Card magic for intermediate magicians: a buyer’s guide

Once a few tricks and basic sleights feel easy, the next step is usually better material and better routines, not harder moves. Books of routines from working card magicians are a good next step. A free classic covers the sleights, and a slow, one-routine-at-a-time approach gets the material into your hands.

The intermediate stage can feel like a plateau. You can force a card, control it and do a double lift, but your tricks still feel like a list of moves. This guide covers what to look for at this stage, names four card books from our shelves, and points to two free books that teach the sleights in depth.

How do you know you’re ready for intermediate card magic?

A good sign is that you can already do these without thinking about them:

• A reliable way to find a card. For example, a crimp or a glimpse of the bottom card.
• A double lift. Our guide to the double lift covers the basics.
• A false cut or two. See false cuts and the pass.
• A few complete tricks you have performed for real people, not only in the mirror.

If those are in place, the next gains come from routines that use them well.

What should you look for when you buy?

Question	Why it matters at this stage
Does it teach routines, not just moves?	A routine shows you how to use your sleights in front of people. A move on its own rarely gets performed.
How hard is the handling?	Some books stay within easy sleights; others assume years of practice. Read the description for clues.
Does it explain presentation?	Essays and scripting teach you why a trick works on an audience, a part that’s easy to skip.
Does it use a normal deck?	Material for a normal deck can be performed anywhere, with a borrowed deck.

What helps you take it further?

These four books come from our shelves and suit a card magician ready for more. Every detail below is from the product’s own description.

• Card Craft by J. K. Hartman: an oversize hardcover of over 200 card routines, taught with more than 1,500 illustrations by Joseph K. Schmidt. The description says none of the routines require difficult sleight of hand, so it suits a magician moving beyond the basics.
• One Degree by John Guastaferro: a hardbound collection of 20 professional card routines and five essays, with 240 photos and a foreword by John Bannon. Its theme is the small, intentional improvements that lift the impact of your magic and help you connect with your audience.
• All In by Allan Ackerman with John Lovick: a two-book hardcover set in a slipcase, over 400 pages with nearly 90 tricks and sleights and full-colour photographs. Each book is split into techniques and tricks. The description names a no set-up version of MacDonald’s Aces, a section on memorized deck magic including the “Thirty-Minute Memorized Deck”, and Ackerman’s Rhythm Count false count.
• John Carney’s Carneycopia, written by Stephen Minch: more than 40 items from John Carney, illustrated with over a hundred drawings. The description says his routines are often built around a strong, visual moment and use practical methods, and that the book also teaches his philosophy of performing.

Browse more in our card magic collection, and see our playing cards for a fresh practice deck.

Are there free books that help?

• The Expert at the Card Table by S. W. Erdnase (1902) is a free 230-page book on blind shuffles and cuts, bottom and second dealing, palming and shifts, followed by conjuring tricks built on them.
• Howard Thurston’s Card Tricks (1901) is a free 44-page book covering the pass, the force, the change, the palm and the back palm, plus Thurston’s rising cards.

Both are public-domain scans of library copies, so expect the odd stain or stamp. See all our free ebooks.

How do you study a card book?

1. Read it through first. Skim the whole book before you pick up a deck, and mark the routines that fit your style.
2. Learn one routine at a time. Take it from the first line of patter to the last card, not move by move across ten tricks.
3. Perform it early. Show friends once you can do it cleanly. Real reactions teach you more than the mirror.
4. Keep notes. Write down what worked, what got a laugh and what confused people.
5. Practise in short sessions. Our guide on how to practise magic has a simple daily routine.

What are the common mistakes?

• Collecting moves instead of tricks. A new sleight is only useful once it lives inside a routine you perform.
• Skipping the essays. The thinking behind a routine is often worth more than the method. Our guide to writing patter helps you script what you say.
• Buying too many books at once. One book studied well beats five on the shelf.
• Jumping to the hardest trick. Start with the routines that fit your current skills and build up.

Frequently asked questions