I have to highly disagree with all of you who say don't use gimmicked tricks. The problem is not in gimmicks, and not in ending clean, it's in drawing too much attention to your gimmick in the first place. As was said before.

I think too many great tricks get passed up on because there's a gimmick that might not be examinable when the trick is done. Quit skipping these tricks, and instead learn the technique called routining. If you routine correctly they won't ever have the chance to even think about asking, much less actually asking.

I have a lot of gimmicked effects and learn to just routine them out of the picture before the audience can ask.


I disagree completely. Learning to switch or ditch is never a waste of time, and a skill that will add to your mastery. Also becoming a master of something is about everything but making your life easier. If you want to be the best you can be you have to go out and make your life hard. Practice is hard, performing is hard, scriping is hard, routining is hard. Being great is hard. So don't look for an easy way out. Please if you're doing magic and trying to find the easiest way to do it stop. Find the best way to do it regardless of how difficult it is. Go for the best not the easiest.

And ending clean can add to your presentation but too many times we focus on the idea that we have to end clean and allow our spectators to examine things, and prove to them that we are doing real magic. I find that most of the time this is overproving, and if you do the magic right, the spectators won't usually want to examine, they'll want to see more magic. Don't present your magic as look at this trick, but instead as hey come experience this special moment with me.

That all being said, the easiest way to end clean in my opinion is to just put the prop or item in your pocket as soon as the moment and climax is waning. Then when they ask to examine it, pull out a duplicate ungimmicked item. Simple as that and no real difficult sleight of hand there.

There are better ways though, so search those out, learn some false transfers, and most importantly routine, routine, routine. And then practice it.

I think we should also ask why they ask to examine it. It must mean they have seen something fishy. However, sometimes they ask even before you start doing anything: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTaCGIZ8mJw Why do they do that? Because we, macians, have taught them to. Over and over again I see magicians ask their audiences to examine objects. Why? To establish they are NOT using anything out of the ordinary. I never ask my spectators to examine anything. If I feel an effect can benefit from a preestablishment of ordinary objects I just say: "I am going to use these 4 half-dollars..." while handing them out to spectators. I also never finish by saying. Please check that everything is alright, because I feel it gives away that it wasn't all the time! If the object can be examined, I just drop it on the table. If they feel the urge to jump on it, they can. However, I find they never do. As long as I don't treat the things I use as gimmicks, they aren't percieved as such.

Be fair and open in you handling and don't overdo the "fairness" when you are clean. That simply makes it stand out more when you can't...


-Widding

If I end dirty, E.g Brainwave or Invisible deck effects, I always go straight to my pocket with the cards when the effect is over without hearing the spectator asking to see it. I then look up at the person who asked and say: "Oh, you wanted to... Sure!" And I take a clean duplicate out of what I was handling before. I've never had them say: "Well you just switched it out in the pocket!" If they did I'd look at them with a crooked smile and raised eyebrows as if to say: "Well then it doesn't matte what I do, you'll question me!" or "Dude I'm not THAT good!"

I have also used the TKO as soon as I heard "Can I..." and after they finish the question replied: "See what?"

I start off by doing an effect that has them handling some props, (coins, cards, etc.).
This satisfies them straight-away, and it hardly ever becomes an issue.

I use a gaffed (self made) kitchen knife. The knife is identical to most knifes used in restaurants. After the trick is (I cut through and restore a borrowed 5 euro note) complete, they think: AHA, it must be the knife!

Now before this happends I hand them the euro note for examination, they dont pay attention to my left hand placing the knife in the middle of the table, switching it for a regular knife, which I then with an exagurated movement place faaaar away. So by this time they think: ''What are we doing, this is borrowed money, SHOW ME THE KNIFE.'' they'll have spotted my ''hiding'' of a regular and ordinairy knife. They'll reach grab fight and fly towards it immidiatly, noticing its just a regular knife.

