Do you want to learn magic tricks? Welcome to the #1 site for learning magic tricks, illusions, and mentalism for people of all skill levels. Here, you will learn easy coin, card, and advanced stage magic tricks performed by the world’s greatest magicians like David Blaine, Copperfield, Houdini, Dynamo, and Penn & Teller. With practice and dedication, you too can become an elite illusionist either for hobby or as a career.
Everyone is fascinated by magic card tricks and other close-up magic acts, yet most of us don’t realize how simple they are to perform. Have you ever watched a magician and wondered, how did they do that? We reveal the biggest kept secrets in the world and the newest performances. We have in-depth tutorials for card and coin, easy bar tricks, and the biggest stage illusions in history.
Tips for mastering a magic trick
There are 3 stages of learning a new magic trick: discovery, practice, and mastery. And this is what it looks like:
- Discovery: There are thousands of different kinds of magic tricks out there that you can learn. As you begin researching the world of illusionists, you’ll stumble upon ones that you really want to learn and add into your arsenal. This stage is called Discovery. We’re simply finding out about them and determining if it’s something we want to spend time practicing or not.
- Practice: In this stage, we’re just going through the motions and learning how it’s actually done. The biggest mistake that people make is rushing this stage. They can’t wait to show their friends and family so they spend minimal time practicing and then try and perform it for an audience right away.
- Mastery: For any magic trick, you are NOT ready to perform it until you hit stage 3 which is Mastery. In Mastery, we’re practicing the trick until we can do it with our eyes closed. We’re ingraining the actions into our muscle memory. Why? Because we want to be able to go through it flawlessly and smoothly. Anybody can perform a new trick successfully. But not everyone takes the time to master them completely.
A performance that has been mastered looks 10x better. So for every trick, you Discover on this site, make sure to master them first before rushing out and performing it to an audience. Good luck!
Does a Magician Use Special Tricks for Magic?
When you are in a crowd watching a magic show, you can’t help but wonder if it is real. Magic is not real in the sense of performers tapping into the supernatural and exercising actions beyond a person’s normal means. There is no magic wand involved. They use tools like sleight of hand, everyday objects, and sophisticated tools to create an illusion of a magical occurrence. However, magic is real in the sense that the performers can bring an audience member (no matter how old) back to a sense of childlike wonder. They can make even the most shrewd observers baffled in confusion. These are undeniably forms of magic and there is little else in the world that is as captivating.
With this said, there are good magicians and bad ones – meaning, that there are those who have honed their craft and others that still need to practice. While we’re well aware of the old saying ‘a good magician never reveals his secret,’ that doesn’t mean we can’t let you in on a few.
What kind of tricks are you interested in?
- StageStage performing is the oldest form of this craft. While most performances require a lot of preparation, they usually have the most spectacular effects. If you’re considering becoming a professional, these are the ones you just have to know how to do.
- PartyLooking for some cool illusions that can be done casually at a party? Amaze your friends. Party tricks are easy to do, and fun to watch. The reaction you’ll get from the audience will turn you into a hit!
- StreetStreet performers are some of the most talented because they have to perform right in front of the spectator. Often times, there will be a crowd surrounding you, which means every angle is exposed. That’s why these moves need to be fool-proof.
- CoinUnlike coin and prop tricks, coin tricks usually require no preparation. Somebody has a coin in their pocket no matter where you are, so learning these coin tricks can put you in a position to perform just about anywhere.
- Watch PerformancesDon’t feel like getting into any tutorials at the moment? Get a little inspiration first with these amazing performances from world-class performers.
Our extensive guides
Learn Mind Reading & Hypnosis Powerful mind reading, ESP, psychic, and hypnosis techniques. Everything revealed. Learn the biggest secrets in the industry.
Learn Card Tricks: The Ultimate Guide The best and biggest guide for learning card sleights. Here’s our ultimate guide – categorized based on skill and type. Fundamental Card Sleights, Beginner, Advanced.
Learn Mentalism Tricks Learn the secrets behind some of the biggest mentalism tricks in the world. Become a master mentalist with our step-by-step tutorials.
Learn How To Become A Professional Illusionist Learn how to get started in a successful career as an illusionist. See what it takes to become a world-class pro like Dynamo, Criss Angel, and David Blaine.
