Fun and Easy to Implement Magic Tricks For Kids

Children and magic go together. It is wonderful to see the look of amazement on a child's face when they watch a magician perform. But it is also terrific if a child has a desire to learn these skills. There are many easy magic tricks for kids; you can find resources online or even in a library. Learning these illusions will not only be a fun experience, there are actually some educational benefits involved. These easy magic tricks for kids help to develop mental and manual skills.

Improved Memorization

Magicians know that the details of every trick need to be committed to memory. Even the easy magic tricks for kids carry that principle. The child must learn the steps of the trick, the hand motions that go along with the trick and also the conversation to keep the audience's attention and the level of suspense high.

When kids learn easy magic tricks, they are using that portion of their brain that involves memory. Every trick they learn helps to improve the memory process and can also develop excellent study habits.

Increased Manual Dexterity

The magician's hands say almost as much as his voice. Easy magic tricks for kids allow them to increase their manual dexterity through the illusive actions of a magic performance. Dealing cards, palming a coin, or swiftly moving props all requires hours of practice. This, in turn, leads to supple and swift movement of the hands.

Hand eye coordination becomes more highly developed. The part of the brain responsible for these movements is activated and enlarged, and once again, the child may benefit in other ways. Easy magic tricks for kids are not only educational but develops the flexibility of their hands.

A More Active Mind

Magic is awesome to watch, but it also creates questions. Everyone in the audience wants to know the secret of the tricks performed. Children already have an active interest in the world and magic helps them to ask questions and seek answers. Easy magic tricks for kids will help children start to understand the more difficult concepts of physics, chemistry and probability.

A Powerful Personality

Magicians are in great demand, not only for their ability to amaze and astound, but also because they have high energy and interesting personalities. When kids learn some easy magic tricks, they gain confidence that allows them to speak before audiences. Their personalities and presence will be sought after because they are people others want to be around.

How to Start?

When selecting magic tricks for kids, keep them easy at the beginning. Choose tricks that are age appropriate and those that they will be able to do with their small hands. If you decide to buy a magic kit, make sure you get one that fits the intelligence level of your child. While you want to start off with easy magic tricks, kids will lose interest if their level of involvement doesn't match up with their academic ability.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that magic tricks for kids, whether they are easy or more advanced to master, should be fun. Childhood is already a magical time; encourage your child to make the most of it.

Get your Free trick called the "The Mental Card Read" and learn magic trick.

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Selling Your Art - Part 1

Selling your art is a very different activity than creating it. The reasons for selling your work may be very different too. You will save yourself a lot of trouble and hard feelings the more clearly you understand your reasons for selling art.

Selling your art can come from an array of reasons. Your reasons could include any of the various money/material related desires. You may also enjoy the ego boost that a sale can bring. You may like to exhibit your work, be the object of attention yourself at an exhibition, or be the artist in the community.

Selling has many other possible reasons. You may have altruistic concerns of educating the public or providing beautiful pieces for the market. Some artists want sell so they can finance the acceptance of their style.

Selling art is not an easy thing to do for most people. Finding buyers, collectors, the right gallery, choosing a group of artists or a museum to align with can be time consuming and a daunting endeavor. Going to shows, art festivals, publishing ads or announcements, establishing a website, offering newspaper or television interviews, etc. are not to every artist's liking.

Eventually you will make decisions as to how you will sell your work. You will decide which parts of selling you want to do for yourself and which parts you will leave to someone else.

Selling of art can sometimes conflict with creating of art. Besides the time spent in both activities, you may find buyers or your sellers at odds with your plans or personal taste. Buyers and Sellers may have predetermined conditions that they impose on you. Toulouse Lautrec sold work to one buyer who insisted he sign the front of the works with script instead of his logo. He finally did sign the work despite his reasoning with the buyer that it was unnecessary.

Other buyers or sellers will have size or color constraints or requests. Some buyers need to know if a work is made of a specific material, and they may want reassurance or proof.

Many buyers and sellers want to know about the artist as a person, perhaps to establish a relationship of some kind. Buyers and sellers may become very judgmental about the artist's image or looks or manners - even their personal habits or social life. This kind of information can be passed on for
various reasons or withheld for various reasons.

The artist may need to be careful about the kinds of information that they provide, lest it be exaggerated or distorted, or simply provide a basis for completely unrelated judgments by some individuals or groups. In this respect the artist gains and loses from celebrity.

