Understanding the Impossible #1: Do That Again!

Why do people ask magicians to repeat tricks? And what should we do when someone makes this request?

Welcome to the first article in a new regular column called Understanding the Impossible. Each article will discuss an important fundamental aspect of magic technique, presentation or theory to make it easier to understand. These articles will help beginner magicians in particular.

One of the most common responses to a good magic trick is "Do that again!" or words to that effect. The accepted wisdom is always to say no. Generally speaking, it is a terrible idea to immediately repeat the same trick for the same audience (or even repeat it on the same day). Many experienced magicians, such as Swiss card expert Roberto Giobbi, consider this one of the "golden rules" of magic1. Unfortunately, this puts you in a difficult position because you're refusing what sounds like a reasonable request. This type of behaviour may be misinterpreted as rudeness.

The reason for this golden rule becomes apparent when you've been studying, practising and performing magic for a while. The first time you perform a trick, your audience looks at what you do, and the second time they look at how you do it. In other words, they're treating the trick like a puzzle and are searching for clues to help them solve it. By repeating the trick, you run the risk of somebody discovering the secret. As the old adage goes, the first time is entertainment, but the second time is education. Unfortunately, even when you perform a deceptive and entertaining routine, people will always try to figure out how it works. Problem solving is a fundamental thinking process and, for this reason, is difficult to suppress.