For some reason I’ve always had a thing about casino themed effects so I was delighted to get the opportunity to review The Casino Con by Steve Gore and Gregory Wilson.
The effect is straightforward. You mix up a load of jokers from a variety of different casinos. The spectator chooses one – and it is found to match the ‘lucky poker chip’ you have already given the spectator. Then the chip visibly transforms into a chip of much higher value. In a brilliant final phase, the spectator makes all the choices to deal out the cards into two hands. Amazingly the cards dealt to you have transformed into a straight flush in spades!
What’s in the Casino Con box?
You get a DVD, and all the necessary playing cards and poker chips. The cards are of a nice quality though some of the printing on the back is a little ‘fuzzy.’ The chips are well weighted which always adds conviction. You also receive a little plastic wallet to hold the cards and to help you do part of the trick more easily!
The DVD includes several different performances by different performers which gives you a great idea of how strong the effect is.
The explanation is at a good pace and covers all the detail you need. In fact that sentence should really read ‘explanations’ since the teaching has been filmed in two different locations and both are included! The first phase is all but self-working – incredibly easy to do.
If you want to do the ‘chip change’ you will have to execute a little sleight of hand. One method is briefly taught – and a couple of different methods can be seen in the performance section. If you need some more help here any basic coin resource will do (and if you don’t already own it – buy yourself a copy of Bobo – it should be in your library!). I really like this as an extra phase – but you could miss this out if you wanted to. However it does provide another moment of misdirection which is helpful to get you into the final phase.
There are a number of different ways to perform the final phase. They are all easy to do – though some will require you to remember slightly more procedure. This is a really surprising climax to the whole thing. One of the really clever things is the way the methods ‘cancel each other out’ – which is always a great way to fry your spectators’ minds!
There’s no con – it’s a great effect!
I think you get a whole lot of magic for not a lot of effort – which also means you can focus on your presentation. The casino theme is engaging for most audiences and sells itself. It doesn’t take up much space in your pocket and is pretty much instantly re-set. This is a real winner!
The Casino Con is available from the Merchant of Magic for £26.99 (at the time of writing).
Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.
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