Are their ever times when you think that,when you do a glimpse, a spectator may INSTINCTIVELY know you peeked at that bottom card to get some type of information from it?...Maybe,I'm just guilty of "magician's thinking" as Osterlind says.

What are you guy's(and gal's) opinions on this?

Jay Sankey in his dvds - Rev. Card Magic and Secret Files - glimpses at cards quite a bit. Jay always said in his dvds to not make a big deal out of it. If you act like nothing is happening, no one will know anything is going on, except you of course. So just relax, have confident and go out and do some wonderful magic, Ednigma!

In my opinion, if one uses a glimpse in a logical manner and uses misdirection to his advantage, it is very difficult for a spectator to realize that a glimpse has even take place. Add in an effective presentation and you should be golden. By the way, there are some very effective glimpses in "Royal Road to Card Magic." To answer your question more directly: I don't believe a spectator has ever suspected me of performing a glimpse in order to achieve one of my effects. Well...at least I've never been called on it.

On the one hand, a student magician is told: "The audience will look where you look."

On the other hand, that same magician is told: "Where you look doesn't matter."

Is it any wonder he or she is confused?

Basically, if it's not natural, then don't do it! Audiences WILL hone in on something that's unnatural, be it they way you display the cards or the accidental (?) glimpse of a card.

Vernon spent the better part of a lifetime stressing the naturalness of every move; it appears that his efforts were wasted.

Mr.Marucci,no disrespect intended,but my next question is this:
If you MUST glimpse a card, how can you glimpse a card AND NOT?
The glimpse IS often a necessary means to obtain information about the previous card.

There are all kinds of ruses a magician can use to glimpse at a card, fanning the deck to show it is normal. Gesturing with the cards, held in such a way they can get a glimpse. Bottom cards are a bit easier to glimpse than top cards, but it is about the same. Generally if you don't make it a deliberate move to "look", because your audience has no clue of what to expect, and you certainly aren't going to tell them, you get away with it fine. In most cases if you were to interview people right after they saw a trick, they actually remember very little about it, other than the final effect. They often don't remember cards being shuffled and cut (one reason many magicians in their patter remind the audience "you cut and shuffled the cards making any trickery on my part impossible...etc." as a part of their patter), or much else of the "set up". The magician being aware of what he is doing leads him to fear it will be seen. A good example is the thumb tip. New magicians are often very apprehensive about this gimmick. Yet in over 40 years, I've never had anyone notice the thumb tip. And in many a trick performed by a magician I was watching where I knew one was being used, I didn't notice it either. People as a general rule don't pay that much attention to detail. Gestalt psychology made a whole study out of the fact that people tend to look at forms, and relational things, not details. You know the detail so you know it is there. Unless you draw attention to it in some way,most won't notice, the one or two who might, if you simply refuse to acknowledge that is how it is done, still don't know for sure. Just practice before performing, watch yourself in a mirror, and try to be as continuous, and natural as possible. It will work for you.

Thank you for clarification,photius.

That was a good post, Photius.
I still feel a bit uneasy when using my tt.

Natural 'toying' with the deck- such as squaring or spreading the cards works well. Just be natural; you'll be surprised when it works.

Matt

Don't forget that the action of looking down at the cards is only unnatural when you make it unnatural. Avoid nervous body language, and just casually look down at the cards when youre getting your peak.

I'd choose doing a trick with a forced card, rather than needing to rely on a glimpse of a card... there is much less pressure and the result can be basically the same -- what do you do when you miss a force ? you go into a different trick; with a peek you are pretty committed at that point in the trick and now you need to think of possible outs.

In "World's Best Card Tricks" Bob Longe gives some clever ways of glimpsing a card. One is to say that you forgot you have to remove your unlucky card (the Queen of Spades, say)in order to do this trick. Then just remove that card, glimpsing the card you need to glimpse along the way, and set the "unlucky card" aside.

No. Not wasted, I assure you.

Glimpse at it boldly but don't pay much attention... continue talking and moving your hands for misdirection...

I've been accused of having adult A.D.D., rapid fire thoughts and speach, always moving, etc. For those with similar personalities, rattling off at the mouth (patter) and fussing with the cards, you should easily be able to get a glimpse and it appear perfectly natural. I don't know what to offer the normal people.

Well I think you could do it while pattering, or perhaps provide a sound reason for all your actions as Dai Vernon might have said. Just be really natural. Mr. Marucci is right! If it ain't natural, don't do it. But of course he isn't saying that don't look and glimpse the card. He probably meant don't lift the deck up to ur eyes, and look at the bottom card then set it down again.

Okay I was exaggerating, but you get the idea =P

So just go ahead and glimpse, your previous tricks should set them off guard by then.

D.

I have developed an out for when I feel that someone is going to trouble me when a glimpse is required. I dramatically glimpse a card, allowing them to catch me doing it. Then, as an act of fairness, I remove that card and lose it in the deck. In this motion I glimpse the card underneath it and continue with the routine. Replacing the card makes for good misdirection.

There are plenty of natural or legitimate reasons to look at your deck of cards when performing. You don't need to take your glimpse while the spec is looking at their card. Do it while shuffling or playing with the cards before the spec has any idea what you are about to do. If I need a glimpse, I like to take it while giving the cards a riffle shuffle. Very simple to see the card which will end up on the bottom in the moment before the riffle is released, and it makes perfect sense that you would be looking down at the deck.