A motivational thread

[Senex]

Have you ever been to a party where they hand out large opague plastic cups? Every party they do is a chance to do cups and balls using napkins as balls and the cups as cups. You can fit raquetballs, toys or many other small items as your final load. It's worth learning to do because you it looks crazy impromptu (and it is). I've had a lot of success with this and have even used water glasses covered with newspaper (this is why I keep my subscription) as a cup.

It's a classic for a reason.

 

[Senex]

My motivational thread hasn't been as popular as I hoped but how about if we rename it inexpensive tricks you get a lot of mileage out of.

I have had a trick for 30 years where a spectator chooses a card and a different spectator looks into a small crystal ball and sees the chosen card. It's brilliant -- trust me. It's inexpensive.

 

[Garrette]

In that case, I have two that are the ones I get the most mileage from. The first one I will not name the trick as I don't want it Googled. The second one, I have no idea what the name is, if there is one.

Trick one: Fold two business cards, one along the long axis and the other along the short axis. Place the long folded inside the short folded and push the long one from side to side showing that it has inverted each time.

Trick two: Place seven quarters one at a time in the spectator's palm, slowly, with the spectator closing his hand immediately upon placement of the seventh. Reveal that he has only six and the seventh is in your own hand (or pocket or across the room or where ever).

I like the both because they both cost nothing, neither requires set up (most people claim the first one does, but I usually do the secret stuff on the fly under their noses), and each can be tailored to the mood, i.e., presented as magic, mentalism, spooky quantum physics, a test of speed and agility, or whatever you can think of.

 

[Senex]

In that case, I have two that are the ones I get the most mileage from. The first one I will not name the trick as I don't want it Googled. The second one, I have no idea what the name is, if there is one.

Trick one: Fold two business cards, one along the long axis and the other along the short axis. Place the long folded inside the short folded and push the long one from side to side showing that it has inverted each time.

Trick two: Place seven quarters one at a time in the spectator's palm, slowly, with the spectator closing his hand immediately upon placement of the seventh. Reveal that he has only six and the seventh is in your own hand (or pocket or across the room or where ever).

I like the both because they both cost nothing, neither requires set up (most people claim the first one does, but I usually do the secret stuff on the fly under their noses), and each can be tailored to the mood, i.e., presented as magic, mentalism, spooky quantum physics, a test of speed and agility, or whatever you can think of.

The trick involving business cards has caught my attention. I enjoy putting a pen through a business card and salvaging the card at the end. I never saw your effect. It could be part of a nice business card routine.