Ever have a spectator always try to explain how the trick works? Sure, we all have. There's one or two in every crowd. The best way to handle these types of people is to show them a trick they've never seen before. Here's the one I use.....
This works great....especially if they're a smoker! Take a deck of cards out and offer them to take a card. They examine their card and slip it back in the deck. Shuffle the cards, do a couple of cuts, and tell them that their card has now vanished from the deck.
Ask them for their pack of cigarettes and at the same time, explain to them that their card has magically transposed from the deck and is now rolled up in their cigarrete. Proceed to take a cigarette out of the pack and carefully unroll it....Of course...their card is not there. Look puzzled and comment that their card is not there, and that something must have gone wrong....as you say this, begin pulling their cigarettes out one by one and break or crumble them, muttering, "It's not in that one....it's not in that one either.....". Usually everyone finds it hilarious (except for the person who's cigarettes you've just destroyed). That usually takes care of the problem. The best way to fight magic hecklers is with more "magic"!

Welcome to Penguin Town.

Nice debut.

Welcome to penguin!!!

Lucky for me I have had few hecklers. The only one I can remember right now that said that said it when I did Hitman (ID) he said he could do it, so I held the cards out to him and said ok, do it. He walked away and his friend who I showed the trick to just laughed at him. That has to be worse than anything I could have said to him.

There was a fantastic short story about a magician's revenge. He invites a heckler on stage and asks to borrow his hat, coat, gloves (this is ye olde Englande we're talking about) and asks if he may destroy them (e.g. by cutting them up). The guy obliges, expecting them to be restored afterwards, but they never are. Moral of the story: never heckle a magician!

I guess, if you want to be less mean to the heckler when trying the "it's not in that cigarette" stunt, you could secretly fold up the selected card and when taking out the last few cigarettes, you slip the card into the bottom of the box. You then exclaim: "Oh, that's where it went!"

So you do end up finding their card, but you get your revenge.

What other items other than cigarette packets could you do this to? You couldn't really convince someone that their card would turn up on the inside of a pencil. I love the idea of mangling someone else's stuff in an attempt to do a trick that ends up failing, but obviously you can't take it too far. You could ask them to pick out any three cigarettes from their case, which you begin to take apart. That way you only mangle three.


There is a pub trick that you can do. The idea is that it is possible to set fire to a bank note without burning it. If you dip it in beer, the alcohol will set alight but the water content of the beer will put the fire out before it gets to the money. This is really true but it seldom works. You could "accidentally" burn a heckler's $5 note! Or you could switch it for a flash bill and burn that. That way, you keep the spectator's money too.

i might have to steal that one.

WELCOME TO PENGUIN TOWN

Thanx for the welcoming!! I've been browsing the forums and it looks like a person can learn a lot or help a lot. I look forward to doing both. I've been doing magic for over 16 years. I'm 29 now and still learn something all the time. I'm looking forward to getting to know some of you. Again, thank you for a great welcoming.

Well, these people are the "act smart" kind. They might have picked up 1 or 2 tricks and think they are great, but when WE perform other type of routine and etc. They got jealous and tried to "hey i know that", sometime they do like a "DL", "Palming".

They must learn to have some professional ethics, when i see my fellow magicians performing, even if i know i would keep my mouth shut. if i don't i willl figure out or do some reference.

Prepare for a punch.... I wouldn't use it...but they sure won't give away your secrets any more :p

I like that cigarrette idea. Usually if someone says the famous "I know how you did that" I let them try. So far, no one has successfully pulled off one of my tricks . I also like the idea of just walking away if someone starts to try to guess the tricks or begins heckling. If the other people really want to see magic, they'll tell them to shut up. And besides, who really wants to work when you don't have an eager crowd?
~A.C.
ps--> welcome JD kelley

if someone says to me: "i know how u did that!"

then i simply reply: "yeah, me too! isn't it an awsome trick?!"

I just hate it because theyle say they know how to do it but theylle really only know how to do like one move. But when they show it to the others there always like so thats how he did it.

well.... i would reply "oh is it ?, why not you take over my place then"
then they will just do some nonsense and expect people to believe thats how it's done. Craps

Well, I disagree with that approach. I am there to entertain not be a heckler because that is basically what you are doing is heckling the heckler.

I always try and bring the heckler into the show with me. I can find several ways to make the heckler my assistant for a few minutes.

From what I have learned over the years is that a heckler really is just jealous because they are not the center of attention. So, I give them the center stage and do something that makes it look like they did it. I will turn to the heckler when we are done and say remember we never tell how it is done. This usually works because the hecklers friends will start to bug him or her how was it done.

BTW I am new to this forum and to Penguin. I am most happy with the service I am receiving from Penguin. Applause to everyone at Penguin.

A little background I recently came out of Retirement (10 years) and will start to perform again in Sept. Yes, I will be ready. Would not want to make us look bad .

Just my two Centavos

Welcome to the board. I look forward to reading more of your posts!