This is probably my least favorite situation in magic. You pull off a trick perfectly, you reveal the chosen card, and the spectator believes they chose a different card. Not a heckler, just an honest mistake. What are your outs for this situation.
When the spectator makes an honest mistake...
- Thread starter cedwards90
- Start date
you should always have more than one person see the card. unless your performing one on one. Then i'll have to think about it.
That is true, but every now and then it seems to happen, even with multiple spectators.
This happened to me today, I just told my friend there was no possible way that I could have done something wrong 
Maybe tell them to write it down?
Maybe tell them to write it down?
If it's one person, then this is what I'd do: Spread through the deck face up looking for it, but purposely pass it. As you do so, get your entire finger under it. By the time I get to the end of the deck, I usually have them telling me that I passed it. I pretend I can't hear them or whatever it takes to get them to look up. I then cut the deck there bringing their card to the top. In this case, I'd do a color change. The reason I can stick my entire finger there is because the angles aren't bad enough with only one person. I've still been able to do it with two or three spectators, but never many more.
If I do that, they'd normally think I still made a mistake, knew that I did, but still try to cover it up badly.
If I do that, they'd normally think I still made a mistake, knew that I did, but still try to cover it up badly.
Just make sure that they and everybody else has seen the card. This will only not work if everybody there hates you. Which if that is the case, than you shouldn't be performing for them AT ALL.
some of you guys are missing the point. this has nothing to do with my performance style, age of my audience, or really anything to do with me. this has maybe happened to me twice, just recently I started thinking about it. I just never am ready for that situation. I am not looking for ways to help the spectator remember. Just what do you do if by some chance the spectator makes a mistake
We gave you the answer, Chuckles.
You have them show it to other people there, So if the one person forgets the card, other people will be able to remind them. "Yeah, dude it was the 6 of Clubs." The effect won't have a huge impact as before. But it will be easier on you and them.
If I know that there was no way I made a mistake, I assure them what the real card was... and then add
"Well, even if it was (insert what card they thought was theirs),"
Then I take out the card and do a trick with that card
"You can see that if I shake it like this"
perform a color change and change it into the real selection.
This is just an idea. Sometimes I do a sandwich with it or I might just even say that I messed up and do a different trick.
Hope this helped
ZG
"Well, even if it was (insert what card they thought was theirs),"
Then I take out the card and do a trick with that card
"You can see that if I shake it like this"
perform a color change and change it into the real selection.
This is just an idea. Sometimes I do a sandwich with it or I might just even say that I messed up and do a different trick.
Hope this helped
ZG
You could have them sign their card...then they could tell you its different but it'd be difficult because it has their signature on it =P
also if that happens, you could go through the deck, cull their card to the top and do a color change...that always gets good reactions even when your surrounded. Hope this helps!
~Nate
also if that happens, you could go through the deck, cull their card to the top and do a color change...that always gets good reactions even when your surrounded. Hope this helps!
~Nate
It seems everyone is suggesting methods of getting them to remember the card and not giving a second of thought to using the mistake in the effect.
Ok, so they thing their card is something else. Act as if you made a mistake, cull the card the think they selected and bam, you're set for any one of thousands of outs and reveals.
C
Ok, so they thing their card is something else. Act as if you made a mistake, cull the card the think they selected and bam, you're set for any one of thousands of outs and reveals.
C
happens to me a lot...
whenever I know that the spectator will need to memorize a card I really emphasize memorizing the card, but sometimes it happens even when i do this, so I think the best thing that you can do is lead the spectator towards the real card, so when they say I think it was the four of... I usually say "Spades?" or whatever suit it is. That is my best advice.
whenever I know that the spectator will need to memorize a card I really emphasize memorizing the card, but sometimes it happens even when i do this, so I think the best thing that you can do is lead the spectator towards the real card, so when they say I think it was the four of... I usually say "Spades?" or whatever suit it is. That is my best advice.
If you're having that much difficulty with spectators remembering cards, you should probably focus on that aspect of your performance. It's never the spectator's fault that they didn't remember the card (unless they have amnesia, heh)...just like it's never the spectator's fault if they aren't amazed by an effect (in that case, it's either how you perform it, or you picked a bad effect for that spectator (i.e., had a poor read on the spectator)).
