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We've all heard the golden rule "Never repeat a trick." It can be found in many a novice's magic books.

Is this a good rule?

I think for the novice, yes. For the advanced, no.

The novice relies on simple self working tricks that become extremely transparent if done repeatedly. Ring sliding up the rubberband anyone?

Most people I perform for immediately ask one of two questions after a good trick:

1. How did you do that?
2. Can you do it again?

The second question is asked for one of two reasons:

1. The spectator is hoping to see how it is done.
2. The spectator wants his friend to see what you did.

If your magic or trick relies soley on suprise and misdirection. It will be very stifleing to say that you "can't" do it again or try to move to something else.

Why can't you do the trick again? Strong magic should be able to be repeated and continue to amaze them. Elmsly and Houdini anyone?

What are your feelings on repeating tricks and how do you handle those requests? Is your magic strong enough to withstand repeating them?

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If it's a very impromptu trick with strong subtle effects, given that I have mastered it, I might do it again depending on the reason why I was asked to do it again. As you said, could either to caught me out or for a friend to see. But I wouldn't mind doing it again since they wouldn't be able to figure it out.

But if it is very basic and easily caught out, I probably won't do it again. I might, depends but more might not.

I get around these issues by doing it again... but unannounced, when they're not expecting it.

I love repeating a trick but by a different method that excludes how they think it is done.

I did repeat a trick this morning. My colegue started talking to me about phsyco kinisis (PK) asking what my thought were on the subject, I saw my que and jumped in. "I am trying to learn it" I said, "are you wearing a watch?" I said "yes" he replied.

I held the watch while still on his wrist and stopped it working, after a few seconds I snapped my fingers and it started ticking again. he said "that was cool but you must be using pressure on the watch" He thought I was squeezing it to stop. So I said "take it off and place it in the open palm of my hand" with arm streched out I concentrated and again stopped the watch with out any touching. "WOW that was awsome" he said. "It must be difficult to learn that sort of stuff"

He thinks I have some amazing power now

So I agree a good strong impromptue trick can be repeated in a slightly different way.

Certain tricks actually improve if they're repeated. There's one 'think of a number and I'll guess what it is'-style thing I sometimes do, for example, that includes a little maths. First time, people assume (without troubling themselves with specifics - which would eleminate the idea immediately), 'Oh, it's a maths trick. I suppose the number's always 47 (or whatever).' You do it again, different number. Their easy solution is pulled out from under them. Do it a third time, and they just throw up their hands. However, I don't do it more than three times.

But those kind of effects are very much in the minority, I feel. For the most part, I think repeating a trick is a bad idea. The worry that the method will be seen is very real, but never mind about that: focus on the experience. Is it reasonable to assume that the spec/s will experience more awe, wonder and surprise the the second time? Nope. That happens the first time. Leave them with that and they'll keep the feeling (turning it over in their heads, and, quite possibly, embellishing it too). The second time they're simply trying to figure out how it's done. If they do, you lose. If they don't (even if they don't because you reproduce the effect using an entirely different method), the original wonder is eroded by the arrival of a vague niggle of frustration on their part - so, you don't actually lose, but you lose something.

So, for me, repeating tricks is a game that's not worth the candle. Any increase in pleasure is mine, not the spec's. I'm there kissing myself inside because I've Erdnase changed twenty times in a row and he still can't figure it out. But the first Erdnase will be the one that gave him a 'Wow!' All the others are a mere machanical exercise he's grimly trying to dismantle.

Sometimes I repeat it but most of the time when I finish one I move right into another one not giving them time to ask to see it again. Or I say something like 'Check this out, its 10 times better'

How about, make sure only the audience is surprised and anything you do right or wrong was on purpose. Only to cover it with something else. Look natural.

I think repeats are OK. But add variation to it.

Like the simple key card principle. First time, they thought, "Wow!"

Second time, they tried to catch me. I varied it. Couldn't catch me. Again, "Wow!"

But otherwise, I always thought that the golden rule was:

"A magician never reveals their secret."

Or at least the saying was that.

The problem with "Do it again" depends (I guess) on the spectator and magician relationship.
If your audiences are strangers the way you manage the situation is much different that if they were your friends or your family.

If they are your friends you should take care about what tricks are you performing because somebody in the audience will try to mess you up during the performance or will try to "do some" once you´ve finished.

But if the audience is strange people you can come up with several patters that wouldn´t work for known people.

Anyway I would NEVER repeat a trick for the same audience, no matter what they way or what they think about me.
One thing that use to work is "magic is a surprise, I know you love what I did but if I do the trick again you might lose that surprise felling"
I say that even if the audience just want to figure out the secret lol

Well, I have to admit, I completely stink at enforcing the golden rule. Unfortunately, I have a friend that follows me everywhere, so he has seen my tricks about 10 times, and berates me to tell ihm how they are done, if he hasnt figured them out already. Its really starting to enrage me because it is ruining the magic. I just wont do any more tricks while he is around (which is all the time unfortunately.)

johntheblob wrote:Well, I have to admit, I completely stink at enforcing the golden rule. Unfortunately, I have a friend that follows me everywhere, so he has seen my tricks about 10 times, and berates me to tell ihm how they are done, if he hasnt figured them out already. Its really starting to enrage me because it is ruining the magic. I just wont do any more tricks while he is around (which is all the time unfortunately.)

Is he interested in learning? If so, do you think he would be a good magician? Yes to both the answer may be obvious. If the answer to the first is yes and the second is no you could:

A ) Continue to gnore his requests and either not perform when he is around or remain annoyed when he is.

B ) Point him towards some self-working stuff (or almost anything) available at your local bookstore.

C) Point him towards the most difficult material you know (especially if you can fake it with a much simpler method) and he will probably give up out of frustration.

D ) Site the "Magician's Oath" explaining that you cannot give away the secrets but would be willing to bring it up his requests at the next national meeting in 2008.

I usually (almost always) never repeat the trick.
And many time they challenge me when I don't, but I still usually don't.

I get around these issues by doing it again... but unannounced, when they're not expecting it.

Next time I'll try that.
Esp. if someone like a friend is called after a trick to watch this stuff I'm doing but I don't repeat the trick and used to feel bad about it. Although I tried to compensate by showing some other trick, but when they say something like, show the previous trick it was lot more cooler and I don't repeat and then used to feel bad for that friend.
But now I'll follow your advice Tomo. Thanks.

I held the watch while still on his wrist and stopped it working, after a few seconds I snapped my fingers and it started ticking again. he said "that was cool but you must be using pressure on the watch" He thought I was squeezing it to stop. So I said "take it off and place it in the open palm of my hand" with arm streched out I concentrated and again stopped the watch with out any touching. "WOW that was awsome" he said. "It must be difficult to learn that sort of stuff"

WOW! What trick is that? And how can it be done without gimmicks?
Oh! sorry I think I should frame it as, can it be done without gimmicks?
Can you/someone please point at the product(s) from which this can be learnt.

Thanks.

It depends what the trick is. Some of them depend on you repeating it (Six Card Repeat, for example, or a Q&A act).

As people have said, some things can be done in a different way, or slightly differently. A Three Card Monte or Three Shell Game routine with only one phase would be a bit flat. One of the things I like to do occasionally is work out how to do the same effect at least two ways.