Tricks

Gordon Russ has taken the classic Traffic Light Trick and has customized it for a variety of themed shows.

Traffic Light Trick

The Traffic Light Trick is an old kid's trick where three large cards are show front and back with the colors of the traffic light including Red, Yellow and Green. One of the three cards is made to disappear by placing it in a large envelope.

The magician shows the two remaining cards and the kids think that vanished card is actually in the large envelope. The magician shows there IS one card left in the envelope which has the words "Wrong" printed on it.

Everyone thinks the other side contains the vanished color, but after some comedy by-play, the card reads WRONG AGAIN!

Gordon's Customizations

Teach A Trick

At the May 2023 meeting, 4 of our members led a mini magic teach-in featuring 4 of their favorite close up effects.

• Eric Bedard - Copper Silver Transposition using the Demanche Change
• Joe Chasney - 9 Card Lie Detector
• Dave Wirth - 3 Piles Card Trick
• Dennis Leung - Rubber Band Magic

If you'd like to learn these effects, log in to view the session video and read the supporting notes and tutorials

TRICK: The magician asks someone to use any coin and switch it from hand to hand.  He then asks them to spell what type of coin it is by transferring the coin from hand to hand for each of its letters.  He asks them to spell a couple of other words using the same transfer procedure and divines which hand is holding the coin.

Brain Teaser:  How do you arrange all of the letters of “New Door” to make one word?

The BET: Wager someone that they cannot build a house of cards with nine playing cards on their edges that will support a bottle or glass of beer.

Trick: The magician types in 12345678 into a calculator and it is seen displayed on the screen.  He explains that 8 is the biggest and also the heaviest number since it uses more pixels.  When the magician taps the calculator on the top left corner the number 8 is seen to jump to the opposite end now revealing 81234567.

This looks best with a 10-key calculator with an LCD display. This will work on an iPhone calculator but not an Android calculator because it displays the whole equation.  However, Android users can download a calculator app that mimics that of an iPhone so that they can perform this and other effects in this series.

BET: Wager that you can have the spectator spin a bottlecap five times and that it will always fall top side up.This was shown to me by good friend and internet influencer Brian Brushwood of Scam Nation fame.  It was shown to him by our mutual friend Alan Rorrison who is an awesome magician based in the U.K.  I’ve never seen this bit in print.

GAG: Borrow a friend’s ChapStick® and put it on your lips.  Continue to put it on your cheeks, your eyebrows, etc.

There are lots of people who carry around roll-on lip balm.  ChapStick® seems to be the most popular brand.  After they use the balm, some will throw it on the table.  If they do that simulate what I described above.  If they start to put it away simply ask “Can I borrow that for a sec?”

BET: Explain that you will have a race to the number 50 using dice.  A spectator and yourself each get a die.  You place whichever number you want up and then they do the same.  Keep tally by adding up all of the chosen numbers together and whomever hits 50 first wins.

BET:  A dollar bill is placed on the floor directly in front of someone.  They are challenged to merely jump over it.  If they cannot do it, then they lose the bet.