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AAAH I wrote a lot and after I clicked on Submit, it said I had to sign in again!!!!

Anyhoo, here are my questions: What do you say to spectators who say "well let me shuffle the deck? can i shuffle the deck? why not?" without getting into a "no man, believe me it's shuffled!" scene? Also how do you deal with people who say that they know how it's done (whether it's true or not)?

While on topic: How do you deal with kids who don't wanna sit (or stand) still and keep trying to peek at the action in your hands up close?

Re the kids, a lump hammer to the knees usually stops them running around.

The best way to get around being asked if a spec can shuffle is to not let them have the chance to ask. If you flow neatly from one effect to another they shouldn't get time, it's all about audience control. If you do get someone who does just butt in and ask to shuffle the cards I tend to say something like 'ok, just let me finish this....' and just carry on with the trick, in a live situation with a couple of spectators they usually won't butt in twice and you can give them a chance to shuffle it before during and after the next effect you do that allows this.

If they do keep interupting then you might have to consult some of the ides in the thread on handling difficult spectatorsor go back to the lump hammer.

Ultimately if you have a flow it will seem to others to be rude to interrupt you so most won't, but you will always get one! Also, make it look like you are shuffling the deck far more thouroughly than they ever could, just doing an absent minded looking false shuffle whilst talking to your audience can work wonders.

On the shuffling question, it's always good to have a few impromptu card effects up your sleeve that can be done with a shuffled deck. Let them get the shuffling out of their system. If you let them do it once, they seldom ask again.

NEVER let the specs shuffle if they ask!
If you do, then you're letting them take control and that is the worst thing a performer can do.
You must always stay in control of the performance.

It's ok to act offended.
After all, it's like asking a concert pianist if you can work the pedals for him...

OK, I am not a working pro... but I've hit this wall before a few times... and it's usually an anal-retentive smart-arse who asks the question (I avoid kid's shows like the plague, so that's eliminated that one!)

There are two 'outs' I have in queue... one I have used, one I am afraid to because it's a little 'bold'. But hopefully, in either case, the deck will be ungaffed—or at least a deck which CAN physically be shuffled.

OK, out no.1, tried and tested... as suggested above, have a 'back up' effect ready, something which CAN use a shuffled deck. It must be an effect which is impromptu, and something which isn't part of your 'set' of routines. I use a glimpse of the bottom card when the speccy has finished shuffling, and write a prediction etc. Then just a simple force trick usually suffices.

So... I hand them the deck and say "sure... and well you're at it, shuffle it really well"
They do... so then "Hey, you're kind of good at this... fancy doing the trick then?"

Using 'gentle' mockery of the subject will drive them to submission. And will hopefully stop another spectator getting the same idea!

Method 2 is even more bold... and so far, it's only a theory... but it's perfectly feasible that it could work... so, kindly oblige... hand the pesky speccy the deck, and take out another deck and carry on with another effect.

If that were me—I'd be gobsmacked, and feel a bit of an idiot. Come back to them at the end of the effect you are doing and ask "Satisfied?"...

With mates/family, I find the 'let me shuffle the deck' thing to be quite annoying... but I usually request "hey, come on, you don't get this kind of luxury when you are watching Paul Daniels on telly do you?"

Or some other such comedy.

In fact, perhaps comedy is the key.

The other key is to keep in control of the deck by taking possession of the deck... keep it close. Keep your trick well paced.

Apart from that, Nick... where did you get that hammer from? Are they cheap?

I once read Daryl's take on this, and he basically said that he doesn't tolerate noisy spec on his shows and he might even tell the person to go away. Or if it's a table to table performance, he'll just stop his routine and say "well thank you for your time, i hope you enjoyed it "

Ya know, I'd like to throw in some jokes (or comedy, if you prefer ), but the thing is sometimes these kids AND adults do get on my nerves, though I kept on smiling (and come to think of it, for all this sh*te many of us have to endure, we actually don't get paid!).

Hey Nick, I think yeah it's true we should have a nice flowing patter (for my part of mistake, I always say "okay now I'm gonna shuffle this deck... ok as you see it's now shuffled!") so the specs will be taken away by it.

hand the pesky speccy the deck, and take out another deck and carry on with another effect

Absolutely priceless! It's got to be worth it just for the comedy! I'll definietly be giving that a go (which now of course, I bet no one will ask to shuffle! - so there you go! that's how you get them to stop!)

