I often when performing a magic trick on the street will be asked to have my equipment inspected, now if my equipment is qimmicked what can I say to tell them they can/t inspect my equipment without making it look like it is a gimmick.

Well, don't use gimicks.

You need to tell us what gimicks your using before we can tell you...

If you are using a mental photography deck, there isn't much we can do to help

Well, what about the invisible deck or the rising card trick not the McBride one but the gimmick one, and the folding quater, and so on. Is there something you can say that makes it seem believable that you can't give them out for inspection like a joke or something.

There are no free lunches, but...

Hmm... don't take this the wrong way but it sounds like you are down the Blaine path, which can severly hamper your magic.

First off, the quarter thing is never going to completly amaze them, at some point they will begin to formulate their own opinions and relize it must have been a trick coin...

Just learn a good switch, and use it to hand out a different quarter.

Second, the rising card: Get McBrides version, or do some regular card tricks first so they know you aren't using trick cards(hiding the gimick). Personally I have never had anyone ask to inspect the deck when I did my own version of the rising card, one that left the deck dirty. Try to focus more on the rising of the card, and not the way you do it. Their jaws should be dropped, and not worrying about the deck.

Ah, the invisible deck. There should be no heat here, it is just a normal deck with one face down card. Heh, that is what you need them to think.

First, you have got to do some regular card tricks with slieght of hand, once you can do a solid set of magic with a borrowed deck, they won't ever question your decks again. Do either a deck switch, or put the face down card down and put the deck away before turning it over, that way there is nothing to inspect.

Lastly, I would take a good look at your performance of these tricks, I have never had anyone ask to examine a ID, because it is so innocent looking.

Try figuring out if you are presenting it as a puzzle that they have to figure out, or if you are indirectly or directly challenching them to a contest of whether they can figure it out or not.

It sounds like you are a somewhat beginner in magic, I would suggest that you get some good books on card handling so that you can do killer magic without a gimick, then it will not only build up your confidence in yourself, but their confidence that you don't need "tricks" to do amazing things.

It will also take away some of the guilt associated with using a gimmick. People can pick up on really tiny things, like if you give the deck a funny look for even a second after rising card, they will look there too and wonder what you were worrying about, then they ask to see it.

Just practice, practice, practice on some good solid no-gimick tricks.

Also, about your last part:



Nope. You could say something funny, but the audience would just remember that someone asked to see something and you didn't let them. If someone wants to inspect something, out of curiosity, then you need to take a look at the trick itself. You need to anticipate their thoughts, and stop them before they even THINK about wanting to see a prop, because by then you have already lost.

Good luck though, I hope you can fix this problem and do some strong magic!

Shuttle Pass the quarter........switch the decks. Simple as that Really.....if you want them to stop asking, put on a good presentation. If you are down the Blaine road, I suggest you learn 2 card monte, 2 card transposition, and then raven.

For something like the folding quarter use a coin switch, and deck switch come in handy as well, practise them, and it will be a little easear, but for the most foolproof method try and learn ungimmicked tricks

A coin switch and a deck switch are very important, but I have to stress that if they want to examine something, your job as a magician has already failed. If you think they are going to want to inspect something, like coin bite, always have them inspect it first.

If you let them ask for themselves, they feel like they have caught you at something, and if you are going to do a switch, all their focus is on making sure you DON'T switch the thing.

If you ask for them to inspect it beforehand, then you seem open and they won't ask later, plus when you switch it, they won't be focused, they will be handing it back and not caring.

Also, if you can let a spectator examine something without actually examing it, all the better. For instiace do a coin trick with a quarter and have them handle it and hold it, then switch and do the coin-bite. They won't ask to inspect because it was just in their hands.

-MacGyver

I try as hard as possible to not use gimmicks but it sometimes happens and then you get asked if they can examine it which is tough but just learn a switch.

Personally I really like the ambitous card routine.

Also whatever you do, even if Blaine did it, do it with your own style.

I remember you from another forum Prescott. You will find this one a lot more polite and much more intellectually stimulating.

