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Went to see Omid Djalili the other night and he had what I'm fairly sure was a planted heckler. Was actually one of the funniest parts of the show!

Well handled Lomster.. you acted correctly.

I responded rather unlike me last week and nearly ended up in a gutter somewhere!

After performing to about 8 people in a bar this guy walks up and requests a trick with a rubber band he saw from afar.

I accepted his request and showed him 3 or 4 effects. The whole time he acted like a jerk, swearing and cursing and tellin everyone he was a poker player and knew all the tricks ( which he didnt ).

after the 4th effect my patience ceased when he said ' I thought you were supposed to be good at this, your ****!! '...

Normally I would have responded with quick though wit with.. but I said " ok you have 2 options.. you can stand here being a **** *** and annoy everyone, or you can **** off !! ''

He then walked over to his 15 mates and they all waited for me outside..

Cue back door exit and a run that was unlike any I ever attempted at the gym!!

Lomster, Im glad to hear you kept your nerve!!

It's difficult to téll somebody how to deal with a heckler because there is no set definite answer. Lady of Mystery, you did tremendously, and it's great to hear a story about a heckler where the performer comes out on top.
But like I say, you hear tales of the performer being polite and ignoring the insults, and the heckler persisting and ruining a considerable amount of peoples enjoyment. You hear tales of the performer responding with their favourite heckler killer, only for it to spur a retaliation, and indeed annoy to the point of violence being an option on behalf of the ticket purchaser. There are times you respond and it shuts them up, such as
"We can swap places if you like mate, you can come up here and tell jokes and I'll go home and get raped by your father, it doesn't bother me any." followed by around of applause from everybody else, but sadly, it's not every time.
Hats off to you though, and keep up the great work.

Yeah thats very true each situation is different so there is no real individual answer. I usually treat them like a kid and ignore them. Or as a hobbyist I have the luxury of walking away without finishing the routine..........

Then making sure I through a dirty crisp into their pint later in the night. (Kidding).