Monster Magic

19/06/2026

Today's question comes from Mark Hegarty:
I have a question.. Is ring magic to risky?
No matter how good you are ( i'm alright, not good, keen hobbyist) things can/do go wrong.
I'd be mortified if I lost/damaged the brides ring (not a euhananism)

WW answers:
Aye, this is one of those questions where magicians often act as if there's only one correct answer.

There isn't.

You're absolutely right that things can go wrong, and you're equally right to be interested in performing Ring Flight—it's a fantastic routine.

Ring Flight is one of those effects that sparks debate whenever magicians get together.
Half the room will tell you, "It's the strongest thing I've ever performed."
The other half will say, "Aye, and here's the story of the night it nearly ended my career."
The reality is that both sides are telling the truth.

The real question isn't whether Ring Flight is powerful or whether it carries risk—it's deciding which of those facts matters more to you.

Let's be honest. When a spectator lends you an engagement ring, they're not handing over a prop. They're handing over an object that might have cost several thousand pounds and carries enough emotional value to start a family argument if it goes missing. It still staggers me the trust of some people.

If you drop a sponge ball, nobody cares, if you drop a wedding ring down a drain, you'll remember it on your deathbed.
Now, some magicians will tell you to stop worrying and just perform it. They'll say they've done Ring Flight thousands of times without a problem.

Fair enough.

But aeroplanes land safely thousands of times every day. We still pay attention to the one that doesn't. My brother still gives out a cheer on every safe landing and he’s the pilot.

The important thing is this:
The risk isn't measured by how often something goes wrong. It's measured by the consequences when it does.

If a signed bill/note is handed back soggy with lemon juice, you apologise.

If a bride's engagement ring gets scratched, lost, or launched across a ballroom at Mach 3, you've got a very different conversation on your hands.

That doesn't mean nobody should perform Ring Flight. Plenty of excellent professionals do.

It means you should only perform it if:
• You trust your handling completely.
• Your prop is reliable.
• You have a plan if something goes wrong.
• You're comfortable accepting the responsibility.

If every time you borrow a ring you're thinking, "Please don't let this be the night the clasp fails," then you're carrying more anxiety than astonishment.

And audiences can smell fear quicker than they can smell a free buffet.

As we say in Yorkshire:
If you're worrying about the landing before you've taken off, perhaps it's not the trick for you.

The best tricks aren't necessarily the strongest tricks on paper. They're the ones you can perform confidently, repeatedly and without a knot in your stomach.

So don't "man up."
That's daft advice.
Be professional.

If Ring Flight excites you and you've got confidence in the method, perform it.

If the thought of borrowing a £10,000 engagement ring makes your backside clench hard enough to crack a walnut, leave it out and perform something else.

There's no shortage of miracles in magic.

The funny thing is that the actual Ring Flight mechanism often isn't the problem. Even the classic reel-based versions which tend to create the strongest moment don’t use much force and if performed correctly the ring is travelling just a few inches.

The weak link is usually the ring itself.

You'd be amazed how many expensive-looking rings are already loose, worn, damaged or one enthusiastic handshake away from becoming a jewellery repair bill.

And that's where the value question gets interesting.
Most magicians focus on the financial value. I think the emotional value is far more important.

A £200 wedding ring that's been on someone's finger for twenty years may be worth more to them than a £5,000 diamond ring they collected last month.

You don't really know what you're borrowing. You could be borrowing a story.

You can use common sense and quietly avoid:
• Rings with large stones.
• Delicate claw settings.
• Antique jewellery.
• Obviously sentimental heirlooms.
• Anything that immediately makes you think, "If this goes wrong I'm moving to another county."

There are some ‘safer’ effects which can still pack a whallop
• Ring to sealed envelope.
• Ring to nest of wallets.
• Ring to key case.
• Ring to impossible location.

The effect is often slightly less visual but considerably gentler on both the jewellery and your blood pressure. Fortunately, spectators don't remember risk, they remember results.

If you're going to perform Ring Flight, do it because you've chosen a method you trust and a situation you can control.

Not because somebody on a magic forum told you to stop worrying and "just go for it."

