5 Equipment-Free Magic Tricks: Mind-Reading, Hand Magic & More

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Bamboozle your audience with these 5 fun magic tricks

Co-authored by Zach Waldman

Last Updated: March 27, 2024

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Mind-Reading

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Twisting Hand Magic Trick

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The Invisible Bubble

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Levitation

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Fake Magic Trick

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Video

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Expert Q&A

Ready to impress and wow your friends with some stellar magic? It's easier than you think. All you need is an audience, a pair of hands, and sometimes a little practice beforehand. Once you've got these tricks down, you can perform them at a moment's notice whenever anyone asks, "Can you do any magic tricks?"

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Mind-Reading

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Ask a volunteer from the audience to come with you to another room so you can "form a psychic connection." Talk to the assistant in a private room, where no one else can hear you.
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Tell the assistant about your plan. In this trick, sometimes called Black Magic, you'll point at objects in the room, and the assistant will say whether or not it's the object you are thinking of. They should keep answering "No," then answer "No" again when you point to a black-colored object. The next object you point to after that will be the correct one, and they will answer "Yes."
- Read the rest of the trick below if you don't get how it works yet.
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Ask the assistant to wait in a separate room, where they can't hear the audience. Return to your audience and tell them "I have cast a spell on the assistant, so they can read my mind. I'll prove it to you with this magic trick."
Ask an audience member to name any object in the room. Point to it, and say, "Now my assistant will read my mind and tell you which object you chose."
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Have the audience bring the assistant back. Send out at least two or three people in the audience to bring back the assistant. This way, no one will think you are sending someone to cheat and tell the assistant what to pick.
- If you want, you can make a big show of "transmitting a psychic message" by staring at the assistant and holding your fingers against the side of your head.
Point to something that the audience did not choose, and say "Am I thinking of ___?" Repeat this for a few objects. The assistant should say "No," as you agreed on.
Point to another wrong object, but one that is colored black. Say "Is this what I am thinking of?" The assistant should say "No" again, but notice that this is black.
Point to the item the audience chose, and say "Am I thinking of __?" The assistant will now say "Yes," since it is the first thing you pointed to after the black object. Smile and bow to the audience.
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Repeat if the audience is excited. If the audience is trying to guess how it's done, send the assistant out of the room again, pick another object, and repeat. Distract the audience from the real code by pretending to use silly faces, gestures, or different ways of asking the question as a code. Do the trick two or three times, then stop so the audience doesn't guess your secret.
- You can also talk to your assistant again and come up with a different code for next time. For instance, ask them to say "Yes" for the fifth thing you point to.

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Twisting Hand Magic Trick

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As you do this trick, ask the audience to copy your hand motions. Do each step slowly, and explain to the audience what you're doing. You'll actually be doing one extra step you aren't telling them about. The audience will end up with tangled hands and arms, while you will be showing them two thumbs up.
Hold your arms out in front of you, and point both thumbs downward. Remember, tell your audience to do the same thing you do. Wait until everyone has made this hand motion before you keep going.
Move one arm over the other, still with both thumbs pointed downward. Clasp the fingers on your left hand and right hand together. Your wrists – and the wrists of your audience members — are now twisted around each other, with your fingers interlocking.
As your audience figures out how to copy you, keep talking to them to distract them from what you're doing. Say, "not like that, cross your arms like me. Remember, your thumbs are pointing downward and you're holding your hands together. There! Look at her, she's doing it right." Keep your arms crossed over each other, but let go of your hands so you can point at the audience member you're talking about.^{[1]
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Rotate one arm and clasp your hands again. Quickly, while the audience is still looking where you pointed, turn over the hand you pointed with. Flip that hand over completely, so your palms are touching again, then grasp your hands together. This will look similar to the position your audience members are in, but it is much less twisted.
- If you're trying to practice this and don't understand it, stop and put both hands in front of you with the thumbs facing up. Clasp your hands together, then turn them so the thumbs are pointing down. This is the position you want to end up in after this step.
- Keep talking and looking at your audience while you do this, not at your hands.
Tell your audience to copy you, so everyone will give each other thumbs up. Move your hands up toward your chest, turning your hands so your thumbs are facing up. The audience will try to copy you, but because they're in a different position, they'll end up with their hands twisted, their arms still crossed, or other tangled gestures.
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Pretend to get irritated and repeat. Tell them they must be doing it wrong, and repeat the trick from the beginning. You can usually do this several times, while the audience laughs and wonders why they can't get it right. Use different distraction methods each time, so the audience doesn't get suspicious:
- Pull your hands apart to hold an audience member's hands, and guide them in the "right" position. Clasp your hands together again in the fake position only you know.
- Wave your hands around while clasped, shout "Abracadabra" or other "magic words," then spin around while changing the position of your hand.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

The Invisible Bubble

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You can use a single volunteer from a large audience, but only one person will really feel the strange effect this magic trick results in. This is a better magic trick to use on one friend or family member, or when you can repeat it for each person in a small group.
Ask the other person to hold their hands together as though they were about to clap, with palms facing each other. If you want to ham it up, ask them to start applauding to welcome the amazing magician (yourself), then grab their hands and stop them in this position after a few claps.
Hold your hands in a similar position, palms inward, on either side of their hands. Pretend you're about to clap in the same place they are.
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Ask them to push against your hands. Push inward on both their hands as hard as you can. At the same time, they should be pushing outward with their hands against yours. Do this for about 60 seconds.
- Optionally, chant "magic words" while you do this.
After about a minute, ask them to stop pushing. Remove your hands, and ask if they feel anything. They should feel an "invisible bubble" pushing their hands outward, even though nothing is touching them.

Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Levitation

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This is a difficult trick to pull off, since the audience needs to be looking from exactly the right angle. Find a friend who's willing to take a look while you practice, and help you figure out the best way to position yourself while you try the steps below.
Pick a pair of pants that has pant legs that hang down partly over your foot or shoe. The best pants will hide your heels, but keep the toes and center of your feet visible.
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Stand back from the audience. Tell the audience you need space to concentrate, and to avoid falling on them when the levitation magic ends. The audience should be about 8–10 feet (2.5–3 meters) away.^{[2]
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- Make a big deal of "finding the right spot" to convince your audience that this is difficult.
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Stand at an angle away from your audience. This is where a friend will come in handy, since you might have to experiment with this at different angles to find out where the illusion looks most convincing. Usually, the magician stands about 45º away from the audience, so the audience can see the back of your heels and your entire left foot, but cannot see the tip of your right foot.^{[3]
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- You can also think of this as standing on a clock face. Your toes are pointed at 10:30 or 11:00, and the audience is standing at 6:00.
Make a big show of how difficult levitation is, and raise your arms into the air slowly as though you were pulling yourself up. Push up on the toe of your right foot only, where the audience can't see your foot. Raise your right heel, and your entire left foot, trying to keep them even with each other. Keep your left foot parallel with the ground. "Hover" for just a few seconds in this position.
After a few seconds, drop back down to the ground. Bend your knees and ankles as you hit the ground, to make it seem like you fell from a taller height than you actually did.

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Fake Magic Trick

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Tell your friend, "I bet you will move before I finish walking around you three times, without anyone touching you." If they won't agree, reassure them that no one will be helping you, and they won't need to do anything but stand still.
Walk around them while pretending to concentrate very hard. Leave at least two ft (60 cm) between you. Turn to them and say "one" the first time you circle around them.
Continue to circle around them slowly. Pause and wipe imaginary sweat off your forehead, and say "Okay, you're a tough one, but I can still do this." Finish circling them a second time, and say "Two."
Quickly turn and walk directly away from them, before they realize what's happening and tries to grab you. Wave to them and promise you'll come back in a year or two to walk around them the third time!

Expert Q&A

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Question

How can I improve my magic trick presentation?

Zach Waldman
Professional Comedy Magician
Zach Waldman is a Professional Comedy Magician based in Los Angeles, CA. He has over 20 years of experience as an entertainer and performer. He is a comedian, magician, and mentalist, and he customizes his show to be distinct for every audience he performs for. His clients include some of the biggest corporations in the world, including Microsoft, Google, BusinessWeek, Absolut, the L.A. Kings, Anheuser-Busch, and more. He has been a member of the Academy of Magical Arts (AMA) since 2001, and performs regularly at the Academy’s clubhouse, The Magic Castle. For the past 20+ years, Zach has been a mainstay at many other reputable Los Angeles theaters and comedy clubs including the El Portal, the Comedy Store, the Improv, Flappers, and the Laugh Factory. Before moving to L.A., he attended the Player's Workshop of the Second City. He received his degree from the University of Central Florida.

Zach Waldman

Professional Comedy Magician

Expert Answer

Performing a magic trick is not just about the trick itself but also about the presentation. Even a simple trick can become impressive with a creative and entertaining presentation. To start, choose a trick and focus on how you'll present it to captivate your audience. Remember, the goal is to entertain people, so prioritize creating a memorable experience. While technique is essential, being able to engage your audience conversationally is just as crucial. Use your skills to distract and engage your audience while smoothly executing the trick. Ultimately, a combination of technique, presentation, and engaging communication will elevate your magic performance and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

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Question

How do I guess a person's card?

Community Answer

You need to know the bottom card of the deck. For example, 4 of hearts. Remember it. Fan out the cards and let the other person pick any card. Then, tell him to put it at the top of the deck. Then tell him to cut the deck a couple of times so you won't know where the card is. (Cutting is lifting part of a deck and putting the other part on top.) When the person cuts it, the card will be next to the bottom card. After you say you can find his card, take the deck, and look for the four of hearts and look at the card on its right.

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What is the easiest way to make a coin disappear without letting the audience see anything?

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Put a tissue over the coin, then roll it around the table, and discreetly let it fall on your lap.

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