Close-up magic

Card trick. Upper left: "Pick a card, any card". Upper right: Back-palming a card. Bottom left: A "spring" flourish. Bottom right: A riffle shuffle.

Close-up magic (also known as table magic or micromagic) is magic performed in an intimate setting usually no more than ten feet (three metres) from one's audience and is usually performed while sitting at a table.^[1]

Close-up magic can combine sleight-of-hand manipulations with flourishes, and is called cardistry.

Sleight-of-hand, also known as prestidigitation ("quick fingers") or léger de main (Fr., "lightness of hand"), is the set of techniques used by a micromagician to manipulate objects such as cards and coins secretly.^[2]

Flourishes are an example of skill rather than of illusion or deceit. It is the equivalent of juggling to a juggler.^[3] The two principal forms of micromagic are card tricks and coin tricks but any small item can be used for sleight-of-hand performances including dice, bottle caps, sugar cubes, sponge balls, pebbles, pens and cups and balls.^[4] It's not uncommon for micromagicians to combine several of these objects in a single trick. Famous micromagician, Johnny Ace Palmer produces baby chicks in his cups-and-balls routine.

Micromentalism is mentalism performed in an intimate session. Inevitably, this form of mentalism involves examples of telekinesis, ESP, precognition and telepathy. Most cold reading takes place in such an intimate session as are most Theatrical Séances.

Famous performers

Micro magic tricks

• The Best Coin Fold
• Cups and balls
• Ambitious card
• Card warp
• Floating match on card
• French drop
• Palming
• Retention of vision vanish
• Hummer card
• The Four Burglars
• Scotch and soda
• Detachable thumb
• Thumb tip
• Glorpy
• Healed and sealed
• Zarrow shuffle
• Card manipulation

References