The trick starts with visualization. Pablo Becker asks you to picture spreading a deck of cards across a table. You pick one and tell him which it is.
Becker then pulls out a boxed deck of his own. He thumbs through the cards and you notice that one of them is turned over.
It's the eight of diamonds, exactly the one you picked.
Becker learned his first trick when he was nine years old at summer camp in Invermere, B.C. There, his counsellor "Loki" taught him a simple one where a coin he's holding appears to change hands. That was when he first discovered an aptitude for magic.
He's now 13 years old and estimates about 100 tricks are in his repertoire. Some of them he's learned online; others he's developed himself, taking another and building upon it. Most are with cards and coins but he has a couple of others. In one, he snaps his pinky finger and wiggles it around. One day, he'd like to learn how to saw somebody in half.
Becker attends Olds High School as a Grade 8 student in the French immersion program, sitting in a split classroom with Grade 9s.
His unique talent has helped him make a name for himself as one of the youngest students on campus.
"They'll come up to me and say, 'Blow my mind,' or 'Magic trick, now'," Becker says, pointing with a snap of the fingers.
The best part about doing magic is the reaction he gets from observers. He was recently visiting tables at a banquet performing card tricks. The response was the same each time: wide eyes, dropped jaws and incredulous hollering bursting out mixed with laughter.
"I know the feeling when something wrecks my mind. I know the feeling I give people when I do a trick," he says.
Sleight of hand and misdirection play into generating that feeling. Becker will also feign mistakes to coax people into lowering their guard. That's when he nails the finish.
He practises magic two to three hours a day, saying there are mirrors in his bedroom to check every angle.
Some day, Becker would like to make a career out of it. To this point, he's only earned small tips for performances. Taking his act to a venue like Vegas would be a dream for him. It's a long way to go, but just like his card trick, reaching that point of awe starts with a picture in mind.
"I know the feeling when something wrecks my mind. I know the feeling I give people when I do a trick." PABLO BECKERMAGICIAN
