Where can I listen to this podcast?

This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.

Does this podcast accept guests?

No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.

Jinx Navigator

Claim This Podcast

by Jinx Navigator

5.0(1 reviews)

10 episodes

Updated Daily

Accepts GuestsHas Sponsors

Podcast Overview

The Jinx is packed with brilliant ideas for mystery performers—but finding what still works (and how to use it today) takes time. The Jinx Navigator Podcast does that work for you. Each episode explores a classic issue or source from magic and mentalism, uncovering standout effects, theory, and creative thinking—and then reimagining them for modern performers and audiences. This isn’t about preserving history for nostalgia’s sake; it’s about extracting usable ideas and turning them into practical, contemporary presentations. If you care about strong material, thoughtful performance, and making classic magic feel alive again, this podcast is for you.

Language

🇺🇲

Publishing Since

3/30/2026

Visit Website View on Apple Podcasts RSS Feed

1 verified contact email on file for Jinx Navigator

Pitch yourself as a guest, propose sponsorships, or reach out directly to the host.

See contact details

Recent Episodes

June 1, 2026

Episode 017: Issue #17, A Novel Glass Through Hat, and More

Jinx Navigator Podcast — Episode 17: Issue #17 Issue #17 opens with a sharp warning about cameras and sleight of hand, delivers a blindfolded cigarette identification built on a coat dropper, a deceptively clean two-card prediction with a Magician's Choice structure, and closes with a historical essay on the torn deck from the SAM's national president. The Burling Hull situation also resurfaces — this time with attorneys and Post Office complaints. Effects Covered [1:00] Editorial — Theodore Annemann Annemann leads with a warning: don't do sleight of hand in front of cameras. Two performers he respects were recently caught on film, and his point is that a lens that can catch a bullet in flight isn't going to miss a sleight. Jay's commentary: please, nobody tell him about YouTube. The editorial also covers U.F. Grant's new photo-electrical effect, a genuinely positive update on Percy Abbott's The Tops, a pointed dismissal of an anonymous free publication called The Links, and a reluctant apology for the delayed winter extra — Annemann had spent the holiday stretch doing four shows a night on a nightclub tour while simultaneously editing the Jinx. [3:03] Cigarettes in the Dark — Theodore Annemann Blindfolded, the performer reaches into a hat of mixed cigarettes, lights one, takes a puff, and names the brand — three times in a row, three correct. The blindfold is genuine; the cigarettes aren't coming from the hat. The coat dropper Fischer described a couple of issues back is loaded in advance with three brands in a known order, and the reach toward the hat covers the actual retrieval each time. Jay suggests a modern variant using coins and a bowl that works the same angle without requiring anyone to light up. [4:38] The Spectator's Choice — Stuart Judah Six piles of cards, two freely chosen cards added to any two piles, a dealing procedure that ends with exactly those two cards — whichever of two apparently independent predictions the helper decides to keep. Judah admits it didn't look like much on paper and he nearly set it aside, then saw it performed. The Magician's Choice structure is particularly clean here because both slips look like independent predictions and the helper genuinely doesn't know until the end which two cards they'll be holding. [5:53] To Our Associated Dealers — Burling Hull Another chapter in the ongoing saga: a letter Hull sent directly to magic dealers, printed in full, addressing attacks in the anonymous publication Annemann had been calling The Stinks. Hull's attorney has characterized the attacks as a perfect case of libel by innuendo, a lawsuit is proceeding, and Hull is filing with the Post Office to have the publication's mailing privileges revoked. The practical point to dealers is that distributing defamatory material through the mail could make them liable alongside the publisher. Annemann prints the whole thing without editorial comment. [6:56] Finger Exercise — Otis Manning A thimble routine framed as a demonstration of finger dexterity — one red thimble and one blue, appearing to jump positions and then swap simultaneously, closing with a helper invited to try it themselves. No vanishes, just a series of apparent transpositions using the simplest thimble steal. Annemann's note: he can't do many sleights himself, but this one he can manage. Manning's closing advice — never mention you're using two thimbles, and learn when to talk and when not to. [8:10] A Novel Glass Through Hat — Alvin C. Thompson A drinking glass with a red silk inside, covered with paper, passes through the crown of a borrowed hat and appears inside it. The key is a moment early in the routine where the paper-covered glass is briefly placed inside the hat on an apparently incidental pretext. Jay's summary: everyone here has done the salt shaker through the table, yes? Same thing. Thompson's performance note is to do it smartly, no stalling, and get to the

