What's a trick you hate doing but your audience loves?

[Antonio Diavolo]

We all know magic is about the spectator and that means that sometimes you have to endure performing a trick you hate for people because you know it'll blow their minds. Maybe it's difficult to do, requires extensive set up, it's expensive, painful, etc.

I've heard for a lot of people, it's the spongeballs but obviously everyone has a different one. Thread also seems to be a common one.

For me, because I don't like ruining my cards, anything that requires a torn or signed card. Two that I do semi-often and people love are Angle Z and Identity (I think that's what it's called. It's the one where a signature or drawing jumps from card to card before landing on the selection).

I also don't like doing that one trick where you smack the cards out of their hand, leaving only their selection. People love this trick but afterward I have to pick up the deck and they get dirty and whatnot.

Anyway, what are yours and why? Let's hear em!

 

[Josh Burch]

I feel guilty when performing the Haunted Key. My presentation kinda stinks, and I like the trick okay I just don't love it. It gets a great reaction though. I also kind of wish I had a better key for the effect.

I also do the invisible deck often, which feels like a cop out to me. I still perform the classic presentation often enough. I carry it all the time as an out, and it's a card trick that I can do with a little kid and their parents are impressed. I have made my own version of the deck. I have created my own methods but I keep coming back to this thing. It's easy to do and very versatile.

The last thing I do sometimes is Crazy Man's Handcuffs. It's kind of the opposite of your criteria. I love the trick but I rarely do it because it's o. I only perform it when I'm working for the very old or the very young. If I do it for any boys from 8-30 years old they immediately say that they learned that one when they were kids.

That's my greatest example of how the internet hurts magic, everyone knows Crazy Mans Handcuffs. It's seen as some sort of a beginner trick, or a trick that is good to teach your friends when I think it should stay as a routine for only professionals.

 

[Derek Humberson]

I picked up Bisch's "Chaos" a while back for a study. Every once and a while I will carry it around with me. Of all the tricks I perform, somehow it gets the biggest reaction and always is wanted to see a second time because it can be done so up close. I also do Shin Lims 52 "Shades of Red" for smaller events and haven't been givin that big of a reaction.

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

My wife loves sponge balls. I can't stand them. It's annoying that they generally get such a strong reaction. I only perform that one like once a year for her.

It's not even that I hate doing the trick, either. It's that I can't find any artistic potential in it.

I can't really think of anything else because if there's something I don't enjoy performing I just forget about it.

 

[Antonio Diavolo]

My wife loves sponge balls. I can't stand them. It's annoying that they generally get such a strong reaction. I only perform that one like once a year for her.

It's not even that I hate doing the trick, either. It's that I can't find any artistic potential in it.

I can't really think of anything else because if there's something I don't enjoy performing I just forget about it.

Even though I actually like the spongeballs, it's always been strange for me how strong of a reaction they get. It's surprising.

The owner from my local magic store removed them from his show because he hated him and people kept asking him why he didn't do the "trick with the red balls" so he put them back in the show. Steve is a great performer so it kinda sucks that the only memorable part of his show for people was the spongeballs.

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

it kinda sucks that the only memorable part of his show for people was the spongeballs.

That says something, though.

Sponge balls or bunnies have a lot going for them in terms of a magic trick. They're easy to handle, they are easy to make surprising moments, but it's also logical enough that the surprise can be anticipated - so you get them with that mental space of "I think I know what is happening but that can't be possible". But like I said, I have never figured out how to use it to create an artistically satisfying presentation.

Eugene Burger had the same problem with the sponge balls. He didn't like doing it, but so many people requested it he had to keep putting it back in his sets.

 

[Al e Cat Dabra]

It's an interesting question. I guess I have a bit of a different take on this. I automatically LOVE any trick that the audience LOVES.

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

The audience's perception is certainly important. But it also depends on your character and performance style.

For me, I'm a pretty serious performer. I present things as serious explorations of concepts - if people see me do something that might come across as silly or an obvious magic trick, it changes how they perceive the rest of what I do. So, I dislike Sponge Balls because it's meaningless, and clearly a magic trick, so if I did that and then tried to go into a serious demonstration of a principle of Voodoo, it's not going to be taken the same way.

 

[Al e Cat Dabra]

The audience's perception is certainly important. But it also depends on your character and performance style.

For me, I'm a pretty serious performer. I present things as serious explorations of concepts - if people see me do something that might come across as silly or an obvious magic trick, it changes how they perceive the rest of what I do. So, I dislike Sponge Balls because it's meaningless, and clearly a magic trick, so if I did that and then tried to go into a serious demonstration of a principle of Voodoo, it's not going to be taken the same way.

That's perfectly understandable and makes total sense. I am primarily a comedic performer, so that gives me significant flexibility in terms of material I can use, and it's easier for me to cross-over to more serious and/or mental magic items, than it would be vice versa, i.e., for the more serious performer who presents things as an exploration of concepts, and/or for a mentalist, to cross over to something like sponge balls or the rabbits, or paper balls over the head (which even I don't do because I think there is a bit of a ridicule factor to it).

 

[Misdirected?]

when i'm performing something, i hate the most is: ambitious card routine, it's getting boring, and almost everyone seen that kinda of stuff

 

[Justin.Morris]

Sponge balls and ambitious card. I enjoy them because I like my presentation, however I think I'm just getting bored from doing them more than anything. But they slay.

