'Lo all. I've seen a number of threads in the street section regarding which street trick is the best. I did my best to eliminate any double-votes.
I gleaned these results from 7 threads ('Your stongest effect' 'most mind-blowing marketable', 'best screamer', 'top 5 effects', 'what's your alltime faviorite', 'street tricks', and 'fastest&most effective')

And.....
According to these results...
The winner is....
By ONE vote.......(drumroll)

2 Card Monte!!!

Invisible deck came in second place (only one vote behind), with ambitious card placing third.

For anyone out there demanding a re-count, here are the 12 'finalists'(out of 108 entries), and you can vote on them here & now to find, once & for now, the true champion faviorite of street-magicians. And the finalists are:

1)2-card monte
2)Invisible deck
3)Ambitious card
4)Cups & balls
5)Stealth-pen
5a)Here then there (Tied with stealth-pen)
6)The raven
6a)healed & sealed
6b)The web
6c)Pyro-perception (a 4-way tie)
7)Ultimate Transparo
7a)Sponge balls (tied with U.T.)

Honorable mention to all the effects which at least received more than one vote:
Card-to-wallet (3)
Trace unseen (2)
Triumph(2)
Revolution(2)
The muscle-pass(4)
Time machine(3) (hey!! that's one of my faviorites!)
The matrix(2)
Twisting arm(2)
Wiregram(2)
Card-on-ceiling(2)
Fearson's floating ciggarette(2)
Recap(2)
Billswitch(3)
PK effects(4)
Needle-thru-arm(2)
Coin bite(5)
Rising card(2)
Hundy 500(2)
Razorblade illusion(2)
Killer key(2)
T&R(2)
Out of this world(2)
Dough(2)
Color monte(5) ('Color', 'Colour'...whatever!!!)
Sticky situation(2)
Linking rings(2)
Floating rose(4)
Crazy-man's handcuffs(4)
and chop-cup(2)

With all the ring-flight routines out there, this effect was mentioned only once. The Svengali deck never even got through the door, and hopping halves didn't show up either. Scotch 'n soda squeaked in with just 1 vote, and so did the stripper deck. Brainwave deck bit the dust, and there wasn't a single mention of any variety of marked deck. Plenty of votes for sponge BALLS but only one for sponge BUNNIES, the hot-rod, and Kamelion-koins both struck-out, and no one broached the idea of topits, holdouts, or reels.

So, which do you think is the true champion??

I Vote.... 2-Card Monte!!

Interesting that ONLY 3/4 are visual enough to catch attention in the first place - all others assume you already have specs ready to perform too... or play to small numbers incl the winner ????

No Ropes, shells, 3 card monte, iron garrotte, torn restored newspaper, balloons or even rocky racoon

Personally the best MUST surely be the one that draws the crowd/grabs the attention - without which 2 card monte is irrelevant ?

And the top 3 are - "here let me show you a simple card trick" - wierd....

Interesting, Clarioneer. I had not seen that. Aparently you are much more observant than me.Well done!

I suspect we are talking playground magic here

Serious street magic would more likely be straight jackets/cuffs, garotte etc for large tourist areas

Smaller - C&B/Chop/Rope/Monte and sell them on the side

Table hopping around spanish bars etc - any close up stuff that can be sold to children...

Wierd that "In a Flash" is not mentioned, it was a total shocker at my last barbeque..
F.

To Fengenroll: In a flash was mentioned, but only once....not enough to even make the 'honorable mention' list.

To Clarioneer: I see and agree with your point, but all the lists which were polled asked the question of what was the best street-trick in general....not what was the best opener / attention-getter. Street magic isn't quite the same as busking.....you're not trying to build an edge, just doing things for passerby...hit & run style effects. Of course it's always PREFERABLE to have a crowd, but in street magic a 'crowd' is more often 5-12 people crowded around you rather than 20-60 people gathered at an edge. Due to it's nature, street magic requires the magish to travel very light, and small tricks which require little or no re-set (such as the stealth pen, sponge balls and card effects in the top 12) are the ideal. Buskers usually make more money (USUALLY not ALWAYS) but the street-magish has more manuverability. Busking requires a bit of set-up, whereas since all a street-magish's effects can be carried / concealed on their person, he / she can perform literaly anytime & anywhere.

P.S.---Since you mentioned the cups & balls, shall I consider that your vote?

"P.S.---Since you mentioned the cups & balls, shall I consider that your vote?"

No - I am not worthy to vote just making some observations.
Street will not be my bag - still trying to find my preference after only a year or two playing around - it will be close-up - table/bar hopping but have ideas on that and venues too... preference would be bar area/pitch in fine/dine restaurants/wine bars to entertain waiting guests - the pitch here would be more akin to street con artist rather than magician... and a display of why they should never gamble... in a fun way...

I like impromptu/coins for personal skill but am edging toward repeatable like monte/shells/fast&Loose but for a particular style I have in mind - similar to that of school for scoundrels... with coins/cards/ropes intertwinned as appropriate

It will be almost purely for fun or a little pin money on the side (when I retire) - not for friends or family as my own personality doesn't require it

I will perform... and have done for drinks and fun on hols, my personality requires it and it always went very very well - except close friends - they are the ones that grab because of the close relationship...

The ONLY advice I would give is "don't be put off by friends and family - they are worse than your worst critic, but listen to what they say and adapt because they are your most honest critic"

Defenately 2-card monte

"Killer key" is that the Spirit key, golden key, or something different? If it is different what does it do?

Matthias

Kinda hard to perform card on ceiling on the street but if you can find a cailing I think this rocks

To Magicman8: I beleive it's the trick in which a key & a coin exchange palces in your hands.

Magicman8

I think it's the folding key?????
similar to a folding coin

I don't do the top 2 but I certainly perform an Ambitous Card Routine.