Sorry I don't know if there's a thread on this yet, didn't have the time to look for them.

Anyway, I wanted to ask, how do you guys actually cover up your failures?

Like for example, you need to maintain a certain arrangement of cards and and during false shuffling you messed them up... and all the wrong cards turned out...

Or like you're trying to steal a card, and they saw you holding the cards...

Also, YouTube is so common, and most people have basic knowledge on magic such as DL... how do you guys deal with them?



For those tricks where the spectator choose a card and I have to find them, and if I couldn't find them...

here's one that I thought of.

If she's a girl you're doing to... say this
"Oh sorry, I lost focus because I kept looking at you".

Haha. hope that helps. =P

I don't think you have to censor False Shuffle...lol
Anyway what you're asking is more of how to cover up mistakes.
Its not something you can really learn rather something you experience after doing the same tricks thousands of times.

haha, i don't know.. just censore only.

Anyway, yea, I realise I was talking about that but couldn't edit the title.. so I leave it just there.

Well, learn from experience eh.. B)

That's where new routine is fertilized
creativity is borned.

If it's a guy
"Oh sorry, I lost focus because your Adam's Apple keep distracting me."
"Oh sorry, I'm just wondering whether the thing above your lips is a mole or dirt..?" :P

That's just kidding, well, I rarely use line to cover up...
Instead of that, I normally force myself to quickly turn it into a sucker routine...

Yes
Be creative
If they see u steal the card, you just put it back, dl, show is not their card, and proceed to some colour change trick

My personal experience:
Stripper deck,
Choose a card, lose it into the deck, spectator shuffle, and dunno what happen I cant strip the correct card
I then ask the spectators what was their card
They named it, i turn the deck towards myself , browse through once, then turn it face up and show them that their card is no more in the deck, but in my pocket instead.
I always screw up my stripper deck but i always have ways to cover it up and lead it to a new routine

The rule of magic, never tell what you are about to do next
This allows very much flexibility in magic

Agreed.

Working in magic stall can be very challenging. You can deal with a lot of type of jokers, a lot of type of reaction and a lot of type of hecklers.

sometime, maybe most of the time or even maybe must! you gonna always keep eyes contact with your spectators or always look at their eyes, to see whether they notice your "fishy" move or not. if they did then you gonna give up the trick and start on different trick again . some of them are very clever they just keep quiet until you finish perform then only they tell the whole world : i saw this, i saw that.

of coz, you gonna practice on your mis-dirc ;)

opss it sound like more on prevent exposure :lol:

Yeah.... all magicians mess up from time to time... no one does it perfect all the time....

Now, what I do when I mess up is

SITUATION A
eg. i took out the wrong card without realizing I was wrong...

"So there this is your card....."

No it isn't

"Huh, really not ur card? Then what was ya card?"

Er... 5 of Spades!??

" 5 of spades??? really? That's such an odd card" As I say that, I quicky browse through the deck and cull or cut the 5 of Spades out and position it to the top of deck... and continue talking abt how weird it was that the spec picked the 5 of spades.

"Normally i have super powers to know where ya card is after some fancy cutting... let me show u" Then u do some false cuts or watever.... then do a DL... showing an indifferent card, and put it on a table, or chuck it away in ya pocket.

"Shoots!... again not ur card!? crap.. where the heck is it in the deck".... ask him to look together with u through the deck... both cant find...

then say what ever patter u want... then reveal the card.

SITUATION B
They caught me doing a DL! Even when I do it so well, so square etc etc.

So, then I know that they know the method and just trying to heckle me. Well, I will just continue with my trick. If they keep giving me probs, telling me they know how i do it.. they know how DL works.... etc...

Well then go for other slights... other counts or routines that dont use DLs and crack their head up. Or even better, do some strong self working tricks with cards or a mentalism effect with cards... they cant heckle u with that can they?

Well if they still do.... just say... "thank you very much for ya time.. u should be a magician"... pass the cards to them... "now show me a trick".

Conclusion
Yeah... im just giving some examples of what one can do to cover up or to proceed with next trick, or make a joke out of it.... as one has to always be prepared to meet hecklers or do a mistake in a trick.

well.. what brendan says is true.. if someone knows you're doing a DL and points it out think fast change your trick it's never to late you know.. imagine you're doing the ambitious card routine.. u need to DL at least one.. if they catch you you could say i was just testing your awareness.. it's not really i trick.. i just wanna see if i've got u hipnotised.. than u go and perform a mentalism effect.. just be creative.. after a few screw ups here and there u'll learn how to cover up your mistakes quite well..

Heh, I didn't notice I actually practised what you guys have said when I was performing... -_-

I just couldnt' think of a good cover up for the card stealing. So far I don't dare to perform this because I tried few times and got caught and I just said I'm not really good enough in card stealing.

And how do you actually learn to steal card without being noticed. In front of real crowd, or in front of mirrors? Because if you practise in front of mirror, you wouldn't really know if people can see from different angle and all. But if you practise in front of real crowd, you gotta go through a lot of failures before you could steal the card without being noticed...



Btw, another good cover up you can use is, get a Invincible/Brainwave deck put in pocket.

If you show the wrong card, then quickly with some misdirection change to the invincible/brainwave deck, ask what is their card and continue the trick with that deck.

You need to blush up your misdirection
Firstly misdirect 1 person, then2, then a group of 5 and eventually u will learn to misdirect larger crowds
Do not pay much focus on the hand which u use to steal the card, but on the other hand holding the decks or having eye contact with audiences instead

This comes with practice
Perform infront of a mirror will not bring you far, you tend to 'BLINK" when you are performing a secret move. You tend to ''not see'' the sleights being executed.

Perform to real people, and i don't mean perform to your magic friends only.They know what the effects are, they tend to get lesser reactions and amazement compared to a layman
Get reactions, get experiences of their amazement, get heck, and learn from it.eventually 1 day you will develop a set of routine that suits you most.

Always be prepared and have some back up routines ready in case you flashed your sleights or exposed certain moves. Cover them up smart.

This is a good article from SMC which i would like to share
http://forums.singaporemagiccircle.com/ind...topic=5470&st=0

Btw, what steal u use?

I'm trying the T** P**m Steal.. and bottom steal.. for the TP steal, my hands look awkward.. for the bottom steal, they saw the card, damn! Haha.

Hmmmm....
If your hands look askward, it simply means you haven't practise your sleights well enough to perform yet...

Hence, the solution to deal with exposure is to practise your sleights and routines well before you before you start perform again...

The awkward hands... yea, my friend commented that when I try to do the card steal, quite some time ago (that time not really good, not much of practise). Soon after that I didn't do the card steal again.

Yea I know. I'm just not sure the best way is to practise in real situation, or practise at home in front of mirror. Because I can't judge whether my own hands are awkward or not... haha.

Well. So far I just practising to steal naturally, on my own.

Reminds me of how I practised all my sleights: Top Palm (Dai Vernon & 1 handed), Cop, 2nd Deal...
It took me around 2 years to perfect them...

Great...
Hope you'll find a new way that suit yourself..

I can't help more than giving recommendations to practice, practice and practice on presentation and misdirection. :D

Remember, big actions cover small ones. -Dai Vernon (Can't remember the exact phrase though).