Card tricks and silliness?

[TheYoungPoet]

Do you think that card tricks seem a bit silly or too common? I'm trying to get out and perform on the streets more, but I've had s few bad performances with cards (even though I work a lot with them) and better reactions with more general magic. How effective are card tricks in the street?

 

[obrienmagic]

In my experience it all really depends on your personality. Me personally, I avoid opening with cards if I am on the street. I would rather do spongeballs or something with money or coins. Then I close with a very visual card effect (like my ambitious ink routine) that way I have established myself as a performer before going into the card stuff.

If you really want to do just card magic, then your first effect needs to be quick, visual, and fun. If it is a simple pick a card trick and the presentation is very straightforward, people will put you into the "show me a trick" category, which is not where you wanna be. You wanna be in the "Show me some magic or something impossible" category.

The biggest key is presentation, storytelling, and having a good hook.

It honestly relates to any form of magic, but I am using this example for cards specifically.

I would not open with my ambitious ink routine for example because it builds up to a climax. It is a great ending or middle segment, but not good as an opener.

A better opener would be coming out with blank cards then magically printing them.

Just my opinion but it has worked for me. Would love to hear what others think!

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

I think all magic presented as tricks is innately silly and trivial. Which is why so few people are able to create really artistic performances of magic.

 

[obrienmagic]

I think all magic presented as tricks is innately silly and trivial. Which is why so few people are able to create really artistic performances of magic.

Couldn't have said it better!

 

[Mr.Book]

Everyone does card tricks, if there's a Saturday night contest calling for a trick 90% of the entries will be card tricks. I would agree with O'Brien, work cards after you've determined the spectators are willing to take the time for you to perform a card trick. Just the opinion of a worker, take it as you will.

Incidentally, I get my best response from sponge ball work.



Book

 

[Timewise64]

As with any other art form, if you can take something that seems trivial and turn it into something that truly is perceived as magical you have opened an unending wealth of entertainment that you can offer as your special talent.

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

Everyone does card tricks, if there's a Saturday night contest calling for a trick 90% of the entries will be card tricks. I would agree with O'Brien, work cards after you've determined the spectators are willing to take the time for you to perform a card trick. Just the opinion of a worker, take it as you will.

Incidentally, I get my best response from sponge ball work.



Book

Everyone? Pretty broad assumption there. In my stage/parlor show I do zero card tricks. It doesn't really suit the character. Most magicians do card tricks because cards are an obsession in the magic world. There's a lot you can do with them, but just because you can doesn't necessarily mean you should.

Now, personally, I do enjoy working with cards. I like the fine motor skills and the visuals that can be created. But the vast majority of tricks and routines I see out there make no sense if you actually think about. There's no motivation to be doing what is being done. No story. Nothing more than, "It happens because it happens." So it is innately trivial. That is not to say it cannot be made to be more meaningful, just that I rarely see that happen.

 

[AmberGraci]

But the vast majority of tricks and routines I see out there make no sense if you actually think about. There's no motivation to be doing what is being done. No story. Nothing more than, "It happens because it happens." So it is innately trivial. That is not to say it cannot be made to be more meaningful, just that I rarely see that happen.

This is spot on. I've chosen to nearly entirely perform with cards, because that's what I love doing. And I've come across a lot of effects and 95% make no sense at all. I don't have a huge library of effects I perform, but I have 10 or 12 that I'm comfortable with, make sense, and perform well.
Magic can be whatever you want it to be. If you want it to be silly and lighthearted, it can be that. If you want it to be mystical and mysterious, it can be that. If you want it to be serious and send a powerful message, it can also do that. It's all about presentation.

I also think audiences get bored of the standard "pick a card" tricks, and I think that's what they imagine when they think of card magic. So at least for me it's been important to open with something entirely different.

 

[TylerScottIllusionist]

Penn Jillette said during Shin Lim's performance on Fool Us "A lot of people do card tricks. The idea of doing card tricks which are silly at their very core, really seriously and really, really importantly is wonderful."

Take away from that quote what you will. I agree that performing magic tricks with cards is very silly and I feel that it can be very cliche. I still will perform them though if I feel that I can justify them. All of my effects I peform, I justify why it is that I'm doing them. I won't give you the script but I'll give you a set list of all the effects I'm putting together for a street routine and you can see where the effects justify themselves:

• Ring Flight
• Ignition by Chris Smith
• Fraud by Daniel Garcia
• Fire Wallet and Prophet by Tom Isaacson combo
• Kolossal Killer by Kenton Knepper
• Psypher 2.0 by Robert Smith
• Ambitious Card Routine and Dream Act by Shin Lim combo
• Closing with either Counterfeit by Wayne Houchin or Double Cross by Mark Southworth (don't have the effect just yet)

I hope you can get an idea of how I can justify all my effects because of how each effect transitions and leads into another effect. What's beautiful about this 5-10 minute routine is that it all fits in my pockets and uses mainly everyday items with the exception of the cards but through Kolossal Killer and Psypher 2.0, I have justified why I am taking a box of cards out to perform since they lead into it. Just some food for thought there.

One complaint that my business partner has about card tricks is that he gets bored or confused when people make up long, confusing card plots. It ruins the magic for him since he simply doesn't get what is happening. I learned from Bizarro that magic is always more powerful when you are doing something that the audience can relate to (see his effect "Suck It" for a reference). That's why I try to keep all my effects using cards either super simple plots or visually impossible miracles (i.e. Regeneration by Blake Vogt, Quantum Space by Calen Morelli, Angle Z by Daniel Madison, Perfect by Mark Mason, Invisible Deck, etc.).

Another thing I have been working with is the Social Deck by Soma since the audience can easily relate to what story I am telling them and yet they get to see me perform all the card tricks and manipulations I do with the standard deck of cards. Remember it's all about connecting to what the audience understands and the Social Deck is very good for that.

Hope my advice helps! Just message me if you have any questions.

Best of luck!
-T