This is an excerpt from my book Magic 365. The presale discount will be ending in days. Get more info here.

The classic Chop Cup ending usually involves two final load reveals. The second load is typically slipped in during the revelation of the first. That makes a quick lift on the first reveal valuable—it masks the move.

But what about the second reveal? There’s no secret move happening. So, is another quick lift the best choice? 

Maybe. Maybe not.

Here are three alternative approaches that create stronger moments:

The Stuck in the Cup Reveal

Lift the cup just a few inches.

Use your pinky finger to hold the second load in place.

Bang the bottom of the cup with the first load.Let the second load drop with a thud.

Effect: The object seems so big it got stuck. It’s visual and funny—and creates a moment of surprise.

The Slow Tilt Reveal

Instead of lifting, tilt the cup slowly backward.

Let the object peek out.

Then reveal it fully.

Effect: It builds tension and gives weight to the reveal.
It feels deliberate, important, even dramatic.
Perfect for a big, ridiculous final load.

The Clink-Clink Reveal

Inspired by Paul Gertner’s ball bearings routine. As you lift the cup, let it clink against the load inside. This audible “clink” draws attention and raises curiosity.

Effect: It creates a beat of focus and tension before the reveal. Think of it like a drumroll with a metal cup. I used this  kind of reveal on Fool Us in my shell game performance to reveal the walnut.

Bottom Line: There’s no single “best” way. But there is a best way for your moment, your character, and your audience. So ask yourself:

The point of today’s entry is not that one of these is always the best way to do it. The point is it is worth our time to analyze our performances in these small details.

This is an excerpt from my book Magic 365. The presale discount will be ending in days. Get more info here.

And a sneak peek into The Show Is The Mother of Invention 2.0 eBook.

This video originally aired on the Dixon Magic Facebook page. If you haven’t already, please go there and like and follow us.

Here’s a small tip about a small item that can make big impact.

Pack a few small gift tricks in your prop case, like Svengali Decks or Three Card Montes (the easy ones with the flap card).

When you’re interacting with audience members after the show, someone will mention his five year old kid loves magic. Tell them, “I have something for you.” Go in your case. Give a quick demo of the trick and gift it to them. Walk them through the method if necessary. Shoot a quick video on the guy’s phone telling his son what a great trick it is and encouraging him.

Will there be times you do this to solidify a client relationship or create a relationship with a prospect? Yes.

Will there be times you do this just to be a mensch and add a little happiness to the world? YES.

Will there be times when it’s BOTH? HUGE YES.

Trust me. The rewards for this are big, both in business and relationships.*

Think about this. Last I checked, you can get Svengali Decks for less than $2. TWO SMACKERS is a small cost to bring a little happy to the world. Bargain.

In a few months you’ll be in the busy holiday show season. If you don’t have them, get the gifts for your prop case now and prepare to make some happiness.

Best,

Doc Dixon

*Same difference.

PS: There are 364 more nuggets like this, as well as a dozen stage routines in my newest book, MAGIC 365. Available for pre-order now. Get the details here. There’s also my other book, Dynamite In A Small Package. Great stuff, too.

I know I spend a lot of time on this website talking about pack small and play big magic, but that’s not all the magic I do or have done. In my upcoming book, Magic 365, now on presale for big savings, there’s a section called Illusions For The Non-Illusionist. Here’s a taste of that — a “morsel” — with a save your butt tip for the chair suspension.

Chair Suspension Recasting

You invite a kid to the stage. It’s chair suspension time. You immediately realize this kid has not stayed still for one second, let alone the thirty seconds it will take to float on the board. Sending her back will be very awkward at best. So what do you do? 

Immediately bring up another kid, making certain the second child is float-friendly. She is the one who is on the chair suspension as the first child waves a wand towards her as she floats to “make the magic happen.”  Both kids get to participate without either one slipping down the board like a playground slide.

This tip isn’t just theory. I’ve had this happen situation happen and, yes, like I said in the first paragraph of this post, this idea saved my butt.

Do you want 364 more show helping, magic simplifying, and maybe even butt saving thoughts like this? Order Magic 365 today.

Best,

Doc Dixon

I love the movie Young Frankenstein, but if things didn’t go the right way, there’s a chance it might have never been released.

The first test screening of “Young Frankenstein” was a disaster. The movie ran well over two hours, and the audience was restless. Brooks told them: “Ladies and gentlemen, you’ve just seen a two-hour-and-22-minute failure. In less than three weeks, I want you back here to see a 95-minute smash-hit movie.” The director then locked himself in the editing room and pared every scene until the movie clocked in at 90 minutes. And the audience loved it.

