Collector decks like Beyond the Endless Dark playing cards are getting a lot of attention at the moment. Here is a comparison of two other playing card decks compared to Beyond The Endless Dark Playing Cards

Pros

Unique Design – Features a rotating colourful star system, evolving the style of the original Beyond deck. The artwork is visually striking and makes for a great display piece.

High Quality – Manufactured with premium materials, ensuring durability and smooth handling, ideal collector decks for cardistry and magic performances.

Cons

Price – Slightly higher priced compared to standard decks, which might not be ideal for casual use.

Complexity – The intricate design might be distracting for signed card tricks where simplicity is preferred 

Chancers V3 Green (Marked) Playing Cards by Good Pals

Pros

Marked Deck Includes a discreet marking system that is beneficial for magicians to perform card tricks without the audience noticing. That’s are in decent collector decks.

Aesthetic Appeal – The green colour and design elements make it stand out, appealing to collectors and enthusiasts alike.

Cons

Learning Curve – Requires time to learn and utilize the marking system effectively.

Specific Use – Primarily designed for magic, it might not be the best choice for general use.

Magnolia White Playing Cards

Pros

Elegant Design – Designed by Paulina Diaz, these cards feature a minimalist white design with elegant artwork, making them aesthetically pleasing and perfect for sophisticated magic performances.

Versatility – Suitable for both magic and general card games due to their standard face cards and high-quality stock.

Cons

Durability – While made with good quality, the white colour might show wear and tear more quickly than darker decks.

Limited Edition – Being part of a limited release might make replacements or additional purchases more difficult 

Conclusion

Best for Magic

Chancers V3 Green (Marked) Playing Cards – Ideal for magicians looking for a functional marked deck.

Best for Aesthetics

Beyond The Endless Dark Playing Cards – Perfect for those who want visually stunning collector decks.

Best for Versatility

Magnolia White Playing Cards – Great for both magic and casual play with an elegant touch.

Each of these decks offers unique features catering to different preferences, from performing magic to collecting playing cards that are aesthetically pleasing.

The post Collector Decks – Endless Dark Vs Chancers Vs Magnolia appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

To start with let’s take a look at the design, the tuck box is gorgeous with metallic gold, silver and red ink embossed upon a soft touch tuck box, with an elegant seal to finish things off which is of course also metallic ink, the detail is exquisite both on the front and the back, the more you look the more detail you’ll uncover, this deck is wonderfully intricate but then again, what else would you expect from Theory 11! Despite the fact that both the front and back designs are lovely, I have a criticism… They are very, very similar, this isn’t the end of the world by any means, just an observation that I thought I’d share, look at the pictures and come to your own conclusion! Moving onto the inside of the tuck box, it is once again patterned with metallic gold ink featuring the same circle design shown on the front continuing the luxurious aura throughout.

The back design of the Neil Patrick Harris Deck is identical to the design on the back of the tuck box, with more gold ink. I personally really like the design and all of its detailed intricacies, however, I have noticed a rather apparent flaw which may or may not surprise you, the cards have been printed by the United States Playing Card Company, the playing card enthusiasts amongst you probably know that cards by USPCC are prone to misalignment issues, annoyingly this luxury, collectable deck is no different, the borders are all over the place – this doesn’t affect the deck’s usage or novelty, it is just an annoying quality control issue that may bug some more than others, I myself accept the irritating misalignment and look past it because let’s be honest, the deck is excellent regardless.

Moving onto the face designs, the court cards are standard in appearance with a change in colour, they feature an updated red and gold colourway – this is great because it meets both the criteria for magicians, who want standard faces and collectors who want something novel. The ace of spades is wonderful, it is yet again intricately detailed in gold and black ink, take a look at the pictures – I think you’ll like it! The spot cards are all very basic, they feature a very, very slightly different pip design that card enthusiasts will notice, laypeople however will not, this once again is excellent for the magician who wants to perform with these cards yet retain the standard feel to avoid the audience’s suspicion of trick cards! I think the face designs of the cards meet the equilibrium between the collectors and performers needs, they sit in between the two making the practical advantage per individual more likely.

