To Be Or Not To Be A Professional Or An Amateur Magician
By Preston Houer -
An amateur magician is anyone who has a minimum amount of talent, skill and knowledge when it comes to performing magic tricks. He or she may be anyone who knows one magic trick or at least three magic tricks.

But basically, a more technical definition of an amateur magician is anyone who does not in any way practice magic as their trade, even if he or she knows four, five, six or more than a number of magic tricks. This is regardless of how good, better or excellent he or she may be in performing flourishes, sleight of hand or optical illusions.

However, there are those amateur magicians who try their very best to expand their current knowledge as well as repertoire and still practice magic as their primary source of income. People who do this are usually called hedge magicians. This is in order to differentiate them from authentic professional magicians who make practicing and performing magic as a trade and make an actual living doing so.

Meanwhile a professional magician is anyone who has a little bit more knowledge and talent compared to an amateur magician. These professional magicians know sufficient magic that makes it enough for them to use it as their primary source of trade and income, as well as not using magic to assist them in a trade other than magic.

So technically, even if a barber performs his job using magic and no matter how many tricks he or she knows and is capable of, that barber is still not considered as a professional magician because his primary trade is cutting hairs and not necessarily being a magician.
Another way to differentiate a professional magician from an amateur is by the way he or she does flourishes.

According to the Online Encylopedia of Magic, a flourish is any sleight that is performed for the purpose of entertaining an audience and does not in any way contain any moves that are hidden. Most sleights that are performed are done so in order to deceive a captive audience and to do something that can not

Symphony - the smoothest coin vanish
Coin tricks are very popular on Pubtricks.com and this could be the one that everyone has been waiting for. This needs no gimmicks and the coin can be borrowed. The set up is minimal. Keep watching the video, you will never catch the trick, it is so smooth. As this trick is so smooth it has been given the Pubtricks.com gold standard. Once again the tutorial video explains everything you need to know. Nothing is left. All you need is a coin and the video and you can impress everyone with this!
Inferno - make money with magic
Easy money! Why work for a living when you can change the value of a borrowed bank note? Of course this is a trick but what a great trick to show people in a bar when you are out with your friends. When it is your turn to by the drinks, borrow 1 dollar from a friend, turn it into a 50 and then buy everyone a drink. You will be the star of the bar! The tutorial explains in detail everything you need to know to master this slick trick. Grab the solution video now and perform to your mates tonight.
Shrink - big card little card
David Kemsley is the master of original effects. This is a killer card change. It looks so smooth and visual. Watch as a big card turns small and then the small card returns to its original size. David will personally guide you thought the steps required to make and perform this trick. All you need is the video and you can show this after a bit of practice.
Hand full of coins vanish - more than a coin vanish
Do you think it is cool to vanish one coin? Well how about an entire hand full of coins? Lee Petrucci latest trick does just that. Watch the video right now and see what you think. As with all of Lees tricks the tutorials are stunning. All you need is the tutorial video and Lee will guide you though in detail how to make the gimmick required and how to perform the trick. The gimmick can be made from a number of common household objects, you do not need to buy specialist magic supplies from another store. This is true with every trick on Pubtricks.com. So grab this trick right now, add it to the shopping cart and show it to your friends. If you are seeing your friends at a party then this would be a perfect trick to impress them!
Mist Coin Vanish
This is a stunning coin vanish; I am sure you have watched this closely and see a palm but then it vanishes. This is the beauty of the trick, it looks like you are going to guess where the coin is but it really does vanish. To perform this trick for you friends all you need is a coin and the tutorial video. Everything you need to learn and do is included. So take advantage of the low price and download the trick right now and show it to your friends in a few hours!

be detected. Meanwhile, a flourish is any trick that is done to draw the audience’s attention away from where an actual sleight is simultaneously being performed.

There are some magicians who consider the performance of a flourish as simply a finger exercise and not really actual pieces of performance. But those magicians who do put in and include flourishes in their act are considered by some of their fellow magicians as a seriously skilled performer.

If a performance consists of a card trick wherein the cards are spread out on the table and when a performer does a pressure card fan, the image that that performer projects is one of professionalism and experience. But a performer of magic who simply holds the cards and then spreads them slightly, may then be considered more as an amateur. Although this may or may not be true or this may not be considered as a hard fact, this is the perception and the impression that a performing magician usually gives to an audience.

Flourishes are done not just as a form of show-off to the audience, a flourish is also done for the purpose of presenting just how a performer is truly dedicated to the magic act. It also shows the degree of professionalism one has for the performance.

When a flourish is done, it makes it easier to know the difference between a magic trick performed by an expert magician and your friendly neighborhood Jim who is doing a card trick.

A skilled performer comes off as a natural and will ultimately receive more credit for his or her performance as well as recognition, not to mention that good old respect for the skills he or she has.

When a spectator is looking at a magic trick where the occasional flourish is done, that performer is also seen as more than a magician but a person who is passionate at what he or she is doing. It is therefore so much easier to hire a magician who has more skills and experience than one who needs to practice his or her craft more.

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Preston Houer has been involved with the art of illusion and sleight of hand for over 30 years. Let Preston show you how to Have Fun With Magic. Visit His Site Today! www.have-fun-with-magic.com