There's more to it than just an emotional hook. The whole thing has to work, from the second you say hello to the second you say goodbye.
To use a topical example, look at David Blaine. He rolls up to someone, with a bit of an awkward weird manner, seeming a bit nervous, eyes invariably covered by glasses and says in a somewhat stuttery tone. "Can I show you something?" Not "Can I show you a card trick?" or, "Do you want to see some magic?" but, "Can I show you something?" or, "Do you want to see something that transcends the mind?"
This is incredibly psychologically powerful, because immediately the person is thinking.....what...? What is he going to show me? Some may even be made slightly nervous, unnerved by his manner and his approach, wondering if he's about to unzip his pants and whip something out they don't want to see. All are wondering who is this guy....and is something bad about to happen or something good, and then.....he pulls out a deck of cards, or some other object, but they are still in a highly suggestible state, due to being somewhat confused. Normally the words magic are mentioned with a deck of cards, but in this case.....its never been said.
Then the dialogue stops, a cascade of "watch watch watch" and subtly included non-sequeters in his speaking, "Hey why don't you do this so you can sign it big....big big!!!!, now give me it back so you can take it again......right....watch now watch...." "Hey why don't you shake your own hand" as he reaches out with his hand and they shake it....but miss what he said, but itjust once again thrusts them into a highly suggestible state of mind.
So now the audience is emotionally invested as their card has been signed but are completely confused on a psychological level as to what exactly may happen, maybe still freaked out......then bang the effect happens and suddenly all of their confusion melts away into a certainty that they have just seen something that brings it all together which has a huge impact.
It's thinking about your performance on -those- kinds of levels that separates David Blaine from your average magician. It's -all- intentional. That's why the reactions are good, not because the trick is amazing, or the sleights are flawless, but the whole presentation screams what the heck, and people leave thinking they've seen something magical.
That's what's missing from a lot of performances, which is a tragedy. I'm not saying anyone could replicate that, but there are aspects of that in a lot of good magical performances. In Poker you'd call it 3rd level thinking, whereby first level thinking is, if I approach say hello and do a good trick it'll get them. Second level might be, if my slights are better the reaction may be better, 3rd level thinking may be, how I say hello, or if I confuse them here, or if I do this here it may cause a reaction before I even pull out the deck.
That's what draws people in, and as a magician, misdirection is about more than what's in your hands.
Another example, Copperfield on stage, he gets a bunch of random numbers from the audience and tells a story about his grandads car (which later appears on stage) but what's amazing is the numbers on the number plate are those selected by the audience. Now the story is more than just an emotional hook (which it is) but its also a way of making the number plate perminent in the eyes of the audience. It makes it seem even more impossible because they understand in an emotional and a historical way where the number plate comes from (even if its not true) and thus it brings the house down rather than just being any other number prediction plot.
Basically its lack of thought about the performance. Do you want to be someone just doing card tricks? Or do you want to be someone that is magical? Sure be yourself......but be yourself and think about everything you say. Every part of your act should be thought about, from hello to goodbye when you hand them back their signed card, or their quarter, or you give them the ticket you tore up in front of them in one piece...whatever it is.
So yeah...if you don't put a bit of 3rd level thinking into your magic, you're just another guy with a deck. Everyone needs to find their own way of doing that, that works for them, but its the presance of that X factor that makes miracles possible.
