Funniest/worst thing that's ever happened to you while performing

[ADKLco]

So yeah, what's the funniest and/or worst thing that's ever happened to you while performing magic or just simply flourishing? 

[xela]

Worst thing? Someone slamming my deck from my hands because they couldn't understand the trick. They thought it was funny, but we all know what happens when cards hit the ground.

Never perform with anything but a standard deck of Bikes if you're performing to your friends. Strangers have boundaries because they don't know you. Friends think it's okay to mess with your stuff. No one touches my cards unless I let them!

[loldudex2]

This isn't the worst thing, but last night I was babysitting, and started using D'Lite. I was babysitting like 7 eight year olds, and they were determined to find out how it was done, so they tackled me and raided my pockets. They also took my new iPhone. I could of fought back, but there was no way I was going to push and shove a bunch of eight year old church kids and risk hurting one of them. After all, that's my job, and I get $14 a week which is how I buy all my cards.

[Kanped]

Funniest thing?  I love just flipping over any card and saying '5 of diamonds'.  Why?  1 in 52 times, it'll be right and the rest of the time, I just say that and make a joke out of it.  Once, i worked and I have to admit it was hard holding back the laughter as everyone was dumbfounded about how it could possibly be done.

[phantom1412]

worst thing : I performed a sponge ball magic. And the part that spectator should keep sponge ball in his hand, he open it with intention to ruin the trick.

[John B.]

so i have different tricks i do and i literally set the trick up in front of them, messed up and flashed, so i thought if it was a fail and kept going, this happened before with someone else and he showed no signs of knowing what was happening so i kept going. In the end the trick the cards i laid out were not the ones I set up, they were in the guys hand. found out he was a magician. made me feel dumb.

[MrLukeCarroll]

Once one of my drooping flowers broke and accidentally whipped a child in the face, thank god for me everyone including the child who was whipped thought it was hilarious

[Don Boyer]

I've had a few.

On my second shift at the hospital gig, I tried a simple trick for one kid who was getting ready to leave.  He literally had nearly a dozen family members jammed into the room.  They started talking in an Eastern European language among themselves - I later discovered with the intent of ruining my tricks.

First time I tried the trick, the kid said I didn't get his card.  OK, maybe I screwed up - I was still green (and technically still am, though I'm more polished now).  I tried it again, and this time, I knew I had the right card, because the kid actually gave himself away with a facial expression when it became visible at an earlier stage of the trick.  But he claimed again that it was the wrong card.

Now I decided I was nailing this trick, no matter what.  I tucked away the deck I had and pulled out a stripper, inserting the kid's drawn card as you're supposed to for easy discovery.  Even better, as I was shuffling the deck, I kept asking him if he's completely sure he's remembered his card - cutting to it and flashing it to him just in case he and his family forgot.  This time they knew I had them cold, so they stopped screwing with me and admitted I had their card.

I went to try another trick - I usually go for a three-trick routine.  I was doing the original WOW trick, and part of the routine involves intentionally drawing the incorrect card on the first go.  I drew the wrong card out, asked if it was his card - and the little wiseass said yes, killing the trick right there.  At that point, I mentally said "|=uc|< you very much", grabbed my gear and bailed.  Which goes to show that some people still get their jollies trying to screw around with their fellow man.

So, that was the worst.  Now here's the funniest.

I was performing the "insurance policy" gag on a little nine-year-old girl at a party.  The key to the trick is to force a card, then screw up a few times in a row trying to find it in the deck.  So I force the ten of diamonds to the kid, shuffle up the deck really nice and thorough, no attempts to control any cards, make a cut to show her the wrong card but without peeking at it first - and wouldn't you know, I cut to the ten of diamonds...  World's shortest "magic" trick.

[KPopFever605]

Funniest - Nothing really, just the usual OMG's and screams

Worst - My trick didn't work out as planned, embarrassed to f*ck out of me. The worst part was that it was a self-working trick. I guess I wasn't watching them carefully.

[Jin Jian]

the worst part ?? i show a spectator let say a 2 of spades but i change it and pass him the ace of spades and place it in his hand .. can he open his hand and look at the card ..

