I'm not sure if this is in the right spot or not, but here goes. I was performing a trick, a very simple one. I think it was this http://www.theory11.com/tricks/invisible......nner.php Super easy. Without giving it away I forgot to take the jokers out and it messed up the whole trick. I accidentaly revealed her card as a joker (it wasn't) I just said sorry I messed up, and moved on to another trick. I still kinda just felt, I don't know, weird about that one. Should I have done something different? Thanks.

I don't know if your 18 posts mean you're new to magic or not. Anyway, experiences like this must be used at your advantage. Immediately ask yourself WHY something went wrong and try and find a good solution in case it happens again, but, at the same time, work hard NOT to make it happen again.

Lots of performances, a good arsenal of techniques and things like these, can get you out of bad situations much easier.
Anyway, if that is the trick you screwed up I cannot understand what the jokers had to do with it, since this effect needs a little set up. Can you be more specific?

You could've said the jokers are wild and therefore you got it right. Maybe the right card was just one card away? You could have revealed it in a second moment, after people thought you were joking with the joker stuff.
You could have asked for the card, pretend to look for it and actually cull it somewhere, palm it or something like that.

It's difficult to suggest something not having a precise idea of what went wrong, though

mlippo

Thanks. Well it is a very simple trick. Sorry for not being very clear. I know what went wrong and I later found that the card was 2 cards away. What went wrong was I was supposed to cut a keycard onto their card, but the jokers were on top of it. Thanks though!

Unless you specifically have a routine using the jokers, remove them from the very start. And don't forget tons of practice.

Yes, Practice more than you think. Not 5 times, 50 times. Not 50 times, 100 times. Not 100 times---you get the drift.

I practice til I mess up. Then I know I'm on track! Especially when working with a set-up. Yes, practice (privately, of course) until you make a mistake, mess up, etc. This will tell you SPECIFICALLY what to work on. Then WORK ON THAT. It can be a miscount, sleight, anything that goes wrong. Including double-checking you removed the Jokers.

IMO, you can not OVER PRACTICE.

If I'm working on an effect and plan to practice it 20 times; NOW I double the repetitions. At least double it!

Hope that helps!

Don't feel too bad about this, it can happen to anybody. Even the professionals will mess-up soon or later. First, you should see whether you can recover from your mistakes. Don't panic because the audience do not know what you are suppose to achieve in the end. If it is me I will carry on as usual by saying that the "joker" is a well known wild card in many card games. I will then ask her to name her card. Lets say it was the 6H. I then have the deck facing me and scan over the deck to find her 6H and cut it to the top. I then say "just as I thought your card is no longer in the deck and it has turned into the well known wild card, by that I mean the joker". I can now change that joker to the 6H visually by either a snap-turn-over change, color change, side-steal or other methods.

So the impression in the end is to the so-called mistake was just an act, the joker then changed into the selected card.

Hope this helps.

Lam

BTW, Lam never messes up. But it's good advice!

I was at a local magic convention one time and one of the magicians did a trick where the spectator had to add some numbers...she did it incorrectly but he took the blame for it...there really wasn't anything he could do (didn't want to make the spectator look bad). I spoke with him afterward and he said that he'd probably be dropping that effect from his act. I think every magician has messed up at one point or another. Recognize that everyone makes mistakes and try not to make the same mistake again...we're only human!

Dave

More than once, I've told the audience, "I messed up." They KNOW you're human. I can usually follow with a starling effect. It is NOT the end of the world!

Honestly, I don't know what would I have done in that situation. I'm not a good 'improviser'.
The modest advice of a modest amateur ( i.e. me ) is to master perfectly the effect you want perform, trying it n.... times as Atom was saying. If it self-working or based on sleights, it doesn't matter...it's like when you have to learn a lesson at school, no more no less.

