Need Advice please, thank you

Feb 11, 2014
52
0
Hello my name is Travis, I have been performing magic for about a year now. My question is I just want advice as to what tricks you do in order. I ask this because as a street magician there are obviously many tricks you can do with a regular deck, though many tricks also require a previous set up or a Gaff. So my question is with those tricks that DO require a gaff when would you perform them. Like say your deck is set up ready to go for the trick and then you perform it to someone, now you cant just continue with other tricks because you have a gaff in your deck so do you just walk away and perform only that 1 trick? Or the same thing applies if you start performing tricks to someone with a normal deck and then say you want to perform a trick with a gaff, you really cant because you would have to reach into your pocket to get the gaff and they would obviously see that. So are gaff and previous set up tricks only used for One timers? meaning you only plan on doing that 1 trick to someone and nothing else? Or maybe a go back trick meaning you perform for someone and then maybe walk away for a while and set up and then return to perform again? I know this a long and may be difficult to understand what im trying to say but im just trying to get other magicians opinion. Thanks a lot!!!
 
Dec 5, 2013
146
2
Boston
I would suggest establishing your own system of organizing your gaffs in one of your back pockets or in some sort of hold out. Then you can palm/cop in and out your gaffs between tricks with just a bit of misdirection. If you can't handle gaff management, then you probably are not ready for them and should focus on you slight of hand. This is in no way meant to put you or your skill down. I'm just saying that you should be using gaffs to enhance you magic and if gaffs are restraining when and what you can perform, they are not enhancing, but hurting, your magic.

Hope this helped and best of luck,
-Isaac
 

WitchDocIsIn

Elite Member
Sep 13, 2008
5,877
2,945
As Isaac said, you need to learn how to "ring in" your gaffs and such and how to set up a deck on the fly if necessary. You can also routine your tricks so that the gaff being in the deck doesn't matter. For a while I liked to open with a trick where the entire deck gets inverted except for a few spectator selections, then go into a trick where a selection is sandwiched between two aces, then teleports out from those and between the other two aces, which are in the middle of the deck. I could do this because I made sure the setup for the second trick was undisturbed by the first trick.

I also did a version of Chicago Opener as my 3rd or 4th trick, usually.

There's always a way to get things how you need them to be when you need them to be that way. If anything, do a deck switch. Perform with one deck for a bit, and then put it away in a pocket, and do a rubber band trick. After the rubber band trick say, "Hey, here's another one" and pull a different deck out of a different pocket. If they are the same design, people will not notice.

What you need to do is start thinking in terms of how things flow into each other. What will be your situation when you finish the first trick? What do you need to be able to do the second trick? Are there things you can do during the first trick to set up for the second? It's a bit like Chess in that you want to think several moves ahead while you're doing something.
 
Hey Travis! Draven here. I've been doing magic for a couple years now and I think I know where you are coming from with your question.

When you're out on the street trying to impress people with your magical talents routining effects can be somewhat of a challenge. You may find yourself saying: "I know like half a dozen awesome tricks... but they really don't go together that well." So how do you overcome that?

One of the easiest ways is to theme your presentation, and choose effects that fit or work within that theme. For example if you possessed psychic powers and could move objects with your mind you may consider doing tricks like Hover/ UFO card, Haunted Deck, or tricks using Loops, Tarantula, or other ITR reels. That way every trick you do calls back to and reinforces your character in the spectators mind. So if you know a bunch of seemingly random card tricks then you could be a card mechanic. Someone who has studied the art of 52. How to work a deck and work mark to get out of them exactly what you need. Perhaps you're never invited out to your friends house for game night because they don't trust you because of your skills, and you're going to show your spectator why.

All magic presentations, unless you're just doing one or two tricks for a spectator and then walking off, should have a build up. That is to say there should be a clear beginning, middle and end. The end or climax should be the most amazing thing you can do, while your beginning or opener should quickly establish skill and character so as to hook the audiences attention. Ambitious Card, or Chicago Opener are wonderful beginnings, while a sandwich effect (depending on what it is), tossed out deck, floating card, or card to impossible location, can be strong closers. If you're deck is set up a specific way, because of a stack or because of a gaff, then you either switch decks or you start with that specific trick, remove the gaffs when done, and move on.