Anyway, my advice is to really emphasize the remembering. "I want you to take a look at this card and remember it. Both the value, and the suit. Do you have it?" *wait for confirmation* (it's important to actually wait for them to reply...and then give them an extra beat or two, just to make sure) Then, continue on. Also, I'd like to point out that this process shouldn't be glazed over quickly, like I see so many people doing. You want the person to remember the card--so go over the instructions slowly, so they can follow along, and really give them time to remember the card. It sounds silly, but it's a step that people often speed through, so I found it important to mention.
Even if it's not a chronic problem, you should have an out of some sort to fall back on. Daniel Madison has a great one (The Advocate), and of course there's always the invisible deck.
Anyway, my advice is to really emphasize the remembering. "I want you to take a look at this card and remember it. Both the value, and the suit. Do you have it?" *wait for confirmation* (it's important to actually wait for them to reply...and then give them an extra beat or two, just to make sure) Then, continue on. Also, I'd like to point out that this process shouldn't be glazed over quickly, like I see so many people doing. You want the person to remember the card--so go over the instructions slowly, so they can follow along, and really give them time to remember the card. It sounds silly, but it's a step that people often speed through, so I found it important to mention.
Even if it's not a chronic problem, you should have an out of some sort to fall back on. Daniel Madison has a great one (The Advocate), and of course there's always the invisible deck.
This out has worked very well for me in the past. If that happens, I go through the deck and ask them what their card is. When they say it i quickly cull it to the top. I tell them "Gee, that's odd. The _of_ is the only card I carry in my pocket!" Then quickly palm it and make it appear from your pocket.
Hope this helps.
Good Luck.
I've actually been caught in these types of situations before, and one great effect that has helped me as a great OUT is Kenton Knepper's Kolossal Killer.
It's also great as a stand alone effect too.
This is one effect or principal I should say, helped get me out of card effects ad mentalism effects.
It's also great as a stand alone effect too.
This is one effect or principal I should say, helped get me out of card effects ad mentalism effects.
maybe
I think a confident response of "of course it was your card" will clarify the situation but the outs everyone has mentioned sound brilliant and are realistically the best solution. I think you should simply move on to a better effect. Optimally, I would perform THE PERECT trick for this situation called the Hitman. Just look it up on penguin's website. My presentation involves the fact that people purposely lie about what card they selected.... Hopefully I haven't lost you completely.
Alternatively have them pick cards in a more personal way. For instance have then name a card. I'm pretty sure vernon did this very often, and it allows a huge emotional hook. I think people remembered vernons ambitious card as the jack of clubs trick or something along those lines. Obviously you have a different situation if the selection is meant to be secret. I've often spread the pack face up and had the spectator select a card, but one that they like that they like.
This would be pure guesswork, but did the routine/trick you performed make it more likely for the spec to forget their card? In other words was it a sorta long trick? Because if so pause a beat and tell them to remember this card, because youre going to do something spectacular.
Perhaps have them peak at a card when you riffle the pack. This may bring more attention to the selection, or at the very least have a refreshing new way to select a card.
I think a confident response of "of course it was your card" will clarify the situation but the outs everyone has mentioned sound brilliant and are realistically the best solution. I think you should simply move on to a better effect. Optimally, I would perform THE PERECT trick for this situation called the Hitman. Just look it up on penguin's website. My presentation involves the fact that people purposely lie about what card they selected.... Hopefully I haven't lost you completely.
Alternatively have them pick cards in a more personal way. For instance have then name a card. I'm pretty sure vernon did this very often, and it allows a huge emotional hook. I think people remembered vernons ambitious card as the jack of clubs trick or something along those lines. Obviously you have a different situation if the selection is meant to be secret. I've often spread the pack face up and had the spectator select a card, but one that they like that they like.
This would be pure guesswork, but did the routine/trick you performed make it more likely for the spec to forget their card? In other words was it a sorta long trick? Because if so pause a beat and tell them to remember this card, because youre going to do something spectacular.
Perhaps have them peak at a card when you riffle the pack. This may bring more attention to the selection, or at the very least have a refreshing new way to select a card.