Here are some great tricks that require absolutely no sleight of hand, yet will devastate any audience.
Remember to learn it thoroughly and practice well before trying it on anyone!

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Effect: The magician says that he will cause a coin to pass through a table. First, he wraps a glass in a paper napkin so the audience cannot see through it, and then he covers the coin with the wrapped glass. Unfortunately, the coin refuses to pass through the tableóinstead, the glass penetrates the table!

Things You Need: You need a small drinking glass, a paper napkin, and you must sit at a table opposite the audience.

Performance: Borrow a quarter from a person in the audience and place it in the center of the table (or about a foot away from your edge of the table), tails side up.

Say, "I will make the coin pass through the table magicallyósolid through solid, matter through matter, in a most mysterious way." Open the napkin once (so it is still folded in half) and lay it on the table. Lay the glass on its side at one end of the napkin. Roll the napkin around the glass. The bottom edge of the napkin should be in line with the edge of the glass. Now twist the portion of the napkin that extends past the top of the glass (fig.1). As you can see, the napkin now forms a "shell" over the glass. The napkin must not be folded too tightly!

Fig. 1

Say, "I must cover the coin with this glass so that you will not see the hole in the table open up." Place the covered glass over the coin, mouth down.

Snap your fingers and say that the coin has passed through the table. Lift the glass with your right handóthe coin will still be on the table. Say, "Thatís strange, I donít know why it didnít work." Place the glass over the coin again.

Repeat the actions described in the preceding paragraph, then say, "I knowóthe coin must be heads side up!" While your right hand holds the glass, your left hand turns the coin over. While the audience is watching your left hand turn the coin over, move your right hand to the edge of the table. Relax your right handís grip on the napkin so the glass will silently slide out of it and into your lap (fig.2). Make sure that the lower edge of the napkin is beneath the table edge at that moment so the audience does not see the glass fall. If you have rolled the glass in the napkin correctly, it will slide out with no trouble. If it wonít come out, then you probably rolled the glass up too tightly.

Fig. 2

Your right hand moves forward and covers the coin with the napkin "shell", which will look as if the glass is still under it. You may set the napkin "shell" on the table over the coin and move both hands awayóit wonít fall over.

Hold both your hands, palm down, a few inches above the napkin. Ask a person from the audience to put her hands over yours. Quickly pull your hands out from under her hands. Put your hands on top of hers and push them downward so they crush the napkin "shell"óthe glass has vanished!

Show your empty hands, then reach under the table with your right hand and bring the glass above the table to end the trick.

The X-Ray Tube

Effect: The magician demonstrates a magic x-ray tube which allows members of the audience to see right through their hands!

What You Need: The only thing you need is the cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels.

Performance: First, try this trick on yourself so you can teach the members of the audience how to do it. Hold the cardboard tube in your left hand.

Raise the tube in front of your left eye so you are looking into it and out the far end. Now, raise your right hand, held palm toward you, so it is just beside the far end of the tube (Fig.1).

Fig. 1

The trick is based on an optical illusion that is produced automatically. It appears as if there is a large hole in the middle of your palm. In order for it to work, you must keep both eyes open. If the hole is not in the middle of your hand, try moving your hand toward you until it looks perfect.

To perform this for an audience, simply show them how to use the tube as youíve just been taught.

I Predict!

Effect: There are five objects on the table: a cup, a paper napkin, a straw, a fork, and a sugar packet. The magician writes a secret prediction on a piece of paper, folds it in half, and places it in the pocket of a person from the audience. That person and the magician take turns eliminating objects in a game of chance until only one object remainsóthe fork.

When the person reads the paper that he is holding, he will see that you have correctly predicted the future by writing: "The Fork Will Be Left."

What You Need: You can use any five objects, but letís assume they are the same as the five already mentioned: a cup, a paper napkin, a straw, a fork, and a sugar packet. You also need a sheet of blank paper and a pen.

Performance: Write "The Fork Will Be Left" on the paper. Donít let anyone else see what youíve written. Fold the paper in half so the prediction is on the inside and give it to a person from the audience to hold. Ask him to place it into his pocket.

Ask this person to help you in a little game. Say, "Weíll take turns at this game." Cover any two of the five objects on the table, one with each hand, but do not cover the fork! Letís assume that you cover the straw and the sugar packet. Say, "You can tell me to discard either one of the objects Iíve chosen." Letís assume that he tells you to get rid of the strawóplace it aside.

Tell him to cover any two objects; assume he covers the cup and fork. You must tell him to discard the cup because you want the fork to remain! If he does not cover the fork then you can tell him to discard either objectóit doesnít matter. In this way the fork never gets taken away; you will never cover it, so he cannot tell you to discard it, and if he covers it, you will always tell him to get rid of the other item.

So far he has told you to get rid of the straw, and you have told him to discard the cup. Now you must cover two more objects. Since there are only three left and you canít cover the fork, you must cover the sugar packet and the napkin. He tells you to discard one of themósay the napkin.

He covers the two remaining objects. Since you want the fork to remain, you instruct him to discard the sugar packet.