The Neil Patrick Harris Deck comes with a few extra cards, let’s explore them. First of all the NPH deck comes with two identical jokers, this is perfect for magicians who may wish to do routines using the two cards, a nice touch that the performers amongst you may appreciate. The next two extra cards lead me onto the amazing, unique feature of this deck. Here it comes, the moment you have all been waiting for, the deck is a puzzle! The two extra cards are the puzzle cards to get you started, one quotes the brief and the other is full of cryptic clues, I must admit I haven’t cracked the secret puzzle…yet, however, it is a fascinating challenge that creates the unique selling point of this deck, many people buy this pack just for the puzzle! Considering most magicians like to solve puzzles as well as shuffle cards, it is the perfect combination! 

Moving onto the feel of the deck. They feel great, it’s exactly what you would expect from Theory 11 and USPCC. The card stock itself is relatively standard, it sits between thick stock and crushed, this means you get the best of both worlds – smoothness and durability! The cards are very smooth to handle and shuffle with ease. 

Let’s explore the practicality of this deck. Honestly, for magicians, you are better off using a regular pack of Bicycle Cards, Bee’s, Tally Ho’s etc merely due to the fact you are going to be getting through decks like there is no tomorrow if you were to use the NPH deck for practice and performance you’ll suddenly have a very expensive habit on your hands, at the very least reserve them for special occasions! For card collectors, the deck is wonderful, the luxurious feel, the detailed design and of course the hidden puzzle. This deck should be in your collection, there is no doubt about that! Once again, I can’t speak for cardists but at the end of the day, you can use any cards for cardistry – it is simply a matter of your personal preference and style!

In conclusion, the Neil Patrick Harris Deck deck is wonderful, one of the most luxurious and novel decks in my collection, I highly recommend it due to the reasons listed above. I won’t perform with the deck, that’s not to say you can’t though, it will instead take a pride of place position in my display, it’s a gorgeous deck and deserves to be displayed accordingly! 

The deck is available worldwide here:

I sincerely hope this review has helped you and that it has provided the insight you were after. Let me know your thoughts about both the blog and the cards in the comments down below and feel free to ask any questions either on here or directly through my Instagram, @matthomermagic. 

Thank you for reading, until next time,

Matt Homer

The post Neil Patrick Harris Deck by Theory 11 – Review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

Starting with the design, the tuck box is undeniably stunning, the gold and electric blue create an extremely visual contrast that immediately catches the eye, both of these colours are metallic meaning they glisten in the light. The entire design, every bit of detail, is embossed upon a matte textured box, this creates a luxurious aura to the cards both visually and tactilely. 

The detail on the box is phenomenal, the more you look the more you discover, both the front and back designs of the tuck box are extremely elegant, featuring exquisite detail that you could study for hours, the right side of the box features some intriguing co-ordinates which I shall leave for you to decode, the left side features a quote which reads, “I could not rest by night or day for dreaming golden dreams”, this quote is full of insight and up to the reader to interpret.

Excluding the court cards, ace of spades and the jokers, the cards feature a standard face design with a very minimal tweak in colour to that of a regular bicycle deck. This could be viewed as a positive or negative thing depending on your area of expertise, for magicians the standard faces are perfect, card collectors and cardists may wish for something more extravagant, it merely comes down to personal taste and for magicians, performing practicality.

I mentioned that the Abandoned playing cards court cards, ace of spades and jokers are different, let’s take a look. All four suits of court cards(J-K) feature the same colourway, once again it is a metallic turquoise and gold design with the pips being untouched. The ace of spades is excellent, it is an elegant design featuring the metallic gold once again with a room contained within the ace, it continues to conform to the aesthetic of the deck and to the classical look of the ace of spades. The Jokers are two keys, they are not identical, mild differences occur such as the orientation of parts and the pip text colour, for magicians this isn’t ideal. 

There are two extra cards within the Abandoned playing cards deck, one contains a poem suggesting there is more to it than meets the eye and the other is a red and gold, what seems to be a Red Herring, literally. I will be honest in saying I have no idea what the Herring is doing here, I can only assume it is a reference to something I am unfamiliar with, nevertheless, it’s a unique card just waiting for the card collectors to discover! The magicians, and/or cardists amongst you may be disappointed with the extra cards, let’s be honest, for us these two pose no practical value – it raises the question of, would a blank card or a double backer have been better which in return raises another question, do you use these gaffs enough to care?

