Helping a selfish magician...

[Slicke]

So yeah , recently i apparently inspired someone in my school to get into card tricks. I was sitting while he was performing a few basically self working easy tricks that i taught him. The fact that he watches video tutorials on Youtube and doesn't take the time to practice it is also a threat to me because i sometimes perform 2 card monte or the biddle trick and don't wanna give it away . Finally he ran out of tricks so i decided to help him perform card through window effect, he did and the reactions were good, they were like "How did you do that ?!!!" and his response was "Its very hard" and i was okay with that, just like any other magician, you should play it off a bit. I even helped him get a rid of a selected card from the deck and i also acted surprised like any other spec.

Finally the specs asked me to do something and they said i was better or something like that and his response was "I taught him everything" and that really pissed me off and whatever trick i would perform he would try to catch me, when he thought i was holding a break he would be like "put the cards on the table" and when he knew the moves he would say "i see what you did" out loud thus saying that he cannot be fooled ....

So i decided to perform Nacho Mama's Triumph to the specs. knowing that he would try to catch me. I performed it well and i finally did the Ego Change to reveal that the deck changed color. His face was priceless because the ONLY sleights he knows is the DL and Hindu Force ... he thought i used a gimmick or something. He took my deck and put the selected blue card on top of the red deck and tried to figure out the change. He took the deck away from me, with the blue card on top, went to some people and tried to "slide" the blue card to the bottom of the deck using his other hand, basically trying to repeat the effect , of course it was VERY obvious. I went to him, took my deck back and said "don't bother yourself"

So yeah, i thought i would share that with you guyz and any advice on how to deal with these type of people would be great ...

 

[CorbinB]

I hate people like that because I get that alot from some selfish magicians..."That's a nice pinky break you've got there" "I like that shuffle you did. Retain top stock eh?" "hey wanna not do a double lift next time"? It's ridiculously annoying isn't it? I pretty much completely ignore them thus making them ruin the effect and/or piss all of the audience off. Is this doesn't work just don't perform near them. Also and this is very important. DO NOT do the same to them. That will not only continue the cycle but it will make you look like an idiot also. If you act mature around him your audience will respect you more. The most important part of this is being patient. Eventually he should stop and if not just remember that he's making himself look stupid. Keep your cool and your audience should develop a preference for you over him if they haven't already. I know how annoying people like this can be. Good luck!

 

[LuseifHo]

Ah... these annoying little cretins... I agree with dealing with them.
Ignoring them may work sometimes... but sometimes they ruin your whole trick in a way the audience wouldnt mind.
"and your card goes in the deck"
"double lift..."
Audience are sure to catch that and they might realize it after he points it out.
"Lets give it a shuffle..."
"top stock retention...."
These things sure give your trick away.
I liked the way you dealt with it. If what you said was true, that all he knew was a DL and Hindu, then it shouldnt be too hard to confront him. Just force a card and read his mind.
As for his comment, "I taught him everything he knew"... That is just... what an ass... I would just go ahead and ask him then and there. "no you didnt... what are you talking about?"
Most magicians on this forum dont agree with what I say when dealing with people who try to ruin you, but I say "if they try to ruin you, ruin them" They are being little buggers, then you have to deal with it. It wont go away with you ignoring it.

 

[Jenai]

That is downright stupid! I hate such people. Although something similar happened to me

My cousin started learning card tricks off youtube and to be honest, thats what sparked my interest in magic...but anyway I started learning magic too and i continued studying it, I have a few DVD's and everything now. My cousin stopped magic but he is familiar with double lifts,pinky breaks,Hindu force, Slip force etc. And these moves are included in atleast 60% of all card tricks

So now whenever Im showing magic to family or friends and hes around he likes to catch me by saying stuff like "why is your finger in there?" or "let me shuffle!". Although I like to take it as a challenge to myself to show him a trick where he doesnt feel the need to interrupt I make it seem as fair as possible. Sometimes you fail because if your counting for example four cards he wont believe you, the count seems totally fair but he will still grab the cards and check if they are just four. But the times you fool him, the reaction is totally priceless.

Just yesterday he had come over and I showed him a card trick where you pick a card and I name the selected card THATS IT, so theres no putting it back no shuffling, no counting nothing! He was totally blown away! .

And then he asked me "how did you do that" (He had some other words in that sentence but i decided to leave them out). I just replied "Magic".


