I just think that you always lose or diminish youself if you stoop to the heckler's level.

As a rule of thumb: You never win by stooping to the heckler's level (and most people (i.e., YOU!!) are not very talented in the Don Rickles department). At the very least, you diminish yourself and you give the heckler positive reinforcement and encouragement by acknowleging his comments (and, implicitly, that he "got to you"); at worse, the other audience members will come to his defense!! So how do you win?

So, what to do?

Howabout trying verbal jui-jitsu and turn the spectator's remarks to your advantage? For instance, if the spectator says(words to the effect): "I know how you do/did that", wink at him and say something like: SSSH! That makes two of us. Please don't tell the others, it'll ruin the magic for them".

This non-threatening type of approach does two (or more) things:

1. It gives the spectator some "approval" that his remark demonstrates he is implicitly asking for. This remark handles the situation whether or not the spectator really does know how you did the effect or just thinks he knows.
2. It implicitly gets the spectator on your side, by letting him (and all the other audience members) know that if he does go further and "tips the effect" (even if he is wrong on the method), he will be ruining the entertainment for the others.

By handling the situation that way, it is a win-win for all concerned. Of course, it the spectator then continues being obnoxious, I would just finish the present effect, thank the audience for their time and move on. The other audience members will understand the "situation" (i.e., why you are moving on) and they will either take care of the situation (i.e., handle the heckler) and probably apologize to you and ask you to return, OR, they will do nothing (in which case you are "money ahead" to have left their table earlier than planned).

Just my two cents worth.

Turk

Simply a nod and a smirk does it for me almost every time.. maybe even a compliment on how perceptive they are after that..

I have been very successfull turning my hecklers into my biggest fans by including them in the magic..

Heckler:
"I KNOW HOW YOU DID THAT!! YOU TURNED OVER 2 CARDS"...

Magician:
(nod and smirk)Hey, your pretty quick! Maybe I can get you to help me out on my next effect...

I always have an effect that is a mind blower set up for this exact instance... The hecklers are generally impressed, and feel important.. you later hear them in the crowd telling everyone "That guy is Awesome!"
"He did THIS and THAT" and so on.....

I never insult anyone, I never let them chase me off, and I keep my routines organized so if I do encounter a smart A**
than I always have a mind blower with audience participation in it.
I think keeping a professional image is impossible if you get into a cut down match with a heckler..
Tom

I never have run into anybody really bad...I guess just visiting the relatives on my wife's side of the family makes up for that!!!

Still...I read the interview with Jay Sankey in the latest MAGIC magazine...and he inspired me to do what he's doing now. That is, doing the magic for those that have a true interest in it or really WANT to see it (you can tell which ones)...the trying to "sell yourself" at a new table and a new group every 10 minutes does get tiring.

Since I'm sure NOT doing this for the money (anymore!)...it does make it more FUN!

The best thing to do is hire 2 very large men in dark suits to follow you around. If anyone seys anything, have the men preped so that they lay their hand on the person's shoulder then look at you. Shake your head in a "spare him this time" sort of way. If this doesn't solve the problem, nothing will.

Seriously, normally I just smile, say "what ever you think." And go on. I think it is a good idea to follow with a trick that gets them thinking they know how it is done but then turns that thinking around on them. A good example, in my mind, is Ortiz's Jumpin' Gemini. Here the spectator thinks that the effect is done with all cards being 2's but as they get this idea, it is shown that all cards are the same, but they are now all 10's (My English teachers would have killed me for that run on)

I did a show where a boy sitting in the front row decided he knew how every second effect was done. I ignored it for a while, but then got sick of it. hey, we are all human! I did the professors nightmare, and once again he yelled out that he knew how I did it, so I invited him on to stage. I asked him his name and introduced him to the audience as someone who knew how a lot of how magic was done. His face went a dark shade of red. I handed him the three ropes, and asked him if he would like to perform the effect for the audience. He looked at the ropes, and said "I don't know how." I asked for a round of applause for the loud mouth boy, and he very happily returned to his seat, never to open his mouth again.

Mark.

It depends on the individual that is exposing the secrets. I was performing for a young college woman and she could see through any magic effect. She didn't follow any misdirection and the secrets were very clear to her. Her problem, however, was she was just angry and hateful. And exposed the secrets just to be mean. I picked up my stuff and left and never performed for her again.

In another instance a guy knew enough sleight of hand to be dangerous, but was obviously a beginner and had no manners (he continuously performed a coin roll in front of everybody while I was performing). After I did something he would proudly announce how it was done. To me...that was a declaration of war. I switched to my arsenal of self-working card effects..the good ones by Scarne, Lorayne, Vernon..etc. It absolutely blew him away...he looked foolish in front of everybody and they realized he wasn't as sharp as he thought he was. After a few minutes, I returned to sleight of hand with impunity.

Success is the best revenge...

Steven

I was doing Hopping Half's and a guy at the table blurted out he just got bought that at the magic shop and it was trick coins, so I handed out the english Penny and half dollar in my hand to prove it wasn't gimmicked. Thanks to Peter Marucci and his showtime parade in the Linking Ring, I was doing the ungimmicked version. It played great and shut him up until I left. Later he asked me how I switched the gimmick coins for real ones and I told him, I used real ones and did the routine again just for him and he walked away shaking his head in disbelief that he did not know how I was doing it.

Sometimes you just have to prove them wrong.

Carter

Mark,
Sorry, but I must disagree with you. I'm not trying to start an argument, but I can't see how your technique would ever be the right choice. As a magician, I consider myself in the entertainment business. I feel that every opportunity to perform, whether paid or not, is an opportunity to show my next client what they can expect from me. Embarrassing a small child, or anyone for that matter, is not acceptable to me. And I doubt it's going to help your repeat bookings. My 2 cents worth, nothing personal.
Bob

I have to agree - it's best NOT to go to insulting them back.

I did once have a situation where I was doing a birthday party - and one of the guest's parents was being obnoxious. Since I couldn't leave - and the kids were in no position to "peer pressure" the adult into shutting up - I simply brought him up, and performed 20th Century Bra.

The kids got a hoot out of it, and the other parents had a laugh too. Even the "jerk" wound up taking it good naturedly, and I believe he got the point without me having to say anything.

Pete

There will always be differing opinions on how to handle these situations. I will pull mean people aside and give them a stern warning -- if they don't stop it, the show stops and it gets blamed on them. If they're a outcast before the show, they'll be considered scum after the show. In a table-hopping situation, I just leave, wishing them well -- I can perform at other tables.

If someone says that they know how something is done, I say, "So do I."

As for doing the bra trick, in front of kids, I would avoid it like the plague. In my area, that will cost a great deal of business.

Yes, Alan, I would imagine that the word would quickly spread to the other three houses in the community.

Turk

Hey... you can perform color changing knife trick and if the hecklers reveal your secret just use your color changing knife to teach 'em a lesson.....

To be fair, I have not worked a paying gig. All I have done up to this point is the free stuff...kids at the school I teach at, people in the street, small crowds of people at the mall, friend's parties. I really don't know why it is, but I have this very strong desire to change a tough cookie's perception of magic from something that must be deciphered in order to let everyone in on the secret into a trancendental experience that can be shared with others. The few times that I actually have pulled a person aside, I have been VERY careful not to be condescending.

I can tell you for sure that I will NOT be using that approach in my restaurant act, or at private engagements. If I am their for a paycheck, I need to have a much more nonchalant way of handling these guests, and all of your suggestions have been very enlightening, and I thank you!