One of the artists that I have consulted with is Brad Bannister, who has a website at

Abstract Paintings by Brad Bannister

You can read quite a bit about his approach to selling art on that website.


Tia Marks

Contemporary Art Gallery Magazine

Art Now

Tia Marks is the Executive-Editor of Contemporary Art Gallery Magazine for Business and Collector Art News. CAG specializes in artist showcases, interviews with gallery officers and artworld newsmakers.

Casino Dealer Jobs - How to Become a Dealer in Las Vegas

Unlike many other jobs offered at Las Vegas casinos, if you want to become a dealer, you need to complete a course at Dealers' school before you can start work. Many schools in the Las Vegas area offer courses, and some casinos will provide this training to new hires. The course is not a lengthy one; you can expect to finish your training in six weeks or less.

Some dealer schools offer job placement assistance and tips on preparing for interviews in the gaming industry. If so, be sure to take advantage of the help offered. You want to project the right kind of image if you want to get hired by a Las Vegas casino as a dealer.

One Las Vegas dealer job available is that of craps dealer. Working the craps table takes four people. One person, the box attendant, is responsible for supervising the progress of the game. This individual is also responsible for making decisions about whether a particular roll of the dice was a valid one or not. Another person, known as the stick, is the one who pushes the dice toward the player before a roll.

Two craps dealers are located at the other end of the table and are responsible for handling cash and providing players with chips. They make pay the winning players and collect the money the less fortunate players bet in the game.

To be a successful craps dealer, you must be able to think on your feet. This is a fast-paced game and you need to have a clear head to follow the action. Your hourly rate of pay won't be very high; you can expect to make between $6.00 and $9.00 per hour. Most of the money made by craps dealers is attributed to tips from players. An outgoing person who is able to make a connection with players is likely to do well at this type of work.

You may also be interested in finding work as a poker dealer. Once again, you will be expected to take a course to get the necessary skills before applying for employment. The course you choose should cover such topics as handling cards, techniques for dealing cards, game rules, how to control the table, and how to interact with players.

Blackjack dealers in Las Vegas also need to have completed a special course before getting hired. The course should cover the rules of the game as well as how to deal from a single deck or a double deck. Shuffling machines should also be covered, since this piece of equipment is often used in casinos. You will be shown how to cut the cards, the proper technique for laying out the cards, and how to make payoffs to winners. Being able to control the game is also part of the job, so you will want to make sure that this important topic is covered in your course.

Your first job after finishing your dealer training course may be at one of the smaller casinos. You need to have a certain amount of experience before you will be considered ready for employment at one of the larger gaming establishments. These positions will probably be more lucrative for you, since much of your income will come from tips.

If you are an outgoing person who likes to see people enjoying themselves, becoming a dealer in Las Vegas may be a good job choice for you. Whether you work in this capacity for a short time or make it a long-term career, you are certain to find it a memorable experience.

To become a dealer in Las Vegas, you will need to go to dealer school. After your course, your first job will probably be working at one of the smaller casinos before moving up to larger establishments like Las Vegas casinos on The Strip. Jeff Craft is a free-lance writer for Casino Jobs 411 and provides very useful information on pursuing a casino dealer job.

Planet Alignment

Saturn, Venus and Mercury will align themselves on Saturday evening, June 25 and will get even better on Sunday June 26 and June 27 ought to be a great show indeed. You will be able to see this with the naked eye around sunset. This obviously does not happen often. Astronomers call this spectacular event a "conjunction" and for stat watchers it is a really big deal. Many holistic type folks believe this is an opportunity for enlightenment, peace and connection with the other side. There is much folklore in that regard.
The closest planet to the sun is Venus and if you think our heat wave is bad this summer, how would you like 870 F on the surface of Venus? Venus has a thick CO2 layer which traps in the heat; talk about Global Warming? The good part about this is with the cloud layer it acts as a reflector of the Sun's light and therefore makes it easy for us to see on Earth. Mercury and Venus are not too impressive when viewing by telescopes, somewhat featureless; Saturn is cool to look at because of its rings. The Cassini Space Probe has brought back incredible images of Saturn and you can find these on Google Image Search by just typing in; "Cassini" or "Saturn" on the search bar.

I hope you will enjoy your Planet Alignment this weekend, some say great things can happen for the person with an open mind during this time period and you will have three days to see. Be sure not to forget, as it does not happen that often you see? Think on this; think positive.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is an online writer in retirement.

