Sucker tricks. What a nasty name for this misunderstood type of effect.
So what is a sucker trick? "An effect where the magician appears to fail or screw up only to triumph at the last second."
Ok but there are many ways to interpret this idea.
Example: Spectator selects card, card is returned to the deck, cards are mixed or whatever, mage selects card from deck and proudly announces it as the chosen card, but horror of horrors! It's the wrong card, another is shown. No! Another, NO!
"But wait, what was your card?" The ace of spades? It can't be, for you see, that card has(all together now:)"been in your pocket all night!" SUCKER!!!
So would you call that a sucker trick?

How about this: A Stage-Mage is shackled to a table, a large circular saw approaches, this is an overt escape, so the mage begins to pick the locks on his shackles, pick clamped between his teeth, time ticks by as the saw growls closer, hands are free! He sets to work on his feet, mere seconds left, but horror of horrors! He drops the pick! His feet still clamped fast, he stretches and contorts trying to reach the pick. The saw is shredding the table. It's all gone wrong. Certain death! Then at last he secures the pick, unlocks his feet and rolls to freedom as the saw rips through the space his body filled a second ago. Huzzah! The crowd goes wild.
Now that's what I would call a Sucker Trick.

Do you see the difference? Even sucker tricks are meant to serve an audience, not belittle them. What do you think?

Not really a new idea at all. It's a good one, though.

Take a look at "Do You Like Cold Showers?" from Final Curtain. The trick is the Seven Keys to Baltpate. The magician/mentalist is inside an openwork cage, above which is a clock dial. When the clock reaches zero, there is a huge tub filled with water, which will empty itself directly below, drenching anyone or anything in the cage.

The mentalist directs his assistant until finally, just a few seconds before the tub is to empty, he determines the correct key. She fumbles with the lock and opens it ... 5 seconds after the tub empties on the magician.

But even the "standard" sucker tricks can be made to play in such a way that the audience is not the "sucker." For example, if you act as if you simply don't understand why the audience doesn't comprehend your simple statements, and you end with an "Oh, I see what you mean. No, it's not here -- it's back over there" kind of presentation -- and here's the important part -- without saying ANYTHING that indicates that they were stupid for not understanding you. That's the key thing.

Make it look as if it is your fault that they don't understand you, not their fault.

Under another topic this example of “magic” by my definition is not magic. It might be entertaining and dramatic but it is just some one playing 007 or Batman or something and not showing the effects of magic at all.

That's fair enough, however MY definition of magic in the above post includes escapology, which as far as I know is usually considered a subgenre of magic.
Ever see Lance Burton do the rollercoaster escape?
Anyway I know the examples I gave were a bit sketchy, but whats important is the difference in attitude between the two. Both sucker tricks, but one intended to thrill rather than humiliate.
Mr Palmer is right though, this ones been done to death,
Let it sink unto oblivion!