Stage
Stage performances are so great because it usually generates the most attention from your audience. All eyes are on you. People are there specifically to watch you perform. Because you are usually performing at an event, you’ll have time to prepare and set up your props. Here are some of the biggest stage illusions in the history of magic.
How To Solve A Rubik’s Cube Instantly (As a Magic Trick) Steven Brundage performs a Rubik’s Cube trick for Penn & Teller that has yet to be solved. Learn the classic trick, and watch Steven’s performance.
The Levitating Woman – Stage Trick Revealed Learn how the classic stage illusion of levitating a woman up and down is done. It’s a lot easier than you think.
One of the Oldest Stage Illusions Revealed… Wait Never Mind You think you’re learning the secrets behind one of magic’s oldest tricks, and then your mind is blown.
Penn & Teller Reveals How to Saw a Woman in Half, and then ACTUALLY Saws Her in Half Learn how to saw a body in half, the classic stage trick performed by magicians from long ago – with a crazy twist at the end.
Easy Party Performances
Party tricks don’t just have to be performed at parties. The reason they’re called party tricks is that they’re fun, easy to learn and result in a positive reaction from the audience. It doesn’t require any intense training and practicing of moves, but rather, it’s all about knowing the secret. We’ll reveal them to you here.
Learn How to Do David Blaine’s Card in Lemon In his TV special, Real or Magic, David Blaine performed a card trick that caused Harrison Ford to tell him to “Get out of my house.” Let’s learn how to do it.
Amazing Illusion: Put a Pencil Through Your Head Push a pencil up your nostril and then make it come out of your ear. Simple, easy to learn, and will completely shock spectators.
How to Make Liquid Appear into an Empty Glass Cup The perfect party magic trick, and one of our personal favorites. Make a drink appear into an empty glass cup.
How To Turn Paper Into Money Ever wonder how illusionists can burn a piece of paper and transform it into a $100 bill? Watch how it works here.
How To Always Win At Rock Paper Scissors Beat all your friends and win every time. Here’s how to use psychology to increase your odds of winning this classic game.
How To Bend a Spoon With Your Mind Amaze your friends with this cool party trick.- Take a spoon and make it bend using just your mind.
Cool Street Magic
Street performers are perhaps the coolest kind of magician. They approach strangers and perform tricks right in front of their eyes. Some of the most popular street magicians are David Blaine, Dynamo, and Criss Angel. You may have seen them in their TV specials or clips of them on YouTube.
How Does Criss Angel Walk Through A Solid Glass Window Without Breaking It? Criss Angel walks straight through a glass window without breaking it, and while everybody watches. When he comes out, the window remains untouched.
How Dynamo Turns a Paper Butterfly To Life Dynamo takes a paper butterfly used for display off of the wall, holds it in his hands, and it turns into a real butterfly and flies away. Then, all of the remaining display butterflies turn to life and fly away.
How Does Dynamo Twist An iPhone In Half? Let’s learn how Dynamo takes a spectators iPhone, twists it in half, then twists it again back into place before handing it back to the spectator.
David Blaine’s Coffee Into Money Revealed Turn a cup of coffee into money. The coffee disappears and coins overflow out of the cup right before the spectator’s eyes.
The Invisible Chair: Ancient Levitation Trick Revealed One of the oldest street magic tricks in the world. The ancient secret of the floating man illusion is revealed.
Guess Someone’s Age Correctly (Easy Math Trick) Make people think you’re a mind reader with this simple, easy to do a math-based magic trick.
Coin
Coin tricks rely on a lot of sleight of hand. You’ve probably seen some of these at some point or another and wonder how they were done. Some of these are pretty advanced. But the beauty of coin tricks is that once you learn how to do them, you’ll never forget them. They become ingrained in your muscle memory, much like playing cards.
Very Easy Coin Trick Makes You Look Like a Professional One of the simplest coin tricks that will make you look like a professional coin magician. This is a classic that is essential to learn how to do.
Coin Through Glass Cup No gimmick coins, no duplicates. Will require a bit of practice, but it is an awesome coin trick you can do anywhere.
Penny Travels Through Plastic to End Up In Closed Tic Tac Box Penny travels through the plastic shell to end up in closed Tic Tac box. Is sound impossible? Watch how it’s done.
