Australian native Harry Milas is bringing “The Unfair Advantage” to Steppenwolf’s Merle Reskin Garage Theatre through April 21. (Courtesy of Harry Milas)

A magician who once worked in casino security is doubling down on revealing the secrets behind card tricks.

Australian native Harry Milas brings “The Unfair Advantage” to Steppenwolf’s Merle Reskin Garage Theatre for an audience of just 35 people per show.

And there’s a catch: Everyone must sign a confidentiality contract before the show.

WTTW News spoke with the sleight-of-hand specialist about the tricks of his trade — and why the need for nondisclosure agreements.

WTTW News: So what’s with the NDAs?

Harry Milas: We go into pretty explicit detail about how to cheat at cards, and it allows me to be quite candid about all these different techniques — how they work and what they really look like. So before you watch the show, yes, you have to sign a contract.

Describe ‘The Unfair Advantage.’

Milas: It’s a close-up magic show about the gambling world and the magic world. I got my start learning gambling moves — cheating moves — and transitioned from that into being a magician. I’ve learned over the years how you can be cheated and swindled. This show is a cautionary tale about how easy it is to be fooled.

Everything I do in the show is with a standard deck of cards that someone in the audience keeps at the end. I love being able to do something magical with an ordinary object. It’s like making two plus two equal five.

You’ve been hired by casinos to work security. What did that job entail?

Milas: They’d show me video footage and say, ‘We’re concerned about this. Has there been a re-deck or false dealing or false shuffling?’ But the majority of the work I did was in high-stakes private games, and I would literally stand in the room and watch people play cards. It was me and a guy who was twice my size. We were the brains and the brawn, so to speak.

Now you focus on magic and performance instead of the gaming world.

Milas: The truth is, casinos are pretty depressing. There’s the weird carpet that’s confusing to the eye, there’s no clocks or windows, there’s cocktails with three shots of vodka in them. In Vegas I’d see people get off the plane, go to the first slot machine they see at the airport and sit there for hours. For my money that speaks to something that should probably be addressed.

Do you gamble?

Milas: The last time I laid a bet I was 18 years old. I can’t really say how good I’d be at this point. I do count cards, so I feel like I could do well in blackjack if I was so inclined. But the truth is there was a fork in the road for me where I could either continue doing that or do shows like this, and I’d much rather be doing this.

Australian native Harry Milas is bringing “The Unfair Advantage” to Steppenwolf’s Merle Reskin Garage Theatre through April 21. (Courtesy of Harry Milas)

Have you had any pushback from magicians or cardsharps who aren’t happy that their methods are being revealed?

Milas: I’ve yet to receive that kind of feedback. The distinction that’s made is that gambling secrets are secrets that are kept from you, and magic secrets are kept for you, in the sense that a gambling secret is an interesting thing to discuss — how to stack a deck so someone gets a royal flush, for example. But a magic secret is often disappointing. It’s like, ‘Really? That’s all?’ There’s never been a secret to a magic trick that’s more interesting than the effect the trick produces.

Is there a downside to your profession?

Milas: People ask me, ‘Do your friends trust you?’ and that kind of thing. I love to play cards — not gambling but games like bridge and gin rummy — and that’s tricky. If I’m playing with people who know me and I win, they say, ‘Oh, well, he’s cheating,’ but if I lose they say, ‘Why didn’t you cheat?’ It’s a bit of a curse either way.

Are you aware that there’s a bit of a magic revival happening in Chicago right now with places like the Rhapsody Theater and the Magic Lounge?

Yes, Chicago to me is the magic city of America. It has the best lineage of magicians, and this is also the home of Eugene Burger (the Chicago magician and mentor who died in 2017). Burger is my all-time favorite. It feels special to be in the city where he operated. I’m carrying him in my heart as I work here.

Any parting words on the power of magic?

Milas: Magic to me is not just one thing. It’s kind of a Venn diagram of a lot of things that cross over, and in that world there’s con games, psychics, gambling, psychology — all of these different things come together to create magic, whatever it is!

The U.S. premiere of “The Unfair Advantage” is in a limited run at Steppenwolf’s Merle Reskin Garage Theatre through April 21.