May 26, 2026

Episode 016: Issue #16, The ACME Thought Card Pass, and More

Jinx Navigator Podcast — Episode 16: Issue #16 Issue #16 rings in 1936 with Annemann reporting from a turbulent SAM club night, closing the Burling Hull matter with two words, and delivering a book test built on a pocket index, a magic square from a birthday, a comedy coin-to-candy-cone switch, and a thought-of card transposition that Annemann couldn't crack until Dr. Jacob Daly figured out the core method in about five minutes of conversation. Effects Covered [0:58] Editorial — Theodore Annemann Annemann skips the standard SAM club night recap in favor of what other reporters missed — including Cardini spending the final three minutes of a magnificent eleven-minute act doing a deliberate expose of a rubber band trick, which Annemann says ruined everything that came before it. He closes the Burling Hull dispute with a two-word response: "I apologize." He also welcomes Percy Abbott's new monthly publication The Tops with measured skepticism — though Jay notes from the future that it ran for 21 years, relaunched, and ran another 33. [3:05] A Visible Cigarette Vanisher — Lou Brent A cigarette holder of the kind actual smokers carried in the 1930s is shown openly with the cigarette seated inside — then both vanish. The prop never registered as apparatus because it looked like an ordinary accessory, which Annemann notes is exactly how magic props should look. He adds a practical tip: adhesive tape inside the holder keeps the cigarette firmly seated during the vanish. Jay suggests the principle adapts naturally to vaping, with an obvious presentational angle ready-made. [4:15] Again, a Prediction — Doc Mifflin A card is freely chosen from a mixed deck, the helper opens a small book of poems to the matching page number, finds the word at that same position, and the prediction already in the cup matches it exactly. The method requires thirteen outs and a pocket index — and Jay points out that if you have a pocket index collecting dust and never knew what to do with it, this is the answer. [4:59] The Lucky Number Magic Square — Royal V. Heath A helper names their birth date, the performer writes it above a blank 3x3 grid, the helper makes two apparently free choices along the way, and the completed grid is a magic square — every row, column, and diagonal adding up to the same total. That total reduces to the helper's personal lucky number, the whole thing fits on the back of a business card, and Jay notes in the comments at jinxnavigator.com there's a free crash course on numerology readings to pair with it. [6:10] Burr — Otis Manning A borrowed nickel vanishes under a handkerchief and reappears as a candy ice cream cone, handed to the helper as an even trade. The cone was a one-cent candy counter item in 1936 that passed for the real thing at three feet, and Annemann notes the second laugh when the helper realizes it's candy is just as good as the first. Jay acknowledges his earlier snarkiness about nightclubs and handkerchiefs and admits the effect has genuine promise — and suggests there are plenty of modern substitutes for the candy cone worth exploring. [7:27] The Acme Thought Card Pass — Dr. Jacob Daly and Theodore Annemann Two people each silently think of a card from a packet held in the audience — both packets are sealed in envelopes, one pocketed by a helper, one kept by the performer. The thought-of cards travel invisibly: the helper's envelope comes up two short, the performer's has two extra, and both named cards are right there. Annemann had been trying to crack this with unprepared cards for a long time; Daly solved the core method almost immediately when the subject came up in conversation, with the preparation built entirely into an ordinary stack of envelopes. [8:46] Outro Links and a preview of Issue #17 — featuring Otis Manning's Finger Exercise.

