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Just wondered what everyone's views were with regards to repeating tricks for your audience - a couple of threads have mentioned that it can't be done with some tricks, and thus these tricks are deemed to have a 'weakness' (not picking at you Toad, promise ).

Am I just being a purist in not repeating my tricks without there being more than one handling of said effect?

What's your thoughts everyone?

I do repeat Crazy Man's Handcuffs (but only as per routine) and a few card tricks where different sleights can be used for the same effect.

It's another one of those situations, I think, where the standard rules are a little oversimplistic. For example, using the most popular patter for the ID would mean that you could only perform it once, but with another it could be repeated instantly, with this effect there is zero risk that anyone could work out how it is done and repeating it adds to the strength of the effect. Other tricks, however, could never be repeated, either because they always have the same outcome based on a choice by a spectator, or the routine changes depending on a choice, or even that the effect relies so heavily on misdirection or sleight of hand that you couldn't perform it again whilst being scrutinised with an intense scrute.

I think that you have to judge each trick individually, if the effect can't be stengthened by repeating it then don't, if there is any risk that the method will be discovered then don't. On the other hand, some effects you might be happy perform ing to the same people on separate occasions, one of the groups I perform for regularly has seen me do Out of This World maybe three times, but it still gets them every time and they love it. I always work up to it in a slightly different way, and always with a sort of mentalistic or pseudoscientific bent and they don't know that it is coming. I fell confident that I could perform it for them another couple of times without them geting bored or starting to suss the method, but only because they only see it a good three or four months apart each time. On the other hand, I don't think they would be able to work out my monte routine, based on Colour monte but using regular cards, but I wouldn't show them that twice because they already know the end result and the only real source of entertainment for them in it would be trying to work out how it is done, in this case there is no way that I can think of to throw them off the trail, but the story I tell about OOTW gives them a little bit of doubt as to wether it is a trick or if it really is something that can be done.

i do tend to repeat the cut and restored rope trick and several tricks with a stripper deck.
if the gaff is selfworking or hidden in operation then i will repeat it and if i think that a gaff will show i will not repeat it.

for example a misers dream routine can be repeated wereas a coins across utiliseing a tenkie move would not be repeated.

an unexaminable trick would not be rated as 10 / 10 because it cant be repeated without the strong possibility of tipping the gaff, this i think is the crucx of the argument not that an unexaminable trick is weeker than a safe sure fire trick.

OK, Mandrake's four pennorth on the way in!

It's probably horses for courses, really. Something like the 3 card Monte as used by street con men is repeatable and has to be repeated to work up to the final con. Peas and shells, cups and balls and so on all bear repeating if the situation is OK for it. You wouldn't find it quite so easy to re-do something like The Web or the big illusions like Metamorphosis twice in succession with the same audience. Some performers might get away with repeats whilst others wouldn't succeed.

I suppose the ideal would be to apparently repeat an effect but by using a different method and further confounding the specs - a sort of friendly sucker trick. (Mind you, there are some of us who would be just grateful to be able to do something once, let alone worry about repeating it! )

As this question has come about reference how we rate a trick, to my mind to give a trick 10 out of 10 it has to be pretty perfect otherwise you can not distinquish the very best tricks from good tricks.

If a trick is not examinable either before or after it loses marks in my mind as surely we all agree it is better to have a trick that can be examined. Even if we don't let it be examined.

Also if a trick is something that can be shown only once, it loses marks even if we would normally only show a trick once. Why? Because a trick that can be repeated if you choose to is better than one that can't.

Of course in the normal run of things we try not to repeat tricks, but there are circumstances whether by choice or accident we do repeat a trick.

Repetition only works in surtain situations, i only repeat for clippo, as a running gag.

Some rope tricks will work in repeating situations