Where Do Magicians Learn Their Tricks (A Complete Guide)

I have learned magic tricks from everywhere possible over the past 25 years. I’ll tell you where magicians learn their tricks and what I have found to be the best places.

• Walk-in Magic Shops
• Online Magic Dealers
• YouTube
• Magic Sets
• Books
• Downloads
• Other Magicians
• Lectures and Conventions

There are many great places where magicians learn their tricks. I’ll tell you about each.

Magic Shops

The best way to start learning magic is to buy some simple magic tricks. When I was a kid, every decent-sized city had a magic shop. At the magic shop you could see magicians demonstrate the newest tricks and then you could buy them.

When the trick is sold, the secret is told.

Magicians hung around magic shops and shared tricks with each another. You had to be accepted by the magicians before they would teach you anything. Information was hard to come by and magicians were very secretive.

Most real magic shops are gone, only a few still remain. Magicians liked to hang around magic shops, yet didn’t spend much money while there. This wasn’t good for business and forced most magic shops to close.

I have very fond memories of visiting magic shops, hanging out for hours, and seeing some amazing tricks. It had a major impact on me. This type of experience is pretty much a thing of the past. Nowadays magic shops are mostly online.

Online Magic Dealers

Magic shops don’t really exist anymore. Now they are “Magic dealers.” The biggest online magic dealer in the world is Penguin Magic. They are the largest resource for buying and learning magic tricks.

Penguin has everything from beginner tricks to professional magic tricks. Anyone can buy from them. I order decks of cards and magic tricks from them. Their prices are unbeatable.

They started by selling magic tricks from their college dorm and built themselves to a multimillion dollar company. Pretty genius!

Another great online magic dealer is Vanishing Inc. It is run by 2 incredible professional magicians, Joshua Jay and Andi Gladwin. Like Penguin they sell everything you can imagine for beginners all the way up to experts. Their magic is top notch and they are very knowledgable. I order from them as well.

Murphy’s Magic is the worlds largest distributer of magic products and a prominent producer of designer playing cards. Murphy’s is where Online Magic Dealers get their magic from.

You and I cannot buy from Murphy’s because we are not established magic dealers. Murphy’s gets all the latest and exclusive magic tricks and advertises them on their Instagram and YouTube channels. You and I can buy the tricks from our favorite magic dealer.

YouTube Magicians

There is a ton of magic on YouTube. Most “YouTube Magicians” teach tricks. Chris Ramsay has the biggest YouTube channel. He is a Vlogger and has millions of subscribers. Chris talks about and teaches magic tricks and features other magicians and their tricks.

I also have a YouTube channel. I focus on real world performances and advice on how to be a magician for a living. I don’t teach tricks, I do perform a ton of tricks. Plus I teach some incredible card flourish and shuffling tutorials you can check out here.

Be cautious when on YouTube, there are many amateur magicians posing as master magicians. It is important to be able to recognize what is strong magic, and what tricks will work for you.

Magic Sets

Most everyone has received a magic set as a gift when they were a kid. Magic sets usually have a bunch of beginner magic tricks that are fun and easy to do. It is a perfect present for a boy or girl, ages 6 and up, who likes magic tricks.

Here is an Amazon link to my favorite magic set. It has some great tricks that a budding magician can practice and perform for family and friends, I highly recommend.

Magic Books

When I was a kid, before the internet, magic books were a huge resource for learning new tricks. I remember finding magic books at the library. All the best magicians wrote books teaching their greatest tricks and techniques, in detail.

New magic books are constantly being published today. You can purchase them through magic dealers. Public libraries still have magic books, though I haven’t been to one for a while. Books are a great way to learn magic. It takes patience and passion.

Harry Houdini collected around 4000 books on magic and spiritualism, now held at the Library of Congress.

Magic Downloads

Video makes learning so much easier. When I first got into magic there were VHS tapes. I used to rent videos from a magic shop in Buffalo when I was in college. These tapes had performances and also taught the tricks. All the best magicians in the world made videos teaching their tricks.

As technology changed, so did the magic business. VHS tapes were reintroduced into DVD sets with bonus footage. Eventually all magic videos became instant downloads which can be bought from magic dealers today.

Downloads are the best resource today to learn magic. It is inexpensive and easily accessible. You can download and learn the tricks immediately. There are downloads teaching everything.

I sell a download which I would have killed for when I first got in to magic. It is How to Master the Classic Force.

Other Magicians

A great way to learn magic is from other magicians. The hard part is meeting them. There are two clubs – The SAM (Society of American Magicians) and The IBM (International Brotherhood of Magicians). You can find them in most larger cities. This could be a good resource to find other magicians in your area.

Local clubs and some local magic shops have magician lectures you can sign up for. At a lecture a magician performs some magic tricks and then teaches them. Afterward the magician will sell lecture notes and tricks.

It is a lot of fun. I have quite a few sets of notes on my bookshelf. It is also a great way to meet fellow magicians in your area.

There are several big magic conventions every year. Conventions can be one day or a few days. At the convention there are magic lectures, magic performances, and many magic tricks sold in the dealer’s room. It is a good place to meet fellow magicians and buy new tricks.

Here is a link to a Guide of Magic Conventions

FaceTime and Skype has really opened up the possibilities for magic. You can have a magic session with a friend without even leaving your room. Some magician’s offer their consulting services over a video call where they teach and go over tricks.

Underground legendary Buffalo magician Paul Richards has put together a team of magic dealers who tour around the world and put on one day conventions. They perform and sell very exclusive magic tricks that can only be bought at the event. It is amazing. If you want to find out more here is a link.

Magic School

There are no formal schools that teach magic. The Magic Castle in Hollywood, CA is a nightclub for magicians and magic enthusiasts, as well as a clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts.

Here you can find magic lectures, classes, and workshops. The Chavez Studio of Magic has been around for 80 years and still gives lessons. There is also a College of Magic, a non-profit organization based in Cape Town, South Africa. 

Conclusion

Magic is not so secretive like it was 30 years ago. Magic secrets are easy to find. The truth is anyone can be a magician. What separates magicians nowadays is the amount of time and practice they are willing to put in.

The more a magician practices, the better he/she will get. A magician only masters a trick after putting in the time.