I was just thinking. How well prepared are you? I mean, do you always carry a deck of cards around with you? A special wallet? A certain gimmick? Just in case that person asks you to show them a trick? What do you usually carry around with you?

Thanks,

Hello David.

Right now I'm ready to do "Scotch and Soda" and "Kolossal Killer." Tomorrow it might be different.

--alan

David, read through some of the other impromptu threads. I think you'll find that this has been discussed before.

I am always (well OK, usually) prepared to use what is at hand! I know dozens of effects using folding money (bills) and coins and it is rare that I am out and someone doesn’t have some to borrow. I can do a good routine with a borrowed finger ring and a pencil. Add a borrowed handkerchief and I can perform an even longer (and to my mind “killer”) routine.

A pencil or a pen and a bit of paper and I can do some mentalism.

Borrow two rubber bands and a finger ring and I have another good routine (CMH and ring on/off band).

There are several good resources that are literally encyclopedic about impromptu magic. Dan Harlan has a set of video’s out that are a good buy and there is Martin Gardner’s “Encyclopedia of Impromptu Magic”. All worth having.

An exercise that I do for myself regularly is to try to figure out what people normally carry and build routines around that stuff well in advance of going out. That is, I am prepared and rehearsed for being in an “impromptu” setting. Frankly, impromptu does not mean being unprepared.

If I am carrying my wallet (I don’t always, sometimes I stick some cash in my pocket and head out) it is set for Kollosal Killer. My car and house key is on a ring that I have gimmicked to receive a ring so that I can do a “Ring Flight”. Otherwise, what ever is out there I will use.

Hope this helps.

I always have a load of cards and coins and rubber bands and EVERYTHING in my pockets

I've always got something with me. Usually some cards, etc., but even if I don't have my cards I've always got cigarettes because I'm a smoker. I'm ready for the "traveling ashes" and other old favorites.

Duke

I'm always prepared, for there's always elastics and table serviettes available. I love to make a rabbit out of a serviette and I usually perform Dan Harlan's Starcle where a sentimental story is used to find a man in the moon with a few folds and one tear of the serviette. The torn part is magically transformed into a star.
" When you wish upon a star, no matter who and where you are, all your heart desires will come to you."
Does one really needs an props if the magic is within you? Tricks with your hands? Tricks using a thumbtip, for example finger through the spectator's sleeve, water from a leaf. Refer to "Magic at A Moments Notice"...Crazy magic with a thumbtip.
Darryl the Wizard

I have a leather jacket that I wear all the time. I carry a deck of cards in the "cellphone pocket" I always have rubberbands on me. And I never leave without my silk and tt. Life is fun.

I carry around the right coins for my coin tricks lots of times; I also wear a necklace with a crystal that my Grandma Carder gave me. It just gives me the magician look, I think. Sometimes I'll carry a card deck and a handkerchief in my pocket; on rare occasions I'll carry my sponge balls. Just work out which pockets carry what.

I am usually prepared to do Greg Wilson's Re-Cap, cardwarp, and some sundry packet trick at the very least.

:sun:

As well as a deck, I have a small coin purse with - Scotch & soda, Hopping half, rubberbands, & a piece of string. I also have Kollosal Killer set up in my wallet at all times.

I also wear my arm chopper on a thick silver chain around my neck & have a couple carrots in my back pocket.

:devilish:

I personally think CMH is the best impromptu trick you can have!! you can put a couple of rubber bands on your wrist as an attention getter. Sooner or later, someone might just ask you "Why do you put rubber bands on your wirst?" and you can start replying "Oh, these are not rubber bands, these are Variable Tension Grippers" and you can go into your CMH routine as well as other rubber bands tricks.

Other tricks that i am always ready are:
1)Bill transposition - always in my wallet
2)Thumbs Up - all you need is a pair of
willing hands
3)Reversal(Banachek) - All you need is pen
and paper

and the list goes on and on...

What is reversal??

Michel,
Reversal is a deviously clever mentalism effect.
The spectator writes down any three digit number in which all three digits are different.
(eg, they cannot choose 888)
Spec is then told to write the number in reverse.
They are told to subtract the larger number from the smaller number giving them their answer.
The performer can then (with ridiculously minimal questioning boardering on not questioning at all) reveal the spec's answer.

You can get some great reactions with this because there is apparantly no way you can know the answer.

