Performing Sleight of Hand Tricks
Perform the French drop coin trick. Hold your left hand out in a cup position as though you were begging for money. Place a coin between your thumb and index finger and make sure it is visible to your audience. Move your right hand over your left hand to appear as though you are going to pick up the coin. Once your right hand is in front of your left hand, drop the coin into the palm of your left hand. Resist the urge to make a fist with your left hand. Make a fist with your right hand, to appear as though you have the coin. Say the magic word and open your right hand to make your audience believe you vanished the coin.
Adapt the sleight of hand with other objects. You can essentially make anything “disappear,” as long as it can fit into your palm. One way of strengthening your sleight of hand is to wear clothing with pockets and loose openings, like a suit. This way you can drop simple objects like a marble, lemon, or coin into your clothing after making it “disappear.” Acquire a few handheld objects and practice multiple sleight of hand tricks. Practice in front of a mirror and see what angle looks the most deceptive from an audience's standpoint. Showmanship is essential to pull this trick off. The most believable tricks will be the trick where you appear nonchalant and smooth.
Vanish a toothpick. Get a toothpick and tape it to the back of your thumbnail with the rest of the toothpick facing downwards. Put your hand in a fist with your fingers covering the tape on your thumb. Blow on the toothpick and flex your hand, it will seem to disappear if you have your palm facing the audience. Point up and say, "Oh, there it is!" and pretend to grab it from thin air, but really you just make a fist again. This is an elementary version of sleight of hand that is good for younger magicians to practice.
Performing the Magic Envelope
Set up the envelope beforehand. Take the current year, for example, 2016, and multiply it by two. For 2016, the doubled number would come out to be 4032. This is the ‘’magic’’ number that you will get your audience members to come up with. Write the ‘’magic’’ number on a sheet of paper and seal it in an envelope. Seal the envelope using its sealant or with tape for a more dramatic effect.
Get a willing participant. Try practicing this trick on somebody in your home, like a parent, before taking it out to the classroom or work. Ask the participant if they’re willing to answer a series of question and do a little math. You should also have a pen and paper with you when you talk to the participant.
Ask the first two questions. Eventually the participant will write down four numbers that add up to the number you sealed in the envelope. First, ask them to write down what year they were born. Then ask them to write down what age they will be turning or turned this current year. For the year, they should write something like 1995. The age they’ll be turning for 2016, is 21. In this example they should have “1995 + 21” written down on a piece of paper.
Ask the last two questions. The next two questions are a bit trickier, but with enough practice you can make them sound natural. Ask them if they have an anniversary coming up this year. This can be their 10th year since graduating, 1st year with a significant other, or their grandparents 55th wedding anniversary. Take down the numbers as followed: First, ask them to write down the year that the anniversary first took place, like 1961. Then ask them to jot down how many years they’ll be celebrating since that date. For this example above it’d be 55.
Tally up the numbers. Once you’ve gotten your participant to answer the questions you’ve asked, tell them to total up all the numbers. If you follow the example above for the year, 2016, the numbers would look like: 1995 + 21 + 1961 + 55. Once you see their total numbers, make sure that this number matches the one you wrote down in the envelope. You should use a calculator if you aren't confident in your math skills.
Reveal the envelope’s contents. Once they’ve added up the numbers from the series of questions, you’re ready to open the envelope. You can say a magic word or phrase at this point to create the magical environment. Open the envelope and show the results to your participant. It creates an even better effect if you have the participant open the envelope and read the number first.
Linking Paper Clips
Fold a dollar bill. Take a spare dollar from your wallet and fold it accordion style into thirds. Accordion style fold means to fold one part and then fold another part on top of that fold. Do not fold each part in the same direction. Switch directions of the fold each fold. Imagine or research how an accordion opens and closes. This is where the term, accordion fold, gets its name.
Attach the first paper clip. Place the first paper clip on top of the folded bill with the shorter end facing you. This paper clip will go over the outer layer of the folded bill (facing you), and into the middle of the folded bill. Position the first paper clip so it is near the right edge of the bill.
Connect the second paper clip. Attach the second paper clip to the back of the folded bill with the shorter side facing away from you. The large section of the second paper clip should be through the middle part of the bill. Position the second clip to the left edge of the bill. Position the second paper clip in the opposite position as the first one.
Snap the bill. Take one end of the bill in each hand. In one smooth motion, snap your hands apart, unraveling the dollar bill. In this motion the paper clips will fly into the air. Once the paper clips land, they will be attached. If the paper clips aren't attached, reconnect the clips and see if you initially set up the paper clips in the correct order.
Perform the act in public. You should practice setting up this trick quickly before showcasing it to the public. Have the dollar bill already folded up in your pocket to make it appear as though it is a normal crinkled dollar. Show your audience the two separated paper clips and then quickly attach them to the dollar bill. Say a magic phrase like “presto” or “alakazam” and then snap the dollar bill. If everything was set up properly, you should pick up the connected paper clips to your audience.
Performing the Floating Number and Sugar Cube Act
Prepare the supplies. This trick is very simple and relies on your charisma performing this trick. You’ll need a sugar cube, glass of water, and a pencil. Have your materials ready in front of you before performing the trick. This trick works best on smaller children who won’t suspect what you’re doing.
Ask them for a number. Ask your audience for a number between 1 and 10. Once they give you a number, write the number into the sugar cube. Trace over the number several times with your pencil to make sure the number is bold.
Drop the number in the water with strategy. Pick up the sugar cube so that the side with the number is facing your thumb. Apply pressure so that the pencil mark transfers onto your thumb. Then, drop the sugar cube into the glass of water. You will need to apply a lot of pressure, so push your thumb into the cube with force.
Move their hand over the water. This is the most important part of the trick. Grab their hand with your thumb that you printed the number onto. Hold their hand so that your thumb is on their inner palm. Hold their hand for a few moments and say some magic words. Say magic words to pass the time while you transfer the pencil onto their palm. Tell them to keep their palm over the glass of water for ten seconds.
Reveal the magic number. Now tell them to show everyone their hand. They should have a faint image of the number on their inner palm. You should practice these steps with a trusted friend or family member before taking it out to the public. This works best on little kids who won’t expect the illusion.
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