Pocket Bizarre by Peter Eggink – Tips, Problems and Answers

With any magic trick release as hot as Pocket Bizarre by Peter Eggink, there is always a list of questions that follow.

There seem to be a few questions that are definitely the most frequently asked by magicians; so we thought we would list them all here with the answers and add a couple of great tips for you too!

What it does

Pocket Bizarre takes the playing card to pocket plot to new heights and makes the magic happen automatically. A card is selected by the spectator and lost back in the deck of playing cards. You then turn around to show your back pocket; there is nothing to see. You turn to face your spectators and without your hands going anywhere near your back pocket and with no funny moves you turn back around to show that there is now a card sticking out of your back pocket. The spectator removes it, and it is their chosen card!

Questions and Answers about Pocket Bizarre

Can this be done with a signed playing card?

Yes, it can be done with a signed card! The DVD covers this handling as well as many other ideas.

Can the spectator remove the playing card?

It is perfectly fine for the spectator to remove the card from your pocket with most of all the handlings. However, there are a couple of versions taught where this is not possible.

Is it difficult to transfer the gimmick from one pair of trousers to another?

Yes! It is so simple to transfer the gimmick from one pair of trousers to another it is almost criminal!

Is it noisy?

No! The Pocket Bizarre gimmick is absolutely silent!

Can I get the spectator’s signed card to appear without awkward palming?

There are a couple of handlings taught for the signed card version. There is a version where the signed card is able to be removed by the spectator that requires no awkward palming, just great routining.

If a spectator were to remove the card themselves would they feel the gimmick in your pocket?

No! The gimmick is specially manufactured to clip perfectly inside a standard billfold wallet so all a spectator would feel is a wallet in your back pocket that is if you let them feel around that much! Please note though, it is not necessary for you to use the wallet.

Here are a few great tips that can help you get the most out of your Pocket Bizarre as it is so much more than just a card to pocket trick!

This is a great tip that has been suggested by many people:

Why not use Pocket Bizarre as a perfect method to cover a deck switch or to help out with routines like Envylope or The Extractor. Pocket Bizarre is the perfect routine to help aid other tricks like these as the misdirection is automatically built in and makes performing other routines like Envylope a breeze!

Jeff Prace has a great idea:

Give the spectators a small stack of four or five bills. Have them hold the bills tightly between their hands, and explain how you can “pickpocket” one of the bills. Show your back pocket empty, and with your hands clearly empty and visible the whole time, turn back around to reveal a bill. They open their hands and now have one less bill.

Janet Harris, (the Astonishment Goddess herself) says:

‘For a really nice un-gimmicked bill vanish from the spectator’s hands then check out the Revised Las Vegas Leaper in True Astonishments.’

Why a Magicians Audience is Smarter than You Think

by Dominic Reyes Leave a Comment

By Dominic Reyes

I'm sure that this doesn't apply to you directly, but it's an observation that I sometimes see amongst magicians. As people start to learn magic and develop their skills, they can develop a strange view about what the public understands about magic, and what will fool them.

The more magicians study magic, the more they grow to think that the public is stupid.

Have you ever a magician say:

"Nobody ever catches me when I do this.."

"Your spectators will not notice this…"

Become aware of these sayings, and you will start to hear them more and more as you talk to magicians. You will also start to see them mentioned in magic trick instructions (Usually during a weak point in a magic tricks method).

I have no idea why this happens, it could just be human nature. As magicians gain experience and knowledge, it's easy for them to develop a feeling of self importance, and an overly relaxed attitude about the observational skills of other people.

One of the biggest pitfalls to becoming a successful magician is fooling yourself that your audiences doesn't have the intelligence or attention to detail to spot parts of the mechanics used in magic tricks. The temptation is to ignore the small details. It's as if magicians feel that they have superhuman perception that 'normal people' don't have. Trust me, if you can spot the discrepancy or error in a magic trick that you have recorded in performance and watched back, some of your spectators will also notice it. They may not point it out, or become distracted by the flow of the trick and move on, but they HAVE noticed it.

On the whole, people are very clever. A group can have intelligence that is greater than the individuals that make up that group. Assume your audience is highly educated, clever, and very hard to fool. Find the weak points in the method of every magic trick you perform, and work on changing them to remove the faults. It doesn't matter how small or hard to spot a fault in a magic trick may be. If there are clues to the secret of a magic trick, someone WILL spot them eventually and call you out. Your goal is to tweak each magic trick to reduce that chance as much as possible. Anything less than that is taking a shortcut and compromising your potential to perform the trick as best as you possibly can.

When is the Best Time to Perform Magic Tricks at a Dinner Party?

by Dominic Reyes 1 Comment

By Ben Williams

Ben want's to know the best time to perform magic tricks at a dinner party:

I was asked to go and perform my magic to guests at an Xmas party in a hotel I work for. It was table to table; each table had about 10 people. But I wasn't sure when would be the best time to perform? I think it should be Between the courses of the meal. There was a DJ booked for after the meal, so the lights were going to go down and everyone would get up to dance. So, I was not 100% sure when would have been a good time to go round. When would you recommend close up magicians should perform?

That’s a great question Ben. Timing at an event is something that many magicians come up against.

To begin with, you are there to enhance people's evenings. The guests are not there specifically for a magic show, so you have to make sure that you fit in with everything, but do not disrupt the flow of their evening.

Don’t compete with the food.

It’s not a good idea to perform during the main course; the guests should be able to enjoy their food. Polite people will watch you and let their food go cold, and everyone else will eat their food, but you will not have their full attention, either way it is a lose – lose situation.

Perform to a table or two as soon as the guest sit down. Speak with the waiting staff and find out which tables are being served first, then start with the tables that are being served last. This way you will get some applause from these tables so everyone else will know something is going on, and it will set the night off well.

Ration your tables.

Count your tables, and look at how much time you have to perform for them. You can then calculate the average amount of time you can spend at each table. Do not forget to factor in the main course and reset time. For example, if you have guests sitting down at 7:30 and the DJ begins at 9, you have 1 1/2 hours maximum. If you discount 15 minutes, (to be safe) for the main course, then that is now 75 minutes. If there are 10 tables, then that is 7 1/2 minutes per table which should be reduced down to 6 minutes so as to account for any reset time or disturbances.

Pacing the magic tricks.

In this situation, perform something quick to begin with, and then follow with a couple of magic tricks that are short and fun, and have an impossible climax. Magic tricks like a Drawing Duplication, Bill in Orange or Ring Flight work well to end a set like this.

A general rule of thumb is to not perform during the main course. Perform during the starter, desserts, and coffees if it is necessary for timings. You can work a room so that you begin with the tables that are last to be served; this means that the first tables will be almost finishing their starter when you are finishing with the later tables.

Get some friends on in your team.

If you speak with the waiting staff, show them a trick or two and befriend them then they will help you out rather than nudge you out of the way if they have to serve something to the table whilst you are in mid trick!

Find out the agenda.

Be sure to check if there are any speeches or any other disturbances that may interrupt the meal, as you will have to factor this in as well. This is question worth asking at the time of the booking so that the client knows that there may be an extra fee if they wish you to stay on longer.

The early bird.

It can be tricky making sure you see everyone and make sure everyone has a great time but if you arrive at your venue with enough time and ask the right questions when booking your gig then you will be able to easily work out timings, make sure you get to see everyone, and receive rapturous applause from the whole room!