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"You must have an emotional hook." - Dai Vernon -

I am working on a double transposition effect where each of two spectators is holding a card between their hands, and the cards change places. Simple, straightforward and direct, but very magical. I am working up a script along the lines that everyone, not just magicians, has magical powers...

Yes, that is an important observation!

Yes, I would agree that they must be looking somewhere other than your hands before you do the move. Normally, when you look up, or at something or someone, they will look at your face or at whatever or whomever you look at, but not necessarily. The saying, "they will look where you look" is...

Grahm, You have already gotten such excellent suggestions. You are a polite, humble and gracious person, and that is what is most important, and people - especially elderly people - will appreciate and treasure that. I am sure that they recognized that in you when you did your first show. The...

Good points, thanks!

As a go-to control for getting a selection 2d (or x) from the top, I hold the deck in my right hand (I am right-handed) about 4-5 inches above my left hand, which is held at just above waist level. I then ask the spectator to call out stop whenever they like as I riffle the cards letting them...

R.O., That a very creative idea for a very strong routine with the BW deck. When you say, "Pick up the blue backed deck and show that one card is reversed -- a 7 of Diamonds with a blue back," did you mean a red back? Also, I am probably missing something that should be obvious, but I have...

RealityOne, Thank you for sharing your thoughts and for your tips. It is so great for us, as magicians, to have these two ultra-powerful effects, the ID and BW, at our disposal. I have actually worked dinners/banquets where I had to cover quite a few tables of 8-12 people in a relatively short...

Nicely done.

The discussion on the Invisible Deck ("ID") got me to thinking about an issue that has long been on my mind. I was wondering if any of the members here have had experience with the Brainwave deck ("BW") and what their thoughts are on it, especially as compared to the ID. I have owned a BW deck...

No prob, Graham, you're welcome! Enjoy it and of course do it in the way that's natural and comfortable for you. It has been around for a very long time, and remains one of the very strongest effects, not just in card magic, but in all of Magic, in terms of audience reaction.

I agree with Christopher and Josh's thinking and approach on this, which are in line with an old and wise saying in Magic: "Don't run when they are not chasing you." And they are not chasing you at the end of the ID; they are too busy picking their jaws up off the ground and are not going to...

Maaz, Generally speaking, I agree with what you are saying. My own particular style is to present magic with entertaining and/or intriguing stories, and it appears that yours might be as well, which I can certainly relate to, as can the audience. And I do use a lot of comedy and gags, not only...

Maaz, I welcome your disagreement, but I - well - disagree with it. Saying that the audience was focused on how great the magic was, and not the magician himself, is a bit like saying the spectators at a baseball game who just witnessed a towering home run with bases loaded to win the game, and...

Yes Josh, I know you are a "moderator," and therefore have power, even to ban me from this Forum if you choose. That does not change the fact that I have the freedom to disagree with anyone in any manner I choose, so long as it has not become an ad hominem attack, which I have not made it. My...

PS If you look up the definition of "critique," it is defined as: "an act of criticizing." https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/critique Guess I rest my case.

According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, one of the definitions of "criticism" is as follows: "Critique." https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/criticism Further, if you look up the word "Critique" in the Online Etymological Dictionary, it is a restored spelling of the original French...

If you watch the video, it is quite obvious that EVERYONE (judges included) was focused on how great Will was as a magician. I think if most magicians were as critical of their own performances as they are of Will's and/or the performances of other magicians, we would have lot more great...

You keep putting words into my mouth. I never said that anything you or anyone else has said or done is a "bad thing." As far as your "side note" that you "have actually helped someone get through two rounds of a similar show to this in Europe with my advice," and your challenge, "Have you?" I...