So what’s the “Absolute Easiest, Nearly No Effort Way To Have A Better Show?”

Take out the weakest tricks, jokes, and bits. What could be easier than not doing the tricks? It’s not extra work. In fact, it’s LESS work. Is this an over simplification? Why, yes. Yes, it is. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have merit. In fact, it has a TON of merit.

Over thirty years ago I received this same advice, but without Igor and singing Puttin’ On The Ritz. I was regularly a middle act at my local comedy club, but like all acts I wanted to headline. The club manager said to me, “You’re doing fine, but as a headliner you have to consistently kill.” How does one go from fine to consistently kill? One way is to take out the weakest tricks, jokes, and routines.

Is there a downside to this?

Yes, obviously. If a movie goes from 142 minutes to 90 minutes, you still have a movie and everybody is happy. An act going from 45 minutes to 34 minutes may not be received as well. But the elimination of weakness is still the path, because only by removing the weaker routines can they be replaced with stronger routines.

This process isn’t necessarily enjoyable. In writing it’s given the wonderful name of “kill your darlings.”

Killing your darlings at the keyboard is the start of killing on stage.

Though this post started with Mel Brooks, it was inspired by a conversation I had with a club manager over thirty years ago. I’m not exaggerating when I say that small bit of advice he gave me has lead to a big chunk of my career and has been a big help providing for a my family.

The Power of a Small Bit of Advice

Listen, I’m all about the benefits of books. Big books. Small books. Love’em. I not only have a large library, but I’ve written several books. That being said, the power of small bits of advice, no more than a few paragraphs, has been a blessing to me.

So why not have the best of both worlds? That is, a book filled with 365 “small bits of advice, including …

Venues explored include: Theaters. Amusement parks. TV. Festivals. Schools. Corporate. Ships. And More.

Topics explored include: Writing. Packing small & playing big (of course). Back of the room sales. Comedy strategies. Road stories. Marketing. Travel tips. Sleight techniques. Santa. Livestock. Illusions for the Non-Illusionist. Mostly Stage. A Dash of Close-up. Emergencies. Making Close-Up Play On Stage. The Worst Thing. Cussing. The Greatest Kid Show Trick. The Joke Not To Do. Bad Room Conditions. Recommended Books. Introductions That Crush. Packing Tips. Strolling Set Structure. Dork vs Creep. Tech Challenges. Tips. Before the Show. Getting Older. Get Better By Getting Worse. Cups & Balls. When To Lie. Standing Ovation Show Structure. And More.

And over a dozen routines for stage.

That’s my new book, Magic 365. Get more details here.

The Penultimate Shell Game download video has been on sale for less than 12 hours and just let me say, “Wow.” Thank you.

With that in mind, let me give you a little peek into what is covered in the video. It’s more than just “here’s how to do the routine.” It also includes ten+ years of, for lack of a better term, experience based opinions.

Who are you going to be?

This is common with the shell game: The performer is doing his show, then when shell game time comes up he suddenly assumes a collection of affectations that were non-existent up until that moment. It’s like he’s channeling Foghorn Leghorn.

Listen, I’m not saying there aren’t exceptions to this being a bad choice, but I can’t help but think of the way the great Denny Haney performed illusions, like Canvas Covered Trunk and the Hindu Sword Basket. Denny’s character as an illusionist was …the same as the rest of the show. I wish I had a Bitcoin for how many times I’ve seen an act be happy, clappy, funny, then shift gears to a hyper dramatic tone.

Even if you think that shift works on stage (and I concede there are successful acts that do it), I’d contend the more intimate nature of close make that shift awkward at best.

Don’t be in a hurry

The fun is between the mixing. Don’t rush that fun.

You cover up the pea with a shell. You mix the shells. Now slow the heck down. Sit back. This is where the sweetness lives. Hold court in this moment. In 99.99% of performances you don’t have the tough time constraints that are present on, say a TV spot. Have fun with it. Play with their level of conviction. The playfulness in this moment is the sweet nectar of the routine. (Yeah, I know “sweet nectar” is kind of artsy fartsy hyperbolic, but work with me people!)

Don’t over or under mix the shells

If the viewer would have a hard time following the right shell if you never did a steal, you’re over mixing.

If you move them so little that it screams “he must have moved it from one shell to another,” it screams method. Of course, there are exceptions to this. The segments of the game where the shell is marked or distinguished in some way, like the classic final phase of covering up the shell with a shot glass, work well, but these phases should occur later in the routine, not early.