A serious answer is this. I would ask myself(and have on occasion), what is it I am saying or doing that causes people to be suspicious of my props.

Ask help from others if you need to. Somehow you telegraph the fact that there is something about that card, or box or doodad that "jes ain't right".

Constant work and practice...and this will happen less and less. There is an old saying in magic. There are only two kinds of magicians that would use a one way forcing deck - rank amateurs and seasoned professionals.

The amateur gets caught while the seasoned professional gets credit for skill. There is a lot to be learned from that simple statement.

I think that the best way to get the spectator to look away and not want to examine your equipment is to draw his attention the whole time to other things, I've seen Blaine do it. For example, in his TLC show, when he did the watch steal, one of the spectator realized and Blaine right away told him "Look, look, here, watch" and the guy forgot about it.

While misdirection has its place, you should be pushing them into making false assumptions, not trying to disctract them once they want to see something.

But if all else fails, trying to direct them away from it might be good, or just remove the prop before they want to see it.

I'll admit I do use A LOT of gimmicked decks, that I keep in my close-up drawer, and yes people can see me taking this one and that one out. But you know what? They are still very impressed. I figure with some of the tricks that yes they will figure out that the deck maybe gimmicked, but even with that they still won't figure it out. If someone ask me I just say no that's quite alright and I go onto something else. Obviously if I can do some kind of switch I'll do it. I do try to find tricks that are examinable though.

I personally think that letting them examine your stuff can make a stronger impact on them. When someone ask why I have so many decks in my drawer when I open it up to pull out another trick, I just say in a mockingly serious way with a grin on my face that I meditate with each deck so that that particular deck has my own energy in it for certain tricks. It gets a laugh and difuses the situation. Please don't get me wrong I DO, do a lot of sleight-of-hand as well. I think maybe 40% of my card tricks rely on gimmicked decks. My own theory is why make it harder on yourself. I feel like in a lot of cases the easier a trick is to do the less you have to think about it, therefore adding more presentation to it. that's just my own 2 cents on the subject, thanks, Ed, (Eddini).

Because our job is to make it easier on the spectators, not yourself.

Whether you pick gimicks, slieght of hand, or really really hard sleight of hand, it should be for the best effect.

And the best effect includes BEFORE and AFTER the actual trick happens. Which means that them seeing you pull out a special deck or do a set-up, or them asking to insect something and you have to put it in your pocket for a second, or saying no, is all PART OF THE EFFECT.

Yes you are right MacGyver, but I just go on the reactions I get, and people are still totally blown-away but my magic. To be honest they don't really care if I have to switch decks occassionally. Like I said if they do I say in a half serious, and half joking way that I have energized each deck for certain tricks, and believe it or not some people actually buy that....lol.

Prescott,
This boils down to one of the fundamentals of the art of magic- "Crowd control", whether it be by your technique, verbalizations or misdirection.
Any folding or bite out quarter needs a bobo switch or a shuttle pass etc....in order for the effect to come across as a strong piece of magic.

Try to perform routines rather than magic tricks.

By the way I never give my props out for inspection. If I want them to inspect a prop to increase the strength of the routine I will subtley let them inspect the prop with "my" control. Example: If I want them to see I'm using a normal deck of cards I don't say to them "inspect this deck to see it's normal". Rather I'll offer to have them shuffle or cut the deck. This being the subtle way for inspection.

If the routine blows them away very few people will ask to inspect the props. If they consistently want to inspect try reevaluating your methods.

But sometimes you get Kds that all they want to do is inspect and catch you. What do you say to the kids that are touchy and don't stop at the amazement of the trick?

You don't perform to those annoying kids

It goes back to crowd control. Kids are better distracted by silliness. They are truly the hardest audiences to fool since they don't think abstractly as do adults.

Kids are very difficult. You can't show them the same effects you show an adult and expect the same reaction.

Unless the routine calls for examination at the beginning, I don't let spectators handle my props and tell them so politely. Often I say "Well then, you'd be the magician and I wouldn't".

Dwight Powell