Magic & Parlor Tricks — How-To Videos, Articles, & Inspiration « Magic & Parlor Tricks

How To: Perform the Classic Pick a Card Trick

Magician Chris Webb shows you how to do the "Pick a Card" trick on The Telegraph's YouTube channel. Shuffle the deck of cards.

How To: Perform the Pile 13 card trick

Learn a mathematically-based card trick that allows you to find any numbered card you want in the deck just by counting out the correct number of cards.

How To: Perform the Impossible Bending Cigarette Trick

In this video, learn how to bend an ordinary cigarette in half without breaking it! With this amazing trick, you can bet your friends that you can bend a cigarette in two, so that both ends touch without breaking the cigarette.

How To: Light a Cigarette with an Empty Lighter

Need a smoke, but no one has any matches and your lighter is fresh out of fuel? This how-to video has got a cool trick you can perform to light your cigarette if you ever run out of lighter fluid. Despite the lighter being out of gas, you can still make a fire to light your cig. All you need is the lighter and a sheet of toilet paper.

How To: Guess how many candies are in a jar

Want to win the prize? Knowing a little math is the key to winning this popular contest. In this video, learn how to estimate correctly.

How To: Perform the All Sorted card trick

Want to learn a great card trick that will really fool your friends? All you need is a deck of cards to perform this cool trick! You will need one deck of cards. Sometimes we use materials that require adult supervision... like scissors so make sure you have friends and family around whenever you do magic tricks. 1. Take a deck of cards and remove all of the face cards (Jacks, Queens, and Kings) and Aces. Separate the cards by suit (hearts, clubs, spades, diamonds) so you have four piles. Eac...

How To: Light a Match with Your Teeth

Did you know it's possible to light a match simply by using your teeth? You can look like a total badass if you learn how to do this trick properly, although you might get burned in the process. From Revision3:

How To: Connect six boxes without intersecting lines bar trick

This video will show you how to do a great bar trick puzzle. Connect the boxes to win some bets and free drinks. Once you know how to do it, it's very easy to accomplish. This involves some drawing, but you'll impress friends with this intersecting lines trick.

How To: Perform the 'Devil's Elevator' Card Trick

Aspiring card shark? Sink your pearly whites into this easy, impressive illusion. In this free video magic lesson, you'll learn how to perform the "devil's elevator" card trick using sleight of hand. Watch this prestidigitator's guide for more information, including a step-by-step breakdown of the trick.

How To: Properly wash and clean your footbag

To play footbag, you only need a footbag (and some feet), but you can't kick that hacky sack around unless it's clean. Watch this video tutorial that will teach you how to properly wash and clean your footbag, to restore it to its original beauty. That little round 32 panel bag of yours won't draw any attention if it's not cleaned the correct way. See how!

How To: Do the Thumbaround Reverse pen spinning trick

Learn how to do the Thumbaround Reverse with this pen spinning tutorial.

How To: Perform the Card Transport Magic Trick

Things required: 1. A good pack of cards

How To: Make three stars in one with a single rubber band

Most people can probably make one star with a rubber band.. at the most they can twist two. But in this video, you will learn how to make THREE stars all at once using a single elastic band.

How To: Do the Hindu Shuffle & Hindu Control

Here's a video tutorial that will surely teach you how to do Hindu Shuffle and Hindu Control. Shuffle the cards to your audience and let a person pick a card. Retain the bottom card not by overhand shuffle since it's obvious that the bottom card is retained. Hindu Shuffle does the same thing as overhand shuffle except that it's done in a different angle and way of handling. Force the bottom card by holding the deck with your right hand's thumb, ring and middle fingers. Take off half of the de...

How To: Perform the "oil and water" card trick easily

You're about to learn some incredible close-up magic tricks from Close Up Card Tricks that you can perform right away. You don't have to be a professional magician to do these card tricks, and you don't even have to practice them that much!

How To: Perform the Cutting The Deck card trick

Do you want to be a magician? Well then join Ryan Oakes and his assistant Damian as they show you a great card trick called Cutting the Deck! You will need one deck of cards, a pencil and a piece of paper. Sometimes we use materials that require adult supervision... like scissors, so make sure you have friends and family around whenever you do magic tricks. 1. Preparation: Take a look at the top card of the deck (make sure it’s shuffled beforehand) and then write the name of the card on the p...

How To: Break a glass bottle with your bare hands

A broken bottle is a very dangerous weapon, and creating one quickly and easily in a combat situation can be the difference between life and death. It's also just kind of fun to break bottles. Whatever your motivation, this video will show you how to break a glass bottle quickly and easily using only your bare hands. It takes some practice, you might want to use gloves or a hammer at first, but once you get the hang of it it makes a great trick.

News: The Secret Behind David Blaine's 17 Minutes Without Air

American magician and master of endurance David Blaine delivers a TED talk on the challenge of holding one's breath for as long as humanly possible. Blaine currently holds the Guinness World Record for longest breath held, at 17 minutes. His journey to achieve this feat (described below) is quite interesting, don't miss it.

How To: Do the "large coin, small hole" trick

A great and easy to do trick. You can cut out a small hole and by bending the paper just right you can fit a much larger coin through it. This "large coin, small hole" bar trick is a great way to win money, beer or even just to impress the best.

