John Born

John B. Born is an American parlor magician, the winner of multiple awards including "Close-Up Magician of the Year" from the International Brotherhood of Magicians in 2006. He has written two books, appeared on ten instructional DVDs created in Las Vegas and Reno, and is a frequent lecturer on the subject of magic techniques. Also a writer, his book Meant to Be features sections from Allan Ackerman, Ken Krenzel, Banachek, Luke Jermay, Martin Joyal, Tony Miller, Mike Powers, Joshua Jay, and Jason Dean. His latest book, "Cheating at Texas Hold'em: A Modern Guide to the Art of Deception and Illicit Play at the Card Table" was released in 2010, featuring 560 pages about cheating at poker - how it works, how to detect it, and how to prevent it.

Born is from Wichita, Kansas, and learned the craft of the magician from his grandfather who had studied magic and mentalism for 35 years. Initially a basketball player in high school in Wichita, Born was sidelined with a broken foot and couldn't play. His grandfather then brought him his own videotapes and books about magic techniques, and Born began working on his craft, becoming an expert in close-up magic. When he went on to college, he studied international business at Rockhurst University, then transferring to Wichita State University, after which he worked for five years as a resident magician at "Steven's Magic Emporium" in Wichita, Kansas, followed by one year at U.S. Toy Magic in Kansas City. He has also performed in Las Vegas at Caesar's Magical Empire.

• Winner, 2006 Magi-Fest Close-Up Competition, Columbus, Ohio
• 1st place, 2006 IBM Gold Cups
• 1st place, Closeup Magic, Midwest Magic Jubilee

Books

• Cheating at Texas Hold'em: A Modern Guide to the Art of Deception and Illicit Play at the Card Table"
• 'Meant to Be.. Principles and Techniques for the Sophisticated Magical Artist
• Matrix God's Way: Coin Technique for the Next Generation

DVDs

• J-Team (with Jason Dean)
• Steven's Magic's Coin Classics