As for stuff I carry with me:
A deck of cards - if someone asks me to "do a trick" my fave to do is a quick "think of a card" effect in which I seemingly read the spec's mind and reveal to them the card they were thinking of.

Bizarre Shrink - a lovely little Paul Harris number that lives in my wallet. The spec holds a playing card pinched firmly between her fingers. As the two cards it is sandwiched between are whisked away, the card is seen to visably shrink to half its original size. The baffled spec is left holding a teeny weeny little card.

Trolst's 8 card brainwave - nice little mentalism type brainwave effect using 8 cards. (Or ten in my case. I just think it strengthens the effect that little bit more).

I've also recently added Curry's "sure thing" to my wallet, in which not only does a card change color, but a very large hole travels from one card to another.

Stephen
:carrot:

ps, while we're on mentalism stuff, why not perform Banachek's "subtle 337"? All you need is a spectator...

I knew the reversal bit under another moniker. I have a series of effects based on calculators. Since many people have a PDA (Palm Pilot or such electronic agenda), I can do a few minutes with the calculator function and the Day At Any Date effect, from the calendar.

I can improvise with whatever is at hand, if I am not looking to be booked, I do not carry anything.

A couple of Georgia Magnet bits can be pressed into use.

Knowledge is power.

I have found the best effect to use in a jam is two in the hand three in the pocket principle .... add some production items and whammo, instant magic.

Enigma

I rarely carry anything on me, either. If I decide to perform, I can do something with whatever is available--napkins, borrowed coins or bills, a kid's toy, silverware, rubber bands, small stones etc. It seems to me that is the whole point of impromptu magic--to do magic with stuff that's available when you don't have anything on you.

I don't usually have anything on me. But when asked to "do someting" I can usually do some magic, if they have a coin, rubber bands, pen, ring or cards, or something like that. I am expanding my repertoire of impromptu stuff so I can be ready to really do a trick with anything.

If the worse comes to the worst I have to resort to the twisting hand illusion.

Joe.

i recently purchased Peter Nardi's "Mind spy wallet" and since it arrived I haven't left home without it......all I need now is some money to keep in it!!

I am with Scott on this issue. As a rule, magician's should be able to do 'magic' with just about anything and everything.

How many people do you know (outside of magicians) carry around a deck of playing cards with them? Not too many.

I think it a little odd, or 'un-natural' for a magician to be pulling sponge balls, hot rods, card decks, strange looking props and the like... out of their pockets, just to show a few magic effects. Pulling out items such as these, well, has a 'Prepared Look' to them. When I am contracted to perform, then yes, I carry many 'magical looking' things, gaffed coins, special cards and such... but for the most part, the magic I perform is with borrowed objects (after all, we're talking about 'IMPROMPTU MAGIC'.

I do carry a TT, and maybe the 'Cig Thru Coin' gaff, and my business cards... but that's about it. I'm always looking around my immediate environment, for things (items, props, etc...) that could lend themselves for some type of magical effects (if the need arrises).

I think to be best prepared... YOU'VE GOT TO PREPARE YOUR MIND FIRST. Leaning numerous things to do in impromptu situations, is the best way to prepare yourself. This teaches us not to rely on our 'gaffs and gimmicks'.

I've seen on a number of occasions, where 'magicians' start performing for a casual setting. What didn't look natural, was that these magicians had soooo many 'gimmickey' looking props and such (all pulled out of their pockets), it was if they had brought their Las Vegas stage show with them, and have been hoping that somebody in the crowd would beg them to do some magic. Again, this really isn't 'natural'.

The magic that we as magicians perform, SHOULD NEVER BE LIMITED TO THE GAFFS AND GIMMICKS OR PACKET TRICKS OR PROPS, THAT WE HAVE AQUIRED.

Leaning as many impromptu effects as possible, and preparing your mind, is the best way to be prepared... at a moment's notice. We are only limited by what our mind CAN or cannot conceive.

- - Troy

As a bizarrist / mentalist / wierd dude, I rely on Centre Tears, Hoy Book Test, Twisting arm illusion and my take on Meir Yehid's finger fantasies to entertain. Great thing is, I need no props, other than a few paperbacks anyone has, or some paper. Failing that, I've always got some 3 x 5 index cards on me (thanks, Richard Busch!)

Coins across with borrowed 50p pieces goes well.....