Ask him to read your prediction out loud to the other members of the audience so they can see that youíve predicted the future!

The Known

Effect: The magician unfolds a piece of paper and tears it into nine square pieces of about equal size. He picks one piece randomly and gives it to a member of the audience. She takes a red marker and signs her name on it while the magician uses a black marker to sign his name on the other eight pieces. Then, all the pieces are mixed together and given to the magician behind his back. Without looking, he picks out the one piece on which the spectator has signed her name!

What You Need: You need a square piece of paper, a black marker, and a red marker.

Performance: Display the paper and show that it is completely unprepared and blank on both sides.

Tear the paper into nine approximately square pieces like those in figure 1. This is very easy to do: first tear the paper into three equal strips, then tear those into three equal squares.

Fig. 1

When you are tearing the paper you must keep track of the center pieceóit is the only one with torn edges on all four sides. This is how you will find it later.

When you have the nine pieces, pick the center piece out of the bunch (as if it is a random choice) and give it to a woman in the audience. Also give her the red marker.

Ask her to sign her name on the piece she holds while you quickly sign the other eight pieces.

When all the pieces have been signed, mix them together and give all nine back to the woman who is helping you. Tell her that she may mix up the pieces some more, if she likes.

Turn your back and ask the woman to hand the pieces to you, behind your back. Now turn and face the audience.

Begin feeling the edges of each piece of paper until you find one (there is only one) which has four rough edges. It is the piece she has signed in red marker. Once youíve found it, bring it out front to end the mystery.

Made In The Shade

Described by Jon Racherbaumer

How It Seems: A spectator shuffles the deck and cuts it into two sections. He chooses one section, giving the performer the other. Both choose a card and place it in the opposite section. The spectator shuffles the performerís section and divides it in half. These halves are turned face up and the remaining face-down portion is placed between them. Without any moves, all the cards turn face down except for the two selections. The whole thing happens in the spectatorís hands.

How It Works: Have the spectator shuffle the deck and divide it into two portions. Both sections should be approximately the same size. Have him choose one. Pick up the remaining section and spread the cards with the faces toward you. Say, "Iím going to choose a card from my portion. You pick one from your portion."

Look over your cards and remove one from the center. Place it face down on the table without showing its face to anyone. Forget this card, but note and remember the card at the face (bottom) of your section. Suppose it is the Jack of Hearts. Close your spread and hold it face down in your left hand in a dealing position.

Ask the spectator to place his selection face down on the table. Emphasize that he must remember his card. Say, "Iíll turn around while you look at it!" Turn around and quickly turn your portion face up. Turn the face (top) cardóthe Jack of Heartsóface down. Turn around and face the spectator and add, "Have you memorized your card?"

Unknown to the spectator, you are holding a face-up portion of cards topped by a single, face-down card. He mistakenly assumes that the entire section is face down.

Say, "Pay close attention to everything thatís about to happen. I want you to appreciate the fair procedure because you are about to witness a truly inexplicable event!"

Ask the spectator to hand you his face-down selected card. Openly insert it face down into the center of your squared portion, then immediately table it. Step back to emphasize a handís-off approach.

Pick up your bogus selection and drop it face down on top of the spectatorís portion of cards. Ask him to cut the cards. Say, as an afterthought: "In fact, thoroughly mix the cards. By the way, I chose the Jack of Hearts!"

This is a lie. In the magicianís trade, this is called miscalling. Ask the spectator to place his shuffled portion face up on the table, then have him cut it into two approximately equal sections.

Explain: "Your cards are face up, divided in two. My card, the Jack of Hearts, may be in either section. Itís impossible to know which one. Your card is face down in the center of my portion, which Iím going to place face down onto one of the face-up sections!"

Do that, placing your apparently face-down portion on top of either face-up portion. Ask the spectator to take the remaining face-up section and place it face up onto the others, making a topsy-turvy sandwich. Your section seems to be face down between two face-up sections. Explain the conditions.

So far, you have handled the cards very little and cannot be accused of doing any sleight-of-hand. Say, "Remember ... I chose the Jack of Hearts ... ."

Ask the spectator to turn the assembled deck face down. Say, "Now, for the first time, name your card."

When the spectator names his selection, have him pick up the deck and hold it between his hands. Ask: "Did you feel anything?" Tell the spectator to spread the cards between his hands to cap the trick. All the cards are face down except for the two selections.

Dyed-in-the-wool cardmen (as they are called) are seldom baffled by other card tricks. That is, theyíre not utterly confused and puzzled. Usually, they can figure out a method if not the method. Dyed-in-the-wool cardmen also dog a trick until they can duplicate it or figure out the actual method. To achieve this end, they use Retrograde Analysis. They try to remember everything that happened, looking for clues, technical tip-offs, patterns of handling. They then methodically work backward, using logic and intuition to solve the problem.

This system of analysis is eventually learned by all cardmen. Therefore, the cunning method-maker throws in false clues, wrong leads, "red herrings," and other throw-offs. This make back-tracking difficult, if not impossible.