Why do we care about subtleties?
Back in the days, magicians use subtleties to perform better magic and provide better experiences to their spectators. The sad fact is, it doesn’t make a HUGE difference. A 90-point trick can go up to 95-points if subtleties are applied. And the magicians need other performance skills to turn it into a 100-point trick. That is why magicians didn’t really need to work on subtleties and could still become performing magicians. But those who did work on subtleties became GREAT performers.
When we perform in real life, subtleties are going to help us to get “better scores”. Not paying attention to subtleties won’t harm us because people will forget about the details and only remember the highlights of your performance. If you apply some subtleties here and there, you probably are going to get recognized as “that magician who is a little bit better than the other guy we saw before” assuming you two have the exactly same level of performance skills.
However, in the 21st century, everyone has cameras on their phones. On top of that, more and more magicians need to rely on social media to promote themselves. This means we are going to get exposed in front of cameras no matter what as long as we perform magic.
If we continue performing without refining our routines and sleights with subtleties, then we could run into some troubles since we will get filmed by one or more spectators. They are probably going to save the video and show it to their friends, or even upload those videos on their social media. In that case, if you are doing cruel sleight of hand or poorly structured routines, you will face a very “rude” comment section. People will leave heartbreaking comments that destroy our dignity.
Without subtleties, our techniques look terrible in videos. In real life, we can use misdirection to cover certain critical moments, but everything you do and every little detail will get recorded in videos. People thought you were great when you were performing, but their respect toward your craft will decrease as soon as they decide to watch your performance clip since they can see some poorly executed techniques.
In the 21st century, applying subtleties will benefit our performances, but not applying subtleties actually harms our performances since everyone has cameras. This wasn’t a huge problem 10 years ago but it has become a “problem” for us today. And this problem will get bigger and bigger as time goes by.
A couple of months ago, my hair guy found my social media and found out that I do magic, so he asked me to do some tricks for him. I did a few tricks and left. I was confident that my performance was flawless…
… until he called me the next day and said he figured out how I did my Card to Pocket trick. In my life, I only got caught doing Card to Pocket a few times when I was still practicing palming. Mostly because of the way I palmed cards. BUT! After that, I learned the particular variation from one of the greatest magicians in the world and even learned theories behind it, so I had absolutely no reason to flash, and the structure of the routine was clean and perfect so nobody could backtrack how I did it without video footage.
I made sure nobody had cameras out so I decided to do Card to Pocket. How in heaven did he figure it out?
I went back to the salon and asked how he figured it out. I thought he would say he looked it up on the internet, but no.
He said he checked out the security camera in the salon.
That is the moment I realized, I have to not only watch out for people pulling out their phones but also watch out for security cameras. It’s insane.
Pinky Break
In an ideal world, we can use a very tiny bit of flesh of our pinky to hold a break.
I don’t live in an ideal world. Maybe it is because of my dexterity, I have to pay attention to my hand when holding a break in that manner, and anyone can tell by my body language that I am being careful with my deck. On top of that, I cannot be 100% sure if I still have a break from time to time.
On the other hand, I don’t want to shove my finger inside the deck because that is going to leave marks on the front and on the left side of the deck. Anyone can see that there is a weird line on the deck and that raises suspicion.
In this video, we will take a look at how to get a reliable pinky break that doesn’t flash.
Pinky Count
While I was away from the magic market scene, I have been streaming magic on social media. Even though I used a different name and didn’t show my face, quite some people recognized my hand, my style of magic… and maybe my voice.
Other magicians started to come into my streaming room to watch me perform. Along with amateur magicians, some laymen who watched a few tutorials on magic came in too. Amateur magicians are not a trouble for me because I knew they would appreciate my handling of routines, but those laymen who know a thing or two about sleight of hand would leave rude comments like “Double lift lol” or “gimmick deck lol”.
I also have a couple of friends who do magic live streams, and they also get comments like “I saw you counting cards lol” or “card is on the top” or even “you stole the coin”.
Why do we get these kind of comments?