[KPopFever605]

@hawjinjian - How is that anything bad? That, if you perform it right, would be a good trick to fry people with.

[zmuddiman]

Worst: I was performing tricks at work and was going for the Bittle Trick. My friend had apparently purposely brought in this guy to watch my tricks because he knew this guy was notorious for trying to ruin tricks. Every time I tried any move, including classic forces, mirror forces, or even a free choice he found a way to mess the trick up. Most of the time by just grabbing the deck out of my hands and shuffling it himself. My friends comment on the situation "I brought him here because you have never dealt with a stupid person like this before and i wanted to see how you handled it..."

Funniest: After my friend said that I changed the conversation and patter from "magic trick" to "do you know what a 3 card monty routine is?" After which i proceded to perform Meyhew's Monty routine that was just released by E. He thought he had me every time only to find out he was wrong. And when I changed the color of the deck he ran out of the hall refusing to come back in. Payback Acheived

[Don Boyer]

Worst: I was performing tricks at work and was going for the Bittle Trick. My friend had apparently purposely brought in this guy to watch my tricks because he knew this guy was notorious for trying to ruin tricks. Every time I tried any move, including classic forces, mirror forces, or even a free choice he found a way to mess the trick up. Most of the time by just grabbing the deck out of my hands and shuffling it himself. My friends comment on the situation "I brought him here because you have never dealt with a stupid person like this before and i wanted to see how you handled it..."

Funniest: After my friend said that I changed the conversation and patter from "magic trick" to "do you know what a 3 card monty routine is?" After which i proceded to perform Meyhew's Monty routine that was just released by E. He thought he had me every time only to find out he was wrong. And when I changed the color of the deck he ran out of the hall refusing to come back in. Payback Acheived

That. Was. AWESOME!

[zmuddiman]

Worst: I was performing tricks at work and was going for the Bittle Trick. My friend had apparently purposely brought in this guy to watch my tricks because he knew this guy was notorious for trying to ruin tricks. Every time I tried any move, including classic forces, mirror forces, or even a free choice he found a way to mess the trick up. Most of the time by just grabbing the deck out of my hands and shuffling it himself. My friends comment on the situation "I brought him here because you have never dealt with a stupid person like this before and i wanted to see how you handled it..."

Funniest: After my friend said that I changed the conversation and patter from "magic trick" to "do you know what a 3 card monty routine is?" After which i proceded to perform Meyhew's Monty routine that was just released by E. He thought he had me every time only to find out he was wrong. And when I changed the color of the deck he ran out of the hall refusing to come back in. Payback Acheived

That. Was. AWESOME!

It was my crowning achievement!

[Jin Jian]

@hawjinjian - How is that anything bad? That, if you perform it right, would be a good trick to fry people with.

but i have not completed the trick ..

[John B.]

So the other night I was performing for our waitress and I asked her to shuffle the deck. Now I never see anyone ever shuffle well, she shuffled better then anyone I have seen for like 5 mins. Riffle shuffiling with bridge, hindu overhand, when I mentioned the names she was lost but I ended up just staring in amazement with my jaw drop, creeped her out a bit, so the flirting I had been doing went down the drain.    

[xela]

So the other night I was performing for our waitress and I asked her to shuffle the deck. Now I never see anyone ever shuffle well, she shuffled better then anyone I have seen for like 5 mins. Riffle shuffiling with bridge, hindu overhand, when I mentioned the names she was lost but I ended up just staring in amazement with my jaw drop, creeped her out a bit, so the flirting I had been doing went down the drain.    

Two years of practicing shuffles and I still can't do a simple table riffle shuffle. I don't know how average people know them. :|

[Don Boyer]

So the other night I was performing for our waitress and I asked her to shuffle the deck. Now I never see anyone ever shuffle well, she shuffled better then anyone I have seen for like 5 mins. Riffle shuffiling with bridge, hindu overhand, when I mentioned the names she was lost but I ended up just staring in amazement with my jaw drop, creeped her out a bit, so the flirting I had been doing went down the drain.    

