Hi Alex,

I absolutely agree regarding Martin Nash. In fact on the program in question he said he had probably spent over a thousand hours practising something which no one was meant to see, and therefore most people could not appreciate the skills he had developed because his sleights were so indetectable.

Also thanks for the info regarding blackjack. From what you have described I am familiar with this game but under the name of Pontoon.

Thanks again,

Ray

John Clarkson wrote:

[/quote]Coincidentally, I ran into the wife of a magic-devotee yesterday. She was telling me about a close-up show the local magic club put on recently. Her comments were that she really liked the gambling deonstration routine. She gave two reasons:

1. it is a theme that most adults could relate to;
   
2. it seemed educational, instead of making the audience feel foolish/fooled, etc.

I, myself, have always been a bit bored by gambling routines, but am re-thinking the issue after this person's comments.



Personally I find it difficult to perform a routine if it appears boring to me. I just can't get into it. I also find there are 2 types of spectators: Those that like magic and those that don't. I generally find it inherent in the personality of those who don't like magic to feel foolish or unintelligent if they can't figure out how a trick is done. A good entertaining magician IMO can fool their audience without making their audience feel foolish.
I'm still trying to figure out how gambling relates to "educational".
Just my thoughts
Michaels

Yeah, I have to defend the spelling trick too! It was one of the first tricks I learned in Now You See It, Now You Don't, and I still like doing it now. Almost everyone I've tried it on has really responded well .

Like others, the ones I really dislike are the obvious mathmatical ones . Its not "mathemagic," its just boring.

P.S., I'd encourage oil and water haters to check out Simon Lovell's version in Simon Says called "Oily Snobs". It has a really good plot, not just "Look! The red and black... they've... seperated!" Not that there's anything wrong with that .

What? That is my favorite effect! I do a hypnosis theme with it, Oh well, just not your style i guess.
Corey

P.S.
If i sounded rude i didn't mean to!

My vote...ones where spectators cant follow it...and you just about can!

Robin

Agree, agree

I especially hate dancing with card productions hidden in the hands on Stage, and table Gambling magic Aces Manipulation.

And of course Spelling a Selected card by calling out its name, letters or numbers.

Ambitious Card is not the most difficult effect, but it is one of the popular ones and it is used by every magician on earth. It contains some basic moves in card magic which can't miss.

Truly,

Bone

I personally don't care to perform tricks which require a lot of dealing or calculations in my head. I don't hate gambling tricks, but I would be very selective in who I show these to. Gambling demonstration are often the perfect prescription for the audience that is not interested in card tricks and doesn't believe in magic.

I like gambling effects that have some "magic" aspect. I really like Swain's Poker Interchange(s) and his Magician versus gambler.

There are no such things as "good" or "bad" tricks. There are only good or bad magicians.

There are SO bad tricks. I know, I've created several of them.

Repeated selection effects have never worked for me. They're amusing until you realize you've just exposed how to force a card to your audience.

Two words defend "not being able to follow": Jumping Gemmini

You throw the spectator through loops and by the time you are done, you should have a little bit of credibility.

- Alex

PS. I've fallen in love with this trick and I'm working on a modified ending where all four kings end up face up in the middle of the deck with one card inbetween each.

I like minpulation card tricks like msking change or make them switch places

I would have to say at one time or another I have seen every card trick be the worst one.

For all of the effects mentioned I have seen killer routines.

I have also been bored to tears by most of them too.

So I think again it comes down the the performer, If you take the time to routine an effect and make it your own any of the worst card tricks can very quickly become the Best.

Joe

Andrew Wimhurst took that old 21 card chestnut, removed all the gratuitous counting (except the intital display that there are indeed 21 cards), and made the trick truly entertaining.

It also includes the funniest line on the tape (The Card Artistry of Andrew Wimhurst):

"Okay, now shuffle."

This gets one of the biggest laughs, and this is entrirely because of the familiarity with the trick by laymen.

Get the tape and be convinced.

Well then, I guess there are no BAD tricks/routines/'whateverrr' only presentations that do not suit everyone. Thanks for telling me which ones did not work for you, facinating. Looks like I can go back to all of my books again and figure out perhaps where I went wrong with some of them.
I'm sure alot of people viewing this post thought it was too negative a subject to respond to, not surprising, considering the way I opened it. But I think it should be seen more as a revaluation excercise which will force us to be even more creative.

Actually,I just watched 'Bowling for Colombine' and thought the short cartoon about the history of America was pure genius and now I'm incorporating it into Marlo's 'Challenge Oil+Water', not really one for the kids though.