Hey guys.. I have incidents happen to me.. when i juz started, like 1 - 2 months, i was doing tricks to my frenz, and they will want me to repeat it them.. Maybe to another person.. But then they purposely will want to break the magic.. Sometime it happens, when my hand trembles, the trick wont work and it tells everyone how it works..(not really know, juz that they will say, ur card is the 2nd card) things like tat..

So how to handle this kind of situations? First prevent it from happening and Second if it happened..

I met nails from my frenz liao.. And i cant help it cause when i do for some others, if they happen to be around, they wont keep their mouth shut..

If this goes on, it will make you feel bad. So stop peforming t them for sometime.

Don't repeat the same effect with the same presentation twice.

Isn't it great if they keep pestering you to perform. It means you'd create a mystery in them from your previous effect.

If I'm not wrong, there's a topic on handling diffcult situation somewhere. Search for it... ;)

If your friend requested you to perform the same effect for somone else, don't do it. You don't owe them anything. Besides, these people just want to know how its done. Don't give them the pleasure.

my friends also wan me to show them again to their friend and try to see thur how the trick been done...

i simply tell my friend I didnt bring my magical powers out. If the person looks interested and wan to see, i will show to him when my friends are busying with something else.

Tat is a nice one.. Magical power.. Ya.. Now i try not to do to them alreadi.. I do to some other ppl than them..

It actually spoil my mood when it happens.. And make me uptight, cant do anything to it..

Sometime i feel bad that i actually exposed the magic effect to them juz like tat.. Feel so bad abt it..

Try to avoid flashing your decks etc in front of them, cos from my (little ) experience, potential-heckler friends would force you to perform again and again when they saw you carrying your decks etc.

If not, say, 'Today is my day off! Unless you can pay me for the magic.'
Then when they hand you coins, vanish their coins. They are yours then. :P

Then walk off, and say ' Have a nice day!'

- Ling

if ppl want u to repeat the same effect, they are usually just trying to "catch" u and find out how it is done.

i wouldnt do it if that is the case, but perhaps, i may add a little twist to it and have fun with them... lol

Because it's 1.34 in the morning and I have school in 6 hours, I'll be short.

The request from your friends is an excellent way to launch into another effect. "Dude, you think the coin flying from hand to hand is cool? Watch this.. they're turned into CURRY PUFFS!! MUAHAHA".

But seriously, make yourself spontaneous. Do whatever it takes to make it seem like you can do ANYTHING, within ANY situation. Maybe it's just my style, but no harm giving it a go ;)

-Kev

Ya.. Understand.. Now most of the time.. I will juz laugh and tell them to think.. And say i wont expose the trick.. To those bunch of frenz la.. They are not really tat bad la.. Juz that not sporting enough.. Can be sad.. Hehe..

Kel, i got to admit you are good in "Do whatever it takes to make it seem like you can do ANYTHING, within ANY situation."

The last meeting, i didn't expect you do that "phone call" trick on me..

in case u drop your brain, you stun me with the deck displaying 8 clubs and change to 6 then to 2 clubs with your story of making a phone call cost too expensive at 80cents..
remember ?

This is why I pick up magic, - "Do whatever it takes to make it seem like you can do ANYTHING, within ANY situation."

I gotta add this quote to my signature..

Hehe, wow... thanks for the props, LV! I picked up these techniques from none other than the great Huron, big H. He calls it "bullshit magic". No need to wonder why :rolleyes:

-Kev

Hmmm... I dont see why you would want to ask them to think, becos, if you do, isnt that like telling them blatantly that what you are doing isnt magic but just little tricks?

Anyway, sometimes, if they ask me to repeat the same effect, right after i do that effect, i would usually do another effect, perhaps a stronger one.

Well... for me right, I dont really feel that that when your spectator asks you to show the effect again, is trying to find out how it is done. For example, when you do Card transpo, and you ask them 'did you feel anything?' And you reveal that it transpos. Naturally they didnt, therefore they might ask you to repeat so that they can FEEL what happen. Get what i mean?

And, if my friends ask me to perform the effect to their friend, on another ocassion, i'll gladly do it. I mean, these people are really important to me. Its like, they are free advertisment man. They are your fans! hahaha.

okay, thats just my individulistic thinking. =)

If friends ask you to repeat the same tricks, just do what you'd do if you wanted to feign sickness back in pri or sec school.

"Alamak! Stomachache! Aiyoooooooooo!"
Then just run away. Don't look back.

Better still, say that your hands suddenly developed cramps.

Seriously, i just tell them, "Later". Then i indeed do the SAME trick later, when they are caught off guard. In addition, i garnish the same trick with a whole new script of impromptu patter. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the mention Kev!

Make every one of your performances a privilege. A rare opportunity.
Regarding repeating an effect, if you HAVE to repeat it, do it on the offbeat. Half the effort, double the reactions. But as always... make them beg and yearn for a performance from you.

"Huron show me some card magic!!"
"Haha. No idea what you're talking about."
"YEAH RIGHT. You showed me some insane stuff yesterday!"
"Wow. Really? Was it good? I don't remember."

Leave them with that cheeky little smirk, and ignore their incessant ranting about you bullshitting about being a noob at magic.
Always be in control of the situation. That creates a form of respect between you and your frequent audience.
Nowadays I have other laymen around who speak for me.

"Huron show me some card magic please!!"

"Eh he doesn't perform upon request. It's not his style and you really can't break the style like that. It just happens. So if you're there when it happens then you're really lucky."

Those exact lines were exchanged just a few days ago by two schoolmates.

