Up to now I have been working on the Kids side of magic. Now I would like to explore close up magic, doing it for teenagers and adults. What are some tricks that play big, the all time workers? For example: Sponge Balls, Cups & Balls, ect. What in your repertoire plays big, gets big reactions and gets stuck in there minds?

Do you recommend any books with some of the regular close up tricks, like bill in lemon, bill switches, rope routines, ring on string routines, ect.

Mike

If you have not yet get a thumbtip and darwin's encylopedia on dvd.

For about 45$ you'll get dozens of close up miracles.

Transform 1$ to 100$ bill, vanish coins, Vanish lit cigarettes,silks, the works. Kids love thumbtip magic tricks too, just make them colorful.

Steven

A few that work for me:

Holy Moly,Jay Sankey
Card Warp, Michael Close version
Copper Silver Brass, Cody Fisher version
Heirloom
Card to wallet, Mullica Wallet

These close up effects have served me well.

Bill

The close up tricks that always work well for me are:

Sponge Balls (using spectators hands as well as a cup, like the Benson Bowl routine). It ends with a potato production, that often results in screams of delight. If children are present, they will follow me, pleading, "do the potato trick again!"

Ambitious Card - I do a routine complied from Daryl's book, Ambitious Card Omnibus, that never fails to wow spectators, particularly adults.

Card to Wallet - As a kicker to the Ambitious Card routine, I usually load the signed card into my Jerry O'Connell Wallet (thanks to Craig Dickson of http://www.wizardcraft.com/ ). It just floors anybody left standing after the Ambitious Card routine.

Other routines that I find work well are:
Dan Harlan's Cardtoon - especially for the ladies
Poker Deals - works well for the men
Rubberband tricks including Crasy Man's Handcuffs

Regarding books - keep a watch out on ebay for George Anderson's Magic Digest. It's out of print, but comes up often. Still one of my favorite books for practical effects for a beginner (or even more experienced) performer.

You can get a copy right now for $9.95, go to:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie......amp;rd=1

Break a thread...

Jim

An effect that es easy to do but gets very good reactions is "Hopping Halves".

Magixx

A very simple effect that always gets a good reaction is "CrazyMan's Handcuffs".

Beg, borrow or bid out a copy of The Encyclopedia of Impromptu Magic by Martin Gardner.

There is, within those 500+ or so pages, a world of material for ALL ages - much of it never seen by anyone.

Lee Darrow, C.H.

If you wish to add card magic to your routine - I highly recommend twisted sisters and also colour monte ( no I didn't spell it wrong I am english lol !!) very inexpensive gives you a gentle introduction to a couple of very valuable card sleights as well - good luck.

Color monte is great

Currently, I enjoy performing Limited Edition by Gordon Bean and Larry Jennings, Magic Stop Light Cards, and Jay Sankey's 3 Ring Circus. They are truly really good tricks that work for me and always get huge audience reaction in a close-up situation.

I enjoy performing biddle trick to teens and adults. It gets great reactions and it seems impossible to the spectator(s).

-Shalin

Sure winners, in my experience: sponge balls, copper/ silver (John Scarne's, from Stars of Magic--takes place in specator's hand); chink-a-chink (also from Stars of Magic), prof's nightmare, torn and restored bill. Lee Darrow's suggestion to get Martin Gardner's book is right on--you can spend the rest of your life mining that treasure and keep finding winners all the time.

Another vote for crazy man's handcuffs and colour monte.

I've been table hopping, 3 nights a week, at the same restaurant for the last 6 years.

Routines that I tend to use the most are:
Don Allan's Chop cup
Goshman's 3D Sponge Bunnies (Strongest routine ever)
David Roth Coins across (Uses sh**ll)
Daryl's Rope Routine
Daryl's Ambitious card
Jay Sankey's Holey Moley
Michael Ammar's routine for Crazy Man's Hand Cuffs
Doc Eason's All Screwed Up (brilliantly routined two in the hand one in the pocket)
Don Allan's Invisible Pack
Colour Monte (Not sure who released this)
Paul Harris' Las Vegas Leapers
Tony Welk's Misled
Jay Sankey's In a Flash

I've personalized all the routines of course, but the above routines are incredibly strong. None of them are all that technically demanding, maybe ambitious card, but when you do them people tend to say very nice things about you.

Alodar

Coin unique by eddie gibson {UK} is a stunning trick, very simple to do, yet people are truly amazed by it. I'm not sure but I think it is also sold in US currency.

I can also add:

Color Monte
Ultimate 3 Card Monte
Dream of Aces

Magixx

Based on recommendations here, I picked up Color Monte, and also "Magic Digest" by George B. Anderson. As was mentioned earlier, if you get a chance to pick up this book, do it! My word, what a lot of classic effects and great advice.

Card in the hands

Michael, One effect that I do everytime and never fails is Omni Deck but, don't do it by itself, perform a card effect or two then at the ending of your last effect just secretly switch decks and perform Omni Deck. I should mention that Omni Deck is a ambitious routine where the deck turns into a block of acrylic(sp?)in the spectators hand, they never see it coming and that's one effect people just keep talking about. Jeff

As we all know, if we are to be called magicians, we have to be prepared to 'magish' (Albert Goshman) at all times. In addition to a repertoir of impromptu effects, I always carry a trifold credit card type wallet with a few packet tricks - favorites: Color Monte and B-wave. Keith