Posts under ‘Card Tricks’

A Packet Trick Trio – mini review

Dec 17th, 2010
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Packet trick. Love ‘em or loathe ‘em, they seem to be a staple in the magic shops – and audiences do enjoy them when performed well. We don’t often seem to review packet tricks these days, but we recently received a trio from Mike Danata’s exclusive range which we review briefly below.

69 Card Trick – Mike Danata/Russ Andrews £10.99
This trick has an unusual premise where a 6 spot card with a 6 written on the back turns into a 9 spot card when you turn the ‘6’ round. At the same time the rest of the packet get multi-coloured backs. For me the explanation is slightly laboured, but everything is certainly clearly explained.

Regular readers will probably have twigged I’m slightly old-fashioned when it comes to instructional material. So I have to admit that for me, the fact that the explanation is only on DVD (no written instructions) makes me go “Grrr…” But it is easy to do and an unusual effect, and comes with a nice set of different coloured Bicycle Cards.

The Joker is Wild – Mike Danata £10
In this effect, the ‘influence’ of a Joker makes a selected card amongst a set of 4 lose its face. Then all four cards lose their faces. An alternative ‘bonus’ handling is supplied which is essentially the trick in reverse – ending with printed cards – and for me the alternative handling makes more sense.

It comes with printed instructions for the ‘original’ routine (hurrah!) but not for the bonus routine which is only on DVD. All the necessary Bicycle Cards are supplied in the usual plastic wallet.

I prefer this to the previous one, but find the handling slightly contrived. On a philosophical note this seems to me slightly more of a ‘puzzle’ than an engaging routine – neither the handling or the plot has the elegance of a Bannon routine for example. But both are easy to do and a little bit different.

Beach Parade – Mike Danata £10.99
This is a twist on the classic ‘Parade of the Kings’/’Dream Queens’ effect but with a slightly more ‘adult’ theme. The three queens that aren’t chosen turn out to be (and I quote from the instructions) “topless beauties.” Now I have to say that this wouldn’t suit my style at all and feels a little but like it comes from a different era. But I suppose that for some performers and environments it would work. Positively, there is a clever patter routine which provides excellent cover for the necessary equivoque. Just not my kind of thang.

We have a few more items in this collection which we will review in part 2 – as soon as time permits.

All available exclusively from http://www.mikedanatasmagicstudio.co.uk/

Travelling Deck by Takel – a mini review

Dec 3rd, 2010
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Its funny how magic tricks seem to go in phases. Just recently there seem to have been a lot of variations on the theme of a vanishing deck. Well we’ve just got our hands on the latest version from MagicTao – and here are our thoughts…

It was obvious from the first time I heard Costas (the very nice proprietor of MagicTao) talk about the Travelling Deck that he was very proud of it. And they have certainly done an excellent job on producing and presenting this effect. The slim package has an attractively designed cover and contains a DVD and the gimmick. In my book there is a point lost for no written instructions – but then I’m a bit of a luddite and video is the world we live in. Positively there is no annoying music on the DVD (!) and it has a nice clear and easy to use menu.

There has been some debate on the forums etc. about some similarity to Angelo Carbone’s Humbug. I haven’t seen that particular effect, but he’s apparently given the thumbs up to Travelling Deck – and there is even a comment on the DVD to that effect.

The DVD mainly features Costas talking about and demonstrating the gimmick. It contains lots of tips on care and maintenance of the gimmick and also explains how to change the face or back of the gimmick to match your deck of choice. The package also comes with some ‘special something’ to help you make/repair a gimmick.

A number of different vanishes are explained, including a ‘one-handed’ version which actually feels slightly more natural than the way Costas prefers to perform it.

Takel – the inventor – originally conceived the effect as a travelling deck routine – the deck is removed from the card box – vanishes, leaving only a joker in its place and is found to have returned to the card box. This is performed and explained in separate sections.

A number of variations on the gimmick are suggested. Two of these – the vanishing stack of business cards and the deck of cards to bank note are true variations. It is a bit cheeky to call the third – deck of cards to 52on1 card –a variation, but it does make for a cheesy gag!

