Tom Stone Masterclass

February’s Masterclass is Tom Stone!

Tom has built an international reputation as a performer, creator, and author whose ideas have inspired magicians around the world. Known for his elegant thinking, original routines, and beautifully constructed magic, Tom blends psychology, misdirection, and theatricality into everything he does. His work has been published in a variety of places, including Genii, Magic Magazine, The Linking Ring, as well as his own books, like Vortex and Maelstrom. Tom is an incredibly knowledgeable magician and is a phenomenal resource on everything from stage illusions, card and coin material, and even children’s magic.

Masterclass 1 - February 1st, 2026 (4pm ET | NYC Time)

Mittens
In order to prevent any sleight of hand, Tom puts on some oven mitts. The spectators lose their own cards into the middle of the deck (because your hands are out of action!). Just when it looks like everything has gone wrong, you reveal that you have one card in each mitten, and they are the signed cards!

Observer Effect
What is more impressive? The achievement itself, or the path to get there? The spectator names any four-of-a-kind and then chooses a card. Tom claims that he will sneak the selected card between the four-of-a-kind. Very slowly, and very obviously, Tom places the card between them. Not particularly impressive. But that was just the achievement. What if the journey was the impressive part? Immediately, the four-of-a-kind are turned over to reveal that the selection has gone. It is then shown to be face up in the middle of the deck.

This trick is a lesson in construction and how simple methods can be combined to create a very fooling effect.

Fruit of Fortune
You introduce a set of cards with different fruits, the type of fruits you would see on slot machines. After asking the audience if they’re feeling lucky, a series of impossible coincidences begins. Not only are they able to find the same card that you predicted, and place it in the same order, but they’re able to find three matching symbols in a row! Jackpot!

Homing Balls
Three balls cleanly vanish and appear neatly placed back in the box where they came from. It is clean, visual, and classic Tom Stone!

New Instructions
You bring out your childhood magic set and excitedly explain that you’re going to do a card trick. You dump out the contents of your set onto the table and pick up a deck, asking a spectator to sign one card. But you’ve forgotten how to do the rest of the trick. No problem, you can just use the instruction booklet. The spectator is asked to read out the instructions from a spiral-bound book, one page at a time. The last page contains a surprise. It’s the signed card… bound in place!

Among the Mad Men
This is Tom’s fascinating take on the Ace Assembly plot. In this version, you see everything right until the last minute, and that’s because the cards can also be identified by their backs.

White Death
Tom has created a wonderful routine that updates the presentation of his famous “Of Dice and Men” plot. The premise is that a spectator has to step across a frozen lake. But which ice sheets will take their weight? Well.. let’s find out!

Masterclass 2 - February 8th, 2026 (4pm ET | NYC Time)

Post Nord
Have you ever had something go missing in the mail? Haven’t we all! In this routine, Tom makes a signed postcard vanish from a “mailbox” and then reappear in an impossible location. This is a fooler, and is very practical indeed. Plus, there’s plenty of funny moments along the way.

Whoopee Roulette
This might not be as dangerous as Russian Roulette, but it’s much funnier! Six whoppee cushions are freely mixed and chosen out of a bag, one at a time. Five of them have been disabled… but one is active and ready to make the sound that we all know. This is as funny for adults as it is for kids, and the method is as easy as it is practical.

Attaball
An amazing and clever method for predicting the outcome of a random game. You have a participant sign a ping pong ball, and they get mixed into a bag along with many others. One at a time, you transfer the balls from bag to bag. The participant is asked to say stop and somehow, they always find their ball. Tom also teaches an alternative handling that allows you to predict three randomly selected balls, which could be used for a stellar lottery prediction!

Stygian Soap
Many people don’t know that Tom Stone is also the creator of some of the greatest pieces of children’s magic! His method for the “soap suds” trick is, without question, the best there is. This is an entertaining piece that is also deeply fooling!

Vase-A-Plenty
A mysterious vase defies gravity. Then, the performer pours out a drink. Then another. And another and another. The flow of liquid seems to be endless.

The Suss
One of Tom’s most famous tricks draws on the Ship of Theseus Paradox. A postcard is chosen and signed before being torn into four pieces. One by one, Tom replaces the pieces with pieces from another postcard. The original pieces then vanish, and the new pieces have the participant’s signature!

Position Six
Tom has developed a version of the Six Card Repeat which is cleaner and more fooling than any other that we’ve seen. This is one that you’ll add to your repertoire right away!

Q&A: February 22, 2026 (4pm ET | NYC Time)