Some people know certain techniques exist, so even if they can’t see how things are done, they can figure it out. If they are fellow magicians, they won’t comment these rude things, but lay people don’t give a sxxt. They will ruthlessly point you out so they can feel good about themselves.
I get much fewer rude comments than some of my friends because my techniques are a bit more refined than theirs. I use subtleties to hide techniques as much as I can. The only rude comments I get are interesting guesses on how my tricks are done. On the other hand, some of my friends have “traces of techniques”, so people can really try to figure out methods when watching and shout out guesses. It can be painful for them since their guesses are usually correct.
When we are performing in front of real people, we don’t have to pay too much attention to what our pinky count looks like.
However, if you are performing in front of a camera, then you MUST learn to hide your pinky count. Otherwise, people with a little magic knowledge will be able to guess how your tricks are done.
Remember, it is extremely difficult to use misdirection in front of cameras.
Even if you don’t plan to perform in front of cameras, it is good to have a good pinky count because there is always a chance of your spectators pulling out their phones during your performances.
Vernon Double Turnover
Vernon’s double turnover is one of the most natural ways of doing a double. However, there are a few elements that I don’t really like.
The flaws of this technique exist in real-life performance and get amplified in videos.
By fixing all the issues, you can even fool magicians with a double turnover.
When I stream, at least 1/4 of viewers are aware of the existence of Double Lift. But I am proud to say that I am fooling most of them by merging my doubles into correctly choreographed routines. This means these routines can do even better in offline performances because of the subtleties.
Gordon Double Turnover
I never liked Stuart Gordon style Double Turnover from the beginning. When I didn’t even know about this technique, I was able to tell that this person was doing a double just by looking at the way he turned over that “single card”. I didn’t need a tutorial to figure out how to do SG Double. As a complete beginner, I was able to learn this technique just by watching a dude using it in a magic store. That’s the biggest reason why I looked down upon this technique.
I wasn’t able to point out why I didn’t like it until about 8 years ago. I wasn’t experienced enough to understand the reasons behind my discomfort. But SG Double really made me uncomfortable when I did it, and watching other people use it also made me extremely uncomfortable.
Now I can tell you exactly what was making me uncomfortable.
If not doing a move is 0 and completing a move is 1. It feels like SG Double stops at 0.8. It feels like, after the card is turned over, our fingers should move a little more to finish the action, but our fingers freeze at the very last moment.
In this video, we will take a look at how to fix this issue of fingers freezing at the very last moment. I have been applying these handling since 8 years ago, and I hope you can adapt it to if you use SG Double.
Full Palm
This is a concept I learned from Dennis Kim, and it has helped me to shape how I think about sleight of hand and angles.
By understanding the natural positions of our bodies, we should adjust how certain techniques are done.
By understanding the resting positions of our hands, we can adjust the angles of techniques when executing them.
Modified One Handed Top Palm
Anyone who knows how to execute One Handed Top Palm and thinks about how to improve his/her sleight of hand should be aware of the biggest flaw of OHTP. The awkward finger positions.
I, too, hated the finger positions of OHTP, so I decided to find a way to do OHTP in a normal finger position with my index finger curled.
Although it might not sound like a huge difference, people can immediately tell that you are about to do something as soon as you hold a deck in the traditional OHTP position. You may try to use misdirection to cover this issue, but people can definitely see how you changed your finger positions. I know they will forget about this moment and only remember the highlights of the performance. But any kind of suspicion can potentially break the magical bubble you have created around you and your spectators. As soon as that bubble pops, your miracles turn into tricks that can be “solved”.
To protect our precious magical bubble, let’s try to execute all our techniques in the most natural manner.
If you don’t know what a magical bubble is…
…in my definition, it is a magical atmosphere you create around you and your spectators. Each time you perform something magical, the bubble becomes stronger and more colorful. If you can protect it from popping until the end of your performance, then your spectators can bring these magical bubbles home, and even keep them for the rest of their lives.
How or when does the magical bubble pop? The moment your spectators think they have some ideas about how your tricks are done, it pops.
