How to do magic tricks

So you want to learn magic. Good news: you can start right now, with things that are already in your house. No kit, no top hat and definitely no rabbit. A pencil, a deck of cards, a coin and a bit of practice will do it.

What a magic trick is actually made of

Every trick has two halves. The effect is what your audience sees — a coin disappearing. The secret is how you did it — the coin never left your other hand. Magicians spend most of their time on a third thing that isn't either of those: performing. What you say, where you look, and how you make one second feel enormous.

Step 1. Start with a trick that works by itself

Some tricks are self-working: follow the steps and they work every time, no skill required. Those are the right first tricks, because all your attention can go into performing instead of into your hands. 44 of the 80 tricks in the shop are like this.

Step 2. Learn the secret, then practise in a mirror

A mirror shows you exactly what your audience will see. If you can spot the secret in the mirror, keep going. The rule magicians use: when you can do it ten times in a row without looking at your hands, it's ready.

Step 3. Decide what you're going to say

The words are called patter, and they turn a trick into a story. Instead of “watch this pencil bend”, try “this pencil came out of a wizard's desk drawer”. Every trick page here has words you can copy and then change.

Step 4. Use misdirection

People look where you look. Stare at your right hand and so will everybody else, and your left hand can do absolutely anything. Practise moving your own eyes on purpose: it feels strange and it is the single most useful thing in magic.

Step 5. Perform for somebody friendly

A pet, then a stuffed animal, then one person who loves you, then everybody. Nervous is normal. Breathe, smile, and talk more slowly than feels right.

Step 6. Keep the secret

When somebody asks how you did it, smile and say “a magician never tells”. Keeping the secret is what keeps the wonder, for them and for the next audience. That's the Magician's Code, and it is the one rule the whole shop runs on.

Five tricks to learn today

1. ✏️ The Rubber Pencil — 1 minute to learn
2. 🕳️ The Hole in Your Hand — 1 minute to learn
3. ⚫ Pepper Scatter — 2 minutes to learn
4. 🃏 The Magic Mind Reader — 5 minutes to learn
5. 🎗️ The Jumping Rubber Band — 15 minutes to learn

When you can do all five, go to Magic School and then plan your first show on the magic show page. Got a question first? There are thirty of them answered. Welcome to the Magic Shop, apprentice.