It was session night with a friend, so we met at the usual place. (In truth, I'm not sure he's still a friend. I performed the cardinal sin of magic - I offered my honest opinion about something he was involved in. Haven't heard from him since.) Anyway, he brought along another guy, a relative newbie to the art of magic. After some general conversation the guy made a strange request:
"Show me a sleight."
Keep in mind I'd never seen him perform, didn't really know his interests or skill level, and even if I did it would be an odd request. Kinda like meeting a piano player and asking him/her to play a note for you!
I wish I could say the guy asked this because he was relatively new to magic. But stranger things have come out of the mouths of experienced magicians. I have heard (and been asked) this question more than once: "What's the best palm?" Now let's assume for the sake of a family audience that we're talking about cards - it's still way too open a question. Here is a partial list of the things you need to take into consideration before deciding which method to use to palm a single card:
Are the cards starting out face up or face down? Will the card need to end up with its face against your palm or with its back against your palm? Will it be held out for a very short time or for an extended period? What will happen to the palmed card - put back on the deck, loaded into a wallet, slid into a spectator's pocket? How many people present - one, five, two hundred? How big are your hands? What happens just before you want to palm the card? What palming methods are in your repertoire? etc., etc., etc.
It's a bit like being in the middle of a conversation and having someone say, in no particular context, "Give me a word." Well, I think the best word at that point would be, "huh?" In other words, context is everything.
Want a word? OK, the word for today is "lagniappe."
Want the best palm? It's the one that serves your purposes at the time.
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