Those same people won't be standing next to you when the bride says:
"That diamond was definitely in there five minutes ago..." 😉

Best,
WW

17/06/2026

Hi All,
You may have noticed I haven't been posting very often. This is very much down to lack of time. I have therefore enlisted the well respected Yorkshire magician - William Wilberforce to help out. To save guessing what topics he should drone on about we have decided it should be a Q&A.

William will answer all your questions with his opinion rather than facts. He doesn't do research, he considers it cheating.

The first question comes from Sam in Brighton:
"Should I only use red Bicycle cards when performing as they are well recognised?"

Aye, that’s a bit like asking whether a chef should only use Heinz ketchup because folk recognise the bottle.

The short answer is: no, you shouldn't only use red Bicycle cards just because they're recognised.

Now, there is a reason so many magicians use red Bicycles. They're reliable, they handle beautifully, they're available almost anywhere, and if a spectator sees them they think, "Yep, that's a normal deck of cards." That's valuable. In magic, looking ordinary is often more important than looking impressive.

But here's t'other side of the coin.

Most laypeople couldn't tell a Bicycle deck from a pack of Pokémon cards if you paid 'em. Magicians massively overestimate how much spectators know about playing cards. We spend our lives staring at decks; the public spend their lives trying to remember their Netflix password.

What spectators actually notice is:
• Are the cards clean?
• Do they look suspiciously fancy?
• Do they suit your character?

If you're a classy corporate performer, a smart-looking deck might fit better. If you're a modern magician, black cards or custom backs might suit your style. If you're working pubs in Yorkshire, half the audience will be more interested in whether you've bought them a pint than what brand of cards you're using.

My rule is simple:
Use the most ordinary-looking deck that fits your character and performs well.

For many magicians, that's red Bicycles. For others, it's Tally-Hos, Phoenix, Copags, or something custom.

The audience isn't applauding the cards; they're applauding what you do with them.

As we say up here: it's not the tractor that wins the ploughing match—it's the farmer driving it.

And if your magic only works because people recognise the brand on the box, you've probably got bigger problems than the colour of the backs. 😉

Best,
WW.

30/12/2025

Product Recall: Dual Pad

Hi All,
I have been made aware that Dual Pad is not proving reliable for a lot of people. Having previously endorsed this product on my show, I certainly have egg on my face.

I have now removed Dual Pad from the Monster Magic website to prevent further disappointment.

If you have already bought it from Monster and you are less than satisfied, then as with any order, please get in touch for a full refund. (There is no need to send it back to me as that I don't want to cause any further inconvenience.) As well as a refund I will also send you a free copy of Noted by Chris Rawlins as soon as it is released.

Apologies again,
Best Wishes,
Alex

29/10/2024

What a joy it was to be a small part of Junior Day at the The Magic Circle.

If you don’t know Junior Day is the calendar highlight of the Young Magic Circle, the club for magicians aged between 10 to 18. It is packed with lectures and competitions.

What it is also full of is, support, laughter and joy. Those kids really can teach us adults a thing or two.

You wouldn’t know there was a competition as such, the nerves were minimal from the competitors, they were all just thrilled to have a chance to perform their acts. To have the opportunity to do their hobby and have a lot of fun doing so.

And they could feel like that because they knew they had the full support of every other member in the club. Everyone was a well-wisher.

The mixture of this safety and their youth produced such a diverse set of acts, routines, and styles that it was far more entertaining than watching an adult competition. They were prepared to take risks, be themselves and execute their own ideas with 100% commitment. To take their concepts to the very limits of their imagination.

These risks meant the magic felt much more like art than craft. To quote Banksy,
“It isn’t art unless it has the potential to be a disaster”

As we grow up, avoiding that disaster becomes more important than trying to achieve the original art we are capable of. We take it all too seriously and fear takes over. We worry about the ‘Rights’ and ‘Wrongs’ of our craft when there really are none. We restrict ourselves due to imaginary constraints, maybe from a perceived piece of wisdom handed down, a quote in a book or others judgement.

Magic isn’t hurt by people breaking the ‘rules’ they are pushing it forward, it is those following the rules that are holding it back.

Let’s be big kids!

