Balls and Cups

What You’ll Need

• Three cups (Dick uses classic chrome cups, but any opaque cups will do)
• Three small balls (Dick prefers firm, round ones about the size of a marble)
• A performance surface (Dick uses a close-up mat for maximum grip)

The Setup

Line up all three cups mouth-down in a row. Place one ball on top of each cup. “Now,” Dick tells his audience, “keep your eyes on Dick’s balls. Don’t blink or you’ll miss the magic!”

Dick’s Pro Tip

“The secret is in the load. Dick can load a ball under a cup without anyone seeing — it takes practice, but once you get the feel for it, it becomes second nature. The key is to keep your movements smooth and rhythmic.”

The Performance

1. The warm-up — Pick up each cup one at a time, show it’s empty underneath, and place the ball on top. Dick does this casually to establish that everything is normal.

2. The first vanish — Stack the first cup onto the second (secretly loading the ball underneath). Tap the top cup and lift — the ball has “magically” penetrated through the cup! Dick always looks surprised, even after 50 years.

3. The second vanish — Repeat with the remaining balls. Each time, the ball appears to pass right through the solid cup.

4. The climax — For the big finish, Dick reveals that all three balls have gathered under a single cup. “They just can’t resist getting together!” Dick says with a chuckle.

5. The kicker — If Dick is feeling frisky, he lifts the final cup to reveal a large fruit (like a lemon) has appeared. “Where did THAT come from?!” Dick exclaims every single time.

Dick’s Final Thought

“I’ve been doing Balls and Cups since I was twelve years old. It’s the trick that made me fall in love with magic. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of three balls and three cups working in perfect harmony!”