Moving onto the feel and quality of the cards, they are printed on a true linen B9 Slimline paper by Cartamundi. Upon testing the cards out, they handle and feel good, they are soft cards to handle and also very flexible, this could be seen as a positive by some and a negative by others, thick cards often last longer than thin cards, it depends on how much you are going to properly use these and the rate at which you practice, I would certainly lean away from these for everyday practice otherwise practice suddenly becomes very expensive! As an individual I tend to use cards printed by USPCC, however, despite how good they feel, USPCC cards are prone to alignment issues, cartamundi cards feel great and shouldn’t, fingers crossed, have so many printing errors.

In terms of practicality, it varies per individual and what you would be buying these cards for. My honest opinion is if you are a magician wanting to practice and perform with these cards, buy something cheaper like a regular deck of Bicycles, however, for card collectors you simply cannot go wrong with this deck, it is elegant, detailed, unique, they handle great, what’s not to love! I am sure cardists would love this deck too but it’s hard for me to comment, each cardist has their own personal style and design preference, that’s something only you can answer!

In conclusion, the Abandoned Playing Cards deck is wonderful and it comes with my utmost recommendation, the deck ticks all of my criteria, I won’t be performing with this deck, nothing to say you can’t, but from a collectors stance it is simply wonderful and that is my honest opinion, buy this deck – you’ll love it! it will certainly be getting pride of place on my display, how about yours? Let me know your thoughts on the review and the cards down below!

Thank you for reading and I truly hope this review provided the insight you were after,

Matt Homer 

Stockists:

Merchant of Magic Stock Abandoned Playing Cards Here

The post Abandoned Playing Cards by Dynamo – Review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

Who’s Steve Dela?

If you’re not familiar with Steve’s work, where have you been?  He’s a busy and award-winning close-up magician.  He’s responsible for the fabulous Will To Read (which remains my absolute favourite take on this type of Free Will effect), the awesome All About Eve book test and an At the Table lecture which I still haven’t got round to watching!

What makes Night Flight Deck special?

The most obvious difference from every other marked deck I have seen before is that the Night Flight Deck is 100% plastic.  I still remember the first plastic deck I saw (it was the Karnival Death Heads, in case you’re wondering, back in 2011).  It was a bit of a shock to the system of someone so used to cardboard-based playing cards.  But I was (then) pleasantly surprised and still am.

In the context of mentalism – and that is the primary focus for this release – the ability to do all your fancy card moves is less important.  In fact, I find the handling of these cards pretty solid – they riffle beautifully, though don’t fan (for me) quite as well – but I don’t think the material will cause handling issues for anyone.  On the contrary, the big selling point is that they should last much better than normal cards.  Too early for me to tell with this deck, but I see no reason to disbelieve the marketing on this one.

The Marked Difference

So what about the markings?  I have to say they are brilliant.  They really are hidden in plain sight.  They will fly past a layperson – but once you know what you’re looking for they jump out at you.  I have tried them in various lighting conditions and have found them simply the easiest deck to read I’ve ever tried.  For ease of reading, they’ve even, for me, knocked the DMC Elites off their top spot (though the Elites still have a smarter tuck case!).

To make the point, this picture shows the same card from 3 well known marked decks.  Even on this reduced quality JPG, I think it is clear which is easiest to read.

Not only are the main marks incredibly easy to see, but there are also several other marks which mean you can tell at a glance what colour a card is (even if you can’t see the name marking) and there’s a one-way feature – which is an often overlooked subtle method for aiding some miracles.  So there’s a lot going for these.  The overall effect is close enough to a Bicycle-style deck that no one will bat an eyelid.  (Though they will eyeball some bats – did you see what I did there?!)

The tuck case looks innocuous – which is a bonus – especially in mentalism work.  And has a classic mentalism reveal on the top.  I found it slightly difficult to open – but that’s probably just me. 

Other Bonus Features

The whole thing came nicely packaged in a plastic storage case – to keep it doubly safe.  There are also some extra cards.  The deck comes with two double backers – one red/blue and the other blue/blue.  This latter has apparently caused some controversy – since the two blues are slightly different colours.  Steve tells me this is deliberate – so you can use it as a key card in a spread.  Sounds like a good idea to me. 

