Hi guys, need some suggestions.

Jul 7, 2016
15
4
Greetings! I actually am new to this forum as well as to magic, been performing magic for just over a year now and I've been doing street magic for several months now. I just have a question and i hope you guys could help me out.

I'am more into card magic and I use the ambitious routine a LOT. I just want to know if how many moves do you use in your ambitious routine? Because I've read somewhere that for the routine to be effective you must limit the moves that you use.

That's all I wanna know. Your expert answers would be greatly appreciated.



Cheers!
Cy
 
Jun 6, 2015
119
84
Charlotte NC
If by moves you are referring to sleights, then I would disagree. If you repeat the same move over and over, the spectator's will more easily catch on to the method. Aside from the double lift, I try not to use any moves more than once or twice in a routine.

*Using different moves doesn't necessarily mean changing the effect. You can produce the same effect with many different moves, and hopefully the moves will disprove the other solution, which adds an additional air of impossibility.
 
Nov 23, 2015
5
1
If by moves you are referring to sleights, then I would disagree. If you repeat the same move over and over, the spectator's will more easily catch on to the method. Aside from the double lift, I try not to use any moves more than once or twice in a routine.

*Using different moves doesn't necessarily mean changing the effect. You can produce the same effect with many different moves, and hopefully the moves will disprove the other solution, which adds an additional air of impossibility.
i agree , in my ambitious card i use many differant card controls but they all produce the same out come . the selected card still jumps to the top of the deck. find how many controls and sleights suit you and find what controls and sleights you like and are good at .
 
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Jul 7, 2016
15
4
i agree , in my ambitious card i use many differant card controls but they all produce the same out come . the selected card still jumps to the top of the deck. find how many controls and sleights suit you and find what controls and sleights you like and are good at .


I usually do 3 - 4 moves, the last one would make their selected card go to my mouth and then thats it. I could see other magicians do the ambitious with around 5-6 moves ( getting the spectators card go to the top of the pack 5-6 times ). But if i do that sometimes i would notice the spectator would become bored. Like if they see their card jump to the top 5-6 times the trick would be less effective.



Cheers!
Cy
 
Jul 7, 2016
15
4
If by moves you are referring to sleights, then I would disagree. If you repeat the same move over and over, the spectator's will more easily catch on to the method. Aside from the double lift, I try not to use any moves more than once or twice in a routine.

*Using different moves doesn't necessarily mean changing the effect. You can produce the same effect with many different moves, and hopefully the moves will disprove the other solution, which adds an additional air of impossibility.



So how many times do you make the selected card jump to the top of the pack sir?
 
Jun 6, 2015
119
84
Charlotte NC
Well you don't want to produce the same effect six times in a row. You want to produce the effect, with escalating levels of impossibility each time. I'll outline my routine if it helps:

1: I insert the card into the center, it jumps to the top.
2: They insert the card into the center, they are able to take it off the top themselves.
3: I step on the card so you can see the corner out from under my shoe, I slam my foot down, the card vanishes and jumps to the top.
4: The spectator pushes card into the middle, card appears in my mouth.
5: A crimp is put in the card then placed in the center, the crimped card jumps to the top.
6: The card is placed in the center, I kick the deck, card appears in my shoe.

So all of the "effects" revolve around the same concept: card to impossible location. But each phase of the routine is produced by different methods, and thus the spectator will have a much more difficult time following the devious aspects of the routine than if I did the same trick six times.

Above is my full routine, which I only perform if it's clear I have the spectator's full interest. If it seems like they're getting bored, I just cut some phases out of it.

I hope this helps, let me know if I need to clarify anything.
 
Jul 7, 2016
15
4
Well you don't want to produce the same effect six times in a row. You want to produce the effect, with escalating levels of impossibility each time. I'll outline my routine if it helps:

1: I insert the card into the center, it jumps to the top.
2: They insert the card into the center, they are able to take it off the top themselves.
3: I step on the card so you can see the corner out from under my shoe, I slam my foot down, the card vanishes and jumps to the top.
4: The spectator pushes card into the middle, card appears in my mouth.
5: A crimp is put in the card then placed in the center, the crimped card jumps to the top.
6: The card is placed in the center, I kick the deck, card appears in my shoe.

