HEY guys, have a problem landing the girl of your dreams?

Try a few magic tricks.

That’s Mr Derick Ho’s advice.

The 27-year-old co-owns Secret Skills, a magic school which opened at Selegie Road three months ago.

Mr Ho, a magician with six years of experience, conducts a course called the Art of Seduction Magic at the school.

He claims that the tricks he teaches can help men woo women and that the course has been a hit with men.

He told The New Paper on Sunday that about 150 people – mostly men – have gone through the course. So far only five female students have signed up for the class.

Students pay $150 for a two-hour session, in which they are taught 10 tricks.

Mr Ho, who launched the course two years ago, said the bulk of his tricks revolve around small items like cards and rubber bands.

For instance, there’s a trick that is supposed to enable you to hug your dream girl while showing her a trick and another that would ensure she gives you a call.

The aim? To charm the girl and make the best impression possible.

Or better, to get the girl’s number or “close the deal” (get her to be your girlfriend), Mr Ho said.

“Some guys use fast cars, I use a pack of cards,” he added.

But he insists it’s not cheesy tricks that he pulls out of his sleeve.

He said: “Not all tricks impress women.” He added that the tricks have to be done with flair, and the words used should give the woman the impression that the guy is mysterious and attractive.

Students are given a script that they practise during the class.

These lines are so “top secret”, Mr Ho said, that he does not even print them out for his students. Instead, he tells them to take notes.

Confidence

Ruban Lakshmanan, 17, a first-year polytechnic student found out about the course about a month ago when he walked past the school.

He recalled: “The word ‘seduction’ caught my eye because everything that helps you with chicks, that’s good, man.”

He claims his new-found tricks helped boost his confidence when he approached girls.

He said that after he used the tricks, he managed to get the phone numbers of two girls at the Pasir Ris MRT station about a month ago.

But because he now has a girlfriend, he said he did not try to get to know the girls further.

And no, he did not try any of the tricks on his girlfriend.

Now that he’s dating someone, he’s not about to get more phone numbers, Ruban quickly added.

He said the money he forked out for the course came from working as a part-time receptionist – he earns between $50 and $400 a month.

But he feels it’s money well spent.

He said: “You can go back as many times as you want, so it’s worthwhile.”

Students are allowed to go back for as many lessons as they want if they feel that two hours is not enough to hone their magic skills.

But Mr Ho claims that “most students will walk out of here being able to do nine out of the 10 tricks we teach”.

Another student, Mr Alvin Tan, 34, a freelance Web developer said while he is currently not in a relationship, he has gone on more dates as a result of the course.

He said: “I used to have no dates at all. Now I go out with women maybe twice a week.

“It has helped me with women because when you are running out of things to say and do, performing a trick can help the conversation. It has boosted my confidence.”

Mr Ho insisted that sleaze was not his intention when he created the course.

Mr Dick Soh, 37, the school’s marketing director, also stressed: “It’s not about teaching guys to bluff girls. It’s a way to break the ice.”

From December, the school will introduce a more advanced version of the course.

Mr Ho said magic has helped him in his own love life as well.

He claimed to have had eight girlfriends last year. He said the relationships were brief as several of them were long-distance.

Currently, Mr Ho is single as running the school keeps him busy.

Magicians The New Paper spoke to were cautious about commenting on Mr Ho’s Art Of Seduction course since they have not gone through it, but all said the concept was creative.

Mr John Teo, 59, the president of the International Brotherhood of Magicians Singapore Ring 115, said he has never heard of magic courses for the purpose of dating.

While anyone can pick up magic tricks from the Internet and books, it is the customisation – in this case the script and manner of delivery – that sets the course apart, Mr Teo pointed out.

But the magician with over 40 years of experience said: “Most girls will be interested in guys who do magic anyway.”

Mr Jeremy Pei, 25, managing director of Redefine Magic, agreed it was a “novel” way of marketing magic courses to the public.

But he said using magic to impress the opposite sex may be difficult.

“Women nowadays are a lot smarter and magic is not something which would excite them a lot,” he said.

Such magic tricks should also only be performed occasionally or the woman would get bored, he added.

“Personally, I also would not want my girlfriend to like me because of my magic,” the professional magician of 12 years said.

“But learning magic can help build confidence level and self-esteem, which may help in the dating field.”

So do Singaporean women go for men with a magic trick or two up their sleeves? Miss Sherry Yeoh, 27, a recruitment manager feels that magic makes for “good first-date conversation”.

But magic as a dating tool has its limitations, she said.

She added: “Does it help make an impression?

Probably.

Does it help score a second date?

Nah. Wouldn’t do enough.”

This article was first published in The New Paper.