I bought a trick a few months ago which relies on equivoque. That's not necessarily a bad thing but this particular trick relies on it at three stages of the routine. I feel very uncomfortable placing this much reliance on such a force and wondered what others thought about this.

If you do not feel good about it, it is not going to work. If feel good about this type of force, everything about it becomes natural in the way you act and express yourself... and therefore it will work wonderfully. Attitude has a lot to do with it. Personnaly, I don't have a problem with it.

There are many such routines that rely entirely on equivoque. If your discomfort stems from whether you think it will work, or if you'll get caught, lay those fears aside: many people have employed this magic utility with great success. You can do it, too! Just make sure there is no hesitation when you go into it, and you'll be fine. Remember, most of magic is highly simple when you know the secret, and many fear being caught. Make sure you've practiced and are comfortable with the routine, and all will be well.

If your discomfort is because you don't think you have the performing personality to pull an equivoque effect off, that may be a valid concern. Obviously, if you absolutely cannot get comfortable with a routine, it's better to drop it and replace it with something else that does fit your personality. There's too much good magic out there to sweat using something with which you can't get comfortable.

Good luck with working this out. Please let us know what you end up doing!

Mr. lute, The general rule of thumb is that you don't use the same method / gimmick / sleight twice for the same effect. Keep 'em guessing! Throw them off the scent. There's usually a substitute you can use. Or shorten the routine for a quick stunner. Or build up the effect longer but only do it once. This is where creativity comes in to fit YOUR style. The above posters have a valid point about CONFIDENCE. In your handling, your patter, your routine. ALWAYS practice more than you think. Practice builds your confidence.

Thanks to all. I think the main message here is not to do it unless I feel comfortable. Don't get me wrong. I happily use it in some of the more standard card routines but the tricks I do don't usually rely on it at more than one stage. I think I may just put this down to experience and leave the trick (it's a written method booklet in fact) in the bottom of my magic box. Perhaps I'll review it in a few years and feel differently.

Anyhow, thanks again for your thoughts.

Used the magician's choice / Equivoque for decades, never had a problem.

Ok ... I'm lost ... Equivoque?

A.K.A. "Magician's Choice Force".

Just "Magician's choice" does it.

So, wadda YOU think about its value, Harry?

VERY valuable when properly used. I've taught my methods throughout my books in different effects. First mention - look up Force Prediction in the Close-Up Card Magic section of LORAYNE: THE CLASSIC COLLECTION, Vol. 1. HL.

Multiplicity by Max Maven is absolutely fantastic(:

You need to make sure you use it well in my opinion or it can backfire massively. I can remember several times before I got into magic when I was completely unimpressed with a trick where the magician had very clearly (to me, maybe not to other spectators) used a very basic magician's choice. If they'd left that part out entirely and just made the choice themselves then I would have been impressed with the trick, but as soon as it was clear they'd only pretended to give a free choice I lost interest.

There are situations where a really good use of equivoque can certainly enhance an effect though, and as others have said it will also depend on your belief in it to sell it to spectators.

Mark

Can not disagree with Mark, especially the "really good use" part. The big E needs love and care, and a bit of concealment. Doing it three times in a routine would not be something I would attempt, although others may make it work. Certainly, a degree of misdirection (time or otherwise) would be the first thing to come to my mind.

The thought and preparation that you put into BEFORE the magic is what makes the reaction AFTER the magic worth working for...

Jim

See Max Maven's work on equivoque

There is a few tricks which allow to you to be more confident with the magician's choice. You can check Max Maven's work out.

greetings,

If not completely confident when doing magician's choice, you shouldn't be doing magician's choice!

Listen to Harry!

I would say this is something to consider rather than a rule. Certainly I know Harry does some amazing routines that use no more than a whole bunch of slip cuts. If you have mastered a method/gimmick or sleight and use it appropriately the audience should never be on the scent in the first place. I watched Ascanio give a lecture on the use of double cards. He did about a dozen effects all using no more than a double lift or holding 2 cards as one. Until the second half where he gave the explanation I didn't even realise the lecture was about double cards. Likewise Max Maven did a lecture on eqivoque and all of the effects relied on equivogue. How many routines are there that rely on multiple Elmsley counts.

In fact I Would go further and say there are times when using a different sleight/method causes an inconsistency that can break the illusion. It's not about how often you use a sleight, it's more important to do the right sleight at the right moment in the right way.

I'm looking at purchasing John Bannon's Duplicity and am led to believe that it relies heavily on Equivoque.

People are reccomending Max Maven... Is Mr. Bannon's teachings highly regarded as I was hoping the literature that comes with the trick would be enough to get me up and running.

Thanks,

AA