In fact, that takes me to my only two small niggles with the deck.  I actually prefer the ‘odd’ colour blue of the double backer to the ‘normal’ back colour which is a shade lighter. I suspect that is simply a familiarity thing – since the darker blue is closer to the standard Bicycle blue.  This really is a personal preference thing – and I suspect that the more I use them the less it will bother me.  And as I reflect on it the lighter colour probably makes it slightly easier to read in low lighting.

I’d also really have liked to get two jokers in the deck – since I do a mix of magic and mentalism and a pair of jokers is very useful for any number of tricks.  But as I said these are both minor niggles. 

The bottom line is that the Night Flight Deck is a superb marked deck.  I will be using this whenever I do marked deck magic and I think it has the potential to become the new standard.  Great job.  I’m very grateful to Steve for sending me a review copy.  And you can pick up your own deck here

Steve Dela – Night Flight Deck – review

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Sweet Simplicity by John Carey – The Tricks…

1 in 52

John Carey is a bit of an equivoque fan – and this is essentially another take on the imaginary card plot using this technique.  I didn’t feel like there was anything particularly new here – but my opinion with equivoque is that the more different approaches you see the stronger your own personal technique becomes. And since this is a relatively short and direct process, it would be a good starting point for someone who hasn’t used this technique much before.

The Trick that can be explained

A nice prediction effect from a shuffled packet from a shuffled deck.  It’s a little like a small packet version of the classic Trick That Cannot Be Explained.  I’m not sure that John understands what a perfect number is – which is part of his patter for the trick!  But it is a cool little effect.  You’ll need to practise a bit to make sure you understand the procedure for the different outcomes – and some are definitely a little weaker than the others – but you don’t need to jazz in the way you would with its distant relative.

Technicolour Reset

I really like this transposition effect.  Four red-backed jokers and blue-backed jokers, swap place one by one, and then suddenly jump back to the original position.  This is nicely routined so you get a lot of magic without needing too many moves.  I’ll be trying this one out.

Five Oh!

Sweet Simplicity by John Carey is a simple little effect where the spectator chooses a card and you can read their mind, show you’ve predicted it in multiple ways and then show the rest of the deck is made up of jokers.  I’m in two minds about this.  It almost feels like too many climaxes.  And the deck is obviously a one-trick pony.  But it’s dead easy to do – so if it appeals to you then do it!

Perception Shuffle

This is a sort of pseudo sloppy riffle false shuffle.  Maybe that’s only me.  It looks surprisingly deceptive.  Worth a look.

More tricks!

Spectator Star

This is a great take on the spectator cuts the aces premise.  They really do appear to have an enormous amount of freedom in shuffling and cutting but the clever construction means that this is really easy to do.  There is a small set up but it isn’t at all complicated.  I love the way the first phase covers the set-up for the second in plain sight. And the second phase is cheeky beyond measure! Great routine.

Somewhere over the rainbow

This is an ace cutting routine with a surprise rainbow deck ending. As a magician watching this it is pretty easy to spot what’s going on, but performed with confidence this should fly past a spectator.  It works nicely with the Spectrum Deck. 

Don’t make me cross

A thought of card turns out to be the only one in the deck from a different coloured pack and with a big cross on it for good measure.  You’ll obviously need to set this up since you’ll need a special deck.  But it is easily made up.  Straightforward and surprising.  It seems to me that with an awkward spectator you could have a miss – which isn’t really covered – but with careful handling, you’ll be fine.

Entrapment

This is probably my least favourite routine on the DVD.  It’s a slow-motion small packet sandwich – if you can imagine such a thing.  It is essentially self-working, relying on the use of a down under deal.  As a magician, it doesn’t feel very magical – but he certainly got a good reaction from his volunteer.  I suppose if you sell this right it does appear as the spectator has merely thought of their card so it does become more surprising.

One Thought, One Spell

Baldly, the spectator cuts to a card, that card is spelt from the top of the deck, and you have predicted the card arrived at.  The thing that makes this surprising is that the spectator fairly shuffles the deck beforehand!  There’s minor jazzing involved here but the system – which I’d not thought about in quite the same way – is quite flexible.  I’m not usually a great fan of spelling effects – but this is good.