"Outs," Precautions and Challenges by Charles Hopkins:

Table of Contents


PREFACE...
Contents
Introduction
- When Asked To Do The Impossible
- School Yourself For All Emergencies
- Experience Still the Best Teacher

PART I: "OUTS"

Chapter 1 - Facing The Music
Whose Fault When Things Go Wrong?
The Psychology of Failure
Use of "Sucker Gag" Technique

Chapter 2 - Organizing For Victory
Secret And Open Outs
When Error Is Still Under Cover
1 - Card correctly identified, but slips out of control.
2 - Identification correct, but placement for climax is wrong.
When Error May Be Visible
3 - Incorrect identification of selected card.
4 - Card lost before identification.
5 - The selector forgets what his card was.
Either You Know You Are Wrong - Or Else . . .

Chapter 3 - Information-Getting Subtleties
This Time You MUST Be Right
Attitudes That Get Co-operation
6 - When they refuse to tell.
7 - For the extreme "hold out."
8 - Use a thumb writer.
9 - Impression methods.
10 - Pencil reading.
11 - Friendly mirrors.
12 - To meet an absolute refusal to tell.

Chapter 4 - Some Handy Sleights
Old Ideas Brought Up To Date; Also, A Few New Ones
13 - The "Top Peek."
14 - Fan Crimp.
15 - The "Deck Crimp."
16 - The "Crimp" as a Locator.
17 - Fan jog.
18 - The quarter-bridge.
19 - Gambler's Bridge.
20 - The "Change" Throw.
Other Useful Standard Sleights.

Chapter 5 - "Outs" To The Rescue
Fit The Weapon To The Needs
Getting Down To Brass Tacks ... And The Selected Card
Quick Switches And Other Fast Closers
21 - Just a gag.
22 - Out-in-the-open changes.
23 - Forced replacement of wrong card.
24 - Using "locators" for "outs."
Methods For Counting And Spelling Effects
25 - The "Pilot Card."
26 - New start from wrong turn-up.
27 - The "220 Count" as an "out."
"Outs" Productions From Pockets And Other Places
28 - In performer's pocket.
29 - Pocket index.
30 - Card in wallet.
31 - Use of spectators for "outs."
32 - The "Eveready Life Saver."
Apparatus Alibis
33 - When force is missed.
First Aid For Feeble Memories
34 - Confusion as to suits and values.
35 - Spectator's mind a complete blank.

PART II: CHALLENGES

Chapter 6 - Taking On All Comers
"Outs" Compared With Challenges
A Word of Caution

Chapter 7 - Before Card Gets Lost In Shuffle
Try To Keep As Much Control As Possible
36 - Controlled returns.
37 - Use of "Locators."
38 - The "Gimmicked Cut."
39 - The "Cut Break."
40 - Estimating the cut.
41 - The "Cut Force."
Astonishing Simplicity
42 - "Blindman's 'Bluff'."
43 - The "220 Count."
44 - Pre-Arrangements.

Chapter 8 - When They "Give You The Works"
How "Plenty of Rein" Trips Them
45 - Look for informal "readers."
46 - Scrapes and nicks.
47 - Daubs.
The Magician's Little Helpers
48 - Secret reflectors.
49 - Wide and narrow decks.
50 - The indexed pocket deck again.

Chapter 9 - Bordering On The Mental
When Information-Getting Becomes Ticklish
They Commit Themselves In Writing
51 - Pencil reading.
52 - Billet switching.
53 - Billet index.
54 - Pad impressions.
55 - Trick notebooks.
56 - A "Case of Hambuggery."
A Prophet In His Own Land
57 - Thumb writers.
Special Decks On Taps
58 - "Brain Wave Deck."
59 - "New Era Instanto Deck."

Chapter 10 - Trickery Conquers All
What Makes Audiences Get That Way
Circumstances That Lead Up To Challenges
Specific Handling of Various Situations
The Heckler ... Ding Bust His Buttons!
For The Intelligent Analyst Type
Troubles Arising Out Of Pure Friendship
More To Come? ... Well, Maybe!

http://www.lybrary.com/outs-precautions-......987.html $5

Thanks guys! This really helps