How to Do Simple Magic Tricks

Learning a few simple magic tricks can make you the life of any party! Impress your friends, family, and even strangers by mastering beginner magic tricks. You may find that you have a flair for it and that you love performing them for people and want to learn more advanced tricks. Everyone has to start somewhere, so whether you are young or old, try these beginner tricks and remember… a magician never reveals their secrets!

Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Guessing a Card

  1. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 1
    1
    Begin with 15 cards out of a regular card deck. Fan the cards out facing away from you and show them to your subject. Tell them to select a card in their mind, but not to touch it or say aloud what it is.[1]
  2. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 2
    2
    Lay the cards out in front of you. Lay out three rows of five cards in vertical rows in front of you. Then pick up each stack of cards, one row at a time, and ask your subject whether their card is in that group.
    • When they say yes, be sure to place that group of 5 cards on the top of the deck of 15.
    Advertisement
  3. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 3
    3
    Narrow the card options down to two. Place the cards in front of you in three rows of five again, but this time, be sure to deal the cards from left to right.[2] You will know that the subject’s card will be one of the first two in the left or center columns or the first one in the right column.
  4. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 4
    4
    Ask your subject which pile her card is in. Pick up each pile, one at a time and ask the subject to identify which pile her card is in.
    • If she chooses the pile on the right, you know it has to be the top right card.
    • If she chooses the pile on the left or in the center, you know that it must be one of the two cards in that row.
    • You can repeat the narrowing procedure one more time if the subject’s card is on the left or in the center, or you can decide if you want to have 2 guesses on selecting her card.
  5. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 5
    5
    Show the subject her card. This is the end of the trick—try showing her the card with a flourish. If she says no, it’s likely you sorted the deck wrong, lost track of the original 5 cards, or she may be lying!
    6. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Making Water Vanish

  1. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 6
    1
    Buy water gel powder. This powder, also called solid water, is available at magic shops and hobby stores. It will allow you to perform the trick.[3]
    • You may want to get more than one “dose” of the powder so that you can practice before trying your trick on another person.
    • You can substitute the material inside of a baby diaper and a tissue or another cloth to cover the gel and wedge it in. Use extra caution that these materials do not fall out during the trick.
  2. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 7
    2
    Collect the materials. In addition to the water gel powder, you will also need a small pitcher of water and 3-4 cups that are not see-through. A cup that has a narrower mouth than the bottom works best, but regular colored plastic cups may also work.
  3. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 8
    3
    Set up your trick. Set your cups side-by-side next to a pitcher of water. Pre-fill one cup with the water gel powder, and be sure to remember which cup it is.
    • Mark a small dot on the cup with the gel powder in it, but be sure the mark is facing you, not your audience.
    • Be sure to read the instructions on the gel powder about how much water to use with the powder. If you use too much water, the gel won’t be able to harden all of your liquid.[4]
    • You can color you water with a little food dye if you want it to stand out more while you pour it.
    • Hide all evidence of the water gel powder: discard of any packaging, and be sure your audience doesn’t look into the cups before you start your trick.
  4. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 9
    4
    Gather your audience. A magician is nothing without her audience, so gather a few people around. Have them sit in front of you, if possible at eye-level with the cups, not above the cups so that they can see in.
  5. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 10
    5
    Pour the water into the cups. Let your audience see you pour the water from the pitcher into the four cups. You could even dip your fingers in the water and flick it towards them so that they see that it is not a trick pitcher or fake water.
  6. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 11
    6
    Perform a little show. Your goal is to pour the water from all of the cups into the cup with the gel powder in it, but you don’t want it to be obvious that this is what you’re doing. You can create a little misdirection by using some cup-switching and distracting your audience with a good story or a few jokes.
    • Swap the cups back and forth.
    • Pour water into the regular cups too, but be sure in the end all of the water goes into the special cup.
    • Try pouring half from the water into one cup and half of the water into another cup, for show.
    • You can wave your hands over the cups or say some magic words.
    • Be sure you buy enough time to let the water absorb into the gel powder.
  7. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 12
    7
    Reveal the missing water. This is it—your big moment! Make a show of revealing that each cup is empty. You may want to throw a cup or two towards the audience, just knock them over, or hold them over your head and pretend to drink out of them.
    • When you reveal that your special cup has no water, be sure not to throw it at the audience—try just holding it upside down for a moment or flipping it over on the table.
    • Be careful that you don’t allow the gel to fall out of the cup in the view of your audience.
  8. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 13
    8
    Hide the evidence. When the trick is over, be sure to carefully discard of the cup with the water gel in it so that your audience does not figure out the secret to your magic. The fun of magic is not knowing how it is done.
    9. Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Making a Card Vanish