Learn Casino Craps - Adapt to a Cold Craps Table

Sometimes, a craps table goes cold where points and numbers just don't hit. The normal distribution takes a crazy turn, but instead of turning in the player's favor, it turns in the casino's favor. For example, let's look at flipping a coin. The normal distribution over time shows that we expect heads to appear 50% of the time and tails to appear 50% of the time. What if the short-term distribution variance shows that in the last 50 flips, 45 resulted in tails and only 5 resulted in heads. If we had bet on heads for those 50 flips, we would have lost our shirts. The same scenario holds true on a craps table. The short-term distribution variance will result in many more 7-outs than points made. If we had bet the Pass Line during that short-term variance, we would have lost our shirts. That scenario is called a "cold table." The distribution eventually corrects itself where the variance goes in favor of the player, which is called a "hot table." So, what do we do when the table turns ice cold? Do we simply accept it and lose all our money? Not hardly!

A cold table is easy to recognize. It's empty, quiet, and the few people still playing look depressed. Shooter after shooter establishes a point and then immediately throws a losing 7 out.

If you stubbornly make a stand and try to fight a cold table, you'll lose your entire allotment for that session in mere minutes. Even though each roll has a random outcome, the fact is that trends do, indeed, occur. An ice cold table is a trend against the player; whereas, a hot table is a trend with the player. Unless you adapt, playing a cold table is a miserable experience. You walk away a loser vowing to never play craps again. But it doesn't have to be like that.

You'll find after years of playing craps that most people insist on fighting a cold table. Why? Beats me. My only guess is that they're stubborn or stupid, or probably both. People either beat their chests like King Kong determined to stand and fight regardless of how much they lose, or they leave the table altogether. It's truly an amazing phenomenon. Instead of switching gears to play the cold table to their advantage, most people are so stubborn or stupid that they just won't adapt.

Without going into volumes of statistical theory, the fact is that cold streaks appear just as hot streaks do. The key is to recognize them and adapt. For example, suppose you walk up to a table with only two people playing. It's the only table with open spots. The other three tables are packed and people are standing on the sides waiting to play. You ask the dealer how the table is. He says it's colder than heck. Both players at the table are playing the Pass Line. Two quick 7-outs in a row. The players cuss, moan, and complain how the craps gods never give them a break. You wonder if you want to get in on the action now, even though it's obviously a cold table, or go to one of the other tables and wait for an open spot. Your plane just landed and your Vegas vacation just started, so you want some immediate action. You don't want to go stand by one of the other tables and wait. You want to play now. So, do you stay at the cold table?

Suppose you're like most people and prefer playing the Pass Line. In the above scenario, you have three options: 1) Stay, beat your chest like King Kong, fight the cold table, and probably lose, 2) Leave and wait for an open spot at another table, or 3) Stay at this cold table and adapt your play. I never choose option 1. I usually choose option 3.

Indeed, no one on Earth can ever know how the dice will fall (assuming legal dice are used). But, again, trends do occur (i.e., hot streaks and cold streaks). They just do. Once you experience a few of them, you'll understand and be able to recognize them. So, how can you win when the distribution variance turns against the player? The answer is simple--you adapt.

Bet with the number 7 instead of against it (i.e., play the Don't Pass instead of the Pass Line). Always keep the Don't Pass bet in your hip pocket as a weapon against the casino when the dice are landing in casino's favor. You might think, "That doesn't make sense because the outcome of each roll is random and the cold streak can end at any time, and by the time I recognize a cold streak, it'll be over." That can, indeed, happen. But that's why you slow down your play and become a stronger rock. During a cold streak, don't think about winning big. Don't even think about winning at all. Your objective is to ride out the cold streak and get back on track playing the Pass Line. Eventually the distribution variance will correct itself (i.e., the cold streak will end). You'll recognize the correction and adapt your play again to the Pass Line. As you gain experience in recognizing trends and reversals, you'll find yourself not only successfully riding out the cold streaks, but you might consistently come out of them a few bucks ahead.

W. Enslen is an engineer who routinely works with statistics. Having played and analyzed casino craps for 30 years, he now offers his winning secrets that you can sample for free. Visit his new site for a free comprehensive craps how to on all aspects of the game. He covers it all--craps rules, betting, strategies, and he explains it without all the bogus hype.

How Much Do Super Bowl Tickets Cost?

America loves to spend money on the Super Bowl. From buying a new high definition television for game day to multi-million dollar ad spots during the game, the Super Bowl inspires super spending as much as it celebrates football. Actually going to the Super Bowl and watching it in person will cost a person several thousand dollars.

