Turning coffee into coins
This trick from David Blane is popular around the world. The magician takes 2 plastic coffee cups, cuts one in half, and fills it with coins. Then he makes a tiny hole in the bottom of the big cup, puts a sponge inside, and places the cup with the coins on it. Now all he needs to do is place his finger inside the hole. The small cup will go up, revealing the coins, and the coffee will be absorbed by the sponge. The rest is just acting!
The magic sword
This trick, performed by James More on Britain’s Got Talent, has a simple explanation. The magician has a special construction underneath his clothes. When he falls on the "sharp" sword, its tip hides and he balances. On his chest is a mechanism that pushes a fake sword out. This all makes it look like the magician has been impaled on the sword.
Pulling cards out of thin air
The magician uses a special card holder and puts it on the back of his hand. With a dexterous movement, he pulls cards "out of thin air." Some magicians can do this without a device, but they have to really master their skills so as not to get caught.
Bullet catch
This trick requires a lot of preparation and sleight of hand. The magician exchanges a bullet signed by an audience member with a wax one, loading duplicates into his gun. When the gun fires, the wax bullet melts down, and the spray of hot wax puts holes in the glass. The magician gets the original bullet out of its shell, concealing it in his mouth until the reveal.
Balloon swallowing
The key to success here is tiny holes at the top of the balloon. The magician puts a balloon in his mouth and presses it against his tongue so the air releases. This creates the illusion that the magician is eating the balloon. But he needs to hurry after he inflates the balloon if he doesn’t want to get caught!
Run over by a truck
It’s entirely based on the laws of physics. A real truck runs over the unprotected magician but doesn’t harm him. The key to the successful trick is a set of counterweights on the far side of the truck, not visible to the audience. The weights shift the balance of the truck, allowing the wheels on the lighter side to roll over the top of the magician.
Cut and restored rope
A cut rope is magically back in one piece...but the magician actually never cuts the rope. He has a short piece of rope concealed in his hand and cuts that instead. Using sleight of hand and pulling the short rope up, he creates the illusion of restoring the rope only by magic.
Mind reading
All mind reading is based on human psychology, and a magician usually just guesses the most probable answer. When a magician performs the "Gray Elephant From Denmark" trick, he asks the audience certain math questions, the answer to which will always be the same. Try to perform it at home, and tell us in the comments section if you managed to trick your friends!
Levitating objects
To perform this trick, you need an extremely thin rubber band and a pencil to hide in your sleeve. Depending on the object you are going to levitate, the technique may differ, but the main idea will stay the same: fix the support so no one can see it, and turn on your charm!
Water suspended in midair
The magician takes a glass, fills it with water, places a piece of cardboard on the glass, and then turns the glass upside down. The cardboard holds the water because of the vacuum inside the glass. But why doesn’t the water pour out when the magician takes away the cardboard? On the bottom of the glass, there’s a small hole that allows him to create the vacuum and hold or release the water. A transparent lid also helps the water to stay put.
Invisible man
This picture has gone viral, but it’s only a visual illusion created by Zach King for Action Cam as a part of Sony’s Never Before Seen series. With a camera on his back and a TV monitor fixed on his chest, King walks through a college campus and surprises people by appearing to be see-through. Here’s what’s really going on: