When I was doing the invisible deck once, the person I showed it to was freaked out, but while I was putting the deck back into the box, she grabs the box from no where then she takes the deck spreads it out then tell everyone that that was the secret and so on.

What should I do?

After you do the trick, just turn away from them and then quickly place it back in the box and into your pants pocket or jacket pocket. that's the best way to eliminate spectators like these kind.

Work on your presentation, that was an audience handling problem not a grabby spectator.

You need to NOT MAKE THEM WANT to find out the secret, not just put it away before they can grab it...

The best way to eliminate spectators "like that" is to constant refine your presentation until they don't want to look anymore.

Examine your presentation, were you making it into a challenge? Was she constant grabby the entire time?

Well when I was putting it back into the box, she grabbed the box then said "Let me see!!!" I tried to grab it back but after she got hold of it she examined it and spreaded it.

I've got to agree with MacGyver; you may have been presenting your magic using the challenge approach and thus invited a situation like this.

Your main focus should not be to "trick" your audience as such, but rather to give them a moment of awe and amazement. As MacGyver stated, you need to get your audience on your side.

I would also like to add that you may have been working from a position of low prestige. If you establish yourself as a good magician people will be less likely to suspect a trick deck and they will have no reason to grab your props. You can establish yourself by performing a few effects with a regular pack of cards. After a while people will assume that you don't need trick cards to perform your magic (or so they think!).

I hope I helped. Good luck to you.

Emily B.

I don't know if you are doing this, but make sure that you are not constantly pulling out different decks for different effects. Make sure your Invisible Deck matches your normal deck. Perform the I.D. after using the normal deck for other effects, then they will not see a need to examine it.

Micheal Leath

Emily made some excellent points. Whenever you use a trick deck, you want to already establish yourself with some good effects from a normal deck. Keep deck switching to a minimum. Oh, and after the Invisible Deck is used, be sure to not give the appearance that you are eager to put away/switch the deck as that will only raise suspicions.

Good luck.

Some folks are grabby & creepy. This will probably never happen to you again. Chalk it up as a learning experience. Keep your head up and go get the next ones. I'm sure it was a downer at that time but so what, move on! Good luck, Trois

If I would do a effect like this (gimmicked deck, which I have done) I would stay very open..I would just act normally and after I am done I will wait a while and then put down the cards.

My advice to you is to take her on a date. Someplace out in the woods... at night... with a roll of duct tape and a shovel...

Seriously, these things happen. Don't sweat it. Some people just can't stand being fooled and have to know the answer. I agree with Trois; most people aren't that tenacious and if they are, then they are just ruining it for themselves. Take it on the chin, amigo. Now you'll keep an eye out the next time!

Good luck!

(And for the record, I was kidding about the duct tape/shovel thing!)

If you really have that much of a problem and you're worried about it happening again, practice until you can astound without a trick deck. I've had people grab the cards and fan through them (with a normal deck) and it's probably the best thing ever if you're clean. It makes everything much more exciting if you have those spectators, and they can examine the deck.

LOL firedice.
I was going to post that kind of comments after reading the first post, beat me to that.

anyhow.
I will sincerely ask you, to check out Bill Malone's version. where he made the spectator the magician.
that is one heck of a presentation man.

more often than not, if you do this with that "haha, I fool you again BBIIAATThhhhh" attitude, the spectator wil end up being pretty darn angry and might grab the deck straight out from your deck. that's something we hae to understand.

but if she is being a real pain in the, as if know the secret is not enough for her, she has to tell EVERYONE the secret.?
well.. go with firedice's idea.

nah I'm just joking bro

dbzkid999, you seem to be a really unlucky person! First someone sees the wax for Card on Ceiling and tells people, then someone spots your double lift and now someone grabs your Invisible Deck and tells people!!!

I suggest a bit more practice and thoughts about presentation are needed before showing people stuff.

oh man, I didn't even realize it was the same guy.

here is what I think the problem might be.

people don't take you too seriously as a magician right?
you gotta let them know you are the performer, not their typical uncle nash, opps, uncle Jack that knows the 21 card trick.

I've faced the same problem in my earlier years of magic. but hey, as you get better, you'll see less people stopping you in the middle of the trick and being impolite.

first, you have became better, people can't catch you anymore.

second, you have established this status, that people knwos it is better to shut up even if they spot something, because they know you will astonish them later, it will be stupid for them to ruin it all.

but hey, some people just never learn, they will always try to ruin your tricks.
all you can do is, tell him "have a nice day". And move on to people that TRUELY RESPECT MAGIC>

hope that helps??

