Are you scared to palm?

Are you scared to palm?

  • Yes I'm scared to palm.

    Votes: 17 30.4%
  • No, I am comfortable palming.

    Votes: 39 69.6%

  • Total voters
    56
Feb 4, 2008
959
3
What got me thinking about this was that it seems that every year 2 to 4 people come out with ways to make no palm card to pocket using various gimmicks. It just struck me as odd. Learning to palm was probably one of the first skills I focused on after learning a double lift and a shuffle control. So I guess I'm curious where the market lies for stuff like this?
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Jay Adra

Elite Member
Jul 11, 2011
332
3
Australia
www.jayadra.com
I wouldn't say I'm 'scared' off palming, but I'm not too confident with it. Mainly due to the fact that for a card to be concealed in a classic palm for me requires a very precise positioning. I have small hands and there's not much room for error when palming and not wanting the card to show.

I am more comfortable using a lateral palm in a table setting though.
 
Sep 18, 2010
34
0
I used to be very scared to palm. But after practicing one handed top palm and trying it out for the first time I noticed people really have no idea a card can be hidden in your hand. I can't do any other palms except one handed top, and I don't feel like I need any other techniques, the one I use gives me plenty of space and time to *uck with people's heads. Probably because I always do it in motion, while setting down a deck on the surface, it's hard to spot that card gets palmed. And if you had convinced your audience the card is really lost, they don't really have any reason to watch you that carefully.
 
Feb 7, 2011
362
1
I was blessed with growth hormones from my father's side of the family. Im six foot six and naturally i have larger than average hands. Never ever had a problem with palming. I think another reason i never had a problem was because i used alot of cheap cards when i started out, therefore never sacrificed a natural looking hand in order to avoid bending or warping a card.
 

Justin.Morris

Elite Member
Aug 31, 2007
2,793
888
Canada
www.morrismagic.ca
I used to work in a restaurant, and got busted a couple of times palming from tables behind me. I want my magic to be completely solid, so I don't palm cards as a norm. Twice bitten thrice shy. But some get along famously with palming. Not me. However for casual stuff with family or friends, I have no trouble with it.
 
Aug 2, 2011
150
0
California
I don't have many effects that require a palm that I perform. But I'll do it when necessary. If you are scared of palming, you need to make sure you have a different focal point besides your hand when executing the palm and while actually palming the card. You also need to be confident with your palm. If you're thinking about the card in your hand and the possibility of getting caught, odds are your palm WILL be caught due to slight body language signs like dropping your arm fast, or an all of a sudden change in confidence in the middle of an effect. Your spectator will notice these things. Just find a good time to execute the palm and then "forget" it's in your hand. DON'T STARE AT YOUR HAND! You can also bend the card a little in your hand in order to find a more comfortable and natural position. I do this all the time with cheap Bikes. When pulling the card out of somewhere or loading it back onto the pack it is easy to flatten it out. The last part where people get caught is the load back on top of the deck, if this is a part in your routine. Don't just slam your hand on top of the pack in a wierd way. You need to find a correct method of loading the card back on top of the pack, just like how you found the correct method of palming the card.
 
Jul 14, 2010
206
0
Croatia
I'm comfortable using the Tenkai and lateral palms, but the classic palm is not my favorite and I haven't used it in a long time. When seated at the table, especially when I'm doing a small gambling demonstration, I'm also very comfortable with Gambler's Cop.
Other than that, If I feel that I can pull it off, I palm the card and get into a backpalm while misdirecting just to produce the selection after a moment, but I usually just do that for one or two people.
So generally speaking, I would say that I'm not afraid to palm, It's just that I have my preferences that depend on the situation.
 
Mar 6, 2008
1,483
3
A Land Down Under
I have no problem palming cards. If I am doing something like card to pocket (for a bit of fun) I will usually use palms in conjunction with other methods to get me far far ahead of the spectators.
 
May 28, 2010
39
0
UK
the palm i use most is the gamblers cop (the way daniel madison teaches it) its just so well hidden and natural
 
Thought of card to pocket by Ben Earl is one of my favorite effects to perform when caught off guard with a deck of cards with me. Going to perform it tonight as a matter of fact. So yes i am very comfortable with palming - also i have no idea how to get spectators to shuffle the pack when in need to retain a card than to palm it and the replace after the shuffle.

M.
 

Jay Adra

Elite Member
Jul 11, 2011
332
3
Australia
www.jayadra.com
Thought of card to pocket by Ben Earl is one of my favorite effects to perform when caught off guard with a deck of cards with me. Going to perform it tonight as a matter of fact. So yes i am very comfortable with palming - also i have no idea how to get spectators to shuffle the pack when in need to retain a card than to palm it and the replace after the shuffle.

M.

Completely agree. The simplicity and direct power of that effect is incredible. I love his thinking on this.

I would be more comfortable with a palm in this context rather than any other type or quantity of cards.
 
Sep 28, 2011
3
0
Palming is the most beautiful thing a card magician does, it is what separates the men from the boys.

I do it most of the time. I'm not really scared of doing it but only if the routine requires heavy timed misdirection. I'm often bad with timing because once you miss it you miss it. Most of the palms I use have built in action/event misdirection. They are always within context. This way the spectator never sees my palm. I often wonder why I still opt to use the best method of doing it. I could just place the card in my hand most of the time and they would not see me palm cards.

Point is, don't be afraid of palming. Build your routines right.
 
Apr 27, 2010
229
0
baller08.blogspot.com
No one is really afraid of palming, but everyone is afraid getting caught. And therein lies the problem, you can't get good at something if you don't fail at it first.

I'm partial to the gambler's cop and Daniel Madison (as someone before me said) does a good job of teaching it. As he says, "No one looks at an empty hand".

It's a very useful technique and it opens up a lot of other awesome possibilities. But never be fearful of doing something because you might "get caught". That's the only way you're going to learn, otherwise you let your fears keep you from being better.

As the saying goes, "Everyone wants to go to heaven but no one wants to die to get there".
 
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