The only time I've had someone say they've seen something is from a family member and he was just fishing. Although he was right I denied what he said he saw and continued the trick and he loved it.

I find that family and friends are more inclined to try to trip you up and fish for explanations. With them I think you should always deny and continue the trick as if you know that they saw nothing because they probably didn't.

Now when it happens with someone you've just met you have performance problems. And in most cases if you did flash and they saw most people will not say anything being polite.

Performing for family and friends is the hardest and I often don't unless I pick the moment.

Brian

I do not perform tricks for my family. After seeing me do magic tricks for 15 years I find it extremely difficult to astonish them. Family members are more atune to your body language and this will likely tip them to the method.

With that being said, There are some great one - liners you can employ found in "Magic for Dummies." If you are keeping the magic light-hearted then you should not get upset over some well-needed construtive criticism. After the performance pull the spec to the side and learn from his observations. We should all be striving for a perfect performance and this will only happen through a learning process.

Finally, Some people are horrible specs. They will do what ever they can to destroy the performance. Do not get into a challenge because it make everyone extremely uncomfortable. When this has happened to me, I stop what I am doing and I intensely look at the destructive person and I say, "I am not perfect and I am trying my best to entertain you guys the best I can."

In this particular scenario I think I might have loaded the coin in the sleeve or a coin clip beforehand and retrieved it when I needed it under a little misdirection, this way you can show both hands empty in a casual way at the start, maybe even going so far as to show nothing up the sleeves as you roll them up after you do get the coin, of course you could simply begin with a trick that IS what it seems (with no coins palmed).

I don't know your persona, but I saw a guy in Sacramento, that started off in a similar manner and I thought to myself it was obvious to everyone (which it wasn't) that he had a poor palming technique. As he got fired up and going, he managed to weave some good stories and had his movements timed to his patter and effects so well there were not any pauses for a heckler to jump in on, and he continued and finished very well, collecting four or so dollars from me , or what ever I had in pocket.

Bigchuck has some sound advice as well. I was more thinking of James West on the old seventies show and the tiny derringer that came out of his sleeve and into his hand whenever he was in a jam.

All of them good methods to avoid the unmoving hand with an unnatural cramp to it. one of the books I was reading said the thumb and firts finger were key in giving away a classic or finger palm.

I say to people that I'm just trying a trick and then if they see a palmed coin or whatever then you have a reasonable excuse

If you are not performing for money, I suggest you might follow the 7 cardinal rules I have set out to follow myself:

1. Make real sure that your sleights are undetectable.
Specs may not see the coin (or whatever) but will "feel" your uneasyness or tension and thus know something fishy is happening under their nose. As others mentionned, it is even more difficult to perform for people who know you so well that they can tell when you are not "yourself". I will try and buy a video camera so I can watch myself and make corrections. Should be a lot easier than trying to follow my moves in a mirror.

2. Give them a performance to enjoy rather than simple "magic tricks".
Work on your personae and script. Pick a character that fits you so that you are ready to improvise with it. If you are not a funny guy, don't try comedy. If you don't know what you should pick, experiment. Personnaly, if I get lots of ideas for a certain character, it means that this character *could be suited* for me. Create an act with it, try it for yourself and if you still think it rocks, perform it in front of an audience. By then, you should be able to tell whether your character needs work or should be thrashed. Everytime you perform, make it a point to sit down within the next 24 hours and write down everything, good or bad, that you noticed during your performance. I call them "lessons learned from "X" show". I found this log an unvaluable tool.

3. Choose your public.
A professional magician sometimes needs to put up with unreceptive spectators and sometimes, spectators need to put up with unwelcomed magicians. This problem is not restricted to magicians. One night, I was in an Italian restaurant with my wife and a friend couple when this accordion player walks to the table next to us, playing loudly from an instrument and creating sounds I personaly dislike. Guests at the other table, however, enjoyed it a lot. If you are a hobbyist, perform magic for people who enjoy magic. The experience will be a lot more fun for them and for you. Also, wait for them to ask you and let their desire grow. A few people where I work are letting me know and asking me when they will see me perform again... I promise them that I'm working on an act and that when I'm ready, they will be invited... You should see the smiles I get!

4. Don't insult their intelligence... not even unwillingly
I'm pretty good to get people to open their hearts and minds to me. At work where many saw me perform, I was able to gather some feedback and a collegue who had told me she didn't enjoy magic shows, finally admited that she felt insulted when magicians told her what she knew to be a lie (Hey! You had this coin behind your ear...). She feels treated like a dummy. I think there are as many ways, depending on your personae, to avoid those "insults" as there are ways to insult. In the above example, I could pick the coin from behind her ear and say instead: "Thanks, I needed that!" I wouldn't be implying anything and I would do it with a tongue in cheek attitude. She would surely relax, smile, know it's a trick but simply start to enjoy the effects. That was a lame example but I think you get the picture. The bottom line is, don't focus on their mind, focus on their emotions. Your "tricks" are already taking care of their minds but only you can make them feel something.

5. Love the people you perform magic for.
Be honnest with yourself. For example, do you want to use magic to be under the spotlight? If so, knowing it may help you avoid turning into a condescending performer. You want to make people a little happier? Think about how you can consciously bring out the best in people, let them share and even take the spotlight. Always keep that in mind and your whole attitude and body language will disarm your audience and make them more receptive. You love magic and all the time you spend reading, practicing, creating, rehearsing make you feel good, even happy. But when you perform for an audience, you should totally forget about yourself, your moves should be a second nature and your focus should be on the people watching you. Don't show them what you can do, invite them into a magical world...

6. Be daring, be original!
You don't need to create new effects to be original. After all, it's all in the presentation. I personaly try to combine tricks to create new effects and write imaginative scripts. Not only is it more enjoyable to audiences but it's a lot of fun to play around with.

7. Respect magic.
What is magic to you? This, at first, may not seem relevant but I think it is crucial. You should have the greatest respect for magic and its history. That knowledge has been passed on to you. Consider yourself a "keeper" of that secret knowledge rather than a "guardian" of it. You were entrusted not to keep laypeople from entering the temple of magic but to keep the sacred fire burning inside it. Respect magic, your audiences and yourself, stay humble, and you will get respect in return.

Richard