The Online Magic Store Blog

A 19th-century parlour with a round table set for a séance

Who was Isaac Fawkes?

The story of Isaac Fawkes, the 18th-century London fairground conjuror known for the egg bag and his shows with clockmaker Christopher Pinc…

A vaudeville-era theatre balcony in warm sepia light

Who was John Henry Anderson, the Great Wizard of the North?

The life of John Henry Anderson, the Scottish showman billed as the Great Wizard of the North, from Aberdeenshire to theatres around the wo…

a deck cut into two halves on a mat, both packets squared

How to do a two-card transposition

Learn a classic two-card transposition: two cards swap places, one of them under the spectator’s own hand, using the double lift.

a copper coin and a silver coin side by side on dark wood

How to do the dime and penny trick

Learn the self-working dime and penny trick: a friend hides two coins, does a quick sum, and you know which hand holds the dime.

a pair of hands squaring a deck, soft rim light

How to do cards to pocket

Learn cards to pocket, the classic routine in which ten cards travel invisibly from your hand to your pocket one at a time.

a spotlight beam cutting through haze over an empty stage

How to do a card trick for a big audience

Learn a self-working card trick for a big audience: a cross-cut force and a large written prediction that everyone in the room can see.

a vintage clock face with hands frozen, dark background

How to do the magic square trick

Build a 4×4 magic square for any number someone names, with every row, column and diagonal adding up, using one simple subtraction.

a rubber band stretched between two fingers, black background

How to do the pencil and buttonhole trick

Make the pencil and buttonhole puzzle with a pencil and string, then learn how to lock it onto a buttonhole and take it off again.

a coin held at the fingertips about to vanish, dark background

How to vanish a coin with a pencil

A two-part beginner routine: a pencil vanishes behind your ear, then the coin vanishes for real with the French drop.

a deck and a single face-up ace on a leather close-up pad

How to do the reversed card trick

Learn the reversed card trick with any deck: a chosen card turns face up in the pack, with an easy no-sleight method, history and common mi…

A coin pinched between thumb and forefinger at eye level

How to do the heads or tails prediction

Learn the heads or tails prediction: with your back turned, a spectator flips coins as often as they like, covers one, and you name whether…

A single card held between two fingers against a black background

How to make a card float

Learn how to make a card float under your palm with a ring and a toothpick, plus what it takes to make a card float freely in the air.

A magician’s desk at night with a lamp, a deck, coins and notes

How to do the vanishing salt shaker

Learn the vanishing salt shaker: you promise to push a coin through the table, but when you slam the napkin flat it is the salt shaker that…

A small wooden prop box with brass hinges, lid open

How to do the broken and restored toothpick

Learn the broken and restored toothpick: a spectator snaps a toothpick inside a handkerchief, yet it comes out whole, thanks to a second to…

A coin half hidden under a small leather pad

How to do the coin through a handkerchief

Learn the coin through a handkerchief: a borrowed coin seems to melt through the centre of a handkerchief, using one secret fold and no gim…

One hand cutting a deck with the other hand waiting, overhead view

How to do the Sybil cut

What the Sybil cut is, where it was first published, the grips and swing cut you need first, and how the flourish is built stage by stage.

A hand spreading cards between both hands in a wide arc

How to do the waterfall card flourish

Learn the waterfall card flourish: bend the deck, ease the pressure and let the cards cascade one by one into your other hand, then make th…

Three closed envelopes fanned on black velvet

How to do a domino prediction

Learn the domino prediction: seal a prediction, let a spectator link a full set of dominoes into one chain, and the two end numbers match w…

A blindfold and a notepad on a dark wooden table

How to do the magic number nine trick

Learn the magic number nine trick: a spectator hides one digit of a secret calculation and you name it, using a simple rule about multiples…

A chalkboard slate with blurred writing face down on a table

How to do the dice total prediction

Learn the dice total prediction: glance at a stack of three dice and name the total of the hidden faces, using the rule that opposite faces…

A pencil and a blank pad on a desk, a hand resting beside it

How to do the age cards mind-reading trick

Make and perform the age cards: a set of number cards that lets you name anyone’s age, using a simple binary secret you can learn in minute…

A card sticking out of a squared deck, jogged halfway

How to crimp a card to find it again

Learn how to crimp a card: put a small secret bend in a corner, then find the chosen card again by sight, touch or a cut, even after the de…

A deck in dealer’s grip in one hand, thumb on the top card

How to glimpse the bottom card

Learn how to glimpse the bottom card of a deck secretly: when squaring, passing it between hands and other natural moments, plus timing tip…

A fan of cards held in one hand, backs showing

How to do the clock card trick

Learn the clock card trick: a spectator hides some cards, and their card appears at the matching hour on a clock of twelve cards. Steps and…