Final Thoughts

As I said at the start there’s a lot to like about Sweet Simplicity by John Carey. Most of the effects are very direct and none require too much hard work on the part of the performer.  Carey’s performances are always somewhat understated – that’s his personality – so you have to work hard to imagine what these could be with a bit more VA VA Voom!  But I think there are some strong effects here which you will certainly use.

You can pick up a DVD copy of Sweet Simplicity by John Carey from Merchant of Magic here.  If you prefer a download, it is marginally cheaper at MagicShop.co.uk

Sweet Simplicity by John Carey – Review

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If you’ve not come across Harapan Ong, he is a Physics teacher from Singapore, and also a very talented magician. And in this unusual book, he merges those two worlds by teaching some of his excellent magical material in the style of a series of science papers.

Excursus on style

I think reading John Bannon’s seminal Dear Mr Fantasy was my first introduction into the world of quirkily written magic books – and I loved it then. I’m a die-hard magic book fan with more magic books than you can shake a stick at (ask my wife – she’ll tell you…) – but I have never come across one like this.

In truth, the description of the method (in Principia terms, the ‘result’) is fairly conventional. However, it is the elements around it which contribute to the overall style. Each ‘paper’ begins with an abstract giving you an overview of the effect and some comment on method. An introduction then analyses the background/inspiration/development of the effect and a section called ‘methodoloy’ summarises the requirements. After the main description of the handling (the ‘result’) there is some analysis (strengths and weaknesses of the handling) and a conclusion. Both the abstract and the conclusion often highlight areas for future exploration/development.

Although I am not a scientist in the professional sense, I studied some science in the past, and I definitely have an analytical and problem-solving-shaped brain. So this structure to the book, though unusual at first, really grew on me. I’m a firm believer that any magician worth his salt ought to be thinking about developing their own routines, and twists on existing routines etc. And this style of description was very stimulating in that regard. The ‘academic’ style also includes excellent referencing/crediting – which is another important concern of mine in magic.

Back to first Principias

This is a big book – large format (dimensions) running to over 250 pages. It is lavishly illustrated and the 2-column format works really well to ensure the beautiful line-drawings are in an appropriate place in relation to the explanatory text. A suitably scientific-looking illustration adorns the orange cover. My only slight negative note on the look of the thing is the ‘puffy’ nature of the covers. I prefer simple board covers – but this is entirely subjective and affects nothing!

I’m reviewing the first edition – which came with an accompanying packet of gaffed cards to do some of the effects described. If you’re too late for the second edition, most of these gaffs are readily available in standard Bicycle gaffs – but there are one or two which are a little harder to get hold of. I don’t really know why Vanishing Inc don’t sell these separately – and I’m sure they will do before long.

The book opens with a generous forward from Joshua Jay – who has been something of a mentor in Harapan’s development as a magician. This is followed by a brief introduction from the author which explains some of the book’s form and inspiration.

Before we get to the tricks, there is an introductory essay called Thinking Like a Physicist. This draws out some of Harapan’s philosophy of magic as well as making some interesting comparisons between the two fields of magic and physics. He emphasises three priorities in striving for ‘beauty’ – economy, unexpectedness and inevitability. Whilst those last two might seem to be contradictory I find myself with a lot of sympathy for these priorities.

There are far too many effects to describe in detail. So I will describe the shape of the contents and then simply highlight some of the effects which appealed to me.

Classical Mechanics

The first section of the book describes some of Ong’s thinking on classic plots in card magic. He often starts with an existing move or routine and seeks to streamline the handling or add a new twist. You’ll find Ace effects, Sandwich tricks, Triumph routines, four of a kind productions and much more.

There were many strong effects here. I particularly enjoyed the blending of Dr Daley’s Last Trick with a Sandwich effect (3 variations) – which seemed like an excellent addition to a trick which is already strong. If you like ‘Twisting the Aces’ type effects, then Twisting Morph adds an extra kicker to this plot and is economically routined. I also enjoyed Direct Triple Prediction (which does what it says on the tin!) – and was amused that the idea that occurred to me as I was reading it was then highlighted in the analysis at the end! I could see this going straight in to my repertoire.

Condensed