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Actually, I don't, really, but I thought it'd be a good thread to start whilst Carl has his opener query going. And I sort of do.

So, what do you folk close with? Chop cup? Flashy production? Appearance of a previously vanished item? Let's "brain storm", or "mind map" as the epilepsy association would have us say.

Phil Smiths Friend or Foe. Dressed as a living and dead test. Or when mental brings me it Scorpion. But I am working on Spelmanns from Beyond the grave as well.

I used to do out of this world, though haven't done a gig for a fair while now

Lately my patterns to present magic consist of finding employees at my job who has free time and asking them if they have time for an experience.

Then i start with whatever trick im practicing and close with a combo. Paperclip from Jay Sankey and I.D. using an idea where i put both hands in my back to turn 1 card face down without knowing wich card it is.

Im thinking of switching the order but i have to find something for the D.Switch. Anyway both are really strong and i use Paperclip as the closer and I.D after i asked if they want more.

Either a remote viewing routine, or once rehearsed to performance standard I will be using Paul Brooks Good Vibrations as an alternative.

I am currently ending with scorpion because I don't have anything to top it at the moment.

I have previously ended with Bang On having selected via Oddball someone to name a card earlier in the performance. I do a "I want you to clear your mind, I am going to ask you a question in a minute and I want you ta answer immediately" patter. Then I do one more trick while they are "clearing their mind" before going in to Bang On

Depends alot on the routine I'm doing really. My card routine finishes with a torn and restored, spongeballs and coins usually finish with a 2 in the hand one in the pocket and my multiplying bunnies ends with the production of a big 5" bunny.

It's card to wallet I'm afraid.

But I'm working on something where the card is put back in the wallet, and at the end of the routine I show that it's been involved in another signed effect, having never left the wallet in the first place (if you follow ).
I think it could work, but it's nowhere near finished.

For me it is either Spooked, In a Flash or a bit of cutlery bending.

If it's a kind of "encore" situation, where they want just one more, I take the deck back out of my pocket and perform Richard Osterlind's "2 cards in pocket".

The thing i like about this is that I can give the participant the deck as a souvenir.

Almost everyone here seems to end their performances with a card trick.
That would suggest that the whole act is cards. That worries me!!!!

There are thousands of routines out there that are NOT cards; what about them?

It doesn't matter whether you do table hopping, closeup, or stage/cabaret, you should move into other areas than cards.

Sure, cards have a lot going for them: They are portable; you can do many tricks with them (well, it's really only about a half-dozen in different dresses!); and so on.

But I think most lay people would agree with Somerset Maugham, who wrote: "He asked me if I liked card tricks. I said no. He did three."

Sure, many will write saying how much audiences applaud their work. Trouble is, they don't realize this is polite applause at best and pity applause at worst.

Ninety-nine per cent of card workers are newbies or teenagers who are incapable of developing mature social relationships. So they settle for card tricks.

A few -- a VERY few -- are like Vernon, Paul, Carlysle and the like and are entertaining. But, remember, it's EXTREMELY unlikely to be you

Peter Marucci wrote:Almost everyone here seems to end their performances with a card trick.
That would suggest that the whole act is cards. That worries me!!!!

Stop worrying it's not your problem.

Peter Marucci wrote:It doesn't matter whether you do table hopping, closeup, or stage/cabaret, you should move into other areas than cards.

Why? There are other women aside from my wife, should I move onto them?

Peter Marucci wrote:Ninety-nine per cent of card workers are newbies or teenagers who are incapable of developing mature social relationships. So they settle for card tricks.

Can I see your source for this? Did youknow 68% of statistics are made up? I see no correlation between your variables here.

There are I believe horses for courses. And plenty of hay for all of us.

In defece of card tricks, PartyPaul rather acerbically writes: "There are I believe horses for courses. And plenty of hay for all of us."

Of course. Do what you want to do; you will anyway.

But doing an act with nothing but cards DOES create a problem for me, and for other entertainers: Lay audiences may have been permanently turned off by dismal card workers.

I was discussing routines with totally mental the other day and lsited Some stuff and he said there is not one card effect amongst that lot and I said yeap I know.

The joys Of doing mentalism. Allthough I uses ESP cards and The afflicted they arent card tricks though.

Right on, Markdini.

There are card tricks and there are tricks with cards. And there's a whopping difference!