Classic Pass
There are 2 kinds of classic passes out there. One of them is for controlling-card purposes, and another one is there to do visual magic.
In this video, you will learn both of them.
Worker Pass is a truly invisible pass that is also relatively easier than the traditional classic pass. It is also my pass of choice.
Demo Pass is meant to be used if you want to do visual effects such as color changes, vanishes, appearances, etc.
The difference is…
A Classic Pass, a.k.a Worker Pass, is meant to be used as a way to control cards. So it cannot have any unusual tension when executing, and it has to be invisible. In this case, being invisible and undetectable is valued more than being simply fast.
Demo Pass is great for doing visual stunts because you are showing off your skills. Anyone knows cards cannot change colors or vanish, so you must be using some sort of sleight of hand. They cannot see exactly what is going on because it happened too fast, but they still will respect you because you have “super fast hands”. Since spectators are “allowing” you to use sleight of hand, having a little tension is acceptable.
Ambitious Card Routine
Ambitious Card Routine is loved by most of us because it has one of the most classic plots in magic, “you choose a card, and I find your card” plot.
It is able to become a classic in magic because we are not merely finding our spectators’ cards but also magically making them travel to the top of the deck.
The real power lies in the chosen card magically appearing on the top part, and my take on the Ambitious Card Routine amplifies that element of the routine.
From the beginning, we are building a magical atmosphere around the deck, and that magical atmosphere turns into a magical bubble that our spectator can take home as a gift.
It is crucial to keep the bubble from popping in this routine.
Try not to change the position of the deck once you place it down on the table. Otherwise, the bubble could pop.
We want to make our spectators feel like the deck has always been there and nobody touched the deck throughout the performance. That is what makes this particular routine powerful.
The Venus Trap
The Venus Trap by Chris Brown is one of my favorite techniques if angles are acceptable. It is also my #1 card switch in my live streams.
The only flaw with this technique is it being too “cozy”.
So many things are happening in such a small frame that it looks unnatural in real-life. In videos, this is perfect because the frame is so small. You can put both of your hands together as long as you want, but, in real-life, that looks suspicious. Your hands being together with you looking down is a very “I am going to do sleight of hand” position.
In this video, we are going to take a look at how to fix this issue by changing the rhythm of this technique.
Biddle Trick
The Biddle Trick has always been one of my favorite tricks to perform for lay spectators.
However, I always thought it takes too long to get to the final effect. There are too many controls involved with only 2 effects at the end.
I wanted a streamlined version of the Biddle Trick that is easy to perform yet has even more “magical power”.
In my variation, I have eliminated a control from the routine. That made this routine much easier to perform and much more streamlined. I have also changed the timing of vanishing the chosen card to highlight this effect while building up much more tension. That extra tension that we built up before helps spectators to give us a bigger reaction when we finally reveal the face-up card in the deck.
The more tension you build up before the finale, the bigger the reaction you get. The bigger the reaction your spectators give, the longer our spectators remember this moment and us.
Ace Assembly
I never liked the Ace Assembly plot until I gave it a second thought…
Most Ace Assembly routines tend to be illogical or too “correct”.
If the routine is beautiful, it is probably illogical. If the routine is completely logical, it loses its power because the performer tries to explain too much. Verbally and physically.
One thing we cannot deny, this is a powerful routine.
If making this routine logical can take away its power, then might as well make it as short as possible. Turn it into a pure visual stunt rather than a logical magic routine.
As long as the visual impact is there, nobody cares about the logic.
Just like when we watch superhero movies. Somehow Batman and Superman are having a fistfight. It makes no sense, but we think the movie is okay because it is visually interesting.
When we design magic, maybe… we don’t have to think too much about it being logical unless the plot you are working on requires the routine to be logical. People really don’t care.
How to Choose Coins
In short…
If you plan to perform interactive coin magic, then use smaller coins that can comfortably fit in other people’s hands.
If you want to perform visual coin magic that requires you to handle coins at your fingertips, then choose the biggest coin that you can comfortably high finger palm.
