The 70/30 Rule - Tweaking the 100-Trick Repertoire

Having a 100-Trick Repertoire is something I’ve written about for almost a decade now. First in my book, The Amateur at the Kitchen Table, and since then on this blog from time to time.

The make-up of my 100-Trick Repertoire and how I go about maintaining it is constantly changing. I don’t make note of every last tweak here on the site, just because it’s really not that necessary. How you go about building, rehearsing, and managing a similarly large repertoire is going to come down to what works for you personally.

But I have made a recent tweak I wanted to pass along to you. Especially if you’ve found the concept of a 100-Trick Repertoire to be overwhelming.

I now max out at about 30 tricks in my repertoire that have Advanced Methodology.

What do I mean by Advanced Methodology? I mean tricks where the methodology is unique to that trick. Or the thought required to perform it is unique to that trick. Or the choreography of sleights is unique to that trick.

For example, if I have a trick where the method is a simple business card peek, that’s not an Advanced Method. That’s something I’ve been doing in one form or another for decades. I’m completely confident with it. I can do it without thinking.

The mental real-estate required to keep that trick in my repertoire is almost none.

For those who get my monthly newsletter where I talk about the tricks I’ve been performing recently, I recently wrote about A.B. See by Spidey as well as the Penrose Pendant by Josh Prace.

A.B. See is a trick that requires some thought for me to perform. I need to keep the method fresh in my mind. It has an Advanced Method. Even if it’s a simple trick to execute.

On the other hand. If I was in a persistent vegetative state for 20 years and someone gave me an experimental drug that woke me up for 5 minutes, I could perform Penrose Pendant before even wiping the coma-crust from my eyes. It’s got a Simple Method.

Reswindled, by Caleb Wiles, is a modern-classic of card magic construction.

None of the moves used are particularly difficult. But it’s definitely an Advanced Method. Remembering all the steps is something that requires a bit of thought.

In contrast, Be Honest, What Is It (2 Card Monte), is something I’ve done for 20 years or more. With a half-second of thought, I’m fully ready to start performing that trick. There’s a few different moves involved, which could be considered intermediate level moves. But they’re moves I’m completely comfortable with. So to me this is a trick with a Simple Method.

This Advanced/Simple categorization isn’t inherent in the trick. It’s a matter of the performer’s comfort level with the method used.

It’s really a matter of how much concentration and focus the trick requires for you.

Thus, you could have a self-working trick that has an Advanced Method because of the steps you need to remember to accomplish the trick.

And you could have an incredibly sleight-heavy trick that is—for you—a Simple Method because it’s very easy for you to pull off.

As I said, in my 100-Trick Repertoire, I’m shooting for no more than 30 tricks with “Advanced Methods.”

This is part of the Carefree Magic philosophy.

100 tricks is a lot. I want to have a facility with a lot of tricks without the psychological weight of maintaining a repertoire with a bunch of tricks that are difficult to perform or difficult to remember.

You want to be nimble, and light on your feet with your repertoire. Of course, you also want to keep yourself intellectually stimulated and engaged with the magic, too. That’s why I’m shooting for a 70/30 blend. That’s what appeals to me at this point in time.

I can see myself weighing it even more toward the “simple” in the future. And I wouldn’t argue against someone who wants a 100% Simple repertoire.

For now, the 70/30 split feels good. I can make sure to practice one “Advanced” trick a day, and that hits on all of them each month. The tricks in the 70 don’t generally have to be “practiced” as much. I just have to remind myself of them and run through them in my head.

Ultimately, the goal is not just to know 100 tricks. It’s to have a 100-Trick Repertoire that is composed of very strong, doable material. And this new form of categorization has moved me even closer to that goal.