13/10/2024

I miss my children and often the only way to feel better is to do something generous.
So here are some hot deals for you! Great tricks at an even better prices. Grab a bargain.

https://monstermagic.co.uk/collections/monster-magic-sale

Monster Magic shop is a UK based online magic shop selling the best of the latest magic tricks, magic props and accessories. Monster Magic shop offers free international shipping and excellent customer service. It is the only UK magic shop which curates the magic tricks its sells to guarantee satisf...

29/09/2024

Its that time of the week again!
Lets do this!

27/09/2024

26/09/2024

REVIEW: Destiny Deal by Craig Petty

I wonder if it is possible for Craig Petty to release a trick without causing some sort of storm. Even this simple card trick has attracted the level of vitriol normally reserved for Putin.

The issue is that it is billed not only as an Any Card At Any Number, but a bloody good one when in reality it isn’t an ACAAN at all. It is a fun ‘Find a Selection’ trick.

ACAAN is a pure mentalism trick, the cards are just a vehicle for it (a handy collection of 52 identifiable objects), and the cards remain static whilst the card and number are named. At no point should the card be removed from the deck, it then becomes a selected card to be found.

Now hands up I’m not the biggest fan of ACAAN as it’s a bit dry for my taste but I have always and still do enjoy having my chosen card lost and found in an impossible manner. I’m often fooled, believing it to be genuinely lost and I’m filled with amazement and joy when it is discovered.

It is a simple plot of the boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back variety and it can have any number of twists and turns which all add to the enjoyment.

This is what Destiny Deal is, a card trick with a good hook and audience participation that is as much to perform as it is to watch.

You ask if your audience would like to see the most amazing card trick ever, whether they want to or not you show that you have an instruction card with steps for performing an Amazing Card trick. You read through the steps, having the deck shuffled, a card ‘selected’ and lost in the deck. The deck is shuffled once more and a number freely named. The participant deals the cards face up and hands you the cards at the number, which you reveal to be the selection.

The method is clever, bold, simple and to the point, in fact so to the point Craig only managed to string out the tutorial for 45 minutes.

The gimmick makes it almost self-working bar a card control and Craig teaches a variety of deceptive yet easy ones. The rest is acting and handling the gimmick properly.

Two handlings are taught one for seated at a table and a walk-around version. Personally I’d do the walkaround one regardless of the situation. For some reason Craig performs the ‘move’ at a latter point in the seated routine and I don’t think it is as natural.

There is one minor discrepancy but that is when the gimmick really comes into its own and makes it all seem fair and above board.

Not surprisingly the choreography is well thought out and motivated to justify how everything is handled, provided you play this as an entertaining and lively journey.

What is also nice is that the Instruction card is all you need to carry and that can be in your wallet or under the cellophane of the card box should you chose to perform Destiny Deal spontaneously. If I was adding this to my repertoire I may get a fake delivery envelope and patter some nonsense about having just ordered a new trick.. you get the idea.

Destiny Deal is not going to win trick of the year however it is a strong card trick with a terrific hook that is easy to do, handed to you on plate for just £14.99.

You can find out more here:
https://monstermagic.co.uk/products/destiny-deal-by-craig-petty

26/08/2024

So the poll is now closed, the results are pretty clear:

Effect – 30%
Method – 0%
Presentation – 70%

Two peeps did vote for Method but they also voted for the other two options, so they neutralised themselves.

Nothing really surprising I suppose, no one sees the method but people enjoy the effect the and presentation.

I’ve taken the liberty of putting into an equation:
Effect = Method + Presentation

It is the combination of method and presentation that makes up the effect, which means to make the effect better, we need to improve either the method or the presentation. The value of the method is fixed* if it works there is little room for improvement, but the value of the presentation can be increased to improve the effect.

The effect and presentation combined are responsible for the strength and type of emotion created by the trick. The method can produce lots of effects depending upon the framing given by the presentation. For example, a shuttle pass can transform, teleport or cause time travel based on how it is framed and presented.

What this does mean though, is that we are all capable of being great entertaining magicians without doing difficult tricks. (Yet we often judge a trick by its method.)

We spend a great deal of time mastering the workings but not enough time on developing our ‘non-magically’ abilities. How much time do we dedicate to practicing and studying presentation skills such as acting, timing, storytelling. And of course, creating new themes and writing new stories to bind our magic in.

These skills will heighten your magic exponentially, far more than anything else.

*a better method can improve a trick but not by very much.