What's the hardest close-up trick that you have ever done?

VERY ODD question. I'm not trying to be "cute" here, but if an effect was so restrictingly difficult to perform or beyond my capabilitieis, I wouldn't have performed it in the first place.

Appearing anvil.

(Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Lorayne's Calculated Risk.

Cylinder and Coins, by far.

It took me well over a year to get it to where I could perform it. I believe I still have a long way to go (many years) before I'm satisfied.

Hollingworth's Ambidexterous Interchange. Way too angly and extremely difficult to do if you don't have a tailor made jacket.

Very hard question to ask. I would have to say the watch steal. That has been about the most nerve racking time. As for effects go i would have to say my handling for Deep Astonishment. If anyone wants to learn it just email me.

Frank,

Which cylinder and coins?

Simon Aronson's "Histed Heisted". An absolutely brilliant effect. However, if you're not also brilliant, the brainwork can cause hemmorages.

Well, 'hardest' is kind of vague. Do you mean the trick with the most sleights? The one with the worst angles? The one that takes the most guts?

I take 'hardest' to mean: The trick that I am most gun-shy performing, for any reason. That said, I nominate my cups and balls routine to be difficult for me to perform for others. So many people have seen some version of this, laymen and magi included, and it's one of the most difficult things for me to do for others. I bit the bullet and performed it for my SAM club last month, where it was received quite well, but I know I have a LONG way to go before it is perfect. I feel like it will never be, in fact. Cups and Balls relies so much on showmanship, presentation, and misdirection, that it might be one of those Zen things for me. They cups and balls just "are". I think I may have heard Teller (of Penn and____ fame) say this once. He was obsessed by it, just doing moves that didn't even make sense, routine-wise. My goal is to KILL with this some day, and I feel like it is never going to happen. So, I guess that's why it is my 'hardest' trick.

Jay

kingstardog,

I have studied all the versions I can get my hands on including john ramsays original, paul wilson, david roth, and john carney's version and i perform and prefer carney's version to all of them.

Let me know if you have any more questions about it.

I find it to be the best close-up effect on earth!