I'm writing this in the hope that the confused will read it, and clear up some of their misunderstandings of the definitions of the terms below.
Impromptu:
An impromptu effect is one that can be performed at any time, with any deck, and absolutely no previous work required.
Setup:
Setup tricks are simply that. You have, in advance, altered the normal state of the deck in a way to create an effect. For example, adding a duplicate card, placing certain cards in certain orders (e.g. 4-card revelations, etc), or planting a card somewhere are all setups.
Gimmick:
A gimmick is an unnatural object intended to appear natural, in order to create a seemingly impossible effect. For example, many Torn and Restored effects use gimmicks, tricks that use pulley systems, invisible thread, etc., and things like the Invisible Deck, Stripper Decks, weighted decks are all gimmicks.
Hope this helps,
Ben
Impromptu:
An impromptu effect is one that can be performed at any time, with any deck, and absolutely no previous work required.
Setup:
Setup tricks are simply that. You have, in advance, altered the normal state of the deck in a way to create an effect. For example, adding a duplicate card, placing certain cards in certain orders (e.g. 4-card revelations, etc), or planting a card somewhere are all setups.
Gimmick:
A gimmick is an unnatural object intended to appear natural, in order to create a seemingly impossible effect. For example, many Torn and Restored effects use gimmicks, tricks that use pulley systems, invisible thread, etc., and things like the Invisible Deck, Stripper Decks, weighted decks are all gimmicks.
Hope this helps,
Ben