The tricks with the best reactions
- Thread starter CelineH
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Every magician will tell you his tricks but you are asking the wrong question.
It's not about the trick it's about your ability to present and amaze your spectators.
If you practice, as we all should, and you develop the required showmanship, you could
turn even the simplest of trick into a miracle and divine power and such.
By the way, I get my best reaction from my variation of the Ambitious Card which involves the 4 queens
and one of Daniel Madison best material which is called: "Psycho".
It's not about the trick it's about your ability to present and amaze your spectators.
If you practice, as we all should, and you develop the required showmanship, you could
turn even the simplest of trick into a miracle and divine power and such.
By the way, I get my best reaction from my variation of the Ambitious Card which involves the 4 queens
and one of Daniel Madison best material which is called: "Psycho".
Stand up Monte by Garett Thomas.
This is the best Monte Routine I know and it happens all in the spectator's hand.
I highly reccomend checking this out.
French Kiss gets great reactions, too. (You can find this, and many other great routines on Wayne Houchins "Art of Magic")
This is the best Monte Routine I know and it happens all in the spectator's hand.
I highly reccomend checking this out.
French Kiss gets great reactions, too. (You can find this, and many other great routines on Wayne Houchins "Art of Magic")
Zvik2246 is right - everyone's answers will differ. What works for me might not work for you, and Zvik2246's material might bomb when I do it.
Also, the venue makes a difference. Impromptu differs from busking, which is different than table hopping, which differs from strolling.
You have to find out which ones work best for you where you perform. Everyone's answers will be different.
Also, the venue makes a difference. Impromptu differs from busking, which is different than table hopping, which differs from strolling.
You have to find out which ones work best for you where you perform. Everyone's answers will be different.
Yes, everyone's answer will differ, but I'd love to hear what works best for each individual magician 
For me, I absolutely love card to mouth, angle zero, and fontaine (who would've though). Each of these provoke a huge surprise reaction, whether its the spectator realizing the card jumped to the magicians mouth, them finding the corner of their card on a clock, or seeing the joker switch with theirs, and finding the joker in their hands.
Surprise factors and making them laugh are my favorite reactions from magic. What do you guys think?
For me, I absolutely love card to mouth, angle zero, and fontaine (who would've though). Each of these provoke a huge surprise reaction, whether its the spectator realizing the card jumped to the magicians mouth, them finding the corner of their card on a clock, or seeing the joker switch with theirs, and finding the joker in their hands.
Surprise factors and making them laugh are my favorite reactions from magic. What do you guys think?
My favorite plots in card magic are those with completely unexpected kicker endings. I love two card monte, Casino Royale with Cheese by Chris Mayhew, 10:24 by Omar Renfro, Invisible Hands by Patrick Kun and The Mirage by Dani DaOrtiz, probably the craziest trick out of all of these.
Thinking about it, I just realized I should probably just assign names to the things I do because right now, all I've got is, "The one where I peek a card and reveal it, then the one where the selection jumps from between two aces to between the other two aces, and then the ACR I do, and ....."
Basically, extremely simple, very straight forward card magic. Stuff with minimal sleights so I can focus on building the reaction with performance.
Basically, extremely simple, very straight forward card magic. Stuff with minimal sleights so I can focus on building the reaction with performance.
Two questions, where can I find "The Mirage" by Dani Da'Ortiz? and where on earth did DM publish Psycho? I thought I owned all of his work but I can't find that anywhere.
Also, I think that french kiss is an exception to the rule. If you can do the sleights, you can and will get killer reactions. Although if your not a showmen I would recommend not talking at all during the performance, but instead just indicating and using hand gestures. French Kiss hits everyone, everywhere hard. It needs no presentation, nor a good magician. The effect simply kills. I'm sure there are plenty who disagree with me here... but I stand firm. The only trick I know that hits like French Kiss is TCM, and that requires some damn fine presentation to work right.
Also, I think that french kiss is an exception to the rule. If you can do the sleights, you can and will get killer reactions. Although if your not a showmen I would recommend not talking at all during the performance, but instead just indicating and using hand gestures. French Kiss hits everyone, everywhere hard. It needs no presentation, nor a good magician. The effect simply kills. I'm sure there are plenty who disagree with me here... but I stand firm. The only trick I know that hits like French Kiss is TCM, and that requires some damn fine presentation to work right.
Psycho was its own PDF for a while. I got it from Dee Christopher's site. Here's a pretty good deal if you don't have The Advocate. http://www.deechristopher.co.uk/products/madison-mental-bundle
Thank you Christopher. This is really surprising to me.. I thought I had everything he has ever put out. In your opinion is Psycho worth picking up?
I think the reason I disagree with this statement is because "French Kiss" is a presentation. It's a presentation on the classic two card transposition effect, which I've heard several "originators" of.
Hitting them "hard" is also a relative statement. Hard hitting compared to...? Something else? Maybe it just doesn't "Hit" in the same way.
So it should really only be compared to its own potential, in which case, no. It probably doesn't hit "hard(est)" when not presented. It may be its weakest reaction.
TylerRouss - I like it. I like his way of thinking about psychological deception and there's a couple bits in there I use regularly. For 20 pounds I think Dee's got a solid deal going there.
Showmanship is not just talking, though. Actually most of what we 'say' is not words. The vast majority of communication is through body language and appearance. I'm also going to disagree with the assumption that it will always be a knockout trick. When I saw it first, I liked it but it wasn't something I was floored by. The ending is predictable if not performed well, and if someone already knows the ending is coming it's less impressive already because in their head they've seen it already. Wayne is a natural performer and a likeable guy so every performance of his I've seen I've liked, but I've seen plenty of people try this trick assuming all they have to do is the moves and it's just boring.
Showmanship is not just talking, though. Actually most of what we 'say' is not words. The vast majority of communication is through body language and appearance. I'm also going to disagree with the assumption that it will always be a knockout trick. When I saw it first, I liked it but it wasn't something I was floored by. The ending is predictable if not performed well, and if someone already knows the ending is coming it's less impressive already because in their head they've seen it already. Wayne is a natural performer and a likeable guy so every performance of his I've seen I've liked, but I've seen plenty of people try this trick assuming all they have to do is the moves and it's just boring.
OOTW is one of my pet effects that I like to learn a lot of methods to. I use it as an example of intuition, as much of what I do is based around intuition.
I like OOTW, too. Especially impromptu versions where the spectator can shuffle an ordinary deck before are very effective.
My favorite card-trick of all time is probably "Total Coincidence" by Juan Tamariz.
My favorite card-trick of all time is probably "Total Coincidence" by Juan Tamariz.
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For me, Angle Zero. I present it as a demonstration of how different people perceive the world differently. Also, I have a lot of fun with my sponge ball routine, which is pretty much the routine from Mark Wilson's Course, with my own patter.
My best trick that works great with audiences is the card sandwhich that David Blaine does, along with another variation of that same trick done by Jarek 1:20 called the heartbreaker routine. I also enjoy rubber band and money magic like Stairway by Marcus Eddie and Fraud by Daniel Garcia