How to Place Props on a Magician’s Close-Up Mat

Have you ever sat down in front of a close-up mat with one deck of cards placed squarely in the center of it? I bet you have—at least a thousand times, maybe more.

Do we place the deck like this with good reason, or do magicians place cards in the center of the close-up mat without asking why?

What happens if you move the deck away from the center of the close-up mat? You might be surprised to learn that, actually, a lot happens in the minds of the spectators based on how you handle your props.

Even something as simple as placing objects on the close-up mat can trigger emotions in the spectator and draw their focus in the direction you want.

Everything I am about to teach is based on research, and you can apply these insights to any surface you use in your performances, whether it's a mat, a table, or even an entire stage.

We will assume the point of view of the spectator for every photo example below and use cards to demonstrate – though you could just as easily use coins, balls, or any other items you perform magic with.

The Center

Look at these images. What do you feel?

According to the psychology of perception, every time you observe something, you tend to center the object of your interest in your gaze.

Studies on children’s drawings show that they tend to start their doodles in the middle of the page rather than on the margins. Basically, you are born with a mental predisposition for the center.

Center = Important

Easy, right? But that’s not all. A deck of cards in the center of the close-up mat also conveys feelings of solidity, symmetry, and completeness.

On the other hand, if you place the deck off-center, you’ll create a dynamic, unstable, or even restless image.

If the deck merely touches the edge of the mat, your brain will perceive the object as being pushed toward the center. We can picture it this way:

Next time you place cards on the table, be aware that where you put them will convey specific feelings for your spectators. This is useful if you want your actions to adhere to a particular style or performance character or if you want to set the mood for the performance.

As a little reminder:

• Stability: Cards at the center of the close-up mat.

• Restlessness: Off-center cards.

• Potential Movement To The Center: Off-center cards touching the edge of the close-up mat.

Hiding Objects

To convey that an object is important, there’s more to it than just placing it in the center position. Also, frequently placing an object in the center of a composition can make everything static and, potentially, boring.

Let’s say we now have multiple objects to position—let’s stick to playing cards and use three individual cards.

Depending on how these objects are laid on the table, the spectator’s eyes will follow a specific path and trigger different emotions and responses.

You can use this to your advantage, guiding the spectator’s perception of the objects. Please think of this as an extra tool to the more traditional misdirection we all know. Two techniques to achieve this are the golden ratio and the rule of thirds.

The Golden Ratio

The golden ratio defines the focal area in space. If you draw the diagonal of the space and its perpendicular passing through the opposite corner, the intersection of the diagonals is the focal heart of your space.

When considering different objects on the mat, placing one at the center of these diagonals draws the spectator’s eye to focus there more than on any other object on the mat.

The eye will primarily focus on card number three and perceive the others less. If you want these cards to be perceived as equal, you shouldn’t place any of them in the golden ratio.

This can be helpful even when you want to force a specific card on the table and have the best outcome for the equivoque force.

The Rule of Thirds

According to the rule of thirds, any space is divided into three parts, both horizontally and vertically, creating this grid:

The human eye instinctively pays close attention to the four points in which the lines intersect. Every image, in fact, has four strong points: 1 (top left), 2 (top right), 3 (bottom left), and 4 (bottom right).

The rule of thirds is worth studying because every time the human brain processes an image, it must first decide very quickly which point of the image it will start with. Generally, the observer begins by focusing on point 1, moves to 2, then 3, and finally 4. This applies most frequently to images that do not have an obvious focal point.

Keep the rule of thirds in mind when routining your magic. If you need to choose four spots on the close-up mat for a trick and you’re wondering where to start – choose point 1. If your Coin Matrix routine follows the rule of thirds, it will be easier to follow.

Balance

Let’s put a card there.

There is no way to unsee it, and it’s the only object you can really focus your attention on. This card has visual weight because of its importance compared to the overall visual impact, and the weight is on the left side of the image.

It’s time to introduce a coin.

The coin has stolen some of the attention from the card, reducing its importance. We could say that the coin has balanced the card within the image.

Some elements have greater attractive power in every visual composition, especially if they are bigger, darker, or in contrast with the surroundings.

Ask yourself:

• What sensation does the spectator feel when seeing a single card on the table?

• What sensation do they perceive, instead, when they see a coin next to a card?

• Do I want to give the same importance to both objects?

A "balanced composition" gives equal importance to the two objects. If, at any point, one object is more important than the other, the composition is unbalanced.

The critical question is: which object do you want to emphasize? After settling on that, you can arrange the balance of the composition to reflect the importance of the objects you are using. And you can do this with the rules you’ve just read.

Above, the card is more important than the coin. The card is the bigger object, so the brain will give it more importance. Our eyes will begin their journey at the card before moving over to the coin. If you want the card and the coin to have the same weight, you can do this:

The coin is still smaller than the card, but it’s now located in the area where people look first, according to the rule of thirds—this makes the coin more important.

Do you want to unbalance the composition completely? Move the objects away from the center of the table and the golden ratio. The composition will now convey suspense and instability.

The Void

Sometimes, we are so focused on filling spaces that we forget the importance of emptiness. Emptiness creates the condition for anticipation, so don’t think of it as the absence of objects but as a space that the spectator’s mind will want to fill.

Emptiness communicates.

While symmetrical composition aims for a sense of calm, the use of void generates narrative tension and anticipation of something that will eventually take place.

This image might be interpreted as the starting point of a magic trick, but your brain would likely never assume it to be the ending of a trick.

Most magicians never stop to consider how the placement of their props impacts the minds of their spectators, but where you place your props matters to your spectators, and it should matter to you, too.

So the next time you sit down in front of a close-up mat, try to place your deck of cards upon it in precisely the right place.