How would you like to know the true secrets of the best magicians? There is a lot in the field of magic: old and new books, magical DVDs and websites, and so on.

How do you learn worthwhile magic tricks? How do you tell trash from real gems?

Here are some suggestions to get you on the right track:

1) Find an internet wizard who is respected (or revered) by almost everyone. And then focus on the material that he (for not being sexist) sells and teaches from his website.

Also, look for guys who have their own sites and their own materials. (Again, find other wizards who have heard of the site you’re interested in. Ask them for their opinion on the guy’s magic.)

Names that come to mind are Lee Asher, David Stone, Steve Beam, Aaron Fisher.

2) Find an older wizard who knows his things. It can be a face-to-face meeting with lessons, or you can buy DVDs and books.

Also, don’t avoid learning magic from books. There are a lot of tricks that will never be filmed in front of a camera. The books are full of these gems.

3) Look for the big ones who have come before. I especially like it when wizards dedicate websites to those who have come before us. Some of these guys have awesome pet effects, the gimmicks that made them famous. They also invented lesser-known nuggets that will impress viewers.

Look out for magicians from the past like Jerry Andrus, Larry Jennings, and Ross Bertram.

4) Find an entire book dedicated to one effect, With many introductions. Perfect the trick and the pattern. Then when you have a guaranteed sucker, use it to your advantage.

Impress other wizards with your talent.

Then swap them out for a “different version” of the trick, for…whatever you want to learn from them.

Eventually, after months or years of sharing, you may want to teach your pet version of the magic trick.

Here, I would like to humbly suggest Coin Snatching: The Reputation Builder.