Hello,

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post it or not, anyway...

There are many tricks that have the premise of "The magicain teaches the audience a trick". first, he does a performance of it, and after that an explanation. in the last phase of the explanations, while the audience think they fully understand what is going on, the magicain does the same effect with a different method that fries the audience.

For example, Thom Peterson has a routine which he performs and teaches a "card to balloon". He "explains" how it's done, by secretly palming the card and sticking it to the balloon (he uses a clear balloon for "instructional purposes"). claiming that this was the "hard part", he continues to the "easy part" - visually pushing the card inside the clear balloon.

I'm looking for routines of this sort. I'd appreciate any recommendations of such published routines. I prefer non-card routines (that's why I posted it here)

Thanks.

This kind of effect--where the magician pretends to reveal how a trick is done but then flips it--is a variation of what is generally called a "sucker" routine, in which the magician lets the audience think they have figured the trick out on their own but then shows they are completely wrong, as in "The Sucker Die Box," : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhdjozomBko

Here is a pretty good thread on Sucker Tricks: http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......forum=17

Pop Haydn has built an entire act around this premise called his Teaching Act. He walks the audience through the Silk to Egg (which many magicians do as a, "Here's how it's done," effect--but none better than Pop); his full Mongolian Pop Knot rope routine (sheer brilliance); his four-ring Linking Rings routine (my next purchese once I master a few more basic moves); and the Torn & Restored Newspaper.

You can view the entire act on YouTube; part one is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoUc3UCWs30 then just follow the links when the video ends to parts 2, 3, and 4. (I watch this a couple of times a month!)

You can purchase the routines for the middle two parts directly from Pop here: http://www.popsmagic.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html (as well as a lot of other terrific magic).

I don't think you will find a better example of this kind of presentation than Pop. If you haven't figured it out, I am a big fan.

Also, check out Cody Fisher's silk to egg.

In my soon to be finished book, I'm writing up what I consider the three "types" of "sucker effects".

I'm explaining the "I'll teach you how to do a trick", the "bluff" and the "OOPS sucker effects.

Properly used, a well performed sucker effect can enhance a magic act. Poorly performed, a sucker effect can do just the opposite.

Pop Haydn is a magical "treasure" and a very nice person. His 4 ring routine is absolutely beautiful.

Another well-known version of this trick is the "Torn and Restored Napkin." There's a version in Mark Wilson's course, as well as a great version in Jim Steinmeyer's book.

Thanks for the nice comments, guys. My "Teaching Act" has worked well for me for many years. I don't consider any of the routines, except for the Sucker Silk to Egg to be sucker tricks. The Mongolian Pop Knot is a routine in which I "teach" the spectators how to do the trick, but I am actually just teaching the magic method--you tie a special knot like this, and sprinkle on some pixie dust. So it isn't a sucker effect, but one in which the explanation is just whacko. The Linking Rings routine is set up to teach a spectator with a "little personal instruction" and from the magician's point of view, he succeeds, but the audience can see he is just pulling a fast one on the teacher. The Newspaper Tear explains that the paper is "never really torn," that it just looks like it is being torn, and the audience can plainly see it is NOT an illusion.

So each of these routines takes a different tack on the same premise. Don't think of all teaching tricks as sucker effects.

Recently I have replaced the silk to egg with my routine for the Color-Changing Hank. In that routine, the magician only has time to explain the "main part" of the trick--that there are two handkerchiefs, and does not have time to go into the "details" like where the second hank keeps disappearing to...

If you do more than one teaching trick, each should be as different in premise as possible. You would never want to do more than one sucker effect in a show, in my opinion.

Here is the Color-Changing Silk:

Thank you for that video Pops! A great presentation! Those are large silks...

Yes, they are full square 24" silks. The gimmick is specially made for this routine by Jim Riser.

I open many of my shows with my version and handling of the Homing Card. It begins as a "I'll teach you a trick", but the trick itself deteriorates more and more as I progress. In the process, the mystery deepens, and it never takes the path of becoming a sucker trick. I never "fix" the screw-up, and never give the audience a false explanation. In the end, they witness something apparently going haywire, but still realize the unintended result was very cool.

Sorry if I was unclear or misrepresented Pop's act in any way--I was trying to make a clear distinction between a teaching act and a sucker trick. As I said, the teaching trick is a different variety, though related.

Sucker tricks--as the name would imply--emphasize the spectators' MISTAKEN belief that they have figured out the method. Many people dislike this approach as it tends to look like the magician is saying, "I'm smart and you're dumb!" which really isn't very magical to some folks.

Pop's teaching act is brilliant, and he NEVER makes the audience feel stupid--except when he WANTS to (for comedic effect). I am thinking, in particular, of a moment in one of the videos where Pop looks at a fellow in the audience (a troublesome "student," no doubt) and says with outright disdain, "Well, that's a stupid question." Beat. Grin. Funny. And on with the teaching moment.

A number of sponge ball routines are presented under the pretense of teaching the volunteer how to vanish a ball. Also, some c+b routines are finished with an explanation of how it's done (see: Gazzo's or Dai Vernon's routines)
Also under the banner of C+B, one of Ammar's routines has the spectator do all the magic after being "Taught" to do so. Here's the link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9EvabU36go
That's about all I can think of at the moment.
(also, Pop Hayden's teaching act is amazing.)

Years ago I used to use the teaching premise for a d*y T**e-style color changing silk (yellow to blue).

I'd perform the change and then say I'd give them 2 methods...the "sneaky method" and the "Magic" method. I "revealed" the "sneaky method" first by showing how I'd have a blue silk hidden in the hand and tucking the yellow silk in the top of the fist and pulling out the blue from the bottom of the fist, etc. Then I showed the "magic method" which was rolling the blue and yellow silk together and they change into a larger green silk.

Some instant stooge effects might work too

Also dots next the spot card trick

It is called Tenyo Whats Next. I have perhaps performed that as much if not more than any other effect I have ever used for more than 50 years at this point.

It is based on an even older effect but has the extra teaching punch with the surprise climax.

Some would say that it is a perfect routine. I would be one of those people.