Learn what you can from it and don't let it happen again. Having quick reflexes helps too.
I agree with the advice that some have given you in that maybe you might evaluate your performance a little. But sometimes a person might react unpredictably, in the same way that this person did, no matter how well you did or how amazing the moment may have been. Try your best to gage your audience and eliminate the grabbers from succeeding. Consider your magic as a gift to those you CHOOSE to share it with.
Good luck,

GlenD

Mega ditto's Micheal! All my tricks use blue backed bicycles. Every monte; brainwave; ID, force; packets et al. I may use 6 different decks but they only see one.

The heat is off the cards so there is no heat to begin with.

As others have said, the best thing you can do is present the magic in such a way that the spectator will not want to see the cards.

With gaffed decks like the ID, this means doing magic with honest cards which the spectators can handle and shuffle. When you (imperceptibly) switch decks they will have no reason to suspect the ID.

Also, if your spectators are feeling challenged when you complete your effects, there may be something antagonistic or smug in your presentation. Think carefully about the message you want to send.

There are hundreds of simply amazing tricks that you can do with no slieght of hand and no tricked up cards. In fact, there are times when I do nothing but those types of effects.

Look, here's the thing: after doing magic for forty years, there are still times when people are desperate to catch me. Magicians are especially hard to deal with. They know my reputation for slieght of hand, and will not succumb to any efforts at misdirection. I can't, no matter how much practice I've had, get away with certain things if the audience will not get off me for a minute. And especially if they have a knowledge of magic to boot!

So, I have a whole set that I can do, or do parts of, that appears to be slight of hand, or trick card stuff. In reality it is all self working, or subtlety based material. I purposely lead the spectators to believe they can't look at the cards, or I do something that looks like quick slieght of hand type stuff. When they leap the conclusion I want them to leap to, they have fooled themselves!

Learn a couple of tricks that you can handle in such a way that the audience will think the cards are gaffed, hesitate to allow them to see the deck, then finally relent. They will be all the more perplexed, and they will stop bugging you after several experiences like that.


You can handle a regular deck in the way that most people are familiar with if they have ever bought a Svengali Deck. By flipping the cards in that tell-tale way that laymen do when they first get a Svengali deck, and by cutting in a certain way, by allowing the selection in a certain way peculiar to handling the Svengali deck, you will have people convinced that is what you are using. So imagine doing the ambitious card with a regular deck, but handling it as if it is a Svengali Deck! Not only will they think they know what you are doing, but when they wrest the cards from your grasp, prepared to expose your devious nature for all to see, they will be flabbergasted, and embarassed, and will NEVER do it again to you! Trust me, I've done this.

Or try this: False shuffle a deck tracking the aces and then reveal them as if you are using a Stripper Deck. Watch the wise guys try to duplicate your trick, sure that they know how to do it. They'll be frustrated beyond belief as they reverse cards and try stripping them out, only to wind up grabbing air! Make sure you do all the little things to lead them down the garden path, though. Show the aces, be really obvious about reversing the deck before you return them, tap the deck to get the ends and the sides square before you cut the deck. Cut the deck with the necessary sliding action to strip cards out if you really had a stripper deck. This will drive wise guys nuts!

There are dozens of other things you can do to stop the harrassment, and have a good time while you are at it. It's much more fun this way, than to get mad and frustrated, or have to refuse to perform for certain people. Enjoy your magic, and look at situations like this as a challenge and an opportunity to grow, rather than a pain in the butt that you have to suffer through.

Best, PSC

Mr. Chosse knows wherof he speaks--heed his advice, Grasshopper!

This is not good advice. You'll look suspicious. Never turn away from your audience. Don't do anything quickly!!!
No, No, No!!!

Just suck it up and understand that some people are that way.

Try to learn from it and forget it! You could possibly try to read your spectators a little better to see if they might be the grabby type. If they are then keep the ID in your pocket and do slight-of-hand with a regular deck and HOPE they grab the deck.


Just forget it and try to manage your spectators better next time.

If you don't forget it, you'll just dwell on it. It happens. Move on!

Another thought:
If you've exposed something 100% perhaps you could discuss how ingenious it is and perhaps create a situation of respect for magic and its secrets with them.

If you've exposed something but not 100%, I'd say just drop it or say "Yeah, but isn't that neat" and enjoy it with them.