Have you ever showed a trick to someone and they’re always trying to watch your every move, waiting for you to make a mistake. And when you do, they point this out to other people. Even if you don’t, they say you did something.

So I came up with this idea, where you first tell them the plot. Then start doing the trick, but purposely mess up... for example, they see you pick two cards as in the double lift, or they catch you doing a pass, or maybe you just stumble a little... then they are automatically tempted to embarrass you. Then you do pretend to be embarrassed a little, but whatever you mess up on, you use that and end it with however you want to surprise them. Sort of like ’Two Card Monte’.

It’s pretty funny. There may already be a trick like that but I’ve never seen one like that yet.

John Bannon's "DeTour de Force" is an example of this type of effect. Known as "Failure effects," there are a good many effects and plots where the magician seems to have messed up, but it turns out that's what he had in mind all along. Many sucker effects fall into this category as well.

That kind of stuff "rocks", My favorite is to pick my victim early (helps you set him up) and make sure his buddies are all watching.

Have him pick a card, bla bla bla, but have him keep it too himself and return it to the deck. After doing your amazingly clumsy sleights you reveal the wrong card (only he knows the correct one) and shows it to all(let’s say the wrong card is the 3D)

The argument starts. Every time you insist that the 3D is his card, the 3D appears from a different impossible place (like wallet, pocket, inside an orange. you get it)
By this time his buddies are on the floor laughing.

You ask him, "What was your card" he replies, you say "Impossible! You’ve been sitting on that card since we started!"
He gets up and his card is sitting on his chair...... Takes a little set up, but WELL worth it.

My favorite effect for this, is "Red Hot Mama". It is my favorite to perform, and when you knock them out, after they really believe that you messed up, well you know the rest. This effect gets the most consistently great reaction.

ooooo...sounds cool!



Actually, I saw one like this when flicking through one of my card books...I'll see if I can find it...

__________

There is no life without death...everything has a shadow

I have this trick called;
"McCombical Prediction Deck"

It comes close to what you want to achieve.

For the trick you need a volunteer.
I normally take the most sceptical person who tries to ruin your whole performance.

In this trick he (the volunteer) has to pick a card out of a deck with only seven of clubs for example. The audience saw that it’s all sevens, he didn’t. He’ll take a card. You ask. He’ll say it’s king of diamonds. The rest of your spectators will become mad at him for trying to spoil the trick (pay back) but he really took the king of diamonds.

Ok the trick includes a little bigger routine, but I think you got my point.

I agree, these tricks where it looks like it's gone wrong, or, they think they know how it's done, seem to create the best magic experience.

I do this with the credit card that changes to a playing card. I basically force a card on them, tell them to put it back in a shuffle. They may stop shuffling when they want.

I don't touch the deck, but bet them that if the top card on the deck is their card after they finish the shuffle they owe me a beer, However, if it's not their card, I will place my credit card behind the bar and they can have free drinks all night. I hold the credit card in my hand as they turn over the top card and when it isn't theirs, they laugh and ask for my credit card. At this point I throw it in the air and it changes to their card.

A very strong visual trick, However once the spectator finished shuffling the deck, turned over the top card and it actually was theirs,

I have never lived that one down and the guy still thinks I pulled off one of the best tricks he has ever seen!

Fon

You have to know when to ring in that type of effect. Too early into a set, and you will not get any volunteers for the rest of the set. You may, as well, enrage on you and incline the spec to 'gang up' on you. Too late, you leave a sour taste in their mouth and they leave indisposed towards you.

Well IMHO, I think if someone does a trick like the one mentioned in the post above, (very good tricks by the way) to an antagonistic audience member, then I think it's only putting fuel on the fire (magi 1 - spec 0)
I personally prefer to avoid those types
:dizzy:

If I am in a private setting, then I have to use careful diplomacy, and maybe an inclusive sucker effect to put them off. When I am in a mall environment, however, I am not quite so Camp David inclined.

For the truly problematic, and I mean the consummate, interjecting idiot, I keep in limbo, a blank card that has the following printed on it:

"Hi there. First off let me explain that you picked this card because I wanted you to pick this card. Please do not interfere with my act any more, as my job is to entertain, and not coddle hecklers.

Have a nice day."

I then classic force this card to them, and tell them to keep it. Usually they go away. if they start showing the card to people, it seems like an odd magic trick, and believe it or not, can seem like it was the immeasurable power of their troglodyte persona that brought it about. Others will be amazed at the preparatory steps I have taken.

Either way, it goes miles ahead of trying to play wit-wars with those chosen few who have no blood flow above the neck.

Again, I stress, this is only for the out and out jerk, and not the chronic "hand-burner."

--Ron

Giobbi, in the 2nd volume of _Card College_, describes many methods for dealing with such people. My favourite is to tell him to go in another room, accurate shuffle the deck, take the card he prefers and keep it in one pocket, with the deck in another pocket, and stay there until someone of the audience will go there to call you.

After he leaves, you go on performing for the others; after your act, you call him and admit you can't, actually, devine his cards. The audience will laugh and will understand who is the real winner

Most "Non-believers" have some reason to be that way. Maybe it was their childhood, maybe they don't like magicians. Who knows, who cares. If you are in a paid professional performance and the yo-yo character shows his ugly face, the best thing to do is..... be subtle with your audience and impress them to the point that the questionable character actually feels as if he has missed something.

In other words, go out of your way to change him. Change his mind and attitude.

This is a situation we would all like to avoid. It has been my experience that this is a learned skill, and with practice any magician can learn to diffuse a difficult audience member.

Hoelderlin,
I like your idea. I will start to use it. The audience will laugh for sure.

Rod Lages

I cannot even begin to describe how impressed I am with this. It is one of the most strikingly marvelous ideas I have read in a long time!

--Christopher Carter

Two ideas,
clasic force a card, turn your back to the audience and say: "Please show the card to everybody... put it back ANYWHERE YOU LIKE..."

Now... some people here will think of putting the card not in the deck but sit on them ..or put it under something that is near them... very near them.. they don´t want to be caught. And the funny thing is that they will think that you intented to say any place in the deck and they will feel that the brilliant idea of screwing you up comes from their very "bright" minds and won´t realize that it was implanted in their minds..

Well ..how will you realize then that they didn´t put the card back in the deck if you are not looking you may ask?..

Well someone will laugh, ALWAYS, With this I think you can make a very nice effect.. any ideas for presentation?

And darmoe mentioned in another post the
"vanishing bank account" for "thought customers" in which using a strong magnet you "erase" someones bank account... when they try to use their Visa card to pay the bill they find out that you did real magic after all.

IMAO

I am no expert at dealing with hecklers, but I do know for those that do a lot of mall work or walk around work effective ways of dealing with them are a must. If you can have something that appears well prepared, but does not overly embarass the heckler (he/she is after all a member of your audience, and a friend/family member of others in your audience) then you are off to a good start. The pick a card idea from Ron Giesecke is a gem. Pure genius.

Great advice for dealing with Heckler everyone. I made quite a few mental notes.