talkmagic.co.uk

OK here are 2 similar problems that I'm running into:

1. I'm just starting out, and a lot of the things I do still depend on gimmicky things like Svengali cards and weighted keys, etc. People ask if they can see the cards/keys/etc and try for themselves. If I give it to them I lose the secret. If I don't hand it over, I look like I'm hiding something. So what do I do?

2. What do I do when they ask to see the same trick over and over? A lot of tricks will be discovered this way. As an extreme example: I showed a trick with a Svengali deck to a friend at a party, and she ran off, brought back her mother, and asked me to do it again. If I do it again, they figure it out. If I don't, everybody hates me for being mean to a lady's elderly mother. (In the end I told my friend to look away, and did it for her mother... not ideal!)

I think the main problem with all card magic is the vast knowledge laymen have of gaffed decks.After I do card tricks most people will suspect it's a trick deck.

My way around using gaffed decks deceptively would be to do regular deck miracles and allow the deck to be shuffled casually by a spectator to show it's the real thing.Then do a deck switch at the appropiate time.

Your other problem is that you don't seem to know sleight of hand with a normal deck.Royal road to card magic by Jean Hugard should be enough to get you proficient with a deck.In fact,learn everything in this book well and you may not need to further your card magic knowledge.

It may seem tedious to learn sleight of hand magic but just think of it,if you learn sleight of hand you can be anywhere in the world with the ability to entertain at a moment's notice when there is a deck around.It really is a great feeling.

With regard to repeating.Well no magic trick is ever supposed to be done twice.Methods are usually apparent the second time as the audience know what to expect.The are some tricks with an exception but I personally wouldn't repeat generally because you won't get a good reaction the second time unless the effect gets better with repetition which is a rarity.

I used to do that thing with repeating a trick in front of someone and telling the other person to look away because they've already seen it.It's rediculous to be honest.It's only a card trick.Try not to take it that seriously.This is why you need to learn other magic with sleight of hand to alleviate this problem.Like I said it will be worth it

Also,it's not wise to repeat the svengali deck routine as all specators are going to be ''freely'' selecting the same card

9 of hearts????

Hope that helps

Thanks a lot Flood for the words of wisdom.

Flood wrote:9 of hearts????

OH MY GOD HOW DID YOU KNOW?? Actually I have another deck now that isn't 9 of hearts, so if I really wanted to, I could do the same trick twice (but no more) if I brought both decks and found a way to switch decks.

I used to do that thing with repeating a trick in front of someone and telling the other person to look away because they've already seen it.It's rediculous to be honest.It's only a card trick.Try not to take it that seriously.This is why you need to learn other magic with sleight of hand to alleviate this problem.Like I said it will be worth it

Yeah I know it's ridiculous, but then what do you suggest? Do another trick? Do the trick again anyway and smile it off if they figure it out?

I have been working on "normal" tricks that I can do with a normal deck, but you know how it is when you just want to go out and start doing stuff!

You can say no - I usually smile and say that I'm not allowed to repeat the same trick. If they're pushy, you can always show them something else

As for them asking to see your props, again a polite no is a suitable answer. Although some gimmicks can be safely handled. But generally I use a normal deck because I can do more with it and I can then hand them the deck if they ask to examime it

Weirdly, and this is no joke, once I've offered the deck when they ask they're no longer interested. I guess when people want to examine stuff they don't want to really, and it's just their way of showing surprise

Pretty much learn to say No to them.

It sounds like you are performing individual tricks rather than giving a full performance. Try not to present your effects as challenges. Challenges lead to discussion/guesses about how you did it.

Try not to get into a discussion.
Instead, put together three or four effects and find a way of linking them so that each effect flows into the next. Your audience should never have time to stop between effects to ask you how you did it, or ask you to do it again. Save your best effect till last then make it clear that the performance has finished.

When people ask to see the deck, or to shuffle it themselves, I usually treat the request as though it were "how can we be sure everything is kosher?"

My way of dealing with it is to riffle-shuffle the deck (usually false) in front of their eyes a few times, asking them each time if they're content now that the deck is totally randomized. That usually calms them down and allows me to go on with the previous trick - or switch to another one if needed.

I would say that the real answer to your problem would be to learn a few extra tricks, and perhaps always carry an ID with you. That way you always have an 'out' when people demand the same trick from you - "I can't do the same trick twice, or the magicians' guild will come after me. But I CAN show you THIS..."

Have fun!

Carry two decks of the same brand; one svengali and the other normal. That was you can put away the svengali and when they come back you can take out the normal one and they'll think it's the same deck.