Even if you are a close-up card magician, this secret applies to you. If you are a comedy magician, stagger small jokes with big ones. Another secret is to use your most spectacular effects to open and close your show. You want to grab the audience's attention right away, so choose your opening effect with that in mind. Likewise, you want to end your show with a bang, leaving the audience feeling like they really saw something great.
Many performers save their best for last, and it is quite effective.
Yet another secret is to select your effects so that they build on each other. When the spectator joins you on stage, you automatically have a volunteer for your next effect. That's why it is important to know exactly how long it really takes you to perform each effect. Magic acts are often too much of a good thing. The audience really doesn't appreciate sitting through a 30-minute act that takes 60 minutes to perform.