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Jun 26, 2026 1 hr 19 min

Steve Faulkner

from Desert Island Tricks Hosted by Alakazam Magic

Often, it feels like you have total control when performing magic. But what if everything depended on a split second? That’s where Steve Faulkner begins his desert island journey. He’s a British Close-Up Magic Champion, a working performer and the face behind Real Magic Reviews, which means he sees more new magic tricks than most of us could learn in a lifetime, then has to decide what’s actually worth doing for real people. We put Steve on the desert island and build his essential set from the ground up, starting with a straight-up classic from Royal Road to Card Magic and moving through effects that have never stopped “storming” for him: Maxi Twist, Slidini Knotted Silks, Nate Leipzig’s cigar routine, linking rings that still fool even when the method is “known,” and billet work like Acidus Novus that delivers huge mentalism reactions when you’ve got the nerve to commit. We also get modern with Inject and the Legacy QR approach, not as a gadget flex but as a practical way to create layered miracles and leave spectators with a souvenir they’ll actually show people later. Then we get honest about the thing Steve wants to bury: magic dogma. The rule-policing, the “no one would do that,” the opinions dressed up as laws. If you’ve ever avoided a trick you loved because someone said it was “wrong,” this conversation is your permission slip to go try it anyway. Steve Faulkner’s Desert Island Tricks: Welcome package. Cards Across Maxi-Twist Slydini Knotted Silks Nate Leipzig Cigar Routine Inject Linking Rings Acidus Novus Optix Pro Paper Balls Over The Head Banishment. Dogma in magic Book. Talk About Tricks Item. Kennedy Half Dollar Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

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Often, it feels like you have total control when performing magic. But what if everything depended on a split second? That’s where Steve Faulkner begins his desert island journey. He’s a British Close-Up Magic Champion, a working performer and the face behind Real Magic Reviews, which means he sees more new magic tricks than most of us could learn in a lifetime, then has to decide what’s actually worth doing for real people. We put Steve on the desert island and build his essential set from t...

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Steve Faulkner

0:00 1:19:02

Chapters

  1. 0:00 Mentalism Fear And The Big Moment
  2. 1:33 Meet Steve Faulkner The Reviewer
  3. 5:09 How Reviews Keep Magic Alive
  4. 9:19 Desert Island Rules And Cards Across
  5. 13:02 Maxi Twist And Closing Small
  6. 17:38 Slidini Silks And Repeatable Wonder
  7. 23:12 Wooden Cigars And Modern Audiences
  8. 31:34 Inject And The Legacy QR Killers
  9. 40:25 Linking Rings When They Know
  10. 47:36 Acidus Novus And Billet Courage
  11. 52:34 Optics Pro And The Fear Factor
  12. 57:29 Paper Balls With Kindness
  13. 1:03:52 Bury Magic Dogma For Good
  14. 1:10:53 One Book Plus The Perfect Coin
  15. 1:16:23 Where To Follow Steve And More]

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How long is this episode of Desert Island Tricks?

This episode is 1 hour and 19 minutes long.

When was this Desert Island Tricks episode published?

This episode was published on June 26, 2026.

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