  1. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 14
    1
    Learn appropriate hand positioning. To make a single card vanish, you will first need to work on holding the card the right way.[5] This trick may be difficult if you have particularly small hands.[6]
    • Bend you two middle fingers towards your body with your index and pinky fingers extended and your thumb out to the side.
    • Place the card on top of the bent fingers, high enough so that you can see your fingernails, and pinch it slightly between your index and pinky fingers.
    • Place your thumb over the center of the card to stabilize it and hold it in place.
  2. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 15
    2
    Make the card disappear. To make the card disappear, begin with it in the appropriate hand position, then move your thumb and straighten your two middle fingers.
    • As you straighten your two middle fingers, the corners of the card will be pinched between your outside and inside fingers and the card will move to the back (top side) of your hand.
    • Keep your palm facing out, where your audience will be.
    • Repeat the motion over and over again until it can be done without effort. You want to master this move before performing for an audience.
  3. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 16
    3
    Make the card reappear. Making the card reappear the process of making it disappear in reverse.
    • With the card pinched between your inside and outside fingers on the back side of your hand, bend your two middle fingers inward.
    • Use your thumb to grab and stabilize the card, then present it to the audience.
    • You can try different ways of making the card reappear. You may try flipping it up between your index and middle finger, for example.
  4. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 17
    4
    Practice until you have mastered the card flip. The key to this trick is mastering the sleight of hand. You will need to practice the moves over and over again in private so that you don’t have to go slowly or think about it too much in front of an audience.[7]
  5. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 18
    5
    Develop your showmanship. Part of any magic trick is putting on a show for people, so decide how you want to execute the trick.[8]
    • Shaking the card in your hand while you perform the trick can help obscure how you do it.
    • You may want to pretend to throw the card up in the air, or you may want to “reveal” that it was behind someone’s ear.
    • Distracting the audience from trying to figure out how you’re doing a trick can be the easiest way to keep your trick a secret.
  6. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 19
    6
    Create a story or a reason for the trick. This is part of showmanship, but you may want to consider creating a story around performing the trick. Instead of just saying “hey, watch some magic,” you can distract and surprise the audience by misleading what you’re about to do.[9]
  7. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 20
    7
    Perform your trick for an audience. After you have mastered the trick and worked on your showmanship, try your trick out on an audience. You may want to start with a small group of people before performing your trick to larger groups. Be sure that no one is behind you, where they see the back of your hand.
    8. Advertisement
Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Making a Coin Vanish

  1. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 21
    1
    Set up for your trick. Sit at a table with your elbows on the table. Be sure you have on a shirt that is tucked in (any sleeve length is acceptable).
  2. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 22
    2
    Show a coin to your audience. You may even want to ask them to provide the coin, but warn them that you’re going to make it disappear and they won’t get it back.
  3. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 23
    3
    Rub the coin on your arm. With both elbows on the table, holding the coin in your right hand, rub it against your left forearm.[10]
  4. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 24
    4
    Drop the coin. Pretend to fumble and accidentally drop the coin on the table next to your arm so that you audience sees it. Pick it up with your right hand and tell them that it works better with the other arm.
  5. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 25
    5
    Pretend to transfer the coin to your left hand. Pretend to put the coin in your left hand, but really keep it concealed in your right hand.
  6. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 26
    6
    Rub your left hand against your right forearm. Pretending that the coin is in your hand, rub your left hand against your right forearm.
  7. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 27
    7
    Distract your audience. Be sure that you make eye contact and chat with your audience while you are performing the trick. That will distract them and make them more likely to miss the sleight of hand.[11]
  8. Image titled Do Simple Magic Tricks Step 28
    8
    Drop the coin into the collar of your shirt. Because both of your elbows are on the table still, your right hand (with the coin in it) should be even with the collar of your shirt. While you are distracting your audience by talking to them and pretending to rub the coin on your arm, drop the coin in your shirt.[12]
    9. Advertisement

Community Q&A

  • Question
    Can't you just keep it in your right hand?
    Annie
    Annie
    Community Answer
    Yes you can but the audience might become suspicious. If you show that both your hands are empty, it is more believable that you are not just hiding it.
Advertisement

You Might Also Like

How to Perform Magic: 8 Tricks for Beginners
Read Someone's Mind With Math (Math Trick)Mastering Mind-bending Math Tricks (An In-depth Guide for Beginners)
Flip a CoinAn Easy Guide to the Coin Toss
Play Light as a Feather
How to
Play Light as a Feather
Do a Number Trick to Guess Someone's Age
How to
Do a Number Trick to Guess Someone's Age
Hold Fire
How to
Hold Fire
How to
Roll a Coin on Your Knuckles
How to
Do a Simple Coin Magic Trick
Create a Fire in Your Hand
How to
Create a Fire in Your Hand
Do Zippo Tricks
How to
Do Zippo Tricks
How to
Make a Lighter Shoot a Huge Flame
Do a Simple Number Mind Trick
How to
Do a Simple Number Mind Trick
Do an Easy Magic Trick
How to
Do an Easy Magic Trick
Perform the Invisible Touch Trick
How to
Perform the Invisible Touch Trick
Advertisement

References

  1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YFQOCkrLs8
  2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YFQOCkrLs8
  3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYjNHtF8A1M
  4. ↑ http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/water-gel-magic-slush-powder.html
  5. ↑ http://www.goodtricks.net/vanishacard.html
  6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wMpWy1lpFA
  7. ↑ http://www.goodtricks.net/vanishacard.html
  8. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTqXpup2VdY
  9. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wMpWy1lpFA
  1. ↑ http://umclidet.com/pdf/Magic.Tricks.for.the.Beginning.Magician.pdf
  2. ↑ http://www.goodtricks.net/elbow-coin-vanish-magic-trick.html
  3. ↑ http://umclidet.com/pdf/Magic.Tricks.for.the.Beginning.Magician.pdf

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 18 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 79,361 times.
64 votes - 59%
Co-authors: 18
Updated: March 29, 2019
Views: 79,361
Categories: Magic Tricks
Advertisement