When you're at a dinner, and people want to see you doing tricks ?
Do you know when to stop ?
You practice one killer effect and that's all (in that case which one) ?
Then you give your business card..
Or do you have always the same set (how many tricks) ?
Thanks

O Discrepency City
o Back in Time, by Jay Sankey
o A Crazy Man's Handcuffs routine, as taught to me by Sean Fields

I find that it'll always be handy if you know a few Mental
effects that doesn't require prep, aka impromptu, or only with something
minimal that you can carry inside your wallet all the time.

Andy

I like to have a dozen or more effects that I CAN do, depending on what's available. The more you can use the items that are readily available at the table, the more convincing the magic is.

I actually only perform one to three tricks, depending on how receptive and/or insistent the audience is. I never go beyond three. In my experience, that's more than enough.

And I never repeat a trick on the same occasion; I've found that someone will often call a friend over to the table, saying "Hey, you've got to see this!" and then will ask me to repeat a trick. In that case, I'll do something else. So it's always good to hold a 'killer' in reserve for this occasion, because the trick you do for the new guy has to be as good or better than the one that caused the original spectator to call them over!

Almost anything in Martin Gardner's "Encyclopedia of Magic" or "Table Magic", or Karl Fulves' "Self-Working Table Magic", as well as a number of tricks in many magic books for beginners, will play pretty well with the right patter and presentation.

Great advice Airship. I agree that if you are able to use whatever is available (found, seemingly impromptu) at the table, you are "prepared" to perform all sorts of amazing miracles. Silverware, napkins (both cloth and paper), matchbooks, salt and pepper shakers, sugar packets, pens, pencils and so on can be found everywhere.

It's also easy enough to carry a few things on your person to allow you to entertain, if you decide to do so. Rubber bands, dollar bills, coins, etc...all take so little space in ones pockets that it makes it easy to entertain requests to perform at a moments notice.

Mark.

I may do one trick or a set depending on how I feel.
When I'm unprepared and feel like doing one or two effects I like Sankey's "Stirring Silver", Vernon's "Cocktail Time", Mayne's "Ghost Bills", "Coins thru Table".
Not really killers but a nice bit of impromptu magic.

Usually I won't do what I consider a set unless I am somewhat prepared with some extras. With elastic bands and a pen I have some sets using the same items as in the above effects.

If I feel like I may be asked to do something I'll bring some gaffs and gimmicks and take the magic up a notch.

Gregory Wilson's Sweet-and-Low vanish (can be found in "Magic for Dummies" by David Pogue) is one that I have used on several occasions and if you really sell it, it works beautifully. Just do your preparation right in the middle of conversation... it only takes a few seconds (under the table of course). I've done this many times and nobody has noticed me doing it yet. Perform this and a mental effect of some sort (for impromptu situations I particulary enjoy David Parr's "Proof Positive" from the October, 2005 issue of Magic Magazine) and you'll have given your audience plenty. I wouldn't dream of doing more than two tricks. In all honesty, one is probably enough.

One other trick I've tried is a simple vanish of a borrowed quarter followed by its reappearance in the center of a piece of bread as you tear it open (the method should be obvious). I never thought it would work (if you think about it, the premise is really absurd) but surprisingly, it has gone over fairly well.

Banachek's This'n'That (M.I.N.D) sober or drunk its oh so easy/fun to perform...
Sankey's Holy Moly - just love it!
Color Monte using my own business cards with Gin/Tonic Theme (ice/lemon kicker)

oops - that's 3 but 1 and 2 are ALWAYS in my wallet so always get performed + some other simple business card switches with kiss the magician card etc

***.... + napkin rose and starcle.... hell who has only 1 :_)

If you are eating Chinese, Sankey recently put a free trick in his email newsletter where you make a prediction about someone's future. You then take their fortune cookie, crush it, and switch out fortunes with one that seems to remarkably match your prediction.

I do 3 tricks.....1 mental, then a simple ring flight and then the kicker...cellphone in bottle. And I am booked from then! SMILE

One effect that I do quite frequently is the
Imptomptu Mental Epic which I learned like
15 years ago. You only need one good force, can be anything.

Andy

Another effect that I do is to borrow two toothpicks and lay one on top of another and cause one to jump with the idea that the heat from one causes the other to jump. It escapes me as to what this trick is called... sorry. be it is impromptu...

Torn and Restored Dental Floss uses an everyday item and it stuns people!

I always carry a ] for coins across

Johnny Wong Coin set and set of Color Changing Knives

I posted this to the Perverse Magic thread of the Genii Forum on June 1, 2008. It is also published in harry Lorayne’s Apocalypse in the December 1989 issue on page 1720.

Credit Card Transposition

We were having lunch, my client, the president of a company my client wanted to buy, his attorney and myself. I was trying to convince the president and his attorney to accept a structure that would yield great tax benefits to my client and not hurt the president’s company.

Lunch was over and the president was going to pay. He took out his American Express card.

I told him that I just learned a trick and I wanted to try it and asked to see his card.

1 He gave it to me and I looked at it and gave it back and told him to put his
hand on it.

2 I told him I was going to make it vanish. I snapped my fingers and told him to lift his hand. The card was still there. I shook my head. It didn’t work.

3 “Wait I minute,” I said, looking confused, “Is that your credit card?” The president looked at it. I looked at it. We all looked at it. It was – my credit card.

4 Confused, I reached into my pocket for my wallet and reaching in (letting
everyone see my hands were empty) I pulled out – the president’s credit card. “I really don’t understand this!” I said as we exchanged credit cards.

The mood was light – they trusted me – I was not arrogant. They accepted my tax
structure.

People sometimes refer to me as a magician even though I stress I read thoughts and am a mentalist. It seems as though its too easy for lay people to assimilate mind reading as magic. If someone did come up to me and asked for a trick I'd probably (depending on the circumstance) give them a reading and maybe a propless effect at most. But it would be in the form of a conversation and wouldn't be seen as a trick.

Antigravity coins is a good one trick which can be performed again if a spectator asks "Do, it again". Credits to John Cornelius.

It depends on the people. If they ask me to do a trick I do so and if they want to see it again I'll say something like:"I won't show it again, but something similar." and then go into another trick. After a maximum of three tricks, I stop performing in most cases because I want them to be curious what I can show them the next time.

If I had to choose just 1 trick I would always do ACAAN by Asi Wind. It's a killer.

I usually do 3-4 effects after that my hands get sweaty and it affects my handling.