I feel that these days people are no more interested in being mystified but are more interested in trying to figure out how the trick is done.
You feel so because you're a magician. There are plenty of people (even magicians sometimes) who would see a trick, be as amazed as if they saw the Holy Grail, and yet not strive to find out how it's done by looking through books and/or asking people how it was done in forums (
).
They are constantly burning your hands and will never look away from the deck
Refine your handling. You might be doing something that is making them burn your hands. The audience doesn't burn your hands unless:
a) You've done something suspicious.
b) That moment in the trick seems like the climax-moment.
c) They were in the 'power' position in the group (happens with a group of strangers or even friends, classmates, colleagues) and you're 'stealing' their attention. (It has never happened to me, touch wood! Or maybe because I've studied in an all-girls, convent school all my life, ha ha!)
I'll say this, sometimes people look at me so much just because I'm continuing my patter in the midst of my actions with a deck, that I myself have to explicitly tell them to look at the deck!
Ah such sweet souls...
Jokes apart, I've also had people burn my hands and every single time I've found the reason to be the above 3.
There might genuinely be people who want to figure out how something is done without even seeing it once from a to z, but that's such a small percentage of people that they are negligible. Even if I want to figure out something, at least I have to know what's going to happen, otherwise I might be thrown off by red herrings!
There are so many better ways like the Allerton control which I think is highly underrated.
I don't understand why no one likes/talks about/uses the Allerton control.
It is simple, deceiving, and is much easier to perform.
You know which control is simple, deceiving, and is much easier to perform?
The double undercut.
Fun story:-
When I was 11, I developed this habit of 'inventing' moves, more than half of which already existed. For example, I 'invented' the classic palm of coins without knowing that it was the classic palm which has existed for thousands of years now (read: 101 reasons why you should know the basics before inventing). More importantly, I invented something called 'Mohana's Control' which was BASICALLY having a key or a force card and then spreading through the deck with the faces towards you, looking for your spectator's card, while using your patter to engage them and then JUST CUTTING THEIR CARD TO THE TOP.
You know what's MORE surprising? That people. Actually. Bought. It.
Rather than thinking about how dumb I was, ask yourself why we even need controls if we can just place someone's card to the top! My point is, as I said, all controls have their pros and cons.
Why the Allerton Control? Why not use the Double Undercut all the time, because most people don't even mind you cutting the deck whenever you want?
I like the pass. I agree that it's overrated but I just like it. Personal bias. However I also agree that the pass is an important technique and has, again, it's own pros and cons. We can't really discard any sleight in that manner, unless it's absolutely, completely useless. We can however, choose not to learn it.
