There’s a magic school at Orchard Towers and I tried to learn some card tricks – here’s how it went

Four kings.

It was a feat that had already left me impressed. But then came the finisher.

“Would you like to make a bet? Do you think your cards can beat mine?” asked Tommillusions.

Now, I’ve watched enough episodes of Criss Angel Mindfreak to know that, yes, my cards will somehow end up beating his.

But still, I didn’t want to take that bet because, logically, there was no way I would pull four aces. Again, every move up to that point had been completely random.

And yet, the top cards on all four of my piles were aces.

Like magic.

“Now let’s teach you how to do that,” said Tommillusions, with the warmth of Dumbledore and the charm of the Horsemen from Now You See Me.

LEARNING MAGIC AT INSTITUTE ILLUSIONS

Institute Illusions currently offers one-hour lessons for kids, between the ages of six and twelve, where they can learn two magic skills per session, with over 15 skills across their rotating programme.

A cursory look at Institute Illusions’ website shows glowing reviews for these lessons, with parents praising how fun they are and how the lessons have inspired the children to pick up and practise magic skills on their own.

So it really is a testament to Tommillusions’ patience when he had to spend 60 minutes teaching me – someone with horrific motor-skill coordination – repeatedly struggle with shuffling techniques that were easy for children.