Why I spent $250.00 on a magic trick I HATE!

Today I discuss one of the biggest magic purchases I've ever made... on my apparent least favourite magic trick! Perhaps that will all change, however.!

Camera: Sony FDR-AX33 & GoPro Hero 7 Silver & DJI Mavic Mini 2
Microphone: Rode Videomic Pro+
Tripod: Velbon EF-51
Lighting: ESDDI Softbox Photography Lights
Editor: Adobe Premiere Pro

#Magician #Magic #MagicTutorial

[TheDutchMagicTeacher]

You could use fake icecubes, it could work with the kicker of pouring a drink at the end

[stewedfishproductions]

Prior to the "final' Shot Glass and pouring... Produce a lemon and/or lime (which obviously work with the bar theme). As mentioned here and by yourself, 'olives' seem to fit very naturally (or cherries!). Use a silver / chrome cocktail stirrer as a 'wand substitute' if you feel it would work with your routine? Also use a good looking coaster (perhaps leather?), to put down first if working on a damp bar / hard surface as a small close--up pad... Very nice looking shaker by the way. 😊

[stephengallagher]

Using fake olives like Mark Jenest’s Jiggernaut are my favorite “balls” to use that would fit with your set.

[seanwhittaker]

I see lots of grey in the debate of using magician looking props, or not.

Not all audiences are suspicious of unusual looking props as they know magicians like to look professional. That being said, over-packing while doing close-up/mingling magic, especially if normal versions of your props are in the venue, might raise suspicion, and reduce flow.

That being said, I used to carry sponge-balls with me while performing at restaurants because kids liked them, and the effect sometimes created the biggest reaction out of all the tricks.

Overall, when deciding on the style of your props, you should consider the venue, style, and audience. Usually, when I perform magic on stage I use classier props, and when I do walk around magic, I use natural props.

[randallharter]

I love watching, performing and learning all Cups & Balls routine. Same as Linking Rings and Ring & Rope.

[Rob-elyw]

I bought chop cup by Craig petty and I LOVE IT. It’s so great and people can actually enjoy it. You can also kinda make a joke about classic cups and balls

[ChoiceEnvironments]

Have a m****t in your hand and load it into a cocktail napkin ball. Cocktail napkins are small, light, and pack fairly flat. They go with the aesthetic. It also reminds me of elegant parlor magic, maybe my fave type of magic next to close-up. Upscale. High-class. If close-up is like an outdoor concert, parlor is orchestra. Excellent buy. We all like something but hate it’s style. At least you’re willing to try a new style instead of giving up on the thing. Great video.

[zachariasstarlid]

I had the same logic as you for some years but then I fell in love with coin maigc and I've been using old silver coins that could be wierd but they are not. No one ever questions it instead they become interested and curious and because I love the way they look, sounds and feels its easy for me to talk about them. But was is most important is you. If you act wierd about your props they will be wierd. Follow you heart. Art needs heart. Start to do it and you will find if its a keeper or not.

I love performing my chopcup routine.I love that its not cards or coins. I also love the balls because I used to play all kinds of ball sports when I was little. Balls have a built in playfulness to them. I use a leather dice cup and leather balls+ eight ball +bag.

Good luck and take care!

[BeardedSte]

I have the same issue as a UK based magician using half dollars, or Chinese coins for coin magic. My audience just aren't familiar with them and why would I carry them to do magic with rather than simply use the currency I would normally have in my pocket, or can borrow from others. I discussed this issue in one of my recent videos and it's a pet gripe of mine. That said, if you know where to find them, there are alternative props and gimmicks for UK currency. It's the same with cups and balls. Chop by Craig Petty has become a favourite and there's loads of alternatives to the standard woven looking ball. I've seen mini tennis or baseballs for instance, or just plain leather. It just depends on how you want to present it: something with a feel of ancient traditions of conjuring or a modern take with more familiar stuff. I can't say my audiences will relate much to putting any types of balls into a cocktail shaker though. Do you get much use with it?

[Eddie.C.]

Hey Cavan 😃

You can also use grapes or cherries which should be easy to prep
Here in our country majority of our restaurants give out wrapped candy/mints with the receipts before the customer pays which can also work (except for the noise of the wrapper of course)

Or you can use the same concept used with Craig Petty's c-cup with bills or paper.
Hell, with the help of the bar-tender or waiter/waitress, you can get the drink orders for the table you want to perform to so that you know what drink to load (force) while they are waiting for their drinks.