How To: Do the Extended Thumbaround pen spinning trick

Learn how to do the Extended Thumbaround with this pen spinning tutorial.

How To: Stick a beer bottle to a wall without glue or gum

Check out this how-to video and see how you can park a beer bottle in the corner of a room. It looks as if the beer bottle is hanging on the wall. This is a very cool beer bottle trick, just be careful not to damage the paint. There's not gimmick to the trick in this instructional video, and you won't need any glue.

How To: Restore the holes in a bill bar trick

Tear a hole in a bill and then magically restore it! All you need is a normal bill and to know this secret!

How To: Perform the Last 3 card trick

For this tutorial we are picking three Aces because they are the easiest to remember. Make 4 piles of cards. First pile is ten cards. Second pile is 15 cards. Third pile is 15 cards. The last pile will be 9. Take the Ace of Spades (the example card),put it on one pile and put any number of cards on top. Take the Ace of Hearts (another example card), put it on the second pile and put any number of cards on top. Take the last Ace put it on top and put the last pile on top of that one. Stack the...

How To: Mind read with three questions

This trick is a form of "mentalism". This is done by asking three questions, and writing your answers on three separate pieces of paper. A mentalist first asks you a personal question, but instead of writing the 'answer' to that question, he writes the answer to the final 'easy' question...thereby getting a hidden jump on the answers making you think he is reading your mind. But in fact it is a trick.

How To: Do the "Jack the bounty hunter" card trick

This card trick is called Jack the Bounty Hunter. After a series of cuts, placements, and sorting, Jack the Bounty Hunter ends up adjacent to a card the spectator picked earlier in the trick. Brief synopsis of the procedure (you need to see the video for the full explanation): First, you set a Jack aside. Then you make two piles of 15 cards and set them aside. The spectator gets a pile, and you get a pile. Cards are cut. The spectator picks a card from the remainder of the deck. The spectator...

News: Perform the Balducci levitation

A 15 year old named Brandon reveals one of the great magic tricks of all time for Viewdo. If you try this on a friend who does not know this trick...you will be a GOD. The kid is good. He "sells" it too.

How To: Jump an Ink Signature from One Card to Another

The card trick in this tutorial is great for beginners and seasoned magicians alike. In the video you will learn how to present a deck of cards to two spectators and amaze them with slight of hand.

How To: Make a handkerchief mouse

First of all you need a handkerchief or a cloth napkin. Make sure that it is clean for use. Now start by folding the two opposite corners together. This shall make a triangle. Now you have top fold the two middle bits so that they overlap at the center. Now start rolling them together upwards. It is very important that you are rolling them very tightly. This shall make the body of the mouse solid otherwise it may fall apart. When you have made a solid roll then fold the two ends upwards as sh...

How To: Make a hot air balloon shape using a rubberband

In this video tutorial Slipperypiggy5 shows an easy way to make a hot air balloon with a rubber band. Take a rubber band put one end on the thumb and the other on the little finger of left hand. With the right hand's finger (index finger) make a twist in the middle and put it on the middle finger of left. Take one part of the loop from the little finger and put it on the thumb and do vice versa. Hold the middle part with right hands index finger and release all loops of thumb and little finge...

How To: 5 Surefire Tricks to Getting a Free Drink at the Bar

When you finally turn the privileged age of 21 in the U.S. (or 18 in most other countries), the first thing you'll probably do is sprint to the nearest pub, order a drink, and revel in your new freedom. Congratulations, you've survived two decades on Earth, you've earned that drink.

How To: (Almost) Always Win a Bet with Your Friends Using These 10 Tricks

So, the in-person conversations between you and your friends has slowed down to a near halt, thanks to everyone's obsession with texting, Facebook, and over-uploading pics to Instagram—socializing at its best. It could also be that you're just not interesting enough anymore in person.

How To: Make magical handheld fireballs (that won't burn) with common household items

Don't get burned playing with fire——know how to play with it right, just like those crazy magicians do when it comes to magical fireballs that you can hold in your hand. You can juggle them, too, but you need to know the secret to making them safely.

How To: Perform the Jumping Ring Trick

OK, don't use this video to propose to your future wife, but DO try this video to impress your friends and family. You'll need a ring and an audience and you'll be able to show them how the ring jumps off one finger to another. It's magic!

How To: Perform the "rope through the neck" trick

This video starts off with a magician performing a trick that he will teach. You are going to need a length of rope or a scarf to do this trick. The rope or scarf should be about five feet long. Put the rope behind your head so the sides are hanging normally down your chest. You’ll want the rope that is on the left side hanging a little lower then the right. Reach with the right hand and grab the rope high on your chest. With the left hand grab the rope on the right side making sure your left...

How To: Do a simple envelope magic trick

Bring a little magic and wonder into the lives of those around you with this easy magic trick. The best part is all you need is an envelop, pen and someone willing to reveal their age and birthday. Make sure to play up the suspense.

How To: Perform the front and back palm card trick

This how-to video is on how to perform the front and back palm card trick. In this video the person shows viewers how to conceal a playing card using one hand. The narrator explains everything from the precise finger placement for the concealment of the card, to revealing the playing card to your audience. He teaches viewers how to hide the card at all times and make it appear in a snap without anybody ever seeing your card. This video on how to perform the palm card trick will show even amat...