These subtleties are one of my favorite parts of magic.

I'm sure you all have a favorite in cards, coins, mentalism or elsewhere. So what is your favorite psychological convincer?

Simple things like adjusting a coin in your hand (one that's not there), poking a tiny tab of silk back in your hand (that's already t-tipped) etc. I like counting through a deck or fanning it out, while I've got a card palmed. It's all those little things that make magic so incomprehensible to people. Frankly, it works on magicians a lot too. It's one of those older parts of the art that seem to be disappearing (not puns) in today's magic world.

It's my favourite part.

Sable

No favourites.One of mine was for card in wallet. Having bottom palmed a card, used to reach into my jacket pocket with an obviously empty (casually flashed) hand, realise I had put the wallet in the other pocket, swap the deck from one hand to the other then load the palmed card in the wallet in the opposite inner breast pocket.
Does this qualify?

Paul Hallas

I cast my vote with Jeb; doing an action after the dirty work has been done (e.g.: tucking a silk end into your hand after it's been tipped and stolen out) can be the clincher that makes the trick.
I've had people swear that they've seen the silk "flash" AFTER it had been stolen out!
Same with the get-ready for a double-lift: Take the top card off the deck, in your right hand, and as you show the back, babbling aimlessly, your left hand holds the deck and the left thumb side-jogs the top card about a half-inch.
Then the right hand card comes back to the top of the deck, and it's a snap to do a double lift.
The misdirection is perfect and it simplifies a moves that, for some reason, gives performers all sorts of problems.
cheers,
Peter Marucci
showtimecol@aol.com

Thanks for sharing that one, Paul! I can't say I have a favourite convincer, but I'm always on the lookout for anything which helps to keep attention away from the moment/place where something happens. I like Michael Ammar's 'Wiped Clean', not as a vanish but as a convincer that my hands are empty before a switch.

One of my favs: Going into the pocket to produce a card that is currently palmed. Leave the card in the pocket and come out with something else (lighter, pen, goat, whatever). Acting befuddled you fish back around inside the pocket and produce the card.

Hi Yak,
Rovi used to take that to extremes. He often used to cram as much in his inner breast pocket as he could, knives and forks, ashtrays etc. It was funny to see him bringing all this into view. I remember the comment to someone, "Do you like cricket? Here's the Ashes" as he brought the ashtray into view:)(English humour)

Paul

Ashes, I get it.

Actually I don't but that first part is a riot. Thanks for sharing that Paul.

Yak writes: "Leave the card in the pocket and come out with something else (lighter, pen, goat, whatever)"

Aha! So you do the old "goat from pocket" trick, too!

cheers,
Peter Marucci
showtimecol@aol.com

The Ashes is the symbol of victory in the English-Australian test match cricket.

Paul

Yes Peter. I do mostly goat-themed magic now. The world famous goat float, goat in lemon, zig-zag goat, cigarette through goat...

And I'm with you now Paul

Here's another little convincer I like. David Willaimson taps on an unseen (not there) coin in the palm of his hand with the tip of a metal wand.

Do you have the Vernet goat tip?

I'd like to see the infamous Yak Goat Warp.

Goat into bottle must need a lot of folds.

Great ideas. I've got some work to do.

And don't forget the (rather large) goat pull!
cheers,
Peter Marucci
showtimecol@aol.com

What about the signed goat to wallet..????

The goat usually won't let me get near him with a Sharpie. I think it might be the smell. (The Sharpie, not me.)

He does like it in the wallet though.