Once again im being downed on how I don't think a ACR should be on my top list. As i've said before, Im looking for to the point impossiblities.

So far I've got as such:

Spun <- Isn't it illegal?
Card on Ceiling
Card thru Window
Paperclipped
Torn (Daniel Garcia)

These are the kind of impossible effects im looking for. (I can do all of the above).

No. As long as you don't put the money back into circulation, you can do whatever you want too it.

When done correctly, the ambitious card is one of the most amazine, impossible effects.

Here is my restaurant magic list which all have no RESET.
TT
professors nightmare
visual card rise

sponge ball routine
pen thru card
Jumbo penny routine

penny to dime
chop cup
visual card tricks

Balloon sculptures

Look in the penguin theater, there is a post in there called "paranormal ambition"

If you think that doesnt look impossible, get out of magic.

Jesse

Can you give me a link?.....I can't find it anywhere.

....Whoa, that slapped me across the face. It's nice but he/she had no finale. When I perform ACR the only thing that is remembered is, and I quote, "The bending card one!!!!". Without that, the trick is worthless.

Phant,

First and foremost I should say that I am not a working professional magician (though I intend to be one someday) so you should probably take everything I have to say with a grain of salt. Also, there are many far more experienced magicians on this thread, and so far I would recommend their advice over mine any day, so if any of these said magicians offer advice that is different or contradictory to mine, take it.

With that out of the way . . . it sounds to me like your goal in performing magic is what Paul Harris calls the Moment of Astonishment---a moment in which all the spectators' preconceived notions about how the world works break apart, the floor is pulled out from under them, and they are left floating in a sea of impossibility; no answers, no explanations, just pure astonishment.

I think this is probably one of the best mindsets to have in magic---it sure beats being in it for an ego boost from fooling other people. If you don't have Paul Harris's Art of Astonishment books, I'd highly, highly reccommend getting them (all three volumes). There's plenty more in those books about the Moment of Astonishment, as well as tons of tricks to help unleash it---a few of my favorites that spring to mind are Whiplash, Invisible Palm Aces, Juke, Solid Deception (if you want to make your ACR truly astonishing, try this) and the Anything Deck.

Also, I've had some really great reactions with mentalism effects. I think mentalism is extremely powerful because it's not about what's happening with the cards (or whatever props you may be using) but about something much more personal and intimate: people's thoughts. Some of my favorite mentalism material comes from Jay Sankey (especially 22 Blows to the Head) and Banacheck's PSI Series. I've also heard really good things about the work of Richard Osterlind and Derren Brown, but I don't have any of their material so I can't offer an opinion on it.

Hopefully this will help you in your search for ideal effects. But please keep in mind two other things. First, magic, in its purest sense, doesn't happen in the tricks, it happens in the spectator's mind. You seem to grasp the idea that technical skill does not equal astonishment (but it sure doesn't hurt), but the tricks themselves are really only a tool to get at something much deeper. The magic comes from the spectator's mind, and you get this through presentation and rapport.

Second, if your ultimate goal is astonishment, you need to routine for it. Going up to a table and doing three complete mind-blowers in a row is going to be an overload to your audience. A magical act, no matter how short, has rising and falling action leading up to a climax, just like any well written play, book, song or movie. I'll be the first to admit that sponge balls are pretty silly when you think about them, and you're not going to make anyone cry over their magical beauty, but they're fun, and they get good reactions from laypeople. You need to get them warmed up to magic (and to you as a performer) before you hit them with something like Paperclipped.

Sorry for this long-winded post, but it's a topic I feel very passionately about. I hope I've been of some help to somebody who'll read this. I'm going to end by paraphrasing something Alan Munro has said several times in this forum: Restaurant magic is a Public Relations job for the restaurant. The magic is secondary. It's not unimportant by any means, but, as is usual in the restaurant business, the customer comes first.

~Michael

is interlocking gimmiked, do have a link

please post it

No, its just a handling/flourish, that can be implemented into magic very very well. It is learned on McBrides AOCM #3

Jesse

This is just my two cents, as a magic hobbyist (not an aspiring professional like many of you). I sometimes find that the "impossible" tricks are the least impressive -- when people assume there was a gimmick or set-up.

For example, when I'm doing a monte, I don't want someone to hold their chest and yell, "That's impossible!" Instead, I want them to think, "Wow, his hands must be so fast that I can't keep up no matter how hard I try." Whether I'm using gimmicked cards or sleight of hand, that's a satisfying response. And when they ask for more, I know they're being entertained, which is what it's all about.

Ha! That is word for word what I hear, every day. (among others, like the switchy card one, the floaty card one, the card through wall one, etc.)The hard part is to keep them from doting on one trick. But, more to the point, I love Ambitious Card. It's true that a very smart spectator can begin to make an explanation, but if you put it in the middle of your routine and follow it up with something good, they'll probably forget about their theories. Works most of the time for me, anyways.

Acually if someone had thought that I was just really fast or good with my hands, it would strike me as a personal low.

hehe more people should actualy HELP this guy rofl
one of my all time favorite "impossible" tricks is the ultimate transpo (at least thats what penguin calls it in Bort To Preform)
put that card in the spectators hand tweak the routine a litte and boom carzy reactions
im just a high school student, but a card being switched in a spectators hand blows them away no matter what (even worked on a teacher)
ive gotten people that think i worshiop the devil or like can really control time with this trick. Just my 2 cents

P.S. try it on a female rofl... they are more likely to scream and please excuse my grammar LOL

I believe the correct name for 'Ultimate Transpo' is 'Here, then There'. Correct me if mistaken.

Mike