Fist Squeeze Coin Vanish Trick Tutorial With a coin in your hand, close it into a fist and squeeze hard. When you open your hands, the coin is gone. Learn how it’s done in this tutorial.
Performances
These are some of our favorite performances ever. That’s saying a lot since we’ve seen hundreds of acts this year alone.
Shin Lim’s Performance on Penn and Teller’s Fool Us: The Greatest Cardistry Performance I’ve Ever Witnessed Shin Lim not only fools Penn and Teller, but he also performs one of the most amazing routines of all time.
A Performance by Gamarjobat: The Best Comedic Performers From Japan Here is a performance by Gamarjobat, a comedic magician duo in Japan. One of our favorite comedians to watch. They show that magic doesn’t always need to be mysterious.
How to Do Easy Magic Tricks with Cards
Learn some new card tricks and wow your friends. Magic tricks with cards are fun skills for beginners. When you are learning, you want to find magic tricks that are easy to understand, learn, and execute. Luckily for you, there are plenty of card tricks that fit the bill. From the floating cards trick to the classic “pick a card,” there are plenty of options. We’re here to tell you everything you need to know. In this section, we will walk you through some simple magic tricks that you can do with a deck of cards. Are you ready?
World’s Best Card Trick:
Known as the world’s best card trick, this is one of the most magic acts you can pull off with a deck of playing cards. In addition, it also serves as a great foundation for which to execute other tricks. This is the standard “find a card” trick. Once you learn it, you will know how a magician correctly guesses which card is yours every time. You can combine this with the classic “rising card” trick for even more fun. So how do you perform the world’s best card trick?
The answer lies in how you set up the deck of cards. Place the ace of spades on the bottom of the deck and then fan out the cards. Next, let the audience member choose a card and do not let them show it to you. Now, place the deck of cards back in the pile, keeping the ace of spades on the bottom. Allow them to place their card at the top of the deck.
Have the audience member cut half of the deck and place it down. Then, place half of the deck of cards on top of the other half. The ace of spades should now be in the middle of the deck (this is how you track their card). Finally, flip through the cards until you reach the ace of spades. The next card will be their card. We swear this is one of the most fun magic card tricks.
The Rising Card Trick:
Now, we are on to the famous rising card trick. This is a cool magic trick that anyone can learn. Perhaps you have seen it before. The goal is to make it seem as if you are defying gravity as the spectator’s card rises above the deck. What is the secret here? Certainly, the card can’t be doing rising on its own. You will soon learn that the secret lies in how you position your fingers. All you need to pull this off is a deck of playing cards and a little bit of patience.
So how do you perform this simple trick? We have got step-by-step instructions for you. Have a spectator choose a card and then reinsert it into the deck (retrieve it with the instructions listed above). Next, bring the first finger of your right hand down on top of the deck. As you slowly raise your right finger, the spectator’s card magically arises out of the deck with it. The secret is simpler than you might think.
When you rest the first finger of your right hand on top of the deck, you simultaneously extend your small right finger until the tip of it is resting on the back of the top card (aka the one the spectator selected). Do this behind the deck so that onlookers cannot see the move. When the card is halfway up out of the deck, grab it with your first right finger and thumb, quickly curling your little finger in. This will make it look like it is levitating. You can then quickly show the card to spectators and make show them there is nothing to find.
Float and Spin a Card in the Air:
What’s a magician’s best friend? No, this isn’t the opening question for a punchline. The answer is a black string. Have you noticed that magicians often wear black clothing when performing their tricks? This helps the black thread to blend with their outfit and avoid being seen. It helps pull off an illusion like floating cards. For this card trick, we go beyond the simple levitation trick and actually spin the card in midair. How is it done? Once you know the secret, it is incredibly easy to pull off.
For this trick, you will need a playing card, some clear adhesive tape, and a black thread (a couple of feet long). Next, prepare the playing card. Attach a bit of thread to the center of the playing card using clear adhesive tape. Run the other end of the thread over your hand and then onto a button on your shirt or your belt buckle.
Play around a bit with the length. You will want the thread hold to feel taut when you extend your arm in front of you, yet long enough to allow the card to dangle about a foot below your hand. Run the thread between your first and second finger. Are you right handed? If so, run the thread over your left hand and then launch the card with your right hand. If you are left-handed, do the reverse.
