Haunted Pack: Great effect, but the setup can be challenging if you’re not prepared or don’t have the right stuff. That’s what Patrick Kun thought about the classic trick. Building on the work of others, he figured out a way to present an authentic Haunted Pack effect without a lick of setup.

That’s a big deal, because the Haunted Pack is one of the creepiest, bizarre card tricks ever created. With either the power of your mind, the whim of your imagination or with the help of the spirit world (pick your favorite presentation), the cards move by themselves in front of your spectators’ eyes. Heck yeah.

Vector is a 100 percent off-the-cuff presentation of a Haunted Pack. Your spectators will choose a card and lose it in the deck. Then they will see the deck move itself slowly, like that steak creeping across the counter in “Poltergeist,” then it will eject itself and shoot out like Carol Anne across the kitchen floor. Creepy as get out. Or funny as heck, depending on your presentation.

Vector is available right now as a download. Get it, learn it, then go creep some peeps.

One of the first things people realize when they start learning magic is that their brains begin to work differently. Especially those who find magic later in life: They go from people who generally take things at face value to those who wonder what’s going on behind the scenes. They learn to size things up more. From our experience, we see people get more confident, assertive and charismatic.

That’s why it doesn’t surprise us that a lot of our customers and members turn to us to gain advantages in the workplace.

But a lot of guys rush into magic headlong — trust us, we’ve been there — and end up in embarrassing situations. Maybe they become known as that weirdo magic guy. Maybe they don’t fool anybody. Maybe their mentalism is so good that it freaks out co-workers. Or maybe they cause more distractions than pleasant diversions. The transition doesn’t go well, and the guy ends up never picking up a deck of cards again.

If you’re getting into magic, congratulations. This craft will change your life for the better. Your co-workers may not be ready for that change, however. So here’s five steps to make the transformation smoothly: (more…)

When we follow the World Series of Poker, the World Poker Tour and other Texas Hold’em games, we root for Antonio Esfandiari for the obvious reason: Dude is a professional magician who worked restaurants before breaking into the game. He’s a great reminder of something we think is a given: Magicians are better poker players.

But not for the reason you think. It has nothing to do with cheating or sleight of hand. We do not need it.

Sure, you might think we can work some sleight of hand past you and unfairly gain an edge. But the truth of the matter is that it is nearly impossible to cheat at a casino or professional poker room. Casinos hire magicians to instruct them about sleights of hand, so they know exactly what to look for.

So why are we taking your money like you’re giving it to a busking magician at the state fair? We can think of five reasons. (more…)

Metal by Eric Jones from Ellusionist on Vimeo.

About ready to get Metal? Your chance to get the latest offering in coin magic, and a set of four Walking Liberties, is hours away.

Metal: Getting Started in High Impact Coin Magic fills a void that we at Ellusionist saw in the magic market. With so much dizzying, knuckle-busting, beautiful coin effects released lately, there wasn’t a definitive, solid compendium of beginning moves and intermediate routines that allowed magicians to get a solid foundation.

Eric Jones’ Metal features a full collection of vanishes, productions and routines featuring the smooth handlings that made him an underground master. The video is packed with more than two hours instruction of practical, gaffless routines and effects that can be done at a table or standing surrounded by a crowd.

Ellusionist also has some silver to give away with Metal. Five winners, randomly drawn from the first 100 orders, will of four 1929 “Walking Liberty” half dollars (the best $2 prize we’ve ever offered). We’ll tape the drawing live and show the results to the world on Tuesday.

From advance reviews that we’ve received, Metal is destined for “must-have magic” status. It’s filmed with the attention to detail, breadth and quality for which Ellusionist is known around the world. Metal will get you on the path to becoming classic with coins.

Metal will be available for purchase at 4 p.m. today (U.S. Eastern, 1 p.m. U.S. Pacific).

Who knew that Tom Berenger could make some magic?

Berenger plays Walter Weed, an unassuming desk jockey at the FBI with a bit of a penchant for magic tricks. When a plot to assassinate him is uncovered, all hell breaks loose in “Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassin’s Ball.” The guys at Universal and Special Ops Media sent us this exclusive clip from the movie.

The first change the character performs is pretty slick. But even though the card-to-pocket trick goes from clip to clip, we love the no-fluff delivery of Berenger’s character, Walter Weed. That presentation got Brad Christian’s attention: He and the rest of us were impressed with the straightforward, calm confidence that his character exudes. It’s something we can all infuse into our performances.

We also like the looks of that deck of playing cards he’s using.

“Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassin’s Ball” and all of its card-flinging, gun-firing action, hits stores on Jan. 19. It’s available as a DVD and Blu-ray. The guys who sent us the clip are also sending us a few copies that we’re going to give to you. Keep an eye on our Twitter and Facebook pages for deets.