when you walk up to someone and you ask if you can show some magic, what's your opening trick ? Sometimes when I offer some magic, people are not quite sure what I want, in their eyes I could ask for money or I could be just some kind of freak. So I think it's important to quickly convince them that I can do something special. Do you usually start with an complete trick which might take a few minutes or do you start with some kind of flourish or card change to show immediately that you can handle cards ?

I use 3/4 Across from On the Spot with Gregory Wilson. It's a very magical, visual, and clever coins across trick where 3 ordinary quarters fly from your left fist to your right open-palmed hand. It uses nothing but 3 ordinary quarters, which is good because people are familiar with those and will feel more comfortable.

I won't give away my full card "routine" here, but I start with Blindsided. It's a fast, hard hitting, simple trick, and doesn't take that long, so it's a great opener, IMO.

Well that is your first mistake. You never approach people unless you have a camera crew and they are paid actors like Blaine and Angel. You set up your pitch and have them come to you. Once you get a minimum of 5 people start your sidewalk show. If you are going to do a circle show don't start until you get at least 20.

Then right after your opening effect start with your hat lines.

I start with "The Closer" or I make the coin appear in their breast pocket.

to disagree with paddy i always walk up and start with a trick! i just do a simple control, then a dl, put an indifferent card in their hands and change it to their selected card. People love it

although where your at plays big, most people will get rejected on the streets trying to blaine, but at partys, bars and night clubs where i do my acts i've never been turned down from doing a trick

My opening trick is usually ambitious card, or jokerz wild.

ambitious card is so incredibly underrated. I normally go with that, if not a 2CM. The great thing about the 2CM being your first effect is you still have the spectator's trust that what you say you're doing is what you're actually doing, which is key in that effect.

I use that or Killer Key.

I want them to be accustomed to giving me money, so asking for the Fraud dollar bill isn't awkward. If you perform a bunch of card tricks, then ask for a dollar, they say no a lot. IMHO.

Well im a card magican so i just do cards atm.
But i useally start with Blindsided or 2cm.
Just use some trick that the audicens have to be a part of.

If I'm strolling I will walk up to someone with a deck of cards in my hand, and ask if they would like to see something unusual, but kind of cool. They usually tell me my shoe is untied. I appologize, excuse myself as I ask them to hold the deck of cards. I then perform STS. From there the opening is created and I am able to perform a few tricks. Sometimes the deck I give them to hold is an invisible deck, so I go straight into that.

I use killer key now.

Garrett

I never really thought about that. I would probably do disintegration. Where a spectator picks a card. and the magician takes ashes and on to the spectators arm and the value and suit of the card appears in ash on their own arm.

I agree. Blindsided is a great trick that hits hard, and is very inexpensive. One of my favorite card tricks.

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My first trick is usually Emerge Triumph or Ambitious Card.