Super Bowl tickets as of January 16th are readily available on eBay. Auctions for Super Bowl tickets are getting plenty of attention and money thrown at them. For example, a pair of tickets for the lower level end zone area of the stadium in Glendale, Arizona where Super Bow XLII will be played on February 3rd recently sold at auction on eBay for $7,302.00 after attracting 16 bids. Another auction that closed on the same day at eBay saw 24 bids that topped out at $6,001.00 for two tickets in the upper level end zone area.

Auctions at eBay are not the only source of Super Bowl tickets. Any search at a search engine will produce dozens of ticket sellers where people can buy tickets without having the unpredictability of an auction's final price. Prices are high across the board. At Ticket Master's website, a deluxe four-night trip with hotel suite accommodations that includes two tickets at the club level to 15 yard line costs a whopping $15,384 for two people. At Stubhub.com a ticket for a seat at the Super Bowl in the terrace end of the stadium starts at $3,750.

Everything about attending the Super Bowl is expensive. Parking passes cost at least $150! That's enough to make even a New York City resident flinch. Someone actually attending the Super Bowl can cash out a little of its value with souvenirs after the game. Old Super Bowl ticket stubs from years past are auctioning at eBay for over $40. Not exactly big money, but if you see a ticket stub on the ground it is certainly worth picking up.

Because actually attending the Super Bowl is expensive, many sports fans choose to enjoy the event with home parties or a trip to Las Vegas. Because of its legal sports betting, Las Vegas has traditionally been a Super Bowl destination. That weekend is extremely busy in Las Vegas, but for even half the cost of attending the Super Bowl a person can have fun all weekend and enjoy the game in a lounge or nice hotel room without sitting on a hard stadium seat.

This report on Super Bowl tickets was written by Tracy Falbe, publisher of Get Dicey: Play Craps and Have Fun, the how to play craps book written by a Las Vegas craps dealer. Get a free how to play craps guide at http://www.falbepublishing.com

A Lady's View from Inside the Las Vegas Craps Game Boys' Club

A woman craps dealer faces many trials from both players and co-workers, but the toughest test is always dealing your first Super Bowl. In Las Vegas, Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest weekend of the year. It’s big money and no nonsense. New Year’s Eve is for revelers and Super Bowl is for the gamblers. They come. They all come, and every craps dealer better know his or her business.

It was 1996 when my first Super Bowl Sunday went into overtime. I was working at the Flamingo Hilton on the Strip and the dice tables were packed. A craps game normally holds eight people to a side, but nine to ten people were storming both walls until dawn.

Craps is traditionally a men’s game, dealt by men and supervised by men. And this night I had entered the boys’ club and locked the door behind me. When not on stick, I was dealing first base on my table, which is the right side from the perspective of the pit crew, and I looked out onto a rocky masculine shore of horseshoe rings, heavy gold watches, polo shirts and cigars. At five three and one hundred twenty pounds, I felt small but that was the least of my worries. Keeping all these players’ bets straight and properly paid was my way to stay on their good sides.

Normally a craps game is only jammed up like a thirty-car wreck on foggy Los Angeles freeway when the players are winning. But when a casino is full of experienced craps players with bulging wallets, the craps game will be pounded with bets as everyone puts their personal style of play into action.
I had plenty of line bets with odds and of course a don’t pass player. A half dozen players were placing and pressing the six and eight while a couple other guys were betting the numbers across. The across bettors were playing come bets as well and using the winnings from their place bets to fund their odds on their come bets. And then a guy had to get in there and start buying lay bets against the nine and the six, so I had commissions to figure out.

And just when I felt like I was going to get in the zone and stay on top of things, a man in a black shirt bellies up to the table and tosses three thousands dollars onto the blue felt of the Flamingo’s table, challenging the casino to a duel. I don’t remember much after that, except not getting fired.

Dealing that Super Bowl Sunday game in Las Vegas in my rookie year as a craps dealer moved my game up a notch. I was a better dealer for the experience, and I had proved to my co-workers and my players that a lady dealer could handle the boys’ game just fine.

A free how to play craps guide that covers the basics of craps is available from Falbe Publishing.

Tracy Falbe is the author of Get Dicey: Play Craps and Have Fun published under the pen name Tracy Michigan. Falbe worked as a craps dealer in Las Vegas in the mid 1990s and based her how to play craps book on thousands of hours of live game experience.