Upon packing up dont forget to take your own knife with you!
This is generally the way I hide my gimmics

Daniel

I hate to jump in here, but I think its okay to do a trick with an un-gimmicked deck, do another trick (with something else), and then produce a gimmicked deck of the same color as the original deck. (or Vice Versa). You could tell them "everything can be examined at the end" (and end with an un-gimmicked deck.)

Oh, and I just thought of something. At some point, on the offbeat, if you get someone saying "That's a gimmicked/fake/magic deck", you could, at some point, make it look like you're closing up the pack, but leave the deck out, when they say "lemme see that", you can say "here". When they say "there's nothing in here", you can respond:
"Whoa!? How'd you make them disappear? You gotta teach me that!"
"They disappeared? I guess they really were magic"
"Oh yeah, that's my magic deck...but I guess I forgot to bring it..."

Or something along those lines.

The best way to have something examined is to have it examined in the beginning.

Have you ever seen someone do, for example, Three Card Monte and say at the end "And make sure the cards are normal." That sounds insane. Why do we always try to have gimmicked effects examined while ungimmicked not?

Not scoffing, just saying.

Personally, I usually don't let anyone examine anything until I am done. ESPECIALLY if they interupt in the middle (Also, having someone examine your stuff on demand slows your show down. Do you think the rest of the audience wants to wait while someone spends tedious time looking for a gimmick when there is none). I always let them examine something mundane either via a switch or it's mundane to begin with. This way I can give it to them, let them pass it around the group and I can answer questions/get a drink/etc.

-ArchAngel_G

But the show won't slow down if the examination is part of the presentation. Or if you explain the premise while the object(s) is being examined.

No matter what, if someone is looking at your props, it's taking time from your presentation. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but needs to be properly managed. If you are going to let someone examine each prop as part of your presentation as a convincer imagine how much time would be spent just waiting to ensure that the props weren't gimmicked. I say you should carefully figure out what SHOULD be examined and at what point during your presentation so as not to make the show seem to slow down. (Tempo)

-ArchAngel_G

Exactly. I was going to write that but didn't think it was necessary. Not everything needs to be examined. Sometimes nothing should be examined (like in a coin vanish).

I agree. But you have to say it like an angry 2-year-old "nnnnnno" Afterwords you should let everytihng be examined.
I perfer ungimmicked stuff but I have a few gimmicked tricks I use in all of my preformances.
It's normally the preformance that causes that questin to be raised. If that is happening to you a lot, here's my advice: slow down & practice.

If it's a group of homeboys I always use u can examine deez nuts

I think the closest to hitting the nail on the head was trylearne, I see it all the time performers asking spectators to examine objects and all you are doing is creating a suspicion because 90% of lay do not know gimmicks exist. You are potentially opening up their eyes to the fact that gimmicks exist.

If you do get someone who you know is going to be a pain, you can use the examining thing to take control of the situation and hopefully they will come off more annoyed (this is for the serious pain).

You are going to perform 3 effects with Non gimmicks and 1-2 with gimmicks.

Bring out a pen, ask the subject to examine it bring out some paper ask them to examine it, take out cards, hand them card case ask them to examine it ask them to go through the cards face down examine them then face up and examine them and then count them.

(Every item you use, let them check, they will soon get bored and just want to see the effects) after doing this 4-5 time let them ask them would you like to examine this? they wont want to trust me there.

But in my opinion if you make the variables SURROUNDING the gimmick fair, then there should be no need for the subject to even want to examine any gimmick you are using.

If you do get the big question asked after you have performed an effect then the simplest thing is to be bold, stand look right at the subject wait a few seconds (silence) create tension (while placing the item into your breast pocket) and say you want to examine the coin (or whatever the item may be)? (making them out to seem crazy as to why they would want to examine it) say 'ok' remove your hand back out of your pocket with the un gimmicked item.

Now to really sell how irrelevant the item is, turn your attention back to the group and proceed to perform something else (whilst the pain is still examining nothing) and cheekily ask him (after you have just finished the effect you were performing)

'Find what you were looking for?'.

Hope this helps