Damn, the satisfaction.


Huron

This is what i call Professionalism. Hahaha *Al Mighty Huron* :P

I don't really see these much nowadays, but when I was younger, almost all magic related items/material (tricks, books, etc) has these "3 Golden Rules of Magic":

1) Never reveal your secret
2) Never repeat a trick
3) Practice, practice, Practice

Now, Pam will tell you (and I readily agree), that the 3rd rule should have been "Practice, practice, practice, perform, perform, perform, perform, perform, perform, perform, perform, perform, perform, perform, perform, perform, perform, perform, perform......" (you get the idea), but that's just off topic.

Anyways, the point is, due to my previous brainwashing, repeating a trick is going against one of the major rules so I avoid that as much as possible.
I say as much as possible because sometimes it's inevitable. Because if you are performing, be it strolling or social or gig or show or whatever, there's certain things you cannot control. You cannot stop a trick half-way and tell someone who has seen the trick before to "go away" or threaten to stop the trick. Not without offending people majorly. Or you cannot stop someone from buying tickets to 2 nights of a magic show to see it a 2nd time so that they have another chance to figure it out.
BUT, you can not make it easier by NOT repeating a trick just because they want to see it again.

Wow Sound Complex.. But i think i got the idea.. In the end, crowd handling..

I think in general, it is how we are able to handle ppl that knows the trick and suppose going to uncover it by not offending them.. Which i think it might be the hardest to learn.. Maybe it will onli be taught through experience..

Lets hope an experience person can teach us some tips on handling those ppl inside the crowd when doing the same trick..

lol davidkim the 'experienced magician' had juz spoken !
presenting Huron!! the super crowd handler
>.<
naturally when my friends pester me to do the same thing again if on the same day, i'll point behind them and go OMG!!
then i'll start running away =p

Well,my point of view,just practise your routines more...Till you feel confident enough to even show it to magician k...An dwhen you reach that point,people will only ask you to perform more for them rather than "perform this trick again,i wan t to see..."At least thats what i learned after i made the mistake of performing when i am not well practised at all...

Hmmm I dunno I only perform at my friends parties or at a special event. When ppl ask me to perform in school i just say," huh? what are you talking about. Whats magic?" then, I walk away.

Believe me performing too often spoils your reputation. Whenever I mention the word Magic at a friends party, my friends will call their neighbours, parents and anyone they know and force them to watch. My friends really like my tricks cos I perform when I'm ready and I always rehearse for every show that I might do. Word is out in my school that I'm a magician but I just ignore anyone who asks me to do magic or anything magic related.

Oh and never, ever, ever repeat a trick. No matter what. If someone finds out about how you do " insert trick name here" and if the word spreads, your reputation is ruined. You won't look like a professional anymore. You'll just be a guy who knows tricks, you won't be a magician.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm............................

It doesn't hurt performing once in a while. You can actually perform and then pass your name cards to your "friends" or friend's friends and ask them if they need any service.

Different people have different views, they might interpret that your reply "Whats magic ?" might be an arrogant attitude of "I know magic, i don't have to assume i know magic infront of you people."

So maybe just phrase it in another way as in "Perhaps another day ? I promise"

yea, when i started, i come across those 3 rules too. many classic books still have them, can find them in blackstone books for example.

the first rule of not revealing your secret goes without saying.

practice is most definitely essential in performing good magic, whether it is to perfect a sleight, or get familiar with the routine.

sometimes, i break the repeating a trick thing. i think this is a flexible point, because, sometimes it is good to repeat.

moreover, what seems like a repeat to the audience, may not actually be one. so i believe its ok if u vary the methods, as long as u are sure that they being keener now will still be unable to discover the secret.

i sometimes break the repeat trick rule too.... sometimes they can't see... but watch out for people who want to use their second chance to spoil the trick... like this guy i performed matrix to, he pleaded for a second time so i agreed. When i just layed down the cards, he quickly overturned them, i was damn angry at that time, but it's partially my fault for repeating too... so from that day onwards i almost never repeat a trick to someone who has seen me doing it...

had that experience too... and that feeling was not good... i was doing a card trick and they ask me to repeat again.... feeling confident i did the trick again and half-way thru, they just flip the cards over and started saying "OOOooOOOO... now i know how u do liao.." i was really angry...

like what Aloy said as much as possible dun repeat the same trick twice to the same person UNLESS u know that trick can be pull off easily WITHOUT being expose.

Was it 2 Card Monte ? Hahaha ~

Hmm i dun think 2 card monte will cause that. If the spec turns over the card, u can still continue with the magic, cause u still have one card at ur hand. by the time they will turn 2 cards over is when the whole magic is done. if they turn it at the starting of the magic, they wont know how it is done also. So no matter wat, i dont think 2 card monte will be easily exposed.

Also it depends on the magician on how he handle the situation when each of this case happen.

Example, when one of the card is turn over at mid of the magic. i will continue and say, since u know that card on ur hand, let say its the king of hearts. So i have the ace of spade here. Make the king face up and then turn it over and mix up with the spade. Then continue to complete the routine saying that the king is there to do the magic.

Example, is the card is turn over near the starting of the magic, i will juz stop and not continue. since he is trying to burn u.

As for the last situation when he turn over the 2 cards, thats the finishing. So its okie, juz keep quiet and get the cards and move on.

Juz what i normally do.
David Kim

man u guys are sure sharp... yep.. it was a 2 card monte... and thats 1 lesson learnt... though he turned the card, as what David said, the whole trick was not exposed... :D (luckily)
the guy was just suspecting... :P