Las Vegas World Champion Magician

March 2, 2011 – San Diego magician Kevin Viner has been crowned the current World Champion of Close-up Magic at the World Magic Seminar in Las Vegas, NV. At the annual convention, held this year at the Orleans hotel, Kevin competed with a group of magicians from around the world. Competitors included Reuben Moreland, Mark Gibson, Jeff Pyzocha, Steve Sandomierski, and mentalist Scott Xavier. The crowd of 500, mostly knowledgeable magicians, watched the act on a screen and voted afterward on their favorite performer.

Kevin’s award winning routine included the magical production of 2 full wine bottles, followed by 2 signed playing cards impossibly appearing inside the sealed wine bottles. Voters included Criss Angel magic consultant Joe Monti and David Blaine consultant Asi Wind.

“I was trying my best to put together a routine that would both entertain and fool the magicians,” says Viner. “When you have a group of 500 magicians watching every move, it isn’t enough to simply be good. You have to do something unique that nobody has seen before.” Kevin plans to retire the act for now, at least for a while. “It’s a costly act to perform night after night, not to mention very difficult. I may compete again in the future, but for now, I’m more interested in going back to the larger shows for corporate events and colleges. Close-up magic is a blast, but my real passion is bringing together a group and performing something that everybody can enjoy at once.”