Guy Hollingworth at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Guy Hollingworth is an English conjuror known for his skillful card magic and elegant performing style. He created a sensation in the magic community with his trick The Reformation, in which a signed playing card is torn into four pieces and then visibly restored one piece at a time. He is well known for his acclaimed book, Drawing Room Deceptions. Some of his card magic is also featured in his videos The London Collection and Routines. He was also featured on NBC's "World's Greatest Magic III" TV special.

Hollingworth is currently performing "Expert at the Card Table" at the Assembly's 2008 season at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August. The show contains deception, betrayal and cheating at cards. Renowned conjurer Guy Hollingworth performs dazzling exhibitions of card chicanery and incomparable legerdemain whilst unraveling the mystery of its enigmatic author.

Here is a review:

"This show is a curious but clever story within a story. Contained in a tight set, the audience is cast back to yesteryear, in this case, to 1902. Guy Hollingworth is both narrator and card manipulator, telling the story of a poor boy named Milton Andrews who became liberated by developing a talent to manipulate cards. Bound to a school friend who was everything Milton wasn't - handsome, slim, athletic and wealthy - the friend helped Andrews develop extraordinary card tricks and wrote a book describing their achievements, Expert at the Card Table. Unfortunately, Andrews drifted into cheating at poker, heavy drinking and eventually murder.

Hollingworth, dressed to the nines in tails and shoes that shine like diamonds, tells the story in a gentle patter, as if chatting from an armchair. His performance is almost magnetic, especially when demonstrating some incredible card manipulations. The overall effect of story, stage and performance weaves a charming spell through some ghastly acts by Andrews during his short career as a card hustler. It's an ingenious way to present card sharking and easily achieves its objectives.

Anticipating a series of card tricks, the conventional approach to this subject, the show was a pleasant and riveting experience having wonderful card dealing a part of a story involving people and places. The Wildman Room was packed, perhaps by the twofer ticket offer, and the audience loved this show even though it felt like a sauna. Be sure to get a seat in the centre to fully appreciate all the tricks..

A thoroughly original and clever show of card sharking, providing an invaluable lesson why you should never sit down to play poker with strangers who shuffle the cards before dealing a hand."

- Fringe Review by Kerry

Guy Hollingworth

Todd Robbins: "The Modern Con Man"

New York City magician and Tannen's Magic customer Todd Robbins has written a new book "The Modern Con Man" : How to Get Something For Nothing.

For years, con men have gotten fat scamming unsuspecting marks for food, shelter, money and from time to time, even clothes, while the rest of us suffer our honest lives in the quiet desperation. Isn't it about time we got in on all the fun?

In The Modern Con Man, entertainer extraordinaire Todd Robbins, with a little help from his Modern Conman Collective, explains the valuable tricks of his venerable trade-from simple bar bets (the Hoboken Bottle Cap bet) to can't-lose card tricks (the Poseidon). Whether it's winning fifty bucks, scoring seats closer to the fifty-yard line, or finagling a free meal, this one-of-a-kind collection of cons, bar bets, card games, and general chicanery ensures aspiring scam artists everywhere will always come out on top.

Filled with humorous facts and tables, a glossary of con terms, illustrations, the history of the con, and easy-to-follow swindles, The Modern Con Man is a hilarious and endlessly entertaining collection of safe, fun, and mostly legal cons for the natural-born prankster in all of us.

Pages 227 - Hardcover with dust jacket.

You can order the book by clicking here: "The Modern Con Man" : How to Get Something For Nothing.

Todd Robbins is the world's foremost purveyor of reality at it's most amazing -- He is the classiest act to ever grace the stage of the American Sideshow. If Todd looks familiar to you, it's probably because you have seen him on one of the over 100 TV appearances he has done! These include multiple appearances on the late night talkfests of David Letterman, Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien; and the NBC special Extreme Variety.

Chances are that if you have been amazed and amused by a guy on TV eating glass, hammering a nail into his nose, spitting out a huge ball of fire, walking over broken bottles in his bare feet, swallowing swords, sticking his hand into an animal trap, doing the unthinkable with a small balloon, using only the power of his lungs to blow up a hot water bottle until it explodes... it was Todd Robbins doing it!

Up Your Sleeve

In 1888, P. J. Kepplinger, a San Francisco gambler, revolutionized the mechanical holdout. Laboring in secret, Kepplinger, an inventive genius, combined the best features of several mechanical holdouts and added some innovations of his own. The result represented a high-water mark in card-cheating technology.

The core of Kepplinger’s device was a metal slide attached to a rod, which retracted into a pair of steel jaws. Kepplinger concealed this assembly in a double shirtsleeve. When the player activated the device, the steel jaws opened and the slide extended, gripped the cards, and withdrew them between the layers of the double sleeve. The jaws snapped shut, concealing the apparatus from view. The process could be reversed to return the cards into the hand.

Kepplinger’s method of triggering the device was his greatest innovation. A cable ran through a series of tubes and pulleys to terminate at the shoulder. A length of flexible tubing beneath the player’s clothing guided the cable from there to a seam at his knees. Thus, by separating his knees, the player extended the holdout, and by pressing his knees together, he retracted it.

Brilliant in design, the device worked flawlessly. The sharp examined his hand, subtly crimping the corners of the cards he wished to hold out. Spreading his knees, he caused the slide to emerge, grip the cards, and extract them into the double shirtsleeve. Later he reversed the process, returning the holdouts to his palm. Unlike earlier machines, Kepplinger’s creation operated imperceptibly and invisibly. His opponents could peer up his sleeve and discover nothing.

