Houlihan and the Kid: BioVlog 80 of 384

I like to hang out at a club in my home town, El Cajon, where Eddie Houlihan is the bartender and performs close up magic nightly. (Eddie has even performed at the world famous Hollywood Magic Castle.) 

I sit at his bar with a free glass of water with deck in hand. Eddie says with the wisdom of an old magician talking to this young up-start card fanatic, “Kid, there was an old magician from Chicago who did an amazing feat of dexterity, called the Coin Roll. This fancy flourish – also called the Knuckle Roll or Steeplechase Flourish – is quite old, and mastering it requires considerable motor skill and countless hours of practice. Since you can’t sit still, here’s how you do one coin.” 

I stare very close and even feel his hand as he demonstrates the basic action. Then he shoos-me-off so he can get back to performing for paying customers saying, “Now go at it kid! And if you get one down, add a second coin to each hand.”