Hope That helps i'd be happy if it does, even just a little



- Jenai

 

[LuseifHo]

Ah.
One thing I just remembered which usually does help the audience go against him is perform the fairest of moves where youre actually goin no where.
Perform a fair riffle selection
"riffle force"..."shhhhhh"
A regular single card turnover that is made to look like a double
"doube lift"..."quiet!"
Perform some random shuffles
"false shuffle"...."SHUT UP!"
and keep going. Ive only done this once and he shut up after 4 clean moves. But i rarely come across these people again. Ive met one recently but he only talked when it was 1 on 1 and he was a very nice person, I just think he was doing it in the context of learning.

 

[CorbinB]

Obviously sciffy and I have our different methods, haha. I suggest you try both of our suggestions and see what stops him. Good luck Slicke.

 

[Slicke]

Thanks for the replies. What really pisses me off though is that i helped him with various effects and he blew mine away ...

Anyway, the first throw he did at the window was an EPIC FAIL because i didn't stick the card to the window yet, lol. We were synced second time though ...

 

[MrHoudis]

Do what Houdini did. He would do tricks, and his competitors would always figure it out, and duplicate it. So, he discovered a new way to do the same trick, and fool them all. So, figure out how to do the tricks both of you know via a different method. That way, you CAN "put the cards on the table", for example, when he says you have a DL.

 

[Slicke]

Do what Houdini did. He would do tricks, and his competitors would always figure it out, and duplicate it. So, he discovered a new way to do the same trick, and fool them all. So, figure out how to do the tricks both of you know via a different method. That way, you CAN "put the cards on the table", for example, when he says you have a DL.

*a break

but yeah ...

 

[Haunter]

Can't believe no one said gator boots yet...

 

[Sean.Cinco]

Can't believe no one said gator boots yet...

LOL!

Anyway, this is why I always disliked performing in front of magicians. Alot of them (not all) will comment either during or after the effect in the sense of "Oh, I would've done it like this instead" or "You should do it this way" or "Nice (insert sleight name)". I appreciate the suggestion when it's actually supposed to be help, but when they try to prove their worth and tell me how to do my routines THEIR way, I think it's disrespectful and annoying.

 

[steven23234]

My advice is send anyone wanting to learn to the library and wait until they are dedicated.

 

[LuseifHo]

I agree with Sean. That bugs the hell out of me. Comments during a trick is like a big slap across the face to an actor during a show. I appreciate comments after the trick as it shows that they can wait. Those who dont just want to show that they are not fooled for even a second.
and as for gator boots... I do not recommend that. Its funny but... I dont think it will be appreciated. If he doesnt understand why you did it, then hell be offended. If he does understand it, hell think youre taking revenge, which is still bad. Gator Boots is an obvious "attack", which doesnt work that well.

 

[RikAllen]

I've been keeping this to myself for a few months, but I learned a marked deck and the past few months have been using the principle to eliminate the need for forces. I can do a fair dribble, riffle, or spread and know what the card is before they do.

Even if people know about marked decks they won't see them and will dismiss the idea (if you dress it up enough, you can't just check the mark and read their minds, you need a premise worth believing).

Just my 2 cents. (you could also marked deck + index or ultra-mental deck for a miracle)

 

[Xdelamuertex]

hmmm

Well, its obvious he just wants to be like you. He wants all the glory without any of the work. Its nothing to be upset about, it is something to be flattered by! Someone saying they taught you everything you know is a great way to say "here, can you teach me something else?" Either way, its a win win. Insperation, no matter what the cost should not make anyone mad. If anything, you secretly created a monster and in a few years maybe he will be the one that teaches you something! Teach 1 and eventually you have taught a milliion just by teaching 1!

 

[deceptioproverum]

Can't believe no one said gator boots yet...

lol that is so fun to do lol

 

[LLin]

Do impromptu improvements : for example, if the trick requires you to keep say the top card on top, and a heckler comes, secretly do a corner crimp and tell him to shuffle

 

[CorbinB]

Also, was the "I taught him everything he knows" directed as a joke? Because he could've been kidding. Good for you for not flipping out. If he was as bad as you said I would've socked him in the face.

 

[Slicke]

Also, was the "I taught him everything he knows" directed as a joke? Because he could've been kidding. Good for you for not flipping out. If he was as bad as you said I would've socked him in the face.

I caught him say that, he said it quietly towards the audience in a selfish way, while i was behind him .... and i thought it was the perfect time to use the steel chair that was near me but i showed no reaction as if i didn't really hear him. Because both the audience and i know i'm more experienced, i had nothing to prove to them.

 

[Kontents]

Not really a magician if he calls you out on your performances.. more or less a heckler with the basic concept of simple tricks. Just forget about him and move on. Most likely he will fall off his trend and you can carry about your way.