectator chooses is revealed to be the selected card. The spectator surprised looks at the 3 cards to find that their card is no longer there.

Pros:
excellent trick for beginners and experienced magicians alike
has "wow" factor
video does a great job explaining each step and how to pull of sleights of hand

Cons:
with this trick, I really didn't see any.

I really enjoy this trick. Once I learned it, this trick became one of my favorites right away. Place the practice into the trick, and people will go nuts. Each time I present this trick, the spectators want to inspect the cards. LET THEM! This one is pretty good. Really.

Voodoo Zone

Another great effect. I'm not even going to go into the pros and cons, because there are only pros. The effect has a card folded in half and pass through a voodoo zone caused by another card folded in half. It makes the card apparently change from being face up to face down, or vice versa. Then at the end, the card is brought halfway through and torn in half. Fully inspectable. I have had so much fun with this. The only warning I have is that you will go through a lot of decks of cards with this, so set aside a deck specifically for ripping up. It's a lot of fun, and people definitely are surprised. There is the "wow" factor with this trick for sure!

Go Inside Sugar

Ok, this trick is fun. It apparently makes a coin go into a sealed sugar packet and comes back out when it is torn open. This is a good trick and fun to perform. Watch your angles, and practice in front of a mirror. When done right it really makes people go nuts. The first couple of times I performed it I didn't have much practice, and people saw what I was doing. Put in the time and practice and this trick will make people say that you're like Criss Angel and David Blaine!

Print

Make an ordinary blank piece of paper turn into a printed business card. Nice trick, and introduces a good sleight of hand. Anyone having a hard time learning any paddle trick would benefit from this effect. The effect creates some good magic. I like it a lot.

Chance Zero, Georges Old Trick, and Melted are all tricks I didn't especially like in the video. I'm not one for tricks that sort out black and red cards. The coin trick with George's Old Trick was ok, but I didn't see any application in real life situations to show it off. Having a ring apparently melt through a string is one I practiced a bit, but never performed. The main reason there was because I needed to have string and a ring with me. I might revisit the melt trick one day, but right now it isn't much of an interest to me.

Overall, great product. Watching the performances on the DVD was very entertaining. Knowing how the trick was done was pretty cool too. The bonuses that come with the DVD are worth it, and right now they are including a free deck of cards. I would recommend this product and this website to anyone.