Don't get yourself too flustered over what an audience sees too much. What an audience sees and what they understand are two completely different things. If you're not broadcasting what you are doing you can easily set up a deck right in front of the audience and to them it could just look like you're counting the cards to make sure you have them all... oops nope forgot one. must have got stuck in the card case (who hasn't had this happen to them?!) or in your pocket. Or you can just turn your back to them and get ready, then turn back around. Being a magician is about using misdirection to your full advantage. And misdirection is making the audience see, hear, and experience what you want them to. This isn't always what is really going on. If you've performed something, gaff is in the deck, and you want to move on then you can always palm the gaff out to pocket, or just switch decks. I've handed my normal deck to a spectator before, told them to shuffle, while I've done a trick using my set up deck. Once I'm done, that deck goes away, I take my deck back that's been shuffled by the spectator, and move on with the show. I don't explain why I did that or why I switched decks. That's not important. What's important is what is about to happen next! Here ... let me show you. Watch this... and away we go!

Don't let this bother you too much man. It sounds like you have all the practical practice down, you just need to go out there and work a few audiences. Don't be afraid to fail. Embrace failure, learn from it, and become stronger for it. Keep it up man. Good luck!
 
Dec 5, 2013
146
2
Boston
William, that was an amazing quantity of fantastic advice. To reenforce what you said, one of my favorite tricks to perform is the basic hand sandwich transpo. That doesn't use a gaff but it uses a duplicate. I often open with that, but I don't leave my dups together on top of the deck. When I'm going to start the trick, I spread through the cards and simply place the dups on top of the deck. I don't draw any attention to what I'm doing but I also don't bother with culls or shifts. If I can talk to the spectator for just a couple seconds about anything that is more than enough misdirection. Often I'll say something like "so I'd like you to pick a card. I know its a cliche but just bare with me." That is more than enough time.
-Isaac
 
Jan 16, 2014
18
0
California
I often perform the 'Burn' routines from Daniel Madison, which involve several gaff cards that will be used to give away to the spectator, or force cards etc. The routine uses about 4 gaffs total and to say the least, palming cards/copping cards away or to the deck is a fantastic way to make sure everything is fully examinable. As long as you make no emphasis on the movements it will be as if it never happened!
 
Jun 13, 2013
10
0
Tampa, FL
Bro! Bro... Just because you have a gaff in your deck doesn't mean discontinue. You could easily put the whole deck in your pocket and do something with coins or another thing you have been working on. Then, come back to the cards and just leave the gaff in your pocket. Just as well you can do the reverse and load it while you do something else, once again coming back to it. You could carry an extra matching deck and switch them out in between other routines. The possibilities are limitless. You're a magician. You've got this!
 

Jeremy Hanrahan

Craftsman, <a href="http://www.theory11.com/gear/h
Sep 1, 2007
191
1
Simcoe Ontario Canada
Hello my name is Travis, I have been performing magic for about a year now. My question is I just want advice as to what tricks you do in order. I ask this because as a street magician there are obviously many tricks you can do with a regular deck, though many tricks also require a previous set up or a Gaff. So my question is with those tricks that DO require a gaff when would you perform them. Like say your deck is set up ready to go for the trick and then you perform it to someone, now you cant just continue with other tricks because you have a gaff in your deck so do you just walk away and perform only that 1 trick? Or the same thing applies if you start performing tricks to someone with a normal deck and then say you want to perform a trick with a gaff, you really cant because you would have to reach into your pocket to get the gaff and they would obviously see that. So are gaff and previous set up tricks only used for One timers? meaning you only plan on doing that 1 trick to someone and nothing else? Or maybe a go back trick meaning you perform for someone and then maybe walk away for a while and set up and then return to perform again? I know this a long and may be difficult to understand what im trying to say but im just trying to get other magicians opinion. Thanks a lot!!!

I would recommend learning a nice top palm so you can clean your deck. You could always perform an effect with a gaff card or deck, put the deck in your pocket and perform a coin effect or another close up miracle of your choice and then come out with a clean deck and continue. One thing I have also learned is that you can get away with a lot of covert actions by just talking to your specs. I always switch out decks when I am talking to my specs and no one is none the wiser. Give it a try, you will be really surprised with what you can get away with.
 
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