Had he been judicious in the use of his invention, Kepplinger could have bilked suckers forever. But something got the better of him. Perhaps he was greedy. Perhaps he put too much stock in the brilliance of his own invention. Or maybe he was just a gambler. In any event, he pushed his luck.

He used his holdout in San Francisco’s “hard” games, poker games frequented by professional gamblers schooled in the ways of cheating. And he didn’t just use it for the occasional big score; he won almost every game. His opponents knew this couldn’t be attributed to fortune.

They developed a plan. At a prearranged signal they seized Kepplinger, held him down, and conducted a methodical search—and discovered his device. They gave him a simple choice: Build a holdout for each of them or face the consequences of having cheated them. His life at risk, he agreed.

Within a decade Kepplinger’s secret got out. The Kepplinger holdout became the common property of sharps everywhere. By the 1890s gambling supply companies were selling Kepplinger or “San Francisco” holdouts for $100 apiece—a very steep sum, but a small price to pay for genius.

For a modern version of the magician’s holdout, take a look at the “Black Widow”.

The Kepplinger Holdout pictured above was made by Will & Finck of San Francisco, California, circa 1890. From the Doug Edwards Collection.

David Blaine Appears in Nashville

David Blaine, performer of street and close-up magic and the American world record holding magician and endurance artist magically appeared at the 2008 Nashville Predator Goal Girls auditions the other day.

He amazed the girls with a card effect where he transformed a signed card into a book of matches. The girls were mesmerized and stunned by Blaine's impromptu street magic and are hoping he can also help the team for next season.

Last year, the NHL ice hockey team, Nashville Predators were not expected to have a successful year. However, they did make the Stanley Cup Playoffs and met the Detroit Red Wings (the eventually the Stanley Cup winners) in the first round and were defeated four games to two. It was their fourth straight first round knockout.

Dynamo: Adidas Superstar Magic

Dynamo, known in the UK as the Hip Hop magician, has captivated audiences with his unique brand of street magic. The web film enables the viewer to traverse Miami for a week with Dynamo and his Superstars as he dazzles Miami locals with his unique brand of magic and exposes the city’s rich, local flavor through the eyes of an Englishman on holiday. To truly capture all of Miami’s essence, Dynamo visits Little Havana, the Arts district, South Beach, locals-only hang-outs, and other areas off the beaten path, mesmerizing a wide cross-section of interesting people with his street magic. Winter Music Conference provided a rich backdrop of entertainers who were in town for the event including Rich Medina, legendary club DJ from Philly, and Black Spade, who were blown away by Dynamo’s reality defying tricks.

Conceptualized and executed by TAOW, A Modern Marketing Agency and directed by Rob Bruce (Laguna Beach, The Hills, etc.), the Superstar Magic film features a musical score by Om Records / Om: Hip Hop, and also highlights the ‘Watch My Feet Superstar’ remix courtesy of the Tapemasterz, Inc. The film launchd digitally on Friday, the 13th of June, 2008, at the Adidas website, and is supported by a comprehensive online media rollout at retail and print as part of the Celebrate Originality campaign. The Superstar micro site will host the film and feature behind the scenes footage, downloads including new ring tones, and the newest collection of Superstars. Visitors can even perform some Superstar magic of their own on the site. Or, you might run in to him here at Tannen's Magic in NYC when he visits. He always does stop in.



Adidas Originals Film: Superstar Magic with Dynamo

David Boyd: Flying On

Tannen's Magic Camp, camper David Boyd, is featured in an article in the June issue of The Linking Ring. He is a 18-year old magician born and raised in Harlem, New York. He graduated W.C. Bryant High School in 2007.

David Boyd is an award-winning teen magician and has been involved with magic for six years. A believer in giving back, he had the chance in 2007 to produce and perform in an hour-long variety show benefiting the victims of Hurricane Katrina. He was one of the top five young musicians selected around the world to perform in “Stars of Tomorrow Show,” and has graced the pages of Magic Magazine.

He is a member of the Society of Young Magicians where he is constantly refining his talents with some of the world's top magic professionals performing all across the country. David is quickly becoming a rising star in the world of magic.


David Boyd

Does Coin Size Matter?

In our blog recent poll the half dollar was determined to be the most popular coin for coin effects with 72% of the votes over the quarter and dollar coins.

Of the half dollars the most popular would be the Kennedy half which went into circulation in 1964. The size of the coin endorses its popularity. At a diameter of 30.6 mm it is easy to classic palm the half dollar without giving the hand a ‘cramped’ appearance one gets from a quarter. The larger size over the quarter also makes it more visible.

Due to the half’s popularity the copper English penny is equally popular because it is the same size. By the way, if you’re using halves and English pennies a copper silver coin can be an indispensable tool to have. Fortunately there are Chinese brass coin to match the half dollar and English penny.

The only drawback to the half dollar is the availability of the coin. When the Kennedy half was first minted in 1964 it was 90% silver. The 1965-1970 mintages were 40% silver. This lead to collector’s and hoarders stockpiling the coins the silver coins. When the nickel-clad coins began circulating in 1971 the half dollar had fallen out of favor with banks and the public. It’s unlikely that it will ever make a comeback in popularity. But, until then it will up to the coin magician’s to keep the coins in the public eye.