I particularly like the technically more demanding items in your book Steel and Silver like Unshuffled and Snapping the Halves. While I enjoy practicing them, the ones I actually perform are relatively easy and practical ones like Slow-Motion Collectors, UniCoin and A Familiar Ring (the last one being a biiig favorite of mine that I only perform for special audiences
I know you do trade shows, and I know that's were the big regular income is, so I wonder if you are still performing the technically demanding stuff you probably developed back in those days when you were young and had plenty of spare time with no family to feed.
If you had to learn it all again, would you still learn close up magic? I am just returning from an informal (i.e. social) performance. Seeing that look in their eyes makes all the practice seem worthwhile. But from a stricly professional perspective, close up does not seem to cut it for me.
They had a look in their eyes to die for, and I would never ever want to stop practicing and doing close up. It's just the business person inside me is telling me that I have to develop a parlor act that plays for bigger (read: paying) audiences if I ever want to to this professionally, full time.

Any advice from a seasoned pro who is (as far as I can tell) where I want to be?

Dominik,
I appreciate your question about technically challenging performance material, however some of the easier ones you are doing definitely require some chops. I agree that A Familiar Ring is not as difficult as Snapping the Halves, but it still takes a good bit of work to do it well. You have good taste in routines, I did A Familiar Ring 6 times last night at my show.
Your are right in your assumption that some of the more technically challenging stuff like Snapping the Halves, and Slap Split were developed in my younger, fool the magicians phase. Many of these routines are ones that I might do at a magician’s convention late a night but they are not the ones I use all the time in my professional shows. Just to give you and idea some of the tricks I used last night from S&S were, Triple Di-Lemma, $100 Card to Wallet, Unshuffled, Cup& Balls, Photocopy, A Familiar Ring, Snap Assembly and Reverse, Those are the Aces Those Are Not, Paul’s Opener, Heartbreaker and Bite Me plus many other routines that are not mine. At this type of private party a table is set with small spotlights and people come to me. I do a 20 minutes set turn the crowd and then start again in 10 minutes and work throughout the evening.

At trade shows I use many of the routines listed above but not some of the advanced coin work that is more for magicians.
Yes I would still learn close up as I think it is the purest type of magic you can do. I love the impact and reaction of a good close-up effect. You cannot duplicate it with stage magic. That being said when you say “Professionally Close-up does not cut it for me.” I agree. I think that in order to do magic professional you really need to be able to do both. I am know to magicians as a close-up magician, but I realized long ago that I could not make a living with close-up only. I do much more magic on stage than magicians realize, and I’ve gotten rather comfortable on stage. While close-up magic is my first love I think that to make a living, especially in today’s market you really need to do both.
Paul

Paul,
Could you elaborate on how you "turn the crowd?" I assume there's more to it than taking a ten minute break and ignoring them?
:)

Very simple I say I'm going to take a break so everyone can get a new drink or something to eat. I'll be back here in about 10 minutes. I make it like I am taking a break for their benefit.

I don't like to hold them for longer than about a 20 minute set. If they want to see more they will be back. Del Ray would hold the same audience for a few hours straight, but I have always subscribed to the theory that you should always leave them wanting more.
Paul