To make the playing card appear to levitate, move your hand away from your body. The thread will tighten and the card will rise up under your hand. As the card begins to slow to spin, make sure to time the trick correctly so you can catch the card. Show the front of the card so the audience won’t see the tape and thread attached to the back. Make sure to practice this move a lot before you perform it. It is important to get the length of the thread right as well as the motion that causes the card to rise.
Do you want to know a few final helpful hints? First, don’t allow spectators to stand too close or they will see the thread. Second, it helps to perform in front of a dark background so the thread will blend in. Finally, when you make the card rise, do so slowly. Practice will make the card rise at a steady pace. If you follow these directions, you are well on your way to looking like a professional magician. What a great trick!
The Magnetic Hand
Are you looking for easy card magic tricks? Do you want to switch things up a bit? Try out the magnetic hand act. This trick will leave the audience thinking you’ve gotten magical abilities. In order to pull off the magic trick, you will need to hold all ten cards in your hand while keeping your fingers completely flat. All you will need is glue, scissors, and a little bit of practice. Use your scissors and cut a flap into one of the playing cards. Make sure that you can easily fold the flap up or down as needed.
Glue the card with the flap onto the back of another card that is the same color. Make sure to keep the flap up. After the glue dries, you will have a card with a flap on the back. The flap is movable – either up or down. With the flap up, you can pinch it between your middle and ring finger to securely hold the card. This is the secret. Be sure to practice picking up and releasing the card by the flap. At this point, it will look like gravity is holding the cards in your hand. Be sure to keep the cards snug against your hand. You don’t want the cards to fall.
Slowly turn your hand over and show the audience that although the cards are upside down, they stay adhered to your hand. When you are done demonstrating, turn over the cards and let go of the gimmick card. If you are able, discreetly fold the flap down and display your cards front and back. You can even put the cards on the table and allow the audience to examine the hand. Most of the time, people will not notice the flap on the playing card. And even if they do, they won’t think twice about it. This is one of the most fun easy magic tricks to learn.
Easy Magic Tricks for Kids (and Kids at Heart)
Magic tricks for kids can be a great way to keep them entertained. Who doesn’t love a little bit of fun? But there is more to it than that. Pennsylvania-based magician Nicholas “Magical Nick” Pugh said: “Learning magic tricks at a young age builds confidence and helps with building social skills, especially if the child tends to be a little shy.” While you can certainly teach your child any of the easy magic tricks above, here are some guaranteed crowd pleasers kids are sure to love.
Rubber Pencil Trick
Looking for easy magic tricks to do at home? A rubber pencil trick is a classic act that even the youngest of performers can accomplish. Hold a regular pencil in place by the eraser and shake it quickly. By doing so, it appears that the pencil is made of rubber instead of wood. This magic trick does not take any special skill; it only requires a little bit of practice to perfect the speed and technique.
Spoon Bending
The trick here is all in the way you hold the spoon. Press down the spoon while sliding your hand along the handle. This gives the illusion of the spoon bending. While it certainly takes some practice, it is still one of the easiest tricks on this list for kids to master.
Disappearing Coin
The disappearing coin is one of the most fun easy magic tricks for beginners. For this act, you will need a coin, handkerchief, and a small rubber band. Before the trick is performed, wrap the rubber band around the fingers of one hand. You might have to double or triple the band so it forms a tight ring.
Enter the performance area with the rubber band around your fingers. Keep your hands at your side or in your pocket, so as not to draw attention to this hand. Drape the handkerchief over the hand that has the rubber band. Place the quarter inside the handkerchief. Spread the rubber band and insert the coin into a small pocket of fabric formed from the stretched rubber band. Let the rubber band slip off of your fingers. The band should close tightly, trapping the coin in the small pocket of fabric. Bring out the hand that was holding the coin and allow the handkerchief to fall. The audience will see that your hand is empty. If you can shake the handkerchief a little bit to make the audience think that it is empty. Do not let them examine it since they will discover the secret. Bunch up the handkerchief in your hands or put it away inside of your pocket.
