Try These Magic Tricks on Your Friends and Family

While magic tricks have become more sophisticated over the years, particularly on stage, you can still enjoy performing amazing magic tricks at home. All you need are a few household items and some time to learn how to use them properly.

Keeping this in mind, here are a few illusions that will impress your friends and family.

The Hanging Ash Trick

What if you could smoke a cigarette and the ash didn't fall off? That's the premise behind this thrilling trick.

You'll need a cigarette (borrow one from your chain-smoking uncle) and a paper clip to get started. First, prepare the trick by straightening the paper clip as much as possible ahead of time. Then, from one end to the other, push it down the center of the coffin stick, completely hidden inside the tobacco.

That's the only thing there is to it. When you light the cigarette and it starts to burn, the ash does not fall off as it should. It will remain in place for the duration of the cigarette. All you have to do is add some silly banter about how your uncle saves the ash to make soap (but that's another story) or something along those lines, and you've got yourself a magic trick.

Guillotine (illusion)

A guillotine's blade is demonstrated to be sharp and real, usually by cutting a vegetable or something similar. Behind the guillotine, a person kneels and inserts their head into the stocks. The blade is let go, passing through their neck and out the bottom. In some versions of the illusion, a bench attached to the uprights at the same level as the neck stocks is used, on which the "victim" lies down - usually face-down - rather than kneeling behind the guillotine.

The Unbeatable Coin Toss

How'd you like to win every coin toss, regardless if your audience member calls heads or tails?

In this trick, you want to show your audience members that the coin is real and does, in fact, have both a head and a tail side. Have a member pick a side, then place the coin (with the chosen side up) on the tip of your index, middle and ring fingers, which should be palm up. In this toss, you simply flick your wrist while raising your index finger to send the coin into the air. It will land in your palm with the same side up as it started. If heads were up, then it will land heads up. Always. Because you're rotating the coin in the air without turning it over. Try it. It's easy.

Egg In A Bottle Trick

You may have seen this one before, especially if you've ever taken a science class. In this magic trick, you're going to magically move an egg from outside a bottle, down the neck of the bottle and inside the bottle.

You'll need a hardboiled egg (shelled), matches, half-a-sheet of school paper, and a glass bottle. You'll want to have an adult with you to make sure everything is done safely. Light the piece of paper on fire, drop it into the bottle, and place the egg on top of the bottle. As the paper burns it creates a vacuum inside the bottle, which sucks in the egg.

Try this with a scarf, so that once the paper is burning inside the bottle and the egg is on top, you shield the bottle from the audience until the egg is suddenly inside. Magic!