Magic Tricks - Inventing Magic

Creating magic illusions is an increadibly satisfying aspect of magic that many magicians overlook. It leaves you with a unique trick that the audience will hopefully remember you by. However, there are many reasons why most magicians use off-the-shelf tricks. This article will explain some of the reasons for and against making illusions, and give some guidance.

# Uniqueness

Creating a illusion will guarantee that nobody can say "I've seen that before". Creating stage illusions is the most satisfying as it will look unique, feel unique and perform uniquely, however, they take the most work as they are typically physically large. Creating card effects (or similar) can be done anywhere with nothing but imagination.

# Branding

If you are creating a stage illusion, you can easily incorporate your branding, whether that's the colours from your website and flyers, or simply your stage name, photo or contact details designed on it, it will be positive advertising - especially if you allow photos in your performances. This can be applied in a similar way to close-up effects - why not print your own logo onto the gimmick.

# Suitability

In the unlikely event that you can't find any off-the-shelf tricks that'll be the perfect climax to your routine, then you will often find that with a little thought, you can create the perfect illusion.

# Risks

Creating illusions is not easy, especially if it means constructing gimmicks. It is essential to check, check and check again that everything works smoothly as expected. A guillotine with a special mechanism that may rust unnoticed over time could even be lethal. Think of the worse possible scenario while designing the illusion to ensure that nothing dangerous, in this case, can happen. Typically the worst that can happen is you make a fool out of yourself, but with stage illusions, you can trap unwilling guests in your contraptions or even just give them a splinter! Either way you could find yourself at the wrong end of a legal case with nobody to blame but yourself

# Is it really unique?

Before you start creating the illusion, make sure you are really the inventor of it, especially if you are hoping to sell it in the future. Depending on how much you value your time, it may be cheaper to buy an illusion that will be guaranteed to work (hopefully) without errors.

When starting to think of an illusion, there are several factors you must consider, including -

# Stage, street, close-up or for children - what situation will you be in when performing

# Short, medium or long effect - how long will it take to perform

# Comedy, silent or story-based - will it fit into your routine

# Target audience demographic - nothing scary or rude for the young/old

# Transportation - can you transport the illusion - does it need a van or a pocket?

To conclude, inventing magic is a satisfying way to expand your routine, but beware of the pitfalls that you may fall into. Sometimes using ready-made effects will do the job perfectly in a tried and tested manner!

Betrosexuals: A Poker Online Phenomenon

People wear all sorts of disguises at the poker table: weakness, strength, bluster, naivety. It's the nature of the game. So it only makes sense that new forms of deception at the poker table would evolve as the popularity of the game's newest innovation -- poker online -- spread. It's no wonder then that, when you can't see the person you're playing against, there's a good chance they're not who they profess to be -- like male or female.

It's an honest to goodness phenomenon, with its very own name -- Betrosexuality: presenting oneself as the opposite gender at a poker online table.

Now, to be fair to the term, and its history, Betrosexuality was actually coined prior to its use in poker online, and occasionally with slightly different implications. Here are a couple of alternate definitions of the terms:

- Betrosexuals wager on both men's and women's sporting events
- Betrosexuals sell sexual favors by lottery

Recent research analyzed by Nottingham Trent University Professor Mark Griffiths reports that 23% of female British poker online players pretend to be men and more than 10% of British male poker online players pretend to be women. British betrosexuals are reportedly wagering an estimated 213 million pounds sterling at poker online rooms.

There are a few ways gender is represented at a poker online table that may elude some players, they're so subtle. But as much in the background as they are, they make a potent impact in people's gameplay. They are:

Screen Names: A poker online player's chosen nickname has always been a prime indicator of their demeanor (or posed demeanor) -- so The Terminator would connote aggressiveness and Bill Gates might suggest a limitless bankroll; poker online screen names can also connote gender (ie. Poker Daddy, Hot Mamma, Club Girl, Mr. Poker);

Avatars: If your poker online room uses avatars (3D human or humanoid figures) to represent the players, you could easily throw your fellow players off kilt (if you know how to use this advantage, that is -- more on that in a moment);

Chat: The chat window is always a popular part of the poker online experience as this is where people often betray themselves. That said, still others, knowing this fact, only pretend to do so.

But using this form of deception effectively requires far more than simply misrepresenting yourself. For, once you've planted the seed, you need to know how to nurture and grow it. You need -- in other words -- to know how gender plays into poker online and off alike, and you need to know how to play the game based on this knowledge.

So let's get to the two basic considerations in questioning your betrosexuality in poker online:
Why would a woman pretend to be a man?
Many women believe men tend to play more aggressively against women but less so when playing against other men.

Why would a man pretend to be a woman?
Many men believe players loosen up their gameplay when they believe they're playing against a women as they expect the woman to be a poorer player and therefore not know the value, or lack thereof, of the cards they are holding.
As you can undoubtedly see, both misconceptions are poison at a poker online table. You might as well just hand over your chips to the other players than allow yourself to succumb to foolish and stereotypical attitudes about how gender influences poker ability.

That said, as we see it, there are two ways to beat Betrosexuals at the poker online tables: Keep your poker online strategy consistent and gender neutral, or become a Betrosexual yourself!

Determining Coin Values

Factors that Influence the Value of Collectible Coins

If you are interested in collecting coins, it's important to be able to have a rough idea of how much coins are worth. Knowing how coin values are determined will enable you to find good deals, and ensure that you don't get cheated into paying too much money for a coin with a low worth.

Supply Influences Coin Values
One major factor in determining coin values is the law of supply and demand. If there are many coins of a particular type available, that coin will not be worth much. On the other hand, if only a very few coins of that type are produced, the coin values will rise. This is why a completely normal-looking copper penny minted in 1943 is worth about $200,000, whereas a 2,000 year old Roman coin may be worth less than $100 – because thousands upon thousands of Roman coins were minted, but only 40 pennies produced during war-time 1943 were made out of copper.

Demand's Effect on Coin Values
Even among coins with a similar number of copies in existence, some have a higher worth than others. This is because some coins are in higher demand, driving up the coin values. Coins may become popular because they are particularly lovely to look at, because they are part of a topical set that is often chosen by collectors, or because they have a certain historical significance.

Precious Metals and Coin Values
Some coins are made out of precious materials like gold bullion or platinum. These coin values are less volatile because the worth is guaranteed in part by the material. A gold bullion coin, for example, is usually worth more than its melted weight, but it is never going to be worth less.

Coin Values are Tempered by Grade or Classification
The final major factor in determining coin values is the grade or classification of the coin. The more wear and tear that a coin has undergone, the less value it is going to have. This is why uncirculated coins are usually more valuable than coins that have been passed from hand to hand. Uncirculated coins have always been kept in the very best of conditions, making their value much higher. A coin in flawless condition may be worth hundreds of times more than a low-grade version of the exact same coin.

Now that you understand the basic factors that influence coin values, you have a better grasp of which coins may have real value and which will be worthless. In order to get a ballpark estimate of the value of any coins you might have, you will first need to determine its grade or classification. You can do this by comparing your coin's condition to a published list of guidelines. Then look up the value of a coin in that condition in a book such as "The Standard Catalog of World Coins," which should be available in most public libraries. If you need to know the exact amount that your coin is worth, you should take it to a coin dealer and let him or her evaluate it for you.