Wisdom WEDNESDAY

 

Let’s get started

 

Halo aces

Halo Aces Explained 1

Halo ACES eXPLAINED 2

Halo Aces EXplained 3

Thoughts ‘around’ the lorayne poker deal

preface to the lorayne poker deal

preface to the lorayne poker deal 2

PREFACE TO THE LORAYNE POKER DEAL 3

tHE LORAYNE POKER DEAL AFTERTHOUGHT

THE LORAYNE POKER DEAL AFTERTHOUGHT EXPLAINED

Wisdom Keys 

7 Principles To Improve Your Magic

A distillation of wisdom from one of our true masters of magic, Harry Lorayne. 

7. Avoid ‘Pick-a-Card’ Effects

  • From a lay audience’s perspective the stereotype of the magician is to have a card chosen and for the magician to find it.

  • What could be more expected, in this day and age, than a magician finding a card that has been selected? 

  • There are many other plots available to us and Harry is a master of curating those in his many books on card magic. 

  • Do as Alfred Hitchcock and “avoid cliché at all costs.” 

  • Deepen your repertoire beyond the pick a card variety as much as possible. 

6. Remove ALL Intense Expression or Hesitation

  • If the audience knows something has been done, it’s as bad as knowing what was done.

  • Be as nonchalant as possible.

  • Act without hesitation.

  • Cultivate a relaxed attitude and be as casual as one can be.

  • Experiment with being borderline haphazard.

  • Focus on the performance aspects of your effects.

  • “Magic has to be deceptive.” - Eugene Burger

5. Simple Sleights

  • You should not be “thinking” while performing.

  • Use moves that require little to no brain power after repeated practice.

  • Avoid “High Risk” sleights if possible when performing. Those that are under practiced, have a high failure rate, or have tricky angles.

  • “There is great magic at every skill level.” - Eugene Burger

4. Always Entertain

  • Be more interesting than your props (cards).

  • Be more interesting than your effects.

  • Become a storyteller. 

3. Always As Expected

  • In performance strive to act as if everything is going as it should:

    • Nothing goes wrong.

    • Mistakes don’t happen.

    • Accidents never occur. 

  • Go through your performing repertoire and work through the ‘outs’ when something could go not as intended.

  • Develop multiple scenarios and role play through the common discrepancies that you know have occurred in past performances. 

2. Be Generous

  • Leave it all on the card table.

  • Harry is very giving and  provides variations, subtleties, failures, and experiments in the closing paragraphs of each effect he writes. 

  • Harry also insists that you perform the effects as written until you gain enough experience to make changes. This is a very generous gift to you. 

  • Don’t knock something until you try it. 

  • Harry is always encouraging with his words, do this as well.

1. Love

  • Harry’s Close-Up Card Magic (1957) is dedicated to all lovers of card magic.

  • Harry has written over 40 books between magic and memory which are always:

    • Readable

    • Encouraging

    • Giving.

  • Harry is still performing and he loves it!

  • Harry is a loving friend to so many of us who have only met him through his books. 

  • Harry is a true example of someone who lives what he loves, do this as well!