Jeremy “The Amazer” Haak’s greatest magic trick is no illusion – it’s how he turned a childhood fascination with magic into a career that has captivated audiences for more than three decades.

Haak of Rock Falls recently took first place in the Close-Up Contest at the Houdini Club of Wisconsin convention with his rendition of “Sam the Bellhop,” a story-based card trick refined and popularized by magician Bill Malone.

The routine began as “Sam & Moe” in Rufus Steele’s “The Final Word on Cards” and was later reimagined by Bill Malone, with slick shuffles, false cuts, and his trademark humor – a legacy Haak honored with his own playful version, starring himself as the Joker card.

Blending expert sleight-of-hand with his signature humor, Haak turned the routine into a comedy-laced performance as each card appeared right on cue to match the antics of a bellhop fetching Kings, Queens, and Jacks for his guests.

“I’ve been working on that trick for over 25 years,” Haak said. “I’m still tweaking and adding jokes to it.”

Haak has been practicing magic for more than 35 years. His interest in illusions first piqued when he was a shy teen in junior high school.

“One year, my family was vacationing in Florida and we went to this outdoor strip mall called Old Town, and they had a magic shop there,” Haak recalled. “I bought a trick just for the heck of it, and I got really good at it. And then people started talking to me, which was really cool because I was the shy kid growing up. And so I just built up from there.”

From that moment on, Haak has done everything he could to teach himself magic. Before the explosion of internet accessibility, he read magic books from the library, ordered tricks from catalogues and specialty magazines, attended lectures and grew a collection of instructional DVDs.

He takes a clean, family-friendly approach to magic, calling himself “a goofy guy who learned how to do a few cool things” and often blending humor into his acts.

“If you want to have a long career, stay away from foul language. Your language is the difference between landing a $50 bar show and a $5,000 corporate show,” Haak said. “And stay away from politics. If you share your political views, you’re going to offend half the crowd in the audience. The only thing I say about politicians is the old classic joke: Politicians are like diapers. They need to be changed often because they’re all full of it.”

Haak said the key to a good magic routine is the same for other forms of unconventional stage performances, such as ventriloquism: It’s all about “hiding your strings.”

“I know magic and ventriloquism sounds like a strange comparison, but they’re kinda similar. You know what I’m doing is not actually sorcery, but you can’t figure it out,” Haak said. “We know how ventriloquism works, but at the same time, we want to think that when Jeff Dunham leaves the room, Walter is still going to talk to us... but once you’ve seen one bad move it doesn’t matter what the performer does next, you don’t want to see any more. The illusion is broken.”

For booking information and upcoming performances, check out Haak’s website, amazer1.com, or see his tricks in action on YouTube under Magicofamazer.