One of the debates you may come upon in the magic world concerns “self-working” magic tricks and whether or not these tricks are just as good as those requiring difficult sleights and moves, or if they are rather a cop-out to “real” magic.

To explore this, let’s first define what is meant by “self-working.”

Obviously, no trick works itself; it has to be performed and the performer usually has to do something – even if it’s pushing a hidden button – to achieve the effect. Self-working tricks are a mainstay of magic shops, especially those that cater to beginners. A seven-year-old just starting out in magic might be a little intimidated at the thought of performing a coin vanish, but will jump at the chance to use the simplest iterations of “egg-in-vase” or a change bag. As for whether or not the use of these tricks denotes a lack of skill, the answer is that it depends.

Magicians who perform for children often use large bright-colored props that are fairly self-working. The reason for this is that a true children’s magician knows that her performance is really what sells the trick to her audience. Thus she can take a mechanically simple prop like the magic coloring book and turn it into several minutes of wonder and amazement for her young audience.

Mentalists, especially those who work on stage also benefit from simple self-working props – and intense preparation! Much of the mentalist’s work is done before the show and thus he has no wish to risk it on the failure of an overhand pass or some such move.

Still it is true that in some cases, self-working tricks are merely substitutes for the hard work necessary to become a fine performer. For those thinking they are taking the easy way out, it’s good to remember that you’re going to have to dispose of that gimmick somewhere, somehow, and it is probably going to involve some sneaky move, i.e. a sleight.

The sleight, or the move, is really where most serious magicians begin their training. The great teacher Harlan Tarbell began his revered Course in Magic with a lesson on simple coin palming and vanishes.

The practice of sleights, be they with coins, card tricks , or sponge balls turns someone who merely likes to “do magic” into a real worker of miracles to her audience. And odds are, the better the effect, the more likely it is that there is going to be a sleight or a move of some kind involved in the execution of the effect.

So can you practice good magic without knowing anything about sleight-of-hand?

Certainly; a couple of situations were mentioned above. But it’s fair to say that you will really miss out on a large part of the art – the craft that is magic performance – by limiting yourself to self-working tricks.

So if nothing else, find a nice beginner’s book on card tricks or coins and work on your vanishes or double-lifts. You’ll not only find the mastery of these sleights fulfilling, but you’ll also enjoy the access you now have to the vast array of magical effects that have been produced over the years that rely on these classic moves.

Article by the coolest guy ever