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Tell them that's the second time they have asked how the trick was done. You already explained it to them, but in accordance with section 17 of the Magicians Code, you had to remove it from their memory... pull out an LED flashlight from your pocket and explain that repeated exposure to this can be harmful. Remind them that they didn't actually appreciate knowing the secret.


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Poker player's picnic is a great trick, it always gets me great reactions. Seems a shame to reveal it.

I love the 'promised not to tell' line.

Other than the lines used I some times say - "I have no idea, I don't even know how I sleep at night to be honest" not mine but can't remember where I got it to be honest but I like it and would happily credit it here if I could remember.

Once is entertainment, twice is education.

Suprised at the reaction here....

Learning the method to Poker Players Picnic is easy, it has no special moves or sleights and if you have seen the trick performed once, you can do it just from memory. The secret is so simple that anyone can do it. I am not into exposure at all, but this trick reveals nothing you would normally have to study - there's no sleights, moves, passes or changes - it reveals nothing. It's page one, chapter one in a book that costs 99p at The Works. I'm hardly the masked magician.

If I'd not been taught a trick 30 years ago by a magician in a bar in Spain, I wouldn't be here now performing for a living. I do a whole repertoire of card magic and wouldn't dream of revealing any of it in the act. As mentioned earlier, if I reveal how a trick I spent weeks perfecting it cheapens the act and undoes all the hard work. But revealing the simplest trick you can makes your act so much bigger than that one performance. You should see the expression on the kids faces when you give them a pack of cards and tell them to go and practice. They LOVE it, the parents love it, you stick a business card in the deck and you get repeat bookings when the kids are STILL playing with the cards a week later.

When they ask how it's done, I'm not going to tell them because I put a lot of hard work into my act. But teaching them one very simple trick that does not require any skill to do, and seeing them go away and immediately show the same trick to their parents is really magical - Teaching them something adds to the experience and I've genuinely felt before now that I have touched someones life and made a difference. When they are at home playing with the cards I gave them, they are still living the memory of my show, and maybe they'll stick at it like I did. That's where the joy of my performance comes from for me.

Mark Lewis, what do you mean I am giving away your trick? Did you invent it? If so, I'll stop using it. If not, it's public domain and in print all over the place.

I always give them a bewildered look and tell them "I've no idea werid stuff just happens around me. I can't explain it and am to afraid to find out"

I must admonish this silly young pup. OF COURSE it is my trick. I didn't invent it but I nursed it, respected it and performed it over 50 years. I MADE it my trick. I didn't put all this effort into it to have it explained to children so that the secret becomes widespread and as useless as the four burglars or the 21 card trick.

I don't want the trick ruined by stupid and unnecessary exposure. This is a MASTERPIECE of card magic. There are plenty of other simple tricks you can explain to kids. This one is precious. A good trick is like a precious diamond. You need to protect a precious diamond. Pillocks like you will ruin the diamond.

Remember that exposing the secret to a trick is like bursting a balloon. There is nothing left.

You seem to think that just because a trick has no sleight of hand that makes it an inferior trick that can be given away to children. It doesn't. Some of the greatest card tricks of all time have no sleight of hand whatsoever. You should PERFORM this trick regularly and see the reaction. Once you see how good it is you may perhaps see the utter stupidity of giving away the secret.

Mind you, I don't think I will hold my breath. Youth truly is wasted on the young.

It has not gone unnoticed that you say you won't expose anything in YOUR act. So don't expose anything in MY act! How would you like it if I told kids how to do stuff in YOUR act?

I will not contribute further to this discussion, other than to say that's probably the most patronising self important post to a forum I have ever read. I asked a civil question, and don't expect to be called a silly young pup (I'm 37 by the way). I won't continue in this thread, which is a shame because I'd really like to know how you nurture a completely self working card trick over 50 years. Bye for now. No disrespect meant to this forum or the people on it.

WestSussexMagicians wrote:Just punch them in the face.

With some specs it's tempting to do that before they ask....

WestSussexMagicians wrote:Just punch them in the face.

I like the cut of his gib.

Dumpster wrote:I asked a civil question, and don't expect to be called a silly young pup (I'm 37 by the way).

That is young, compared to Mark.

I'd really like to know how you nurture a completely self working card trick over 50 years.

For anyone who is still reading this thread, I hope that most of you know the answer already. "By presenting it properly."

Perfecting the presentation of a simple trick can take much longer than learning the moves to a difficult one.

If he is 37 he is a silly older pup. Perhaps he would like to give us all a list of his repertoire so that we can take the easiest item and expose it to children.

Part Timer has made an astute observation. It is not the difficulty or otherwise that makes a trick. It is the PRESENTATION and the PATTER that makes a trick work. And that takes a hell of a lot more work than learning some bloody move. You have to learn the psychology of when to do a trick and to figure out the mentality of the people you show the trick to.

If that is patronising so be it. But I haven't finished yet. Any fool can manipulate cards. It takes a great magician to manipulate the PEOPLE. The method of a trick is of no importance. It is the effect that counts. And getting that effect with a self working trick takes a bit of effort.

If he thinks that it is permissible to give away to children a card trick simply because there is no skill required why not give away Out of this World? Completely self working trick. Or how about Macdonald's Aces? Nearly self working as dammit (providing you cut out some of the moves and do the basic effect). Or how about Do as I Do? Why not give that away as well.

Poker Player's Picnic is an astounding effect. It is TOO GOOD to give away to anybody let alone children. This 37 year old pup really has a lot to learn. And one of the things he has to learn is to respect the art of magic. This trick is not his to give away and it is about time he stopped otherwise I shall put a hex on him.

Sticks two penneth in

The problem with exposing this one is its simplicity. In the minds of the specs if something so good is so simple then presumably all tricks must be that simple and it devalues the whole thing.

It's a similar conversation to the masked magician one, his exposure damaged the perception rather the specifics, people start applying Occams razor to every illusion they see rather than just enjoying the show.

For those that have taught simple self working tricks in this capacity.
Have you ever had that person come back to you a month later and actually remember how to do the trick? If so, you're doing it wrong.

mark lewis wrote:Any fool can manipulate cards. It takes a great magician to manipulate the PEOPLE.

Excellent bit of wisdom that.

It doesn't matter how simple the mechanics of the trick are, it's the power of the effect that's key. There are probably hundreds of tricks with complicated sleights and manipulations which don't ever get to the level of perceived effect that a simple glimpsed k**card can get to. Does the fact that you 'just' peeked it devalue the trick? Only if you know how it works! So don't reveal how it works!

The point of performing magic is to give wonder, not to show off great technical skill.

I'd rather watch someone who gave me a sense of wonder but who used no technical skill than someone with great technical skills but no wonder.