I have never failed to get a wow factor with "Twisted Sister." I love that effect. Also for anyone who performs it, take the cards from a blue backed deck and a red backed deck. It improves it 200% more than taking out the cards from a wallet.

Sponge bunnies get the greatest reaction from the restaurants I work at. Twisted Sisters is very good, but often the reaction is stunned silence, which is good, but I prefer effects that cause a little bit of noise, so the owners hear the fun and the other customers want to be next on the circuit.

Ksalaz

How bout doing Color Monte for walkaound.....great climax and easy reset .....as well as Stolen Card(Rainbow Deck)...with gambling story...and lets not leave out the most ordinary objects that can fool people.... a Coin Flurry with jumbo coin climax....or RUBBERBANDS...my favorite....all of these are examinable...

I've read this thread with interest and want to throw in an observation I've discovered over many years of doing strolling magic.

We often hear the admonishment "Presentation is Everything." This is certainly true, but the key element of "presentation" is the "presenter." (That would be you.)

Tricks must be regarded as secondary. The most important thing about performance--and especially the performance of magic--is the rapport you create with your audience FIRST. This can be done in 20 seconds for the strolling magician, or in 5 minutes depending for the stand-up performer, depending on your venue. However, it has become cealr to me that you MUST build a strong relationship BEFORE the magic happens--a relationship that assures the audience that you are not a THREAT to their enjoyment of the evening and that you may actually ADD something interesting to it.

I've lost count of the times that I've recieved the comment, "I normally don't like magic, but I just love the stuff you did!" I'm sure most of you here recieve this compliment as well. Is it because your magic is THAT much better than anyone elses? Come on, be honest.

No, the reason they said that is because they primarly liked YOU and secondarily were entertained (and fooled) by what you did.

People at large harbor some pretty awful pre-concieved notions of what magic and magicians are all about. And even when they DO see good magic, they will soon forget this good experience or count it as a fluke rather than the norm.

Bill Goldman once made the observation that when you hear someone say "You're the BEST magician I've ever seen!" you should translate that into the REAL statement, "You're the most recent magician I've ever seen!"

In a nutshell, if they don't like YOU, they won't like what you're doing. Period.

And so, if you are an engaging, personable person and don't insult the intelligence of the audience, you will already be ahead of the game. Now add some fun and engaging Magic--whatever works for you, from sponge bunnies to the center tear--and you're all set.

Fred Zimmerman

Hi,

Ring Flite gets my vote, every time. Its great and it kills.

TM

Sponge balls, and the chop cup.