Ah, here we go. I wanna hear some of you guys' opinions on this. A lot of magicians seem to conceive self-working tricks as invariably weak and inferior compared to those effects that employ sleight of hand. Personally I feel that self-working tricks are far from inferior to sleight of hand if presented in the right manner. A lot of people seem to think that self-working tricks are too "simple" and I've seen a lot of guys blaspheme self-working card tricks by presenting them like some little kiddie thing. ;)

Effects like Paul Harris' Overkill evidently, dispel this myth. Other things like the first ever effect I learnt from Karl Fulves' Self-Working Card Tricks, something called the "stop trick" which was by Anneman, also further prove my point.

So what do you guys think of self-working effects? Do you perform any? Personally, like I said, a self-working trick can obtain equal if not greater reactions than tricks involving sleight of hand if it is presented in the right manner.

Yes I agree with you CLJ; many magicians perform self-working tricks as though they are some kiddy stuff magic... In fact, let you say, many consider self-working tricks to be incomparable to sleight-of-hand magic.

These magicians are forgetting the point: audience only care about the effect; not the method. Adding on to the above point, a magical effect is conjured up largely thru the presentation and showmanship of the performer.

A self-working trick is deceptive partly because there is no sudden fast or tricky moves... this eliminates the possibility of the audience saying that you have fast hands. Remember: Most audience will not equate a sleight-of-hand move to a magical effect if they have the slightest bit of suspect that you are making fast movement.

I really agree....

Personally, i will pick a good self working trick over a trick that requires 17 passes and all the sleights you can think of any day. Sure it will not impress other magicians, but as magicians, who are you really trying into impress? other magicians or ur specs. Also with no hot moves to mess up on, it's more likely to succeed. However, the shortcoming is the possibility of figuring out by logical deduction, but presented properly, that shouldn't happen too often.

Another myth about self working tricks: Some think that because a trick is self working, it doesn't requires practise and thoughts. So wrong. Because a trick is self-working means you can put more effort in jazzing up the presentation and more freedom in doing that. And maybe you dun have to practise it as much as your classic pass, but practise is definitely important to make sure it flows smoothly.


Cheers

i always have at least 1 self working trick in my routines...
why? isn't it tiring enough to do tons of sleights after the ambitious card routine?
not really...
does the lay person we are performing actually realise the difference between a self-working or a tons-of-sleights trick? i don't thing so. the main idea of a trick, i believe, is to present the effect as cleanly as possible, as amazing as it can get.
so as long as it works, y not?

In short, it's not how many sleights u use that determine u r a good magi or not, it's the audience reactions that counts :)

Well, i just know a few simple self-working tricks..
and the ones i love to use especially is the 4 king-queen-jack-ace trick(Sorry, i'm not good with names...;p)..
in which a 16 cards are deal in 4 rows...:)

yeah... you perform for the love of it! for me, i like doing it because it just cheers up the people around me! they don't need to know the technique of how it's done! as long as it looks good and it moved something in them - you've done it!

each to their own really. if 1 gimmick saves you time and makes it more easy, than say, doing a series of com;plicated sleights, etc... why not just get the damn gimmick? ;-)

what kind of magic determines whether ur good with ur hands.
how you present determines whether ur a good performer.
the audience reactions determines if u are a magician.

Totally,absolutely agree that self working trick still rule! I normally perform production of ace by simply ask the spectator do all the stuff- cutting, draw the card and so on until they surprice that they can produce the 4 aces! and again I will create more routine for continuity and most of it is self working card tricks. Agin the spectator still amazed.

Out Of This World (OOTW) is another great self working trick.
If it fools Winston Churchill, it will full most laymen.

Easy to do. Juz the presentation and patter that makes the trick even more impressive.

Yeah! My Half-Deck Impromptu OOTW from Michael Ammar's Easy to Master Card Miracle Series regularly gets better reactions than anything else I do that requires an abundance of well-practiced sleights. Its ironic and humbling and absolutely mind-boggling how the best of knuckle-busting sleights can be outshined completely by a trick that requires no specific digital dexterity or practice and can be repeated without fear of exposure.

Just like there are good sleight of hands effects and bad sleight of hands effect. There are good self-working tricks and bad self-working tricks. It is definitely a myth. Generalizations, I suppose.

And for that matter, I also love beautifully constructed mathematical miracles. ;)

As for me, i have only 2 self-working trick, but i use it all the time!