I love getting the reactions from people who think they knew how it was done. The best thing about close up is a lot of it can be examined before and after, where as stage and kids are controlled audiences so it is easier to just say what is happening, rather than what is happening. If you can get the audience to agree with what you say, BRILLIANT. I needed to know what type of magic to go into because I am fairly young (16), and should sort out my priorities now.

My favorite type of magic would definitely have to be close-up for many of the reasons people listed above. Though I don't have one specific effect/routine as my favorite, I have always loved the cups and balls; performing the routine, watching other versions of it, studying the history of the trick, etc. Another one of my favorites would have to be Matrix.

Definitely close-up. It looks more "magical" than a bunch of brightly colored boxes on a stage. My favorite close-up effects would be the pasteboards.

There are a lot of packet tricks which fall under close-up magic. For a small investment, you can have lots of good effects ready to show at a moment's notice, under close scrutiny of your audience. Try NFW, Lightning Lady, the good old Fool's Monte . . .

All the best!

Dynamite



And don't forget your coins . . .

Does anyone think that close-up is as easy to be caught on as stage or children's parties? Ninety-nine percent of the time when I am performing, no one detects a thing, but one percent of the time, some little thing is seen, or I drop something. Nobody's perfect though!

Close-up magic is by far my favorite kind of magic because most of the time it uses objects people see everyday, and it can be performed almost anywhere. Some of the tricks happen in the spectators' hands and right in front of their face.

Stage magic and other types of magic are great too, but for me close-up magic is the best. I have many favorite tricks but the one that gets one of the best reactions is Out of This World.

I agree, Out of This World is a great impromtu trick that could even be borrowed. That, along with the Ambitious Card, get the two biggest reactions from people who I borrow a pack of cards from.

Close-up for sure. When I got bit by the magic bug (you guys know what I mean) I became a fiend. I remember being at the magic shop asking the store's magician to demo everything.

I soon found an IBM ring and joined. It got worse. I started entering contests with help from a good friend. Someone offered to take me to the Magic Castle and I went. When I saw the close-up gallery, I said to myself, Self! You will someday perform here. That was in 1997.

July 14-21 2003 I performed late close-up at the Castle. A minimum of four shows a night and I performed seven on Sat and six on Fri. It was my magic dream come true. I'm hooked on close-up forever.

I really like close-up since you can interact with the people and you can go more with the flow and improvise from time to time. My favorite effects are cups and balls because of the history and the endless ways to put together a routine. I also like the chop cup and spongeballs.

I love close-up. My favorite effects are:

Two Card Monte
Ambitious Card
Sponge balls
Cups and balls
Twisting Arm

:bg:

I find that close-up is more versatile and readily available than any other kind that requires too much preparation. Maybe I do it just because I'm lazy.

Are there any good close up magic routines for kid’s parties? I'd love to figure out how to do it, but it seems like the flashy big stuff works best with the kiddies.

Close up and impromptu - the ultimate combination for making magic.

Hey digital backlot, don't even try doing close up for kids. I tried, and I failed. They don't understand card tricks, and they want to see everything at every stage of the way. If you are covering something, they'll say I saw that, or something like that and not be interseted. Because closeup is the most magical, they are more intent on ruining it and trying to find out how it's done because it's right in their face!

With sheer timing, execution and time misdirection, Crazy Man's Handcuffs is a killer.

I love close-up...not because of the tricks...but because I like to be amongst the people. I like to laugh with them and become their friends through Magic.

Close up is great - I just love coin vanishes. After vanishing a coin a couple of times using different methods, it just seems like magic to the eyes, kinda like the ambitious card.

I've had just the opposite reaction when table hopping (I'd never do a close up show and call it a birthday party). But I've had about 30 years of experience reading audiences and making decision as to what can be used and what can't. Kids don't understand a deck of playing cards, but they do understand a deck of "Old Maid" cards, so I keep a deck of those handy when I'm table hopping. If they drop down to the floor to try and see something, I purposely do something that they won't be able to see. Then I tell them, "If you're down there, you can't see what's going on up here."

If I get a grabber, I pull out the chop cup and when I know they're going to grab it away, there's going to be a big ball underneath. And while they're trying to figure that out, I load the other one right in front of them. The key is, make them think that they're doing the magic (Hey! How'd YOU get that big ball under there?!?!). That attitude wins them over to your side, and when they're on your side, they're not being "challenged" by the magic that's happening.

I love all types of magic...but like a lot of people here, close-up is my favorite. I love interacting with people and seeing their reactions. Also, when you do something that takes place in a spectators hands, it is so strong that they will be likely to remember it for a very long time. The main thing is I just love the opportunity to get to meet new people and have a great time.

Close-up is my favorite.

Chop Cup
TT
Inviso Deck
Ring through Rope
Cut and restored rope
Professor's Nightmare
These are my favs.