May 18, 2026

Episode 015: Issue #15, Diabolical Influence, and More

Jinx Navigator Podcast — Episode 15: Issue #15 Issue #15 is a compact but well-stocked issue — a three-way out envelope used for real election-night publicity, a self-working spelling effect updated for American audiences, a coat-mounted ball retriever that takes Jay on a nostalgic tour of his heavily rigged performing jackets, and a parlor effect that Annemann calls the best drawing-room conception he knows. The editorial is sharp, covering glowing promotional eyes, a handwriting expert working a crystal ball act, and Annemann's blunt thoughts on how the magic community handles exposers. Effects Covered [0:52] Editorial — Theodore Annemann Annemann opens with a photo of Otis Manning landing a three-column front-page picture — full details promised next issue. He covers a lobby display trick using luminous paint on a promotional photo, a crystal ball act secretly backed by a handwriting expert sending personalized notes about audience members, and a practical tip about writing predictions on your own business card so people keep them. He closes with a pointed editorial on magic exposers — formal expulsion doesn't work, he argues, and watching the community immediately surround a known exposer asking to see his latest stuff proves it. [3:42] An Original Faked Envelope with a Publicity Angle — Theodore Annemann A three-compartment envelope that opens to a different compartment depending on which end is trimmed — content simply falls into the helper's palm, no fumbling required. Annemann describes using it during a local election: writing a prediction, having a newspaper editor sign it, apparently having second thoughts and sealing a new envelope, then returning after the results came in to verify it — leaving the clean original on the table and pocketing the faked one. Clean entry, clean exit. [5:21] A Different Card Spelling — George C. Hannemann A refinement of a spelling effect from Gibson's Houdini's Magic, updated for American audiences who don't call Jacks "knaves" or 2s "duces." A helper spells out their card's suit and lands on a matching suit, then spells the value and lands on a matching value — two separate arrivals, both exactly on cue, with no sleight of hand. Nineteen cards in a specific order near the middle of the deck, and the trick essentially runs itself. Hannemann also offers a handling that avoids a force entirely. [6:42] An Original Ball Dropper — Otakar Fischer A coat-mounted device that delivers a palmed ball with nothing more than a slight lowering of the arm and two fingers of gentle pressure — gravity does the rest. Fischer's key note is that the hand stays completely still throughout, and the dropper lies flat against the body once empty. Jay takes a nostalgic detour through his performing jackets of 40-some years ago, which apparently housed doves, pinned cards, a vanishing candle, and a giant card against the breast pocket simultaneously. [7:57] Diabolical Influence — Harris Solomon The performer writes a prediction, covers it with an initialed sticker, and leaves the room — from outside, he directs a series of apparently free choices: a card at a counted position, a named card, three random numbers. He returns, peels the sticker, and the prediction matches the card at the counted position. Two more cards match the other selections. The three numbers add up to the sum written under the sticker. The pocketed card is named, the deck shown complete. Annemann calls it the best parlor and drawing-room conception he knows, and Jay says he's going to try this one. [9:31] Outro Links and a preview of Issue #16 — featuring Doc Mifflin's "Again, a Prediction."

10 total episodes available

Similar Podcasts

Discover related shows you might enjoy

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

NPR

The Jon Stewart Podcast

Comedy Central

Deep-dive analytics for Jinx Navigator

Frequently asked questions

Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our support team by sending us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

What is Jinx Navigator?: The Jinx is packed with brilliant ideas for mystery performers—but finding what still works (and how to use it today) takes time.

The Jinx Navigator Podcast does that work for you.

Each episode explores a classic issue or source from magic and mentalism, uncovering standout effects, theory, and creative thinking—and then reimagining them for modern performers and audiences. This isn’t about preserving history for nostalgia’s sake; it’s about extracting usable ideas and turning them into practical, contemporary presentations.

If you care about strong material, thoughtful performance, and making classic magic feel alive again, this podcast is for you.
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates daily.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Does this podcast accept guests?: No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.

Legal Disclaimer

Pod Engine is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected with any of the podcasts displayed on this platform. We operate independently as a podcast discovery and analytics service.

All podcast artwork, thumbnails, and content displayed on this page are the property of their respective owners and are protected by applicable copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to, podcast cover art, episode artwork, show descriptions, episode titles, transcripts, audio snippets, and any other content originating from the podcast creators or their licensors.

We display this content under fair use principles and/or implied license for the purpose of podcast discovery, information, and commentary. We make no claim of ownership over any podcast content, artwork, or related materials shown on this platform. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.

While we strive to ensure all content usage is properly authorized, if you are a rights holder and believe your content is being used inappropriately or without proper authorization, please contact us immediately at hey@podengine.ai for prompt review and appropriate action, which may include content removal or proper attribution.

By accessing and using this platform, you acknowledge and agree to respect all applicable copyright laws and intellectual property rights of content owners. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or commercial use of the content displayed on this platform is strictly prohibited.