I know that’s probably hard to understand since I didn’t write it that clearly so I’ll try to summarize: What we as magicians consider ‘basic card handling’ (like shuffling the deck smoothly, dealing, etc.) is more than what the average spectator is able to do, thus elevating it to ‘expert card handling’ in their eyes.

@OZ – I have no problems with contrary opinions. Read this blog post I wrote a while back: Agree To Disagree

Remember the point of this issue was to have each person give meaning to the flourish. Where I take issue with Simon is he basically called you an idiot and in not so many words said that you suck if you do flourishes.

If you have that issue of RMM, watch it. You’ll see what I mean.

“To just throw in a flourish for no reason is just showing off”

On two levels:

1. One just on technical merit, that if it’s “showing off” then it’s not for “no reason.” It is for a reason. That reason is to “show off.”
2. However, technical nit-picking aside, the real reason I disagree is that just throwing in flourishes can be very astonishing

I do most of my writing at a local Taco Time, and when I get writer’s block, I play with my cards:

• Several different one-handed cuts/shuffles
• Fancy false cut/packet juggling stuff
• Danny Korem’s The Leaper
• Some Paul Harris flip the cards moves
• Ovette Master Move Pop out thing
• Butter Fly Cut
• Illogical Shuffle

And a ton more. I get so many people commenting about how amazing it is or how cool it looks. I’m truly astonished when I watch someone openly do a second deal, when they put the top card face up and “demo” a second deal. I love that. To me amazing stuff like that is no more or less showing off than any other magic trick. It’s all about how you present it.

@Sal – Amen brother. I don’t know what else to add to that, so I’ll shut up . . .

However, it’s only effective when used correctly. I think someone summed it up best in another magic forum I frequent: A flourish is like a guitar solo in a rock concert. It’s good for a few minutes, but you can’t have a whole show of just guitar solos. Similarly, a guitar solo would look out of place during Mozart’s 12th symphony (those performances that would look out of place if flourishes were added in, Lennart Green comes to mind 😀 ).

A lot of people also say that flourishes take away the belief from your spectator’s that you can do ‘real magic’, but honestly, how many people really believe in that? Most people know that there’s some sort of sleight of hand trickery involved, as long as it’s entertaining, they don’t care.

He had one particular rant about people who won’t read magic books. While I agreed with the premise, I felt his rant was a bit off-base.

He often does annoy me in that column, but remember this:
http://www.stonecoldmagic.com/blog/agree-to-disagree/