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Yes,performing at tables I was doing my four aces routine where i make them all appear out of the deck in a visual way.Follwed up by more tricks.

I'm gonna keep this short so at the end of the night one of the lads came up to me and said ''I'm one of those people who HAS to know how things like that are done so are ya going to tell me'' I joked around with the usual stagnant reply of ''I'd have to kill you if i told you''.His reply?The above title says it really

He won't learn how to do it anyways as it is my own but it still pi%$ed me off a little.

Discuss

People like that just aren't worth worrying about about. If he wants to try Googling it then that's jsut up to him, I wouldn't let it bother you.

I'm with Lady of Mystery on this

.... just for the record too - this is one reason, when I'm showing a trick, I never tell them the name of the trick - it makes it harder to find out how it's done .... if that's what they're gonna try and do.

Googling something like "Out of this World", or "Order this World", would be sooooo much easier than "red, black card trick."

Reason I think it's utter madness to even hint at the real name of a trick. number 1.
(Not suggesting you did, just making the point.)

I suppose if it was me (and I've never been in the situation) I might be tempted to find out if he was actually interested in learning or just wanted to know.
For the former I might point him in the right direction to start learning, for the latter I'm not so sure. Some people do get more enjoyment from the secret than from the effect, but that doesn't mean we should let them in on it. Maybe a false explanation? That'd risk exposing other tricks unintentionally though.

The one time I came across someone who really was interested to know how a trick was done I suggested they not try to find out because "...once you know, magic doesn't look the same. If you want to just watch and enjoy magic as you can now, don't look into it." or words to that effect.

moonbeam wrote:I'm with Lady of Mystery on this

.... just for the record too - this is one reason, when I'm showing a trick, I never tell them the name of the trick - it makes it harder to find out how it's done .... if that's what they're gonna try and do.

Googling something like "Out of this World", or "Order this World", would be sooooo much easier than "red, black card trick."

Yeah I always try that, but was doing Mental Photography to one group, and the next day one of them came up to me explaining how it was done. They saw it on a youtube video from Penguin Magic!

They just googled 'Cards Blank and the printed magic trick'

With the advent of internet on mobiles I think it's only a matter of time before it really does become a problem:(

I'm with the others on this.

Don't tell him the name of the trick, just the name of a really expensive magic book. Let him google that. When he discovers the price of discovering the secret, he'll lose interest.

Many within the magic community share the sentiments already expressed but to the point of making magic SECRET... that is to say, to start curbing all the marketing and high profile promotions on new effects. Unfortunately for most, that is going to mean that learning how to do some of the newer effects that will (have been) coming along, far more difficult to get your hands on (not to mention, far more expensive).

The irony to all of this is that Magic is supposed to be a craft based on secrets... the situation being akin to the current wikileaks B.S. that is now holding the U.S. "hostage" (though I'm in hope that the old Cold War tactics are afoot and that little problem will "vanish" soon). The wikileaks scenario being very much akin to magic because magic itself is being "terrorized" and "held hostage" by these jerks who haven't the integrity to actually sit down and LEARN not just the essence of a trick, but how to actually PERFORM the effect so as to affect others in the same way they were "enchanted" and intrigued when seeing something for the first time.

The Internet is a wonderful tool that most of us use in a responsible way, but all coins have two sides to them and unfortunately, we are seeing a dark side when it comes to both, the information highway (which includes a very long list of other abuses) but likewise, human arrogance; proof as to how the leniency and loss of discipline within society as a whole, is now coming around to bite everyone in the tukkis... we reap what we've sewn or, in this case, what our grandparents & parents created by way of spoiling the child and voting in faux freedoms. . . something few will be willing to see, let alone admit to.

Flood wrote:He won't learn how to do it anyways as it is my own but it still pi%$ed me off a little.

Discuss

There are two issues here, as I see it. The first is that you've encountered someone who has been a bit aggressive/dismissive about your performance. This is similar to encountering people who simply don't enjoy magic. There are plenty who do, so it's pointless wasting energy trying to impress those who do not.

Secondly, there's this old secrets-on-the-internet chestnut. He may well discover one or more methods that you could have used. He'll never know for sure what you did, though. It's like people hypothesising about Derren Brown's methods - pointless because there is almost no way to know exactly what he does. Just lots of options that would work.

So fair play to you for using your own method. And anyone who simply copies the standard presentation, as performed by someone on telly or as supplied on a slip of paper along with the dodgy deck or what-have-you: you only have yourself to blame if someone Googles the trick

T.

I agree with not telling them the names of effects although nothing is going to stop them searching for something a bit more obvious like cigarette through coin, cups & balls etc (not that I perform those).

Isn't there a website (possibly by Ellusionist) with loads of fake methods?

Ellusionist did run a contest (maybe ongoing) for members to put fake exposures on YouTube. (I believe some put out false torrents too - probably not limited to Magic though.)
The idea being to flood the market with fake explanations that simply didn't work so that people would (on average) give up before stumbling across the real one.

As far as telling people the names of tricks. I don't do it.
When performing to people its nice to make them feel special and that they are witnessing something just as special.
By saying something along the lines of 'this is an effect by xyz and it's called ambitious mama's truimph to wallet' could make the effect seem standard and that your 'just speeling of the same bits for different people'.

Anyway if they really want to know they'll pay the £300 sign up fee to your 'magic secrets emporium' won't they.

Here we go, send them this way...
www.mallusionist.com

Dancers, jugglers etc don't announce the names of the various steps and moves, singers don't always mention the title of songs so there's no need for magicians to give out names. As for Googling, there's so much awful youtube stuff clogging up the web it's unlikely that the real deal will be discovered easily. Even if they do discover the method and even if they meet you again and tell you all about it, all you have to do is say, 'Ah yes, that's the old way of doing it.'.

I remember seeing a post on here (or maybe somewhere else - either way, it was a post... I think) about a year ago.
Someone had seen a magician (Maybe Michael Vincent, maybe not) performing to a room of magicians in a lecture.
Apparently he had everyone in the room completely baffled with a trick. Then showed them he's used one or two of the most basic sleights but with presentation and patter completely covered it.

I know fooling a magician is different to fooling a muggle, but I think the point remains. Do it right and they just won't see it anyway.

Now if only I could be even half way to good enough to reliably do that - I could start performing a lot more.


Mandrake - that's a good point. I was going to say something about music/karaoke but I prefer your patter.
Getting into some of the amusing responses to specs who guess seems natural here too. If they do get it right, a quick "I'll have to try that way some time" or whatever words dismiss it should return them to the "how???" state of mind. The whole art is based on lying anyway... why stop at the applause?

I started doing magic because I saw a magic trick and wanted to learn how it was done, so I found a video on youtube. Isn't that how most people start? I think if someone has gone to the effort of finding out (or, dare I say it, working out) how a trick is done, fair play to them.

If they're only doing it to show how smart they are, or to try and make you feel small, then I pity that person. In the time they spent trying to vindicate themselves from being fooled in front of their friends, I was spending time with my friends, loved ones, or people who it is my job to entertain.

When they come back saying they've discovered I was using a duplicate card, I don't see why *I* should be the one who is embarrassed...