So all of the "effects" revolve around the same concept: card to impossible location. But each phase of the routine is produced by different methods, and thus the spectator will have a much more difficult time following the devious aspects of the routine than if I did the same trick six times.

Above is my full routine, which I only perform if it's clear I have the spectator's full interest. If it seems like they're getting bored, I just cut some phases out of it.

I hope this helps, let me know if I need to clarify anything.


Thank you for this sir, this gives me some ideas for my ambitious routine :D its greatly appreciated :D
 
Jul 7, 2016
15
4
Well you don't want to produce the same effect six times in a row. You want to produce the effect, with escalating levels of impossibility each time. I'll outline my routine if it helps:

1: I insert the card into the center, it jumps to the top.
2: They insert the card into the center, they are able to take it off the top themselves.
3: I step on the card so you can see the corner out from under my shoe, I slam my foot down, the card vanishes and jumps to the top.
4: The spectator pushes card into the middle, card appears in my mouth.
5: A crimp is put in the card then placed in the center, the crimped card jumps to the top.
6: The card is placed in the center, I kick the deck, card appears in my shoe.

So all of the "effects" revolve around the same concept: card to impossible location. But each phase of the routine is produced by different methods, and thus the spectator will have a much more difficult time following the devious aspects of the routine than if I did the same trick six times.

Above is my full routine, which I only perform if it's clear I have the spectator's full interest. If it seems like they're getting bored, I just cut some phases out of it.

I hope this helps, let me know if I need to clarify anything.



And i would greatly appreciate if you could clarify the 3rd phase sir :)
 
Nov 23, 2015
5
1
I usually do 3 - 4 moves, the last one would make their selected card go to my mouth and then thats it. I could see other magicians do the ambitious with around 5-6 moves ( getting the spectators card go to the top of the pack 5-6 times ). But if i do that sometimes i would notice the spectator would become bored. Like if they see their card jump to the top 5-6 times the trick would be
I usually do 3 - 4 moves, the last one would make their selected card go to my mouth and then thats it. I could see other magicians do the ambitious with around 5-6 moves ( getting the spectators card go to the top of the pack 5-6 times ). But if i do that sometimes i would notice the spectator would become bored. Like if they see their card jump to the top 5-6 times the trick would be less effective.



Cheers!
Cy
You need to make each phase as unique and different as possible , if you have the card jump to the top in different ways it becomes more interesting.Also get as many spectators involved as possible and really work out an interesting story for your routine. Create you own phases to , come up with your own ideas and methods for having the selected card jump to the top of the deck .
 
Jul 7, 2016
15
4
You need to make each phase as unique and different as possible , if you have the card jump to the top in different ways it becomes more interesting.Also get as many spectators involved as possible and really work out an interesting story for your routine. Create you own phases to , come up with your own ideas and methods for having the selected card jump to the top of the deck .



Thank you so much sir :) i'll try my best :D
 
Jul 7, 2016
15
4
I guess if this stuff was easy, everyone would be doing it! Stay creative and stay unique....


Guess your right sir haha . I usually do this trick in the streets. While doing street magic ofcourse,and its actually effective opener, how bout you guys? do you do ambitious routine for opener?
 
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Prof_Utonium

Elite Member
Oct 6, 2009
38
17
Hamburg, Germany
Another thing to consider:
A strength of ambitious card routines is that they are modular (well, unless you construct something that isn´t). So you go with the flow and make it as long as the spectators are interested. Of course you should still consider what Amber said above: The phases should build on each other and they should be increasingly impossible.
But doing strolling magic you´ll encounter groups that vary a lot in regards to their enthusiams for magic. So you´ll want to keep it short if they´re not into it and keep it going a little longer when they love it.
 
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