 

[The VIP Gentleman]

I agree with you, I hate ruining cards. The problem is just that I have so many good tricks that I want to do which requires me to ruin cards, and that sucks. I know cards are cheap, but if I have to buy a new deck everytime I perform a trick, I will be a poor man soon enough.
But then again, I guess I can just save the card-ruiners for when I am doing a show.

 

[Antonio Diavolo]

I agree with you, I hate ruining cards. The problem is just that I have so many good tricks that I want to do which requires me to ruin cards, and that sucks. I know cards are cheap, but if I have to buy a new deck everytime I perform a trick, I will be a poor man soon enough.
But then again, I guess I can just save the card-ruiners for when I am doing a show.

That's exactly my reasoning. I get really annoyed when I'm performing with a deck that's missing a few cards. It just bugs the hell out of me. So what I do is I start doing the tricks that ruin cards when the deck has gotten old and starts to clump and whatnot.

 

[RickEverhart]

I feel guilty when performing the Haunted Key. My presentation kinda stinks, and I like the trick okay I just don't love it. It gets a great reaction though. I also kind of wish I had a better key for the effect.

I also do the invisible deck often, which feels like a cop out to me. I still perform the classic presentation often enough. I carry it all the time as an out, and it's a card trick that I can do with a little kid and their parents are impressed. I have made my own version of the deck. I have created my own methods but I keep coming back to this thing. It's easy to do and very versatile.

The last thing I do sometimes is Crazy Man's Handcuffs. It's kind of the opposite of your criteria. I love the trick but I rarely do it because it's o. I only perform it when I'm working for the very old or the very young. If I do it for any boys from 8-30 years old they immediately say that they learned that one when they were kids.

That's my greatest example of how the internet hurts magic, everyone knows Crazy Mans Handcuffs. It's seen as some sort of a beginner trick, or a trick that is good to teach your friends when I think it should stay as a routine for only professionals.

If you like crazy man's handcuffs look into my mentor's Twistration Effect on the Wire - Ed Ellis. Same move and principle yet their focus is on the ring and not your fingers.

 

[Antonio Diavolo]

If you like crazy man's handcuffs look into my mentor's Twistration Effect on the Wire - Ed Ellis. Same move and principle yet their focus is on the ring and not your fingers.

I think I've seen that one

 

[Antonio Diavolo]

when i'm performing something, i hate the most is: ambitious card routine, it's getting boring, and almost everyone seen that kinda of stuff

I know what you mean. My ACR is sort of standard at first as it's just the two standard jumps to the top using a marlo tilt and DL but what makes it worth performing for me is the card to mouth I do at the end because people flip out.

But yeah, not my favorite card effect to perform. I've been meaning to change it up a bit so that each phase is a bit more distinct and the overall trick is more unique but I haven't gotten to it.

 

[JustJoey]

Honestly I have tried to get away from sponge balls my whole magic life but they just hit so dang hard for being such a small soft object. I started to get away from performing sponge ball magic and recently brought them back out and the reaction are just too good not to perform with.

 

[JoshL8]

Card Warp. I really don't hate doing the trick I am really just suprised at the good reactions it gets.

Echoing others here though, I dislike spongeballs. I haven't picked up my spongeballs in a while and don't see it in my repetior any time soon.

 

[Misdirected?]

I know what you mean. My ACR is sort of standard at first as it's just the two standard jumps to the top using a marlo tilt and DL but what makes it worth performing for me is the card to mouth I do at the end because people flip out.

But yeah, not my favorite card effect to perform. I've been meaning to change it up a bit so that each phase is a bit more distinct and the overall trick is more unique but I haven't gotten to it.

card to mouth is great to use, but many people catch me whenever i do the standard method by doing a fan with one hand sticking the double lifted card, and sticking other into the mouth this one many people know, because youtube magicians are sharing secrets to everyone, and people are lazy to buy some books or something, and learn something by reading, and making their own methods. I personally have my own method performing card to mouth that's what it makes the trick more unique to me, but it depends, to how many people you do hehe

 

[Josh Burch]

If you like crazy man's handcuffs look into my mentor's Twistration Effect on the Wire - Ed Ellis. Same move and principle yet their focus is on the ring and not your fingers.

I think Ed is an incredible magician and I like his effect Twistration. I think it's a good example of mixing up a method to create a new effect but I don't think that the effect conveys the same thing.

The best part about the crazy man's handcuffs, in my opinion, is that after you have performed the move they shouldn't believe anything has happened. They are looking at the bands and at some point they realize the true state of the bands. This illusion is often duplicated with the linking rings. It is difficult to see if they are linked or unlinked.

In Twistration, it is immediatley apparent when the ring is on the rubber band or not. It's a fine trick, I just don't think it's a good substitute.

Also, my issue with Crazy Man's handcuffs is not that they are looking at the fingers. When it counts, they should be focusing on the center of the rubber bands. The reason I don't like Crazy Man's Handcuffs is because it's too easy to find on line. All they have to search is "rubber band magic" and they get a tutorial. I run into kids who dabble in magic and know this effect all the time. None other than Michael Ammar, the guy who made the routine popular, tells a story about performing for some kids and them finding a tutorial of the trick before he finished. I want to avoid this.