The sweet spot lives in the level of mixing that leaves a small amount of doubt in the viewer’s mind.

OK, so that’s an Penultimate peek into the Penultimate Shell Game.

To learn the routine, go here:

My 3 dogs, Indy, Leo, and Finn …
yesterday …
in my front yard …
if they could talk:

Indy: OK, I’ll lie down & you guys attack me.
(2 minutes later)

Leo: OK. My turn! I’ll lie down & you guys attack me.
(2 minutes later)

Finn: Me! Me!

All of them: Now let’s roll on something dead that smells bad.

Putting aside the part about something that smells bad, if you have ever seen dogs play with each other, that image rings true. That’s how my dogs interact with each other. It’ fun for them and, relevant to this post, it’s fun to watch.

Below are four routines in the Dixon Magic catalog. All four are better when you play them like a happy dog. What’s that mean? Keep reading …

Playing Like A Happy Dog?

Treat audience members respectfully? Of course, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a overly formal and stiff. I respect my friends and they respect me (I hope), but we still kid each other verbally, much like the puppies play with each other physically, and just like the puppies, it’s fun to watch.

All of the routines above take advantage of that. The interaction is the show and it doesn’t have to be stiff and formal. It can be playful, teasing, and still be respectful.

I’m sure there are routines like that in your show …and it’s fun for everyone.
In my Ten Card Deal I’m repeatedly beating a spectator at poker under increasingly impossible conditions …and it’s fun for everyone.
In Maweege I’m gently ribbing the husband of a married couple …and it’s fun for everyone.
In Invisible Knots a man in the front row becomes the comedy anchor …and it’s fun for everyone.
And this kind of interaction is at the core of the routines in Dynamite In A Small Package …and it’s fun for everyone.

Here’s a passage from my book 1997 Everything is Funnier with Monkeys that talks about this:

Two performances.

The first performance features Biff. Biff is so-spoken. He doesn’t go for broad laughs. He addresses all of his audience participants as either “Sir” or “Ma’am.” He presents his well-executed effects in a straightforward manner.

The second performance features Butch. He has a booming voice, that’s at times even loud. He goes for, and scores with, broad sight gags. He addresses his audience participants by their first names. He occasionally teases audience members. Sometimes he screams at them.

From my experience I believe most magicians would describe Biff as genteel. I would agree. Most would say Butch is not. I would also agree. I also think most magicians would describe Biff as sensitive and say Butch is definitely not. My response would be that from the information just provided there is no way you could possibly know.

Webster defines genteel as “affectedly refined, polite.” Biff is definitely that. Butch is definitely not. But what does sensitivity mean? Webster said “very keenly susceptible to stimuli.” And in a performance, from where does this stimuli come? The audience, of course: And in neither of those descriptions did I give any hint at audience reaction.

I’m very similar to Butch. And I have discovered that the more I push the envelope, the less genteel I become and the less “sensitive” I become in the eyes of most magicians — the more sensitive I actually have to be.

******

So be like puppies and play with your audience.

And if you’re looking for some playful routines, pick up one or more of the products above.

Best,

Doc

Yes, Dixon Magic fans, I am still working on the EDC (Every Day Capable) Magic eBook, and something just occurred to me. There’s a very interesting overlap between the EDC eBook and Dynamite In A Small Package, the book I just released.

When most magicians think of EDC, they think of the ability to perform close-up magic socially. Me, too. I get that. But close-up magic is not the only kind of EDC. There are times when you’ll think …

There are about 100 people here and it would be great
to do a show for all of them at once.
I call this the Godzilla of EDC

I have had a few times in my life where this ability has been invaluable to me.
And I’m sure you’re the same.
A big family reunion.
A meeting that turns out to be even more boring than most meetings.
Or a gig where you forgot 20 minutes worth of props at home.

Now here are two resources for these kind of routines:

#1 The Stand-Up Magic Emergency Handbook — and it’s free!

Click on the book to get your copy.
It contains plenty of stand-up magic you can perform from props you can improvise around you.

Get that book (like you read, it’s free), and create a set list and prop list that could allow you to be ready to do up to 20 minutes in with a minimal amount of prep time.

Example: A set (no cards) from the Stand-Up Magic Emergency Handbook could be bill in lemon, Hoy book test, paper balls over the head, and add-a-number. Prep time: About 10 minutes.

If you don’t have a Godzilla EDC/Improvised show planned, take 10 minutes to make a plan. Once you have the show planned, you are 10x more prepared for the unexpected and Godzilla EDC.

#2 Dynamite In A Small Package — and it’s a bargain!