To get your imagination going there are also a number of routines which make use of the gimmick. I won’t go in to detail on them all – but there is a sandwich routine, a deck through table routine, a routine involving two chosen and signed cards, and even using the deck for an ‘8 ball’ type effect/gag. I was pleasantly surprised to see these extra ideas on the DVD – and it helps show that this is a little more than a one trick pony.

The gimmick itself is well made on Bicycle stock and I think looks good/works well. The wife was impressed after only a short amount of playing around with the effect! A little practise is required to ‘get into position’ beforehand, but it is not difficult. Alternatively, it could make a good opener as you approach a table. As with most effects of this kind the gimmick is a little bit angle-sensitive. But it looks very clean afterwards.

All in all a good addition to the range of vanishing decks available. And in my opinion very reasonably priced at £15.99. Exclusively available at MagicTao.

Free Card Trick with Sherlock Holmes!

Aug 18th, 2010
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As regular readers will know, I continue to be a great fan of good Magic Books, and so I am delighted to point you in the direction of Martin Breese – who stocks (and publishes) some excellent stuff. As I was perusing his site earlier I noticed a ‘free trick’ by Peter Duffie (this is a regular feature on Martin’s site) – and the current one is a really neat and self-working idea which is themed on Sherlock Holmes. It strikes me this may be very topical at the moment with the BBC’s recent series. Just follow the link to ‘Free Trick’ on the Martin Breese website. Enjoy…

On the Mark – a mini review

Jun 29th, 2010
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Mark Elsdon is well known for coming up with straight forward and powerful mental effects. Regular readers will know of my slight obsession with ‘named card in wallet’ effects (second only to – and in some strange ways parallel to my obsession with ACAAN effects!) – and I have used and enjoyed a good number over the years – from the venerable and devious Kolossal Killer (and its wonderful variation Heirloom) to Marc Oberon’s ’somewhat blunt’ but nonetheless effective Bang On. But in On the Mark I think I have found a new favourite.

On the Mark - by Mark Elsdon
The plot, of course, is familiar – the spectator names the only card in an envelope in your wallet. Presentational possibilities are various – but the suggested one works well. No real surprises here.

And the same could be said of method. You are not buying a radically new idea here. If you have been in magic any time at all you will likely be familiar with the various elements of the method. However, they work really well together! There is some good thinking here, and some subtleties which, in my mind at least, make this a stronger effect for the spectator than some of the alternatives. The method is straightforward, which means you can concentrate on selling it – which is the way I like it! I am fully expecting to put this into my ‘working routine’.

A word on the supplied props. The wallet supplied is of a good quality and will readily slip into use as an every day wallet. You don’t have to use this wallet – but it works well for the requirements. Can’t say more than that. The envelopes are fine – and could be replaced if you preferred a different colour. I was a little disappointed with the quality of the cards – but not to such an extent that it would put me off using them.

The bottom line is I think this is a great little effect. If you like strong card magic with a mental leaning grab it’s time to get On the Mark now!

Second Chance Bicycle Cards Offer

Jun 9th, 2010
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Second Chance is a great little effect from Wayne Dobson.

Second Chance by Wayne Dobson
Without you even touching the deck a spectator thinks of any card and removes it from the deck and hides it in their pocket. You then take another deck and claim that you are going to try and choose the same card that the
spectator has hidden in their pocket. You remove one card and the spectator removes the card from their pocket, however it is NOT the same card. You ask for a Second Chance to prove that you have chosen the same card. Turning over your card it is seen that the spectators ‘Thought of Card’ is written on the back, proving that it is the Same Card! Sounds impossible? It’s that good! Comes with an eight page booklet containing two other bonus routines – £10.00.

Our friends at Merlins of Wakefield are offering to supply the two Bicycle Decks needed for this effect, fully made up and ready to go for just £12.95. Just mention Bicycle-Cards.co.uk when you order.

More new card magic from Paul Gordon

May 19th, 2010
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Just recently Paul seems to have been putting out more tricks than books. He’s just announced his Oil & Water Rainbow packet trick, which joins Spectrum, Triple Kick Monte and Triple Rainbow Whammy Deck in the brightly coloured cards set! He’s obviously bought a job lot of cards. Unfortunately I haven’t had a chance to look at them in person yet, but you know what you’re getting with Paul. And he offers some good bundle deals if you want them. Check out PaulGordon.net for more details.