With all of this info you can rock up to a table with your notepad under the pretense that you quickly want to confirm their orders. Write down the drinks, and scrunch them up into balls. (No one should ever think there is something sneaky going on writing down the orders and prepping the one piece of paper)
If there is more drinks (balls) that is needed for the trick you need to work around that but I believe you should have a workaround for this either using equivoque or some smooth sleight of hand😉

Enjoy it and let us know how your experience with your new prop went.

[josekaz]

alex hecklau actually did a peguint lecture where he solves all the problems that you have with the cups and balls rutine (more like a chop cup rutine) it was his 2014 lecture at penguin. Highly recommend it

[EvantheJuggler]

As a fellow ball lover (juggler) I see the balls as potential red herrings and joke material. You could do part of the routine with the organic object like the olives. Then explain how thats obviously impossible which is why all those other magician will use these red balls here. Give them some funny fake reason they work and the olives shouldn't. But then as a kicker make the olive do what the ball was supposed to? Could be a fun way to lean into the cheesiness of the red balls!
Also i find that sometimes performing an act that is slightly outside your character will after a few performances just organically turn into something more along your style with all the small tweeks you do during each perormance

[Joe_C.]

Take a shot every time he says 'cups & balls' 🥃😵

[richardcross]

There are some fantastic ideas in the comments! 👍👏 Some that I'd thought of, and several that I hadn't.
The main thing I'd like to say to you is that the props are irrelevant. It's the result that makes an effect great in the audiences' mind. I've been performing for over 50 years and have heard a lot about the problems with strange and gimmicky looking props, such as sponge balls. However, I've performed with sponge balls (and other sponge objects) since I started and have always gotten great results from all audiences (both adults and children). So in my opinion it doesn't really matter what you use, like a wadded up napkin in Slydini's hands, a sponge in Al Goshman's hands or an Okito Box in Roth's. It's what you do to produce miracles is what matters.
That's just my 2 cents worth of advice. Take it or not. 😀
And I really liked your video on the Ambitious Card. Keep up the great work!

[KingO.K]

Hey cavan. Don't usually leave a comment here, but i have a recommendation for a set that could solve both problems. Have you seen adam wilber's set? He uses 3 coffee cups and 3 coffee beans. The beans of course vanish and change places, then they grow bigger, and the final load of the 2 side cups is a bunch of coffee beans, and the middle cup is filled with coffee

[simonbradley]

My initial thought was ice cubes as a final load ... Real ice cubes you snag from behind a bar .... or for a special gig get yourself a playing card suit cube mould for a £5 off ebay & arrive with tray frozen & insulated in double jiffy bag - again a venue might be able to pop in freezer for you till you're working - (Just watch out for ice burn !). ... oh Jiggernaut by Mark Jenest also sprang to mind. Good luck in your quest.

[presto]

This was originally sold as just the bar cup. I am a working restaurant magician and use the cup and get incredible reactions. I don't know if I will every splurge for the full set because it's more stuff to carry around.

[erwydconwyjester]

You’ve got a martini tin, so seems an obvious choice to switch out the balls for olives 🫒 Every 90s TGI Fridays bartender (myself included) did a version of cups & balls using regular cocktail tins and olives (or cherries) and it always went over very well.

I’m pretty sure you can get chopped olives. There was a version using a jigger (spirit measuring cup) that used olives. Was it a Dave Forest release?

Thinking about it, I’d be looking to change the shot glass for a martini glass🍸 or a Nick and Nora glass since pouring a shot into the type of shot glass you have out of a mixing tin makes very little sense. That type of glass would be used for a straight up shot rather than a mixed drink. For me, having the wrong glass for the final drink is more bothersome than using the crochet balls.

[mikemoorian]

Get some rubber olives and chop one.I got a couple with the jigger naut trick. Not sure if that trick is still available but you could easily chop one of the olives is I'm assuming what you bought is a chop cup

[Bravokilo]

I have a buddy who uses frosted drink glasses and crumpled up 5 euro notes instead of the crochet balls