I've been in my gig now for 10 months, here's my best:

1)Sponge balls. You cannot go wrong, especially with kids.
2)Professors nightmare. A stage illusion you can do close up
3)Skinners Monte. Makes you look real good with cards.
4)The Anniversary Waltz. Unbelieveable magic.
5)Crazy Mans Handcuffs Ammar Version.


I always have a few normal deck card effects ready. Michael Finney's mentalism routine works real good sometimes as well.

Christopher

Chicago opener - Daryls
Ambitiouse card ending with card to wallet - my own cocktail of reveals
The Ring Thing - Gerret Thomas
Ring Flight - My own (I got Presto Ring Flight the other day, DONT BUY IT).
Business card effect from the Jailhouse DVD - Kirk Charles

It changes alot though.

In no particular order:

- Hot Rod
- Bill Switch or Torn & Restored Sweetener Packet (both utilize a TT; so I'll do one or the other; whichever I'm setup for).
- Invisible Deck (or Brainwave Deck)
- Optical Wallet or Strange Travelers (one or the other, not both at same table/performance)
- FreaKey

Other favorites:
Ring Flight (to Moreli key ring, to Rinkey Dinky, to brass Ring Casket, etc.)
Bye George
Mental Photography Deck
No. 2 Pencil
Holy Moly
Jumbo Coincidence
Amazing Jumping Arrow
Coin Thru Table

Well I'm booked in 4 resturants a week doing balloon twisting and magic. The top 5 for me change depending on what I've read or what I'm working on lately. Here's my latest list.....

5) Sponge balls or Sponge Rabbits ( I start my sponge ball routeen with the famous "Vanishing Red Hanky" to Red sponge ball) Nice little pop to start.

4) Mystery of the three ropes AKA "Profess. Nightmare"

3) 3 coin vanish.... Thanks to Josha Jay! Very much like his, but my own version!

2) Dollar Monty....

1) Hunted deck 2000 with loops or floating Dollar with loops.

Also I like doing the " Mismade Dollar or Quadraflex bill",
some times "Matrix" or even Classic French drop silver dollar and pull out of a kids ear! Hey you need to use the classics!

Just got the "Dollar window download, can't wait to add that
I'm trying to find something I can do using a Balloon animal to. Any one got any Ideas?

DJ MIGHTY MIKE

This is one of several restaurant acts I do:
1. Sponge & Sharpie routine (using Sharpie marker as a magic wand with a couple of different twists)
2. David Roth's 4-coins across with horizontal muscle-pass sucker explanation (I muscle pass the coin horizontally and tell them it's slow-mo)
3. My ACR (simple first two phase where card jumps to the top --> card jumps to mouth --> card transposes places with another card in spectator's hand --> Jay Sankey's Paperclip finish)

Or

Kris Nevling's ReinCARDnation. Great routine.

I'll add ambitious card when I've got enough old cards. I like to have them hold a tin of sucretes [sic] throughout the routine and I do a double finish: I have their card pop up, and then I lose it where of course it is found in the mints tin. It's really good to give as a "birthday present".

#

Why old cards? You can buy a forcing pack, or a better idea that was
suggested to me a while ago, is buy a blank deck, and just give them their card, the blank card to write their name on. You can even use Gergory Wilsons idea by calling it a name tag.

I actually have pyrotechnic pasteboards from Greg. If your using a new deck or a forcing/blank deck eventually if your doing the pop up move your going to have a bunch of cards bent for no reason (I've been called on that). I can keep taking those out and replacing them with other older cards. I guess I also don't want to pay for new decks when they start running low. I've never used a forcing deck for the effect.

How do you do Control standing up? It would look as wierd as I don't know what just to have your hand holding your other hand while you're standing up, its not natural and will call attention. I can't see Control working when you are standing, so how do you do it while you're standing up if you don't mind me asking lol? I could see a couple of other methods of stopping your pulse working fine standing but not Control....

sit at the table

Thats not always really going to be practical though. Also I don't think Control would work well that way either, but I think you could perform it that way easier than standing up. I just can't see a way to use the exact same method Houchin teaches for Control standing up without making it obvious about what you're really doing.

1. Lethal Tender
2. Scotch and Soda
3. Kinetic Rings
4. Clutch
5. Svengali Deck

Super Mini Colouring Book - definitely! best thing ever invented!
ACR / Signature Transpo
Skinners Ultimate Monte
Spongeballs - but I've phased that out in the past year.
Fork Bending - but I've phased that out to private functions. get's too darn expensive.

This really changes for me. I tend to phase certain effects out and bring in new effects.

I've always done my ACR though. That and the Biddle trick. But I've changed my presentation of the Biddle trick to incorporate it into my ACR.

I used to do the Table Hopping cups and balls, but I phased that out as it was that much extra to carry, and I got sick of trying to find space on the table to perform it.

I do a serial number reading off a bill. I only do this to groups that I will come back to though. The reason for this is because I have the bill sealed in a coin envelope, and one of them places it in their pocket. Later on, if they truly enjoyed by show, and have me come back, I slowly reveal the serial number. This is more of a special effect for me though. Usually pulled out when I think there is a good chance of getting a booking as well with them.

I used to do sponge balls as well, but I phased that out as well because I didn't like the idea of people touching my sponge balls and then later eating. I found it somewhat unhygenic for them, so I really just phased out many of my effects that had them handle props.

I've always also done simple TT effects. They are entertaining, and simple, so I can really focus on presentation.

Really, I just do simple effects. Mainly with cards, a TT, and some mentalism.

Ah.................... nevermind