Gambling Sleights

Hey guys.

I was wondering, for those of you who perform/showcase effects that utilize gambling sleights (such as the Second Deal, Bottom Deal, MacMillan Switch) do you tell the audience what you're doing?

I see many performances of magicians "showing" spectators how to cheat in card games by exposing the sleight to them after they have performed it.

I know this can help them understand how cheating works, but don't you think if we keep the secret to ourselves the audience would be more awed?

I just want to hear some of your thoughts.

;D
 
Hey guys.

I was wondering, for those of you who perform/showcase effects that utilize gambling sleights (such as the Second Deal, Bottom Deal, MacMillan Switch) do you tell the audience what you're doing?

I see many performances of magicians "showing" spectators how to cheat in card games by exposing the sleight to them after they have performed it.

I know this can help them understand how cheating works, but don't you think if we keep the secret to ourselves the audience would be more awed?

I just want to hear some of your thoughts.

;D

I dont think they would be more awed because they wouldnt really understand what is going on. I think the thing that is great about gambling sleights is that you tell the audience EXACTLY what you are doing maybe even turn cards face up (ie- bottom deal) and they still cannot detect the ruse. This is what amazes people. I do some gambling sleights, mainly a full deck retention. I do it once. Then tell them and show them in "slow Motion" what I did, and then do it again. It gets great reactions.


This is what I think.

Btw- do you do any gambling sleights?


-Dan
 
Feb 27, 2008
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Grand prairie TX
One of the bad things that occurs when mixing gambling sleights for magic,is that it turns into a hell of alot of movement and no sense of direction.
The spectators at times have no idea whats going on.Ive seen it happen on alot of occasions.
Now the secret isnt at all important since these are cheating techniques.
Many laymen I know have heard of bottom dealing actually.Its the most common and possibly only cheating move they've heard of.
If your going to do a gambling/cheating demonstration,you have to tell them how and why its going to happen.Or else whats the point of showing them cases of when cheating can occur.
Either ways,its not like they will remember every single detail of how to do the move the next day,and there really isnt a secret.
 
Jul 10, 2009
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I tell my audience what I am doing when I preform the 4 of a kind switch (symphony) by DG but I cant think of the name right now.
 
Sep 2, 2007
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London
I use a bottom deal fairly extensively, and a second deal on occasions, plus a few false shuffles and cuts, and I do explain what I'm doing if I'm using them in the context of a gambling demonstration. I don't go as far as to explain the sleight, but I'll tell them I'm dealing from the bottom, or whatever. If I, for example, use a bottom deal in a CAAN-type effect, then hopefully I perform the sleight well enough that they won't spot it, even if they have been told what a bottom deal is.
 
Jul 2, 2008
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Although I'm practicing the bottom deal and other moves, I think it's more fun to convince them you've perfected a second deal.

Perform a double lift, and fake a second deal, but do it convincingly. :)
 
I agree with your logic, Marlo found it weird that people practice seconds, bottoms and centers extensively, only to expose it.

You can USUALLY use these moves secretly right after you use them openly in a gambling routine. There are couple of things going for you when it comes to using them magically, mainly that they dont know when and what to look for, and in most cases, cant see how a 2nd or a bottom can be applied in such a way (in a course of a trick, Gary Plant's tricks usually have a bottom deal used in a subtle way ).

Just keep in mind that exposing them is actually very entertaining for laymen and if you're good at it, extremely entertaining for card players, just make sure you know quite a bit about card games yourself to establish credibility.
 
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