Close-up magic is amazing. A visit to the Magic Castle is on my bucket
list.
If there's a magic shop near where you live, you may want to drop by
to watch the clerk demonstrate various illusions. Of course, nearly
all require a gimmick that's for sale. Most of the gimmicks are vastly
overpriced but what your actually paying for is the trick itself. I
once paid several dollars for a foot long piece of black thread and
the one page instruction sheet. If you appreciate the demonstrations,
buy one of the tricks to help keep the place in business.
>
> That's why 80-85% of my jewelry is handmaid. Even when I don't have a
> clue what they're doing, I love to watch repair folk doing their thing.
>
Watching skilled performers of any craft is intriguing whether they
consider their work to be entertainment or not.
>
>>
http://web.forret.com/tools/rot13.asp
>
I learned two card tricks that involve several sleights each. I'm not
a very skilled performer but no one has yet caught on unless I repeat
the tricks several times. Well developed patter helps distract the
player from observing my somewhat clumsy performance.
There are basically two categories of card tricks. In one, the
magician knows WHAT the card is. In the other, the magician keeps
track of WHERE the card is without knowing what it is. Having a clever
way to reveal the card is what makes the tricks fun.
Giving the observer the impression that he or she has a choice that
affects the outcome rates high on the cleverness scale. In my WHERE
trick, five cards eventually end up face down on the table. One is THE
card though I've convinced the player that it's not there. I tell the
player to pick any three cards. If THE card is among the three, I
remove the other two. Otherwise I remove the three pointed to and
continue. Ultimately, there will be only one or two cards left. If two
remain, I tell him to point to one of them. If it's THE card, I tell
him to hold it to the table with their pointing finger. If it's the
wrong card, I remove the one pointed to. No matter what the player
does, THE card is the last one on the table. The false choice adds to
the amazement when the card is revealed.
In the trick where I know WHAT the card is, the reveal involves
tapping three times on the top of a legitimately shuffled deck and
asking the player if she'd be surprised if the top card was hers.
It's usually not (51 to 1 against) so I proceed to another reveal.
Once, in a bar in New Orleans, the top card turned out to be THE card.
Although I was as surprised as the player, I managed to conceal that
fact and basked in the amazement. Usually though, I end up telling the
player not to tell me what his card is until I ask while I flip over
the cards one by one and feign counting. It's important to keep going
as though nothing unusual has happened when I flip over THE card.
After I've flipped over several more, I slow down to build suspense.
The player knows I've passed over his card and is often willing to
make a bet when I ask if he believes "the next card I turn over is
yours." In a bar, I'll usually accept a bet of a beer or a shot but I
have been offered in excess of $100 on more than one occasions. I
won't accept an extravagant bet. Once the amount of the wager is
settled, I go back to THE card and flip it over. The player was of
course expecting me to turn over the next card from those remaining in
the deck but that's not what I said I'd do. Limiting the amount of the
bet is essential to keeping it fun and reducing the likelihood of a
violent reaction.