Oil & Water Rainbow

Instant Downloads of Card Magic

May 6th, 2010
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We’ve spruced up our Instant Card Magic section, adding plenty of new card magic tricks. Let us know if there are notable omissions you think we should include – there’s space for a few more we think!

Annihilation Deck Review

May 3rd, 2010
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The Annihilation Deck is the latest offering from Cameron Francis, produced by BBM. So what is it? The basic effect is a prediction effect. A card is chosen in a very free way, and then two prediction cards are revealed which are said to reveal the suit and the number. The trick appears to have gone wrong, until the cards are turned over to reveal exactly that drawn in bold marker on the back.

Annihilation Deck

How does it play?

The effect is certainly very clean, if ever-so-slightly contrived (by this I just mean, if you really could predict someone’s choice of card, would drawing the value and the suit on the back of two other cards be the way you would do this – but to be honest quite a lot of magic falls into this category!). The advertising is correct that it requires no memory work or forcing etc. etc. and so it is essentially self-working.  There are lots of things which make this appeal to me very much. It can be done ‘in the hands’ so is good for walk-around.

The deck is obviously ‘prepared’ and so requires some preparation time. However, this won’t take too long and is very clearly explained on the DVD, and once it is done it is done. The trick requires a very simple re-set which can be done easily.

Two variations on the original effect are provided. Total Annihilation seems to be the way Cameron prefers to perform it (there are 3 demo performances of this on the DVD!) and is essentially the same effect, but with the added element of ‘introducing’ the prediction cards at the beginning of the effect. Red Hot Annihilation is a variation in which the prediction cards have a contrasting back colour.

I like the effect, but for me, some of the extra effects on the DVD are even stronger. Do as I Predict is a kind of one deck do-as-I-do, where you and the spectator both freely select a card from a genuinely shuffled deck. Not only do your cards match, but they also match a pair of prediction cards from a contrasting deck which were in open view from the beginning. This is very neat, and requires only minimal sleight of hand, and the deck can be used freely in other effects before and after. It does require use of a table.

Red Lite is another self-working prediction effect in which two cards freely chosen by two spectators are found to predict a ‘randomly’ arrived at card in the deck. This is a clever bringing together of some principles you may already know and I think a strong effect.

But my favourite effect is called Convergence. Regular readers will know of my particular fondness for ACAAN type effects, and that is what we have here. And I love it. Here’s how it looks (BBM’s description):

The magician proposes an experiment in fate as he introduces two decks of card; one red & one blue. The blue deck is placed in front of a spectator and the magician never touches it again. The red deck is removed from its case and shown to have a different number written on the back of each card. A second spectator then names ANY card (Really!). We’ll say it’s the Two of Diamonds. This card is removed from the red deck. Another card is randomly selected, and the number on it’s back is noted (let’s say the number is 29). The spectator now uncases the blue deck. He counts down 29 cards… The 29th card is the Two of Diamonds!

I think this is really strong. The decks can be examined, no memorization or cribs needed, no real sleight of hand and it resets instantly. Obviously you will have to set up the decks which will take a little time, but it seems to me a real worker. I know that it is common place in magic adverts to say ‘worth the price of the whole dvd/book’ but I really do think this one is.

What do you get?

All the effects are explained on a DVD made to BBM’s usual high standards. Some will be annoyed by the graphics and the music, but I personally find them easy to watch and well shot. Some of the ‘subtitles’ made me laugh out loud and I enjoy Cameron’s slightly quirky way. Explanations are all very clear. There are some extra adverts/plugs (including regular references to the Karnival Decks!) – but most of these are in the ‘extras’ section, so you don’t have to watch them. You also get a free deck of Bicycle Cards so you can make up the basic effect straight away.

At only £15.99 direct from BBM I think this is great value. And I’ll be making up Convergence as soon as possible…

[you can also purchase it from Merchant of Magic if you have other non BBM items to order!]

Mega ‘Wave – a review

Apr 11th, 2010
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BBM have just made the last few copies of this excellent little book from John Bannon available on their website, and since they kindly provided me with a review copy, here’s a short review…

[UPDATE BBM have sold out but it is now available from Merchant of Magic]

Mega 'Wave

I like John Bannon’s work (I came clean on that one when I reviewed Bullets After Dark) so it is probably no surprise that I enjoyed this book, which was first released at Blackpool earlier this year.

