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The Magic Cafe Forum Index :: Table hoppers & party strollers :: How do you carry everything? (3 Likes) Printer Friendly Version

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RealityTwisterSFX
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50 Posts

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I been thinking about getting into table hopping from my shows. my question is how does everyone carry everything?
Fedora
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Arizona, usa
760 Posts

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Pockets work well.
MJ Marrs
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Los Angeles
1121 Posts

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It’s taken me years to get things situated for an efficient, organized, logical retrieval system of items. Pocket management is tricky. The best investment I’ve made by far is a High Caliber Magic holster. Unfortunately Joel seems to have stopped manufacturing them, but second hand holsters still pop up periodically.
MeetMagicMike
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Gainesville Fl
3521 Posts

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Over many years of table hopping in restaurants I now carry the following.

An ordinary deck of cards
Rope for Professor Nightmare (Fiber Optics)
One or sometimes two other tricks which rotate week to week

The deck of cards gives me plenty of variety if I end up spending more time at a table.

The rest of my props are in the trunk of my car and can be retrieved if for some reason I want to do a specific trick that I don't have on my person. For instance, a guest may request a specific trick, or I may have a large table that requires a trick that plays bigger.
Magic Mike

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TheMightyRicardo
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225 Posts

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If you have 10 tables to get around and you do 2 short tricks at each, it will take you over an hour to visit them all. At first, you will want to carry more items than you will use - the classic wisdom is three sets of 3.
Even without a jacket, you have 4 pants pockets for 2 tricks each, then add a belt pouch for a deck and packet tricks. Attach your keys and phone to your belt to keep them out of the way, and you are ready to entertain for hours.
I often finish without using some tricks, but it is sensible to have a reserve.
The Fibre Optics ropes get a pocket to themselves - such a great trick.
RobertApodaca
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Henderson, NV
151 Posts

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I have a metal case I bring with me. I then load up my pockets. Pants have 4 pockets, jacket has 3.
danfreed
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West Chester PA
1358 Posts

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I am mainly a kids entertainer but I do lots of strolling close-up for kids. I don't really do fancy formal events, etc, so I always wear a buskers pouch with lots of pockets, I can carry everything but the kitchen sink. I don't wear a a suit jacket, but I usually wear a vest. It's not going to win me a fashion award, but it's very practical, nobody cares, it's a tool of the trade. If I wore a suit or did formal events it would look bad and I wouldn't use it. You can use it for switches and ditches also, kind of like a topit or servante.
I knew a guy who used a briefcase table with a nice cloth around it, with his name on it, he carried it around and had his own little table top to perform on, and stored his stuff inside.
FlorianHeller
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Bonn, Germany
200 Posts

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To carry stuff to a restaurant, I have a fake leather kinda bag that holds 6 decks, plus some other little stuff, like a sharpie and a small close up mat. Then, I work from the pockets of my suit, usually invisible deck 2x in either the inside or outside pockets, one marked deck, and one stacked deck in the other pockets.
Eeeeeeeet hop disparu !

www.florian-heller.com
TheAmbitiousCard
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Eternal Order
Northern California
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Sounds like a pro to me...

Quote:
On Mar 2, 2023, MeetMagicMike wrote:
Over many years of table hopping in restaurants I now carry the following.

An ordinary deck of cards
Rope for Professor Nightmare (Fiber Optics)
One or sometimes two other tricks which rotate week to week

The deck of cards gives me plenty of variety if I end up spending more time at a table.

The rest of my props are in the trunk of my car and can be retrieved if for some reason I want to do a specific trick that I don't have on my person. For instance, a guest may request a specific trick, or I may have a large table that requires a trick that plays bigger.
www.theambitiouscard.com Hand Crafted Magic
Trophy Husband, Father of the Year Candidate,
Chippendale's Dancer applicant, Unofficial World Record Holder.
JayCee0919
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My wife is my "Magic Sherpa" and usually accompanies me to gigs so she holds a bunch of stuff for me. Easy to introduce her as my "lovely assistant" Smile
om_darji
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South Orange County, CA
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Depends on your style and chops. I dress well so I don't want bulky pockets. I also have a skinny frame which helps hide some pocket bulges. My EDC is a standard deck of cards (maybe with a duplicate), load wallet, Peter Turner's Fraud, Loops Legends, and my business card with a prediction on it.

For my regular restaurant gig I carry these organized by pocket:

Left Jacket-Blue Bikes
Right Jacket-Sponge Ball routine: 3 sponge balls, goshman's sponge square
Right Pant-Joshua Jay's Phantom Deck
Pant Back Right-Load wallet and EDC above
Pant Left-Lighter + Sticky Notes
Back Pant Left-Jumbo sponge ball in back pocket plus phone (with mentalism apps)
Left Inside-Double Cross, Normal Sharpie, Heat Vanishing Ink Pen, Business Cards

I leave my right inside pocket available for a jumbo card reveal, packet trick, etc depending on how I feel that day.
My breast pocket takes tips.
I cut the lining in my left jacket pocket allowing it to work like a forcing bag. Sometimes I throw a one way force deck in there, othertimes just some extra materials (NFC, billets, etc)

On the whole this allows me to maintain a sleek figure and still carry 2 hours worth of material.
Candidly,

Om Darji (he/she/xe)
Avocat
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446 Posts

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This company makes clothing with absurd amounts of pockets that are nonetheless well-engineered to look natural:

https://www.scottevest.com

I'd agree, though, for table-hopping, you only need three or four effects, tops.
Avocat
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Thought I'd add this: Scottevest's blazer's large tablet pocket works as an Ammar-design Topit

probably also true of some of the windbreaker and vest designs
Cread
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Wisconsin
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I wear a a fanny pack as a cross body.

This definitely isn't for everyone, but if you have a style where you can pull it off, it's wonderful.
raether
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Shorewood, IL
93 Posts

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Quote:
On Oct 13, 2023, Avocat wrote:
This company makes clothing with absurd amounts of pockets that are nonetheless well-engineered to look natural:

https://www.scottevest.com

I'd agree, though, for table-hopping, you only need three or four effects, tops.


Just came across this thread. The ScotteVest thing looks amazing.
Helmut Raether
Alan Munro
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Kentwood, Michigan, USA
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If I have unsightly bulges in my pockets, that won't work. I may carry something that doesn't look good in my pocket, in my hand. But everything thing else must be tiny or stowable under my jacket in a place that doesn't cause a bulge. I learned several routines with tiny props because they were practical and worth a spot in a set. I don't like to carry more than 3 sets of two routines each.
bhavz95
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I have a little over the shoulder bag that carries everything I need. It's not too big but holds a good amount, few packs of cards, some rubber bands, ITR, things of that nature.
umutK
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You need to try and practice for pocket management. It should become your second nature because you don t want any hesitation during performance.
UKNeil
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One thing that might make peoples pocket management slightly easier is the JOL Packet Trick Wallet.
I actually use it as my EDC. Its small but carries quite a lot.
Chamber of Wallets
http://www.chamberofwallets.com
Wravyn
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3531 Posts

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After looking at the OPs web page, I would venture to say that everything needed for his table-hopping fits into the pockets. Pen/pencil, pad of paper or 'billet' material, maybe coins, pendulum, and/or a deck of cards, wallet?