Hey guys!

Want to let you all know that Princeton University Press had just released a new magic tricks book, Magical Mathematics: The Mathematical Ideas that Animate Great Magic Tricks by the great Persi Diaconis and Ron Graham.

Magical Mathematics: The Mathematical Ideas that Animate Great Magic Tricks

Magical Mathematics reveals the secrets of amazing, fun-to-perform card tricks–and the profound mathematical ideas behind them–that will astound even the most accomplished magician. Persi Diaconis and Ron Graham provide easy, step-by-step instructions for each trick, explaining how to set up the effect and offering tips on what to say and do while performing it. Each card trick introduces a new mathematical idea, and varying the tricks in turn takes readers to the very threshold of today’s mathematical knowledge. For example, the Gilbreath Principle–a fantastic effect where the cards remain in control despite being shuffled–is found to share an intimate connection with the Mandelbrot set. Other card tricks link to the mathematical secrets of combinatorics, graph theory, number theory, topology, the Riemann hypothesis, and even Fermat’s last theorem.

Diaconis and Graham are mathematicians as well as skilled performers with decades of professional experience between them. In this book they share a wealth of conjuring lore, including some closely guarded secrets of legendary magicians. Magical Mathematics covers the mathematics of juggling and shows how the I Ching connects to the history of probability and magic tricks both old and new. It tells the stories–and reveals the best tricks–of the eccentric and brilliant inventors of mathematical magic. Magical Mathematics exposes old gambling secrets through the mathematics of shuffling cards, explains the classic street-gambling scam of three-card monte, traces the history of mathematical magic back to the thirteenth century and the oldest mathematical trick–and much more.

If any of you are into “Mathemagic”, this is the book that you don’t want to miss out. Review coming soon!

On live TV, Cyril shows how he can produce money from thin air by just rubbing his hands.

Any idea how he did that?

Instant Top or “InstanTop” trick is by far one of the very visual and simple card trick. The only catch, you need is Svengali Deck.

The Effect

Spectator choose any card and the card instantly and magically appears on the top of the deck!

Explanation/Tutorial

Fairly simple. Shuffle and riffle the deck and ask the spectator to say “Stop” at any time while you riffle through the deck. Open the top card on the deck and boom! For a video tutorial, check this clip below:

Enjoy!

This is a very simple yet amazing coin through cup trick if done correctly. Best when performing to a single person (or a few) standing in front of you. What you need is a cup and a coin and these stuff are available almost everywhere — bars, restaurants, etc.

The Effect

You have an empty cup. You fill it with water and after that “magically” rubs a coin through, penetrating the cup and into the water.

The Trick & Explanation

Note: Make sure you get the angle right.

Yes! It’s him, Criss Angel is back with Mindfreak 6 on A&E. The season premieres on Wednesday, August 4 at 10 PM ET/PT with “Grand Canyon Death Jump.”

Criss Angel Mindfreak Season 6

Here is the short synopsis:

In season six of “Criss Angel Mindfreak,” the world renowned mystifier amps up his unthinkable escapes, fearless demonstrations and mind-blowing feats testing his own limits and that of his audience in six epic one-hour specials. He brings the series to new heights with a spectacular attempted jump across the Grand Canyon on a high performance hybrid motorcycle. He will either miraculously reappear in a locked cage dangling from a hovering helicopter… or plummet 4,200 feet to his death. He challenges gravity as he attempts to walk up the side of the Luxor Hotel and Casino in full view of the public above, below and around. He combines two of his most acclaimed demonstrations in another episode by attempting to levitate hundreds of feet in the air and vanish. Criss goes for the extraordinary as he tries to set a Guinness World Record with the largest mass vanish ever, attempting to make more than 100 spectators disappear in the blink of an eye. And he pays homage to Houdini’s bridge jump escape and the mob’s “cement shoes” legend at the historical London Bridge in Lake Havasu in front of more than 12,000 spectators.

Again, the synopsis is nothing. Watch to believe!

This man, David Blaine needs no introduction. All his tricks are so powerful, very visual and amazingly stunning.

This card jumping trick is one of his favorite street magic tricks. It is really worth a watch.

David Blaine’s Card Jumping Trick

Alright. Now is the time to reveal this card jumping trick, part by part as explained in details below.

Revelation & Explanation

It is quite simple after you know the know-how. What is needed is of course “unlimited” practice to make it perfect.

Pressure is a visually stunning trick performed and created by Daniel Garcia and Dan White. The trick is really simple: Put a cell phone or any handheld object into a balloon! So basically this is a variation of balloon penetration trick.

Here is the official video promo:

Here is the official trick description from Theory11:

A borrowed cell phone is held in one hand – and a balloon is inflated. The cell phone visually penetrates inside of the balloon. It is shown, then given back to the spectator with the cell phone still inside.

The result is a twisted hybrid of visual craziness: the borrowed cell phone is INSIDE of the balloon. The spectator removes it herself. There are no crazy gimmicks. Any cell phone. Any balloon. Nothing but magic.

Tutorial

So, this video is going to reveal this trick, I bet you will be shocked by the simplicity and the idea of this trick!

Enjoy!

Cyril Takayama has always been one of my favorite magician. His tricks always will take your breath away, even the simplest one. This is one of the many tricks of Cyril that worth a mention here – The Ultimate Card Thru Window.

Revelation & Explanation

OK, there are many comments about this trick. Here is an accepted one that I think closely describes the “tricks” behind. Thanks to luckycool!

Hint: Definitely there is sliding thin glasses at both sides of the tank.

1. Watch his hand at 1:14 to 1:16 when he passes the card to his assistant.
2. One side of the glass is used to lift the signed card up when the thrown cards by the guy fall downwards hence you don’t get to see the signed card coming upwards because falling cards hide this single card.
3. Second side of thin glass is outwards and he puts the tissue cleverly to hide the movement and gets the cards out through the hole within the tank.

If you better explanation, feel free to drop your comments here.

OK, this card trick is really red hot! Pretty simple to perform and yet produce stunning climax. Simply put, what this trick does is change your spectator’s selected card from blue to red and vice versa!

Here the red hot demo of Red Hot Mamacita by Oz Pearlman.

The Tutorial

Great! Now, watch as you learn how to do that!

This is a very simple and easy trick that you guys might want to master before trying to learn more sophisticated “paper to money” trick.

The setup and gimmick is pretty easy to do. What you need is a money bill, a paper with a size of the bill and some double-sided tape.

The Explanation

This is a really good video in teaching you this trick. Follow, learn, practise and practise!