Paul Gertner

(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: 1953 - )

Stage name of Paul Joseph Gaertner. Learned at age 16 from library book and then lessons from Ron Slanina. Pro close-up since 1975, specializing in trade shows at which he is widely rated among world's top six, earning (in 1996) reportedly up to $2,500 per day. Taught Gary Michaels in 1975.

Invented Reverse Matrix in 1979. 1978 Tokyo 2nd prize. 1983 Desert Magic Seminar 1st prize. 1985 FISM 1st prize in close-up. 1996 AMA Close-up Magician of the Year.

Authored two sets of lecture notes (1978, 1987) and Forcing a Card in the Classical Manner (1980).

See Richard Kaufman, Paul Gertner's Steel and Silver (1994, 200+pp). Articles in MUM, Linking Ring, and Arcane, plus Japanese, French, and Italian journals. TV bits in USA, Japan, and Britain, including three times on the Carson show.