Pretty much all of my regular card tricks that I do use the DL. People are just doubting all of the tricks saying that I picked up 2 cards. I could work on my technique, but if they just believe that I attempted a DL and they pretty much know the secret, the trick is ruined. How do I respond? What other slights are just as good, or how can I DL with complete confidence?
Thanks

LOL...you are not doing your doubles well then, my friend. That is really what it comes down to. If your doing your sleights well, people can't tell any difference at all, and will not suspect your double.


It's time to take your sleights back to the drawing room, stop doing magic, change what your doing, and practice until you get it down. Seriously.



Also try mixing it up a little. There's a lot of sleights you can do to offset people who you suspect may be onto you, like the Tilt. A good array of sleights, cuts, and shuffles will always be your weapon against skeptics.


I'd suggest going back to the drawing room and reworking your basics, especially your double (because honestly, if people are suspecting you all the time, your main problem is that you are not doing it right). Then I would say work on some new moves/card techniques that can help you out. There's a great book called "Counts, Cuts, Moves and Subtlety" that is nothing but card moves...no tricks. It will help you out.

I agree with B. It sounds like you are just getting nailed because you need a little more work on technique. This has happened to most of us (whether or not we will admit it!), so don't feel bad. Once you get the DL down, no one will be able to tell, and you will have a very powerful sleight. So, think of this as good motivation to really learn this important technique rather than accepting the (false) idea that it can't convincingly be done.

Get a copy of the Royal Road to Card Magic or Card College for good instruction on the basic DL if you don't already have them. Work in front of a mirror and/or video tape yourself until you can convince yourself that it looks like only one card. Once you get good at a basic DL, it is a good idea to work on another method or two. Look at Vernon's DL (a classic) from Stars of Magic and Larry Jennings Snap DL (The Card Wright and also in Daryl's Ambitious Card DVD) for two more advanced, but excellent (and very doable) DLs.

Give it some time and the practice it deserves, and you will get it. Keep at it and good luck!

I´m pretty new int this buisnes, (only been practising for about a month) but I do stun people from time to time.
Howewer, I´m having BIG problems doing any DL.
Could someone tell me the basics of it perhaps?

I would say to practice your DL a little more. Sense people are quessing you are picking up a double, do the KM Move toshow you only have one card and will blow them away. The KM move is a way of ditching the extra card on a DL. This is what I do if someone shouts out, "you have two cards". I do the KM Move and show that I really only have a single card, and they are blowen away. Just an idea.

Mike

Degen,
Pick up Greg Wilson's Double Take video. It covers just about everything you could ever want to know about a DL.

The key is not to blatently count out the cards, possibly riffle to two cards, another thing is to not look at your hands, if you were picking up one card, why would you need to look at your hands?

Here is a solution you can fall on should the spectators suspect the DL. First of all, accept that the trick is done for now, at least. Do NOT get nervous!!! Take the DL faceup, use it to flip the pack of cards over face up and quickly but smoothly place your DL on the first card. Hand out the top card for examination and then do another trick with it. If you execute the motion fluidly, it ditches the DL without your spectators realizing it. Email me @ djsyankees@hvc.rr.com if you have questions.

the basics: edited, edited, edited, edited.

that's what it would look like if i told you how to do the DL.

there are many resources out there: http://www.google.com

for starters.

I hate it when people are too keen to show people a trick and go out and perform half cocked - it not only spoils what should have been a great experience for the performer but for the spectator as well.

Flip do you have a friend that shares your passion and respect for magic?
If so, practice on him/her until you are both satisfied that you have the move down pat. Then I would suggest performing the move to a person that wont be burning your hands while you do a move - DL. Avoid smart arses. Everyone has a smart arse friend or knows people that are smart arses. I suggest avoid performing to these sorts of people initially - these people do not respect what you are trying to do and will only serve to fracture your confidence. Try and perform to one person at a time not a group at first - get a feel for doing performing and controlling the situation then gradually perform to 2 or more people. This way you can stay relaxed throughout your entire performance. If your technique is weak when you perform to several people at once the chance of being caught greatly increases. After you have done this maybe a dozen times it will begin to feel like second nature.

I agree with the advise that the other Forums members have offered. I believe the only way you get nailed is because you havent practiced enough.

I will give a tip that may help you with this move. If, as I mentioned earlier you have a friend you can practice on do the following:
Show him your DL (almost sounds perverted!) maybe several dozen times. Now very so often instead of doing a a DL switch it up with a single lift and see if he can pick the difference. Ask him after every lift or at random how many cards you have turned it over. When you can get to the point that your friend cant tell the difference you know you're ready.

I hope this helps.

Good advice here...

I have to admit my DL isn't always perfect, so what I have done to cover it is to use patter to have my spectators make eye contact with me. The split second that happens, I drop the deck to waist level, I get my break and begin the turnover, bring my hands back up to where they were and then I draw attention back to my hands. That may not work for everyone, but it works for me.

The DL is near impossible to get off flawlessly. If someone knows about it, they will, almost definately see it. Only suggestions I can give you is to keep the cards near the deck. I do on between my second finger and thumb, where I just flip the card over, keeping it on top of the deck, and then flip it back. People recognise this half as often as one where you hold your fingers rigid because it looks more natural. Also, perform single lifts in the same way as doubles, that way you won't get suspicion for doing it differently.

I never have that problem. The double takes work...but there is no way I'd say that its near impossible to get off flawlessly. If you think that, its obvious that you need to take your double back to the drawing room as well...LOL.

Basically, if someone suspects that you are doing a DL (and isn't a magician themselves) then it is because you tipped them off to it somehow. Think about it, if really did just turn over one card in any other trick, do you have everyone constantly saying your turning over two??? No. That's how your double has to look. No one has a reason to even think two cards unless you have given them a reason to think that. Otherwise, all card tricks people would accuse you of turning over two!

it's worth it to learn how to do it right. You can learn other sleights, but the DL is so much of a staple that you will really be cheating yourself by not practicing it.