Well, you can never be too sure about the quality of the cards, so I'll have to agree with

the

SPELL-TO MYSTERY
using the key card approach. if not, you can use an injog to do it and pick up from there...

otherwise you can do Ambitious Card depending on how the condition of the cards might suit your sleights.

Ok giggip just mentioned this but I'm already to the end of the posts so I am gonna second the biddle trick.It's any easy sleight to learn and very impressive.I get great reactions.I also use it when a spectator insists on shuffling the cards when I don't want them to .

Kundalini Card Rise
Out of This World
Gemini Twins
Unadulterated Cutting The Aces
and Clairvoiance (by John Guastaferro / Brainstorm video)

Enjoy,
Rannie

I'm a big fan of Brother John Hammon's Twins, Vernon's Twisting the Aces, Daley's Last Trick, and Fechter's That's It! If the deck was beat up enough that it would beat up my presentation, I would definitely do Untouched, in part because I just learned it a couple days ago.

Mike

I always keep a three-trick routine ready that can be done using any deck of cards at moment's notice:

1. Totally Baffling Card Control (PaulGordon)—the kings are seen and placed into different places in the deck and all gather at the top of the deck.
2. Dr. Daley's Last Trick (Bill Malone)—I believe David Blaine did this trick on one of his specials as well. The aces are separated by color and switch places while they are in the spectators' hands.
3. Card on the Back of the Hand (Bill Malone)—awesome trick!!! Never fails to get a great reaction.

I have a lot of success with Mark Willson's Automatic Card Discovery. Have the selected card turn face up in the deck. Great reactions for impromptu magic.

I assume that most of the time the cards are in shocking condition. I like tricks where they do the magic and you just instruct. I do a "you do as I do" with my own deck (I always carry one) where to spectators select three exact cards without me touching the cards using some forces.

I do a routine where one spectator selects a card and then they count few cards and know which card the spectator selected. I can't recall the name and I do prediction. Most of the above use forces.

If they insist to see more I say your cards are Sh---ocking and then use my own deck.

I like to do Wack Your Pack. If the cards have a white border, I do Twisting the Aces. If I can have some set-up time, I do Pre Deck Ability or Out of This World. Ambitious Card never fails.

If in good condition, I like to do Snap Change. I also do "one-handed pass" (name of trick, not actually one-handed pass). Two Card Monte as well.

Harry Murphy:

I tried your first trick suggestion a few times today when asked to show something and it met with good reactions. I added a little where you false shuffle the deck first (after "removing the jokers/checking to see if any cards were missing"), toss out the top card, shuffle again, toss out the second card, shuffle again and then are good to go. It got some really good reactions!

I'd perform Reset.
Or a Sandwich effect.
Or an Ambitious Card routine.
Or an Oil and Water routine.
Or a Triumph.

I don't know, too many choices.

A trick I love to do when someone tries to hand me a deck of cards and says do a trick is Daryl's Untouched. I like to say, "Let me think of a card and you find it. I won't even touch the deck."

Then I do the routine and it kills!

Shawn D

No matter what the condition is, usually you can always do a key card effect.

I try to keep it simple with good impact, then give the cards away.

MM

Design for Laughter is the correct name of RRTCM trick mentioned and it's a great magician in trouble effect, as it really brings in the spectators emotionally. It's an impromptu favorite of mine and the way I play it, especially for a group of new spectators who are doubting of my skills as a magician, is to reaffirm their doubts and explain that I just starting working on this trick and I'm not sure if it will work. It sets the stage for the magician in trouble premise.

You need to control to the bottom and do a glide. I've been doing this effect more and more when someone hands me a deck, as I get a lot of enjoyment out of the effect and the spectators are baffled. The magician in trouble overtone misdirects their attention enough that they don't pay attention to any sleights, not like they're that difficult anyway, so you can really ham up the performance. When the revelation finally occurs, I congratulate them on naming the correct number, thereby removing the sting.

Fastest Gun by Darwin Ortiz

I like
:erdnase color change andLarry andersonsa business sandwich. always gets great reactions.

I argee with Shawn D. Daryl's Untouched (Ammar Vol. 4)is worth learning and in the right conditions (not loud parties, ect.) Larry Jennings' Immpossible (Ammar Vol.6) is very powerful.

Some overlooked masterpieses are:
Learn Magic --Henry Hay
(some great insight into misdirection, don't overlook it as too much of a "beginners" book)

The Amatuer Magician's Handbook--Henry Hay
(another inexpensive must) for a GREAT impromtu effect look at the optical fan location p. 113, learn a few "outs" and you'll have some smooth magic

Close-Up Card Magic --Harry Lorayne

I really like Vernon's "Out of Sight, Out of Mind." This is one of the best mentalism effects going, and it would probably work fine with an older deck.

I also like "Las Vegas Leaper" or "Whack the Pack", both by Harris.

To put in my 2 cents in a more general manner,
I always carry a small show in a fanny pack in my car, and can perform a number of effects at a moments notice.
Some of the items I carry are spong balls, ring and rope, floating pen, cards, an invisable deck,some packet tricks, a hot rod, safety pins, rubberbands,and coins, some gaffed.
This sounds like alot of stuff, but it fits nicely.
On my person I carry 1 coin, a thumb tip and a sqweeker. Oh and business cards.

I agree CK, Vernon's routine is top notch.

"Cheesewrestler's Ultimate 52-Card Pickup Supreme Deluxe"

Take the cards and spring them into the air, using the technique in "Supersecret Inner Secrets of Magic Dai Vernon Didn't Think Were Worth Talking About".

Say, "Pick up any card."

Spectator does so.

Say, "Great! Only 51 to go!" and walk away, executing the Marlo One Foot In Front Of The Other Shuffle.

.........

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