A roundup of magic tricks perfect for one-shot gags. Become the hero of the party!
When you’re asked to do a party trick at a gathering, what kind of act do you perform?
There are lots of possibilities—from comedy bits like gags or impressions to more physical, street-performance-style acts like handstands.
In this article, we’ll introduce magic tricks that are perfect as quick party pieces.
Since these are one-off tricks, we’ve selected ones that are short and can be done using items you have around you.
Be sure to learn a few of these tricks and show them off at your next party!
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A roundup of magic tricks perfect for a quick gag. Become the hero of the party! (41–50)
The disposable chopsticks are getting into my nose.
This is a magic trick where a disposable chopstick—supposedly longer than your nose—gets swiftly sucked into your nostril just by waving your hand, as if by force.
Because it vanishes in an instant, the speed adds to the surprise and wonder of what’s happening.
The secret is simple: you’re just hiding the chopstick inside the hand you pass over your nose, and by moving your hand smoothly, you make it look like it’s being sucked in.
Rather than ending there, if you then produce the chopstick from your mouth using the reverse technique, it both saves you the trouble of hiding it again and makes the trick look even more mysterious—highly recommended.
Coin Passing Through the Hand
I would like to introduce a mysterious magic trick where a coin passes through your hand and appears on the back of it.
First, show that you’re gripping the coin and that your other hand is completely empty.
After displaying the coin, the key is to hold it near the base of your thumb.
Quickly use your empty hand to seemingly take the coin between your thumb and index finger.
Although it looks like you’re not holding the coin, you’re actually still holding it in your right hand.
Then, as if stroking the palm, let the coin drop and land on the back of your hand—trick accomplished.
It’s simple, but the hand movements are crucial for this magic trick.
Magic where a pen pierces a banknote
A truly astonishing magic trick where you appear to stab a banknote with a pen! The idea of making a hole in the bill feels terrifying, but when you pull the pen out, for some reason there’s no hole at all—an inexplicable phenomenon.
The bill is just ordinary money that anyone has, but the secret lies in the pen! In fact, the pen tip is designed to detach completely, and the tip and the body are held together only by a magnet.
With deft handling so it doesn’t get noticed, it makes it look as if you’re actually piercing the bill.
Get yourself the special pen and give it a try!
A coin passing through a cup
This is a magic trick where you press a coin against the bottom of an upside-down glass bottle, and the coin suddenly shoots through and ends up inside.
The key is where you place the mouth of the overturned bottle: there’s a hidden mechanism that makes the coin spring upward when you press firmly.
You cover the coin to be launched with something like a playing card with a slit cut into it to conceal it, creating the illusion that the coin appears out of nowhere.
Pay attention to the hand movement that brings in the coin you press, as well as patter that diverts attention from the oddity of where you’re pressing the bottle.
A card appears from a smartphone
This is a magic trick where, when you quickly swipe a card displayed on a smartphone screen off the screen, a real card pops out.
You secretly place a card behind the phone in advance and produce it in sync with the movement on the screen.
After taking out the card, the trick only works if the card disappears from the screen, so adjust the app settings or how images are displayed to achieve this.
If you use a dedicated app, you can also set it up so that shaking the screen makes a card appear—this approach is recommended, too.
Chopstick floating magic trick
This is a magic trick where a chopstick inserted into an empty plastic bottle slowly rises as if lifted by invisible force, without touching it.
The supporting hand only holds the bottom, and the gesturing hand does not touch the chopstick—this change creates a sense of mystery.
A fishing line is attached to the chopstick in advance and connected to the performer’s clothing, allowing the chopstick to be moved by adjusting the distance between the bottle and the clothing.
It’s also important to consider the viewing distance so the fishing line isn’t noticed.
Magic that changes color in an instant
It’s a magic trick that looks mysterious precisely because the change happens in an instant: the paper clipped in place changes color the moment you take it away.
In fact, while the paper of the initial color is clipped, the paper with the changed color is stacked behind it, and the original paper is retracted to the base of the clip by a concealed rubber band at the same moment the clip is released.
It’s important to be mindful of how you apply pressure to the clip, to achieve a speed that doesn’t reveal the rubber-assisted movement.
Because the color changes distinctly within a small area, it helps the audience focus on the phenomenon right in front of them, which enhances the effect’s appeal.