talkmagic.co.uk

Now, I'm rather an apprentice of magic, but as i perform to people (my family, friends, others), there's always questions asked.
Some of the questions, such as "do that again!", or "how did you do that?" are rather easy to ignore and to continue the show without being tipped of completely.
However, there's one question that i get alot which i just don't know how to handle.
The majority of my tricks are with cards, and i use the DL quite alot, and quite well, to create tricks/effects.

A very, very common question i get as i've completed my trick, turned over the card, showed them the new card, is this -

"show me the card below, huh?" (meaning the second card in the deck, the one below the card i just flipped over and 'altered').

How the h**l do i handle this?
Just answering "Uhm, no!" just seems quite rude, and also gives away some information that there might be something dodgy with the card below.
Perhaps i need to learn passes more, so that when they ask for the card below, i can slip them another card. Would that be a suitable solution?

Do you guys get that question often? How do you react?

When doing effects like this it is a good idea to learn the one handed charlier cut, I use this and it is common knowledge of a DL these days therefore if I run into someone who knows of it or suspects that's what I'm using as I reveal the card the last time I one hand charlier cut the second card into the deck while bringing their selection up in the air to reveal it finally...They won't notice the cut and if they ask that then feel free to show them and they will be stumped....But you should think about picking up Pure effect -Derren Brown....although expensive and rare it will totally make you change your presentation so as the spectators will not ask these questions...If they are asking questions it means you are leaving them unfulfilled and not "anchoring" your effects well enough...With proper presentation there will be no need to hide anything because they will feel fulfilled and not wish to see the deck...Other than that you could always do another DL haha to show that the "TOPCARD" is not the one I think of but for a beginner I would recommend the one handed charlier cut...

It may be worth your time to diversify your effects a bit - find some other tricks out there that are simliar to the ones you are doing but differ in method. Use some of these especially around people who'd been asking you. This way when they ask you can freely show them since you won't be using the DL in this particular instance.

Don't make a big deal about showing them either, or they may come to expect it, just turn it up briefly, perhaps even without them asking and go on.

Designing Miracles by Darwin Ortiz. Seriously - it contains brilliant information on how to 'design miracles' - with some thought and applications of the ideas within, those questions will just disappear .

Divine wrote:
A very, very common question i get as i've completed my trick, turned over the card, showed them the new card, is this -

"show me the card below, huh?" (meaning the second card in the deck, the one below the card i just flipped over and 'altered').

How the h**l do i handle this?
Just answering "Uhm, no!" just seems quite rude, and also gives away some information that there might be something dodgy with the card below.
Perhaps i need to learn passes more, so that when they ask for the card below, i can slip them another card. Would that be a suitable solution?

Do you guys get that question often? How do you react?

This is very interesting. I remember that I also where quite happy with my DL and yet when I did for example the ambitions card there would always be some saying I have tow cards or maybe more often just state they know how its done. Now I do ambitios card all the time. On some occations I have performed ambitios card maybe 50-100 times from 9am to 5 pm together with a few other effects. And NO ONE calls me. Now the strange thing is that I do not think that my DL is any better than when they called me!

I think it is my general posture, speed, timing patter and where I have my focus. In fact I am not sure I fully understand it myself, its just a fact that now they never call me and my ambitious card always gets a huge reaction.

Now to yor second question. What to do when someone claims you have two cards. There are people who like to make such claims even when I am doing an effect where I never even get near having an extra card. I have a stock of line I given depending on the situation... maybe something like
"are you suggesting this is just a cheap trick?". But, if possible the following is much better...

"No,no let me do it slowly". "Here is the card! There is only one card".

The maybe I will do the "add on phase" very slow and clean. When I burry
the first pile into the second pile I would say "just to be double sure, I burry these cards here". And then "OK, let us agree that whereever the card is it must be in this part of the deck" - pointing to the bottom section that just where burried in the other pile. When I then do a D/L (or even a T/L) its in a situation where they simply do not call you!
Why? One reason - I think - is that the very fact that the card is even near the top is "impossible", thus they are guinuinely puzzled of what they see and forget the whole issue of wheter the move is a D/L or T/L as irrelevant.

In summery: So if someone claim you have two cards, just go into a phase (e.g. the add-on phase) where you prove you do not have two cards - the fact you have two or even three is irrelavant, as long as they buy your "proof" (which they will).

Divine wrote:A very, very common question i get as i've completed my trick, turned over the card, showed them the new card, is this -

"show me the card below, huh?" (meaning the second card in the deck, the one below the card i just flipped over and 'altered').

If I understand what you're saying, then when they ask to see the top card - why not just perform another DL

If you show them their new card with one hand, you've created enough misdirection to perform a "push-off get ready" (or whatever the heck it's called ) with the other hand that's holding the deck, so if/when someone does ask to see the top card of the deck, there's no fumbling - you're prepared for a clean DL

Fistly, diversifying your moves will help, but learn a one handed cut of the deck.....I use this as a flourish, and under misdirection, I can remove the D/L'd card and before showing it again and handing it out for inspection, I can do a quick one hand cut and that eliminates the question.....then reveal the card and hand it out.....in many instances, if timed right, the specs forget about the cut, will dive into the deck to look at the next card, and obviously it shows nothing.....

How do you feel your D/L is quality wise? I rarely get called on mine, but maybe you simply need to polish up your handling slightly, work on misdirection, and get more comfortable....that way the D/L should be convincing....just a thought!

How about the most sensible and advantagous move that you can use in a routine such as this....The Pass, Buy "On The Pass" and practise until perfect and you will blow them away ...

Thank you all for the good tips.
The one hand cut works pretty well, yes, in situations as such.
Passes... bah, i really can't do them

the wakeman dvd (if you learn better visually) is recommended...but also consider the side steal, a slip cut and chuck them a hanful of cards and as already said - another d/l...

Soren got it right when he mentioned that he used to get called on his DL and now he doesn't, even though it's technically no different, because his whole demeanour is more relaxed and authoritative and the audience don't suspect any moves.

The only way to get to this point is by performing regularly.

Full stop.

All the charliers and passes in the world won't help if you're subconsciously telegraphing your nerves as you perform a move, in fact they'll just put another spanner in the works. With all due respect to other posters, I'd suggest that using a pass to clean up a double is akin to cracking the proverbial nut with the sledgehammer, especially to a beginner.

It's entirely natural to be nervy with your DL (or any other sleight )when you begin card magic, I was downright terrified of it and didn't do any routines containing it for literally months. It's a very common and useful sleight but also one of the trickier to get right, do a search and you'll find lot's of other threads from people in your position and also much handy advice.

Good luck!

I would agree with some of the others on getting presentation dvd or book. In my opinion it is your presentation thats lacking not the methods you are using

Make it easy on your self.

choices

1) charlier cut as you hand the top card... sufficient misdirection

2) Whe they ask, do another d/l then do a KM move