Frank Garcia (magician)
Frank Garcia | |
|---|---|
| Born | Frank Garcia May 8, 1927 Manhattan, New York, USA |
| Died | July 15, 1993 (aged 66) |
| Cause of death | natural causes |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Magician, performer, teacher, author |
| Known for | sleight of hand, card magic, card sharp |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Spouse | Betty Lou Field-Garcia (Moss) |
| Children | 1 |
Frank Garcia (May 8, 1927 – July 15, 1993) was a magician and professional gambler. He was known as "The Man With The Million Dollar Hands." His specialty was gambling scams and cheating.
The son of Spanish immigrants, he decided to become a magician after seeing a performance of David "Fu Manchu" Bamberg.[1]
As "The Gambling Investigator" he demonstrated and exposed cheating methods at trade shows and to law enforcement organizations throughout the United States and on television shows. Frank Garcia wrote and lectured about the subject throughout his life.[2]
Garcia made "close-up" work his domain. His repertory of card manipulations, sponge-ball magic, cups and balls, and sleight-of-hand was highly regarded by his peers.[3]
Published works
Garcia wrote 12 books in his life. The books were written about card cheating, gambling, and most especially close-up card magic. Some of his magic books are considered collectors items. His most famous books were:
- Encyclopedia of Sponge Ball Magic (1976)
- Million Dollar Card Secrets (1972)
- Super Subtle Card Miracles (1973)
- Exclusive Card Secrets (1980)
- Exclusive Card Miracles (1980)
- The Close Up Card Magic of Frank Garcia, Part I (1982)
- The Close Up Card Magic of Frank Garcia, Part II (1982)
- Marked Cards And Loaded Dice (1962) which was later released as How To Detect Crooked Gambling (1977)
- All In A Nutshell (1974)
- Don't Bet On It ! (1978)
- Magic With Cards (1974) (co-authored with George Schindler)
- Amedeo's Continental Magic (co-authored with George Schindler)
Death
Frank died at age 66 on July 15, 1993 from a stroke in his apartment right before he was going to move in with his wife for the first time. His wife, Betty Moss, now lives alone with her son.[3]
References
- ^ "Biographies Page F-G".
- ^ "Frank Garcia - CardCheater.com".
- ^ a b Saxon, Wolfgang (July 20, 1993). "A Master Magician Who Aided the Police". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
See also
External links
- Frank Garcia MagicPedia entry
- Frank Garcia performing the Three Shell game
- Who's who in magic history
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