Betcha Can’t Crack an Egg
In this trick, take an egg and have a spectator try to squeeze it between both hands. Make sure that you or the audience member is not wearing a ring, as that could crack it. Test the egg out yourself first to make sure it does not easily crack. What you will find is that an egg can actually withstand a great deal of applied pressure. Give it a try and test out your strength. Even if the egg does crack, hilarity ensues. It’s a win-win situation, really.
Walk Through a Piece of Paper
In this trick, the magician asks the audience if they think he can cut a hole in a piece of paper that is big enough to walk through. Of course, they will say no. While it is more of a dare and puzzle than a magic trick, it is still fun to do. For kids, this is one of the most amazing magic tricks to pull off. You will need a template to show you how to cut it. After you memorize it, you won’t need it anymore. But it is helpful for beginners. Cut out the template as quickly as you can, trying to stay along the lines. Stretch the paper apart carefully and walk through it. If you would like, you can give the template to the audience so they can try it out at home too.
Cup Through the Table
Watch your kids amaze their friends with this fun illusion. Have you heard of the cup through the table trick before? All you will need is a paper cup, a piece of paper, a small object like a ball or coin, and of course, a table. With practice, you or your mini-me can trick the audience into thinking that you pushed the cup right through the table. Here’s the best part. No gimmicks are needed.
Make sure that the paper covers the entire cup when you use it. Fold the top corner of the paper down towards the opposite side. Fold it down so that the paper forms a right-angled triangle. Make sure all of the corners touch each other. Flatten the folds of the paper. Then, cut the rectangular piece off and open up the square.
Place the cup over the small object on the table and then wrap the paper around it. Ask the audience members what is under the cup. This will make everyone think you are going to make the object disappear. Lift the paper and the cup to make sure you show everyone the object is still on the table. Moving the wrapped cup towards yourself, drop it quietly onto your lap and out of sight of the audience. Remember, their attention is still focused on the object on the table. The paper retains the shape of the cup. When you place the paper over the object, maintain the illusion that you are putting the cup back too.
Wave your hand over the cup and claim you will make the object disappear. When you lift the “cup,” and the object is still there, pretend that something has gone wrong. Let the audience know you have will make the cup disappear instead. Then, dramatically bring your hand down and smash the paper, so they can see the cup has vanished. Bring the cup out from under the table in one smooth movement and replace it on the table.
Make an Egg Fit Through an Impossibly Small Hole
While this is more science than magic, it’s a great trick nonetheless. Make sure to have adult supervision at all times. The original act uses a hard-boiled egg and a glass milk bottle. Since old milk bottles are hard to find these days, here is a simpler version of the experiment that you can use. This is one of the easiest magic tricks to do with household items. For this act, you will need a hard boiled egg, some kind of glass bottle, a few birthday candles, and a match. Hold the wider end of the egg in one hand and slowly push two birthday candles into the narrow end of the egg. Light the candles, turn the bottle upside down and move the bottle slowly into position until it is one inch away from the lit candles. Allow the candles to heat up the inside of the bottle for a few seconds over the candles. The candles will go out and the egg will squeeze up inside of the bottle.
Make Yourself Levitate
With some practice, you can make your friends think you are floating in the air! It will require some body positioning and some trial and error to perfect it. This trick is better for older children, as younger ones will get frustrated easily. So how do you make yourself levitate? Start by positioning yourself so that your audience is at a forty-five-degree angle while watching you. The trick relies on you balancing on one of your feet, so make sure the audience can only see the foot that is closest to the audience.
Next, check your surroundings and make sure that there are no reflective surfaces nearby that could give your trick away. To achieve the best illusion, stand about eight to ten feet away. Position your feet together and leave about two centimeters of space in between. Shift your weight to the foot hidden from the audience. Slowly begin raising your arms. Don’t lift your foot just yet; raising your arms will lend to the illusion that you are rising above the ground. Raise the foot facing the audience. Lift the heel of your back foot. Finally, keep the levitation short so you don’t give the secret away. Perform the trick for about five to ten seconds before coming down.
Practice These Easy Magic Tricks Whenever You Would Like
We hope you enjoyed reading our article on easy magic tricks. As you can see, mastering the art of illusion is something that anyone can do with practice and a little bit of patience. From the classic “Is this your card” trick to more complex performances like levitation, you are well on your way to becoming a great magician!