If you are planning to use a lot of Classic Palm, then choose coins with higher silver content. Silver helps with friction so you can palm with ease.
If you are planning to do fingertip coin magic, then that means you will be using other palming positions more than classic palm. This also means you will be handling coins at your fingertips and doing more fancy sleight of hands. In that case, choose coins with less friction to avoid any unnecessary mistakes such as the coin weirdly getting stuck in your hands.
Coin Productions
We have to carefully examine how we produce coins to make our coin magic more magical.
If you claim to catch coins from thin air and push coins out from your fingers, then that immediately breaks the magical bubble. And you will turn from a magical prince into a guy who hides coins really well.
Choose your words carefully when performing magic, and choose matching techniques to go with your claims.
Understand the meanings behind your effect to not look stupid. What do I mean by that? We will see about that in the video!
Coin Vanishes
Vanishing a coin is one of the most basic effects of magic and one of the first effects we learn as magicians.
That is probably why most magicians don’t give coin vanishes enough credit. When they vanish coins, they make it look like “yeah I did it. yeah yeah Get ready for the next effect”.
However, in lay people’s eyes, vanishing a coin is an extremely powerful effect.
In this video, we are going to take a look at some subtleties that we can add to existing techniques and some of my original techniques.
Coin Palms
In this video, we are going to take a look at subtleties on Classic Palm and a variation on Nowhere Palm.
We are also going to take a look at differences between finger palm, low finger palm, and high finger palm.
Coins Across
In this video, we are going to learn 3 ways to perform Coins Across with some original techniques.
Coins Across always has been my favorite plot in coin magic and most coin workers love it too. However, I have noticed many of them JUST do it without putting much thought into it.
In this section, I want to share a few of my thoughts on coins across and these thoughts can also be utilized on other routines not limited to coins across or even coin magic. The first thing I want to bring up is that have you ever thought of which hand to open first when you want to reveal a coin has traveled?
It seems insignificant but it can make a huge difference. Most magicians just open up both of their hands to show that magic has taken place, however, it can massively decrease the impact of the effect.
Let me explain...
To reveal a coin has teleported from one hand to another, I tend to stare at my left hand to create more tension and to make my spectators focus on my left hand so they can clearly see one coin has vanished when I open my hand. Since I already told everyone that coins will teleport from one hand to another, my spectators are most likely to think “no wayyyyyyy!! Did it really teleport?!?!!! I want to see his right hand!!!!!” when I only open my left hand.
To fulfill their curiosity, I slowly direct their attention to my right hand and open it to show the coin actually teleported into my right hand.
When I perform, I usually only use three coins for Coins Across. If you ever performed coins across for laymen, then you should have gotten comments like “yo, can you do that trick where you make a coin appear in my hand!” next time they see you.
When they describe Coins Across to their friends, they tend to say “he made a coin appear in my hand!”. How do I know? I used to perform A LOT and many of my spectators grabbed their friends from the other side of the room, described the trick, and asked me to do it again.
From their description, you should be able to tell that the first few travels do not matter to them as much. All they remember and care about is the last phase of
the routine which is a coin traveling to their own hands.
I see the first few phases before the finale as an introduction to the concept of coins teleporting from one hand to another. The main effect of coins across is one coin teleporting from my hand to the spectator’s hand.
When the first coin travels, spectators are surprised yet still in disbelief.
When the second coin travels they start to wonder how it is done.
When the last coin travels from my hand to their hand, they start to question physics and religion.
If that is what people actually want to see, the ideal effect should be making one coin teleport from my hand to the spectator’s hand without any extra coins or
dual-reality/instant-stooge, etc. However, that is impossible for me to do at this moment. That is why I added another coin to provide a cover for the load. However, people can definitely tell the difference between one coin being in their hands and two coins in their hands. Therefore, I added another coin to make sure spectators do not notice that there is an extra coin in their hand.
I said the first few phases of coins across is an introduction to the concept of teleportation of coins, but it is just a fancy excuse for my inability to do the “real magic”.