If you enjoyed my book The Show Is The Mother Of Invention — Advice On Packing Small, Playing Big & Living Large, then you’ll love Dynamite In A Small Package. It’s a deep dive into applying those principals in these five routines.

If you want to do some of the Dynamite In A Small Package act or all of it …
If you want this to be your go to emergency stand up set …
If you want to have several stage routines that give the perception of skill …
If you want to learn routines, skills, and concepts that will improve your entire act …
…You want this book.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 
Rules & Goals
The (Real) Methods
The Act & Routines
The Non-Pre-Show
Faster Than The World’s Fastest Trick
A quick, very visible opener ending with a strong laugh
Seeing Right Through You
The lie detector premise with over the top, yet logical, finish. Involves 3 spectators and psuedo X-rays. Lays the ground for hilarious spectator comedy.
Trying Desperately Hard To Find A Four Of A Kind
Cut to four of a kind with handling that plays to the back row and has built in comedy from repeat failures. Learn the double lift that is made for stage.
A Trip With A Signed Card
A signed card moves here, there, not there, climaxing with a multiple cards to mouth
Cards Across With Selections
Two spectators cause 3 selected cards to go invisibly from one person to the other. No dupes needed. Learn the extremely useful multiple card top change.
EXTRAS – Suggestions to add just a little to make the routine play even bigger.

It’s less than 24 hours into the sale of Dynamite In A Small Package. The response has been fantastic. THANK YOU! Most purchases come from previous Dixon Magic buyers. That says a lot about the trust people have in my “stuff.” I don’t take that trust lightly. Thank you.

But for readers that might be new to our products, let me explain something that is not only important to the book; it’s important to every show I do, and I suspect your show, too. And nearly every item I sell.

Whether you purchase the book or not, if you embrace — fully embrace — this core concept of the book. It’s going to do wonders for your show.

The show uses cards. It is not about cards.

That’s how the show in Dynamite In A Small Package succeeds, and to be blunt, that’s how the show I feed my wife and six sons with succeeds. It’s how most shows succeed.

The Dynamite Show (yeah, I giggle at that name, too) has seven audience members helping. The four for the first two routines interact with the show from their seats. The fifth person comes up to help with the fourth trick and the last two are part of the big closer.

The interaction with the audience members IS the show.
The cards are a device to make that entertaining interaction happen.

Now it’s obvious, I think you should buy the book.
Not as obvious, is whether you buy the book or not, I want you embrace the concept that props are better viewed as tools to increase interaction.

Is this approach an all powerful magic wand (pun intended) that will make every routine better?
No. But I am certain this approach can make most props and routines better.

Here are the details on the book:

This Monday sales will open for Dynamite In A Small Package, my new 60+ page book teaching a five routine complete act for stage. All that’s required is a deck of cards, a marker, two minutes of prep, and it’s show time!

More than teaching how to do the tricks, it teaches how and why a typical audience (like an after dinner show) can be entertained for up to 2o minutes with so little in the way of props with the routines taught in the book.

“Dynamite comes in small packages” 
An expression meaning that very powerful things can often come from small sources. 

So how can a magic act play to big audiences with few props?

One, smart routine selection.

Two (or is it a subset of one?), performing routines where the interaction with the audience members is the source of the entertainment.

Then the show isn’t about a 3-1/2 inch x 2-1/2 inch x 3/4 inch deck of cards. It’s about several feet and and hundreds of pounds of PEOPLE. Last I checked, that’s even bigger than a Zig Zag. And all you’re packing for it is a deck of cards and a marker.

Think about some of the most memorable moments for your shows over the years. I bet nearly all of them are when a audience member – not a prop – did something that was extra entertaining.
Wouldn’t it be best to design an act from the ground up that produced those kind of moments? And as a bonus, the props fit in your hand?

If you enjoyed my book The Show Is The Mother Of Invention — Advice On Packing Small, Playing Big & Living Large, then you’ll love Dynamite In A Small Package. It’s a deep dive into applying those principals in these five routines.

If you want to do some of the Dynamite In A Small Package act or all of it …
If you want this to be your go to emergency stand up set …
If you want to have several stage routines that give the perception of skill …
If you want to learn routines, skills, and concepts that will improve your entire act …
…You want this book.

Table Of Contents
Introduction 
Rules & Goals
The (Real) Methods
The Act & Routines
The Non-Pre-Show
Faster Than The World’s Fastest Trick
Seeing Right Through You
Trying Desperately Hard To Find A Four Of A Kind
A Trip With A Signed Card
Cards Across With Selections
Extras

ON SALE NOW