interactive trick with whole audience
Posted: October 22nd, 2006, 4:42 am
Do you remember the intercative card trick David Copperfield used to do in his live shows? For me it was the most powerful moment of the whole show.
Every spectator had about 10 cards, only one bearing the picture of the moon. Everybody shuffled their cards according to Davids instructions (down-under-deals etc.). In the end those people were asked to stand up, who had the moon card on top of their packet. EVERYBODY stood up! What an exciting experience.
Recently I started doing a similar routine. Its a different presentation and different handling, but the plot is the same. However, I encountered the problem, that I cant get everybody to shuffle correctly and therefore stand up in the end. Only about 70% of the audience get it right, which is certainly not enough. I am aiming for, say, 98%. Now I wonder what I could do better to improve the success ratio.
The routine I use, briefly, is this (I think Luis de Matos had a similar thing): Each spectator gets 3 cards. On one card they write their name, this card is at the bottom of the packet.
- first shuffle: place as many cards as there are letters in your name from top to bottom.
- second shuffle: repeat as above, but hiding the cards from the magicians view.
- third shuffle: spell the word M-A-G-I-C, placing one card from top to bottom for each letter.
- final shuffle: spell your name again.
- Climax: Turn over the top card. If it has your name, stand up! (The effect is, that despite individual shuffles, everybody should stand up.)
Here are my questions to the forum:
- Does anybody know the source and/or description of Copperfields moon card trick? (Not the Q-type he did in the TV-special, I mean the version he performed in his live shows.)
- Do you know the source of the handling I detailed above?
- What can I do to ensure, that all spectators get the shuffling right?
Every spectator had about 10 cards, only one bearing the picture of the moon. Everybody shuffled their cards according to Davids instructions (down-under-deals etc.). In the end those people were asked to stand up, who had the moon card on top of their packet. EVERYBODY stood up! What an exciting experience.
Recently I started doing a similar routine. Its a different presentation and different handling, but the plot is the same. However, I encountered the problem, that I cant get everybody to shuffle correctly and therefore stand up in the end. Only about 70% of the audience get it right, which is certainly not enough. I am aiming for, say, 98%. Now I wonder what I could do better to improve the success ratio.
The routine I use, briefly, is this (I think Luis de Matos had a similar thing): Each spectator gets 3 cards. On one card they write their name, this card is at the bottom of the packet.
- first shuffle: place as many cards as there are letters in your name from top to bottom.
- second shuffle: repeat as above, but hiding the cards from the magicians view.
- third shuffle: spell the word M-A-G-I-C, placing one card from top to bottom for each letter.
- final shuffle: spell your name again.
- Climax: Turn over the top card. If it has your name, stand up! (The effect is, that despite individual shuffles, everybody should stand up.)
Here are my questions to the forum:
- Does anybody know the source and/or description of Copperfields moon card trick? (Not the Q-type he did in the TV-special, I mean the version he performed in his live shows.)
- Do you know the source of the handling I detailed above?
- What can I do to ensure, that all spectators get the shuffling right?