Yeah...  Either she knows magic or knows how to be a proper dealer...  Hindu shuffles are virtually unheard of outside magic circles and the Asian community here in America.  Maybe one in ten to one in twenty of my spectators can do a respectable riffle shuffle with bridge.  What OTHER shuffles was she doing that turned you from performer to gawker in 0.0 seconds... 

Next time, just play it cool.  Tell her "That's some impressive shuffling you're doing there - sure you haven't seen this trick before?"  That or anything else to indicate that you aren't thrown off your game.  Even silence with a big grin would do the job!

[John B.]

It was the fact that she was doing them so perfectly that just blew my mind.Like normally when people shuffle, the bridge sounds horrible, and they are dropping cards. But the bridge was smooth, no cards dropped. And she gave me a confused look when I mentioned that she was doing the hindu shuffle so I don't think she was a magician. Also she seemed really amazed by my tricks so if she was she must have been a great actor, I was doing simple tricks on a magicians point of view.

[Don Boyer]

It was the fact that she was doing them so perfectly that just blew my mind.Like normally when people shuffle, the bridge sounds horrible, and they are dropping cards. But the bridge was smooth, no cards dropped. And she gave me a confused look when I mentioned that she was doing the hindu shuffle so I don't think she was a magician. Also she seemed really amazed by my tricks so if she was she must have been a great actor, I was doing simple tricks on a magicians point of view.

Well then, dealer it is!    But yeah, when you're getting your flirt on it's usually best not to gawk...

[John B.]

yea, it was an accident. Her skill came from out of no where. Not even left field. Only a handful of people I have performed for have been able to shuffle this well and only one other woman came close to this good.

[Don Boyer]

yea, it was an accident. Her skill came from out of no where. Not even left field. Only a handful of people I have performed for have been able to shuffle this well and only one other woman came close to this good.

Good magicians learn to think on their feet and improvise when necessary.

I had one trick that nearly went very wrong.  But thinking on my feet helped me salvage it and make it better.  I guess you could call it a "happy accident".

I was performing for someone, at this point I can't even recall the exact trick.  I do remember it involved them picking an unforced card, which I track using some card control - I don't actually see the card myself until the end of the trick.  Out of nowhere, my spectator got a hold of the deck and did a shuffle of her own on it.  But I remained calm - calm enough to observe exactly where the controlled card went after her shuffle.  Not only was the trick saved, but it looked all that more impressive since the spectator gave the deck a fair shuffle - perhaps under unfair circumstances, but a fair shuffle nonetheless!

Remaining calm in a difficult circumstance or when taken off-balance (like you were) is not something that comes easily.  It took me some years of stage acting (school-level, not pro) and martial arts training as well as counseling and spiritual guidance.  But believe me, it's a trained ability that's more valuable than most, especially if you perform in any capacity.

[John B.]

Yea I have taken improve classes so I am good with most things. But this was just way out there.

[Joker and the Thief]

My worst scenario was when I was still a rookie only about 2 months in. I tried performing to a group of tourists yet I had failed 3 times consecutively! I was nervous but my friend covered me and did a shark routine. We still got tipped though for effort

Mainly the usually screams, gasps and applauded I received when doing magic.

Flourishing really gets good reactions, I usually jam in public with earbuds, listening to music. Once I was in a hotel lobby and these people were walking towards the elevator whilst I was on the other side of the glass window separating us. Angeling a card I placed it on the window and performed the fantastic move; "Turbine" by Andrei Jihk (the rapid single spinning card on wall). Heads turned immediately followed by shocked faces. Priceless.

[MrMollusk]

Worst: When I was really new to magic, I tried to perform the card trick in Daniel Garcia's "Warning" without practicing. How hard could it be?
Naturally, the second I inhaled, I started coughing and sputtering like an idiot. My friends had to go to the vending machine to get me some water.

Funniest: I was in a second hand store, testing out an old Bee deck. I was doing a few Sybil cuts and faros, and saw a little kid staring up at me. I put the deck back on the rack and walked away. The kid immediately reached up, picked the deck up, opened the box, spilled the cards everywhere, and just stared at me.