It’s 75 pages long and contains 7 tricks (all cards, all ‘packet tricks’) – so it is only just over £1 a trick which is a bargain. They are part of his ‘fractal magic’ thinking – packet tricks which end clean and examinable (like Duplicity or Spin Doctor). Here are my thoughts on the routines.

Mega ‘Wave – is a close cousin of Steven Tucker’s Omega series of routines (in its latest incarnation that is available in another BBM DVD – Alpha to Omega) which in itself has some links to Max Maven’s B’Wave. The plot is a bit like Twisted Sisters but ends clean, and unlike Omega requires no palming. I will probably say this again, but much of the value here comes in reading Bannon’s thinking on plot, effect and method. Learn from this man! But it is a great trick and not too difficult to do.

Fractal Re-Call – a no-gaff version of his Call of the Wild effect – or Wild Card with a rationale (and some extra magic!). A few more moves here though still do-able. I like the plot but am not convinced that the original Wild Card presentation was as week as Bannon suggests. Also, it is a bit of a set-up to go into from a normal deck (which to my mind is necessary for the presentation he suggests). So for me, this is not one of the strongest items in the book.

Short Attention Scam – this is a re-mix of his Royal Scam. In brief, from a set of 9 red-backed Ace of Spades, 5 turn into a royal flush, and the other 4 get completely different back designs. I love this routine – lots of magic in a short time, and not too difficult to do. It uses the same set of cards as Royal Scam so if you already have that you are on to a winner.

Mag-7 – a streamlined handling of The Magnificent Seven (from Smoke and Mirrors) which is essentially a no-gaff Wild Card routine. Not much to say here. It builds on a number of the concepts in the previous effects and works well.

Poker Pairadox – a re-working of Nick Trost’s classic Matching Court Cards. This is not the most mystifying effect for the audience, but it has a nice patter and routine and is all but self-working making it very clean from a presentation point of view. My only real gripe would be it isn’t an instant re-set (though the re-set isn’t difficult) – so not ideal for walkaround.

Fractal Jacks – almost an oil and water routine where the Jacks keep on returning to the performer’s hand (in spite of being dealt into two hands) – with the kicker of the other cards being the four aces, and as usual all examinable. For me, this wasn’t too magical. It did contain an interesting digression on why Bannon didn’t go with Simon Aronson and David Solomon on a plot variation here. I think I’m with them…

Wicked – this is a transposition effect where a card travels from between two black queens to between two red queens. I have mixed feelings about this one. It is a pretty clean transposition. But in the first phase, the ‘extra’ card (the one which transposes) is not actually shown until after the transposition has taken place. Given Bannon’s own comment that “in any transposition, it’s important that the spectators know which cards are where” this seems like a bit of a problem. On the other hand, I like the fact that the second phase ‘happens in reverse’ – since it is always good to keep the spectators guessing!

General Thoughts

There are seven effects here – I think most people would find at least a couple that would suit them. Several of the effects require a table which may be a problem for some contexts. Some require a set-up (though with the more truly ‘packet trick’ ones – that is to be expected). As ever, I enjoy Bannon’s thinking and discussion of the evolution of the effects almost as much as the effects themselves. They will, I hope, help you think more about your own magic – the why and the how.

For the price I think it’s a bit of a no-brainer. Get it! Especially while BBM are throwing in some free cards. And if, like me, you are a bit of a book collector, the you’ll want to get one before they’re all gone!

UPDATE 12/2/11 – Now available at Merchant of Magic for £9.95

Points Mean Prizes on new site for Alakazam

Mar 18th, 2010
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Alakazam have got a swanky new-look site (they’ve lost that annoying flappy bit from the top!) and they also introduced a ‘loyalty point’ scheme. Basically you get points for the magic you buy, and these can be used to get discounts off future orders (it works out as 5% of your order value – though apparently they will have special offers from time to time where you can get more points for your pound).

And if you want an idea for something to earn points on, if you are obsessed with magic wallets (like me!) – then the Real Man’s Wallet is a great card to wallet trick which seems to have been very popular with the reviewers. It will get you 45 loyalty points (worth £2.25!).

Real Man's Wallet

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