I had this guy one time come up to me on a bus while I was practising my false riffle shuffle and say: "You suck with cards!"
I wasn't in the mood for this so I said: "Yeah, I know I suck, you see I cant just pick up this card and change it into the ace of spades" which I actually did using the change from Jokers Wild. He looked at the card for a second, blinked, and then started jumping up and down demanding to see it again but of course "I can't do that because I suck with cards"

when they say its easy i just tell them, no its not i just make it look that way. and if they say i suk i just say"ok" and keep going works for me

Yes. They are

I love the "Why don't you do it" response. I was wandering down the road, and saw a street magician. Or rather, a kid who thought he was the next David Blaine. After the crowd thinned, I offered some suggestions for improvement. He said "Well, if you're so darn good, lets see you do it."

So, after finding out he was using a stripper deck, I whipped out my Bikes from my pocket. I did an ambitious card routine involving a signed card. Then I did a transpo, same signed card bouncing back and forth. Finally, I did a monte trick that started with Kings and Aces ended with him holding his signed card from earlier. He was speechless, I stole his thunder, and , in a sense of feeling sorry for him, I suggested people drop the tips in his hat.

So.. never say "Let's see you do better." Someone just might, and it's imbarassing to get upstaged in front of everyone.

Nice job, redcard! I would have loved to have seen the look on that kid's face!

I also don't tend to care for the "challenge" response. If I'm out performing and someone says something like "that's so easy" I say, "Yes, after some practice it really is. If you can do it too, then good for you. That's great." I find that this usually takes the edge off the person looking for a "fight". Complimenting someone when they expect a retort really takes them by surprise. This handling, of course, could greatly vary depending on the situation, but the idea of complimenting instead of arguing, bashing or challenging is the point. The other thing you have to remember is that I am a professional and thus perform and treat people in a professional manner. Kids that just do this at school or just for fun may think this is a "wimpy" way out. That's fine. It doesn't bother me in the least if you don't agree with my way of handling it. Just let it be known that in the professional world, the better you treat other people, the better you look and the more respect you will get. You never know who is watching or listening and what opinion of you they are formulating as they see you respond to hecklers and insulting people.

I actually had that happen once and it really made me glad that I was polite, courteous and complimentary to the heckling spectator. I was complimented by a table that had overheard the whole situation and they actually told the manager of the restaurant how impressed they were at how I had handled the whole situation. I'm not trying to toot my own horn by any means, just sharing some important lessons and how they can really impact your career, professional or not.

Hope something there is helpful.

Dave

How is it that he's full of himself and selfish when he sees someone that could use some help and he genuinely offers some constructive tips and advice? How is that selfish? He was HELPING someone else. The kid performing was the jerk. He obviously didn't like the inference or whatever. His attitude was the problem, not redcard. Instead of saying, "thanks, I'll try that" or "Hey, that's a good idea" he smart-mouthed off and as a consequence got shown up by a more practiced and better magician.

Heck, redcard even gave the kid the tips that he, himself, was totally entitled to keep. If that's selfish, then you are from some other strange planet, my friend.

Dave

This kid wasn't a performer. He was a hack. And I didn't go up there for attention. I went up there silently and whispered some things I'd noticed. Like him taking ten seconds to do a push over get ready. Or him flashing a DL readied load. Quietly, with nobody around him.

He's the one that screamed out the challenge that got everyone's attention. And so, I admit, pride took over.

The moral is, there's always someone better.