Seriously that's got to get a laugh, and you then have the choice of ignoring them if they persist, or reverting back to method one with your standby effect.

Nice thinking.

Hahahahahahahah!!!!! I am REALLY going to try that!

hand the pesky speccy the deck

I've seen performers in the past hand an electric deck to such pesky specs - not only do they get the deck but it shows all the other specs that it can't be shuffled - even by the loudmouthed one!

seige wrote:hand the pesky speccy the deck, and take out another deck and carry on with another effect.

Nice !!! FOCL !!

Just to really annoy the heck out of the shuffling so and so's - if you are doing a 'find the card' trick get the target card to the bottom of the deck - palm it off as you offer them the deck - let 'em do their worst shuffling techniques (most try to riffle and show off badly 'cuz they wanna show you they KNOW what they are doing hee hee !!) and then either stick the card back on top as you square up or better still abort the trick and.... - turn away, lick the back of the card and stick it to your forehead (pips out) and see how long it takes them to notice it when you ask them to look through the deck and take their card back out!! Put both your hands under their nose gesturing them to find it etc. (they will keep looking and looking 'cuz obviously it ain't in your hands!) - you should find that the onlookers will giggle quietly to themselves and join your 'team' as your nosey spec looks stupid !

L8R

i always use a stripper deck and often get a know it all that wants to shuffle the deck so i give them the deck and say " you do kow how to doa regular overhand shuffle dont you, we don't want any fancy ripple shuffles were not in vegas you know", this usualy controls the situation well.

second version if I'm useing a gaffed deck is to say "no you can't ive spent all week memorising every card in this deck so I'm not going to let you waste my hard work".

third version with a regular deck is to have them shuffle the deck and then say " ok since your a better magician than me m8 you finish the trick, oh and you better take this piece of rope", when they ask why they need the rope i say "the rope is your cover if you miss the overhand break and can't reveal the card, you can go into a rope trick can't you?".

the other classic is to say have you a full paid up equity card no well get off my stage till you do or are you being paid to be here, no great you take over then here's the cards I'm off for a break.

Hi All,

This is a solution suggested in Card College by Roberto Giobbi. If a spec asks to shuffle, either glimpse the card or even better, crimp the card. The spec shuffles, hands the deck back to you, you can either use a spread cull to find a glimpsed card or you can use a cut or a pass to find the crimped card.

I hope I haven't revealed anything too much here.

Tom R

I was at a magic show once in a small pub and a spec asked outloud if he could shuffle the cards.....the magician proceeded to cup his hand around his ear, lean out towards the audience as though he didn't fully hear the question, and said "Would you mind removing your wallet from your pocket, it is muffling your voice!" Needless to say, the audience laughed, and the gentleman that first asked the question kept his mouth shut. Obviously you would have to be carefull as to who and when you use this response, but all said and done, turning the question back to them with comedy is often a simple way to put someone in there place!

I am new here, and hope that this post is not inappropriate....please let me know if I offended anyone!

Heh. I like the second deck idea. I actually like it when people try to ruin my tricks. mostly cuz I'm a smart A and can play the game right back. . .

Spectator: "I know how he did that!"
Me: "So do I!" or "That makes two of us!"

"Its a trick deck!"
"At least I'm playin with a full one!"
or "Its a magic TRICK whaddya expect?!"
or you can act curious. . . "It is? how's it work? I thought it was magic myself. . ."

I once had someone demand i teach them how a trick was done. . . i led them off to a corner and bent over with my head close to theirs. . . then i held the deck upside down and "sprung" the cards vertically... they cascaded up about three feet and floated down to the floor. i shouted "NO NOT LIKE THAT" and then stomped off in a huff, muttering "i knew it was too difficult for him. . ."

I remember one that cracked me up: The magician had just finished a routine utilizing two decks. when a spectator later noticed a duplicate in the deck he said "HEY! I ALREADY signed an eight of clubs!" the magician simply said "Oh, that was a different eight of clubs" and left it at that... guess you had to be there.

Yeah I think just blowing them off usually works.

I just say, "what? You don't like how I shuffle?"

If they pester a lot I just give the deck a good false shuffle, some cuts--just generally a good mixing up. Then a DL and show them the top couple cards as well as the bottom... "Hey, if you don't see your card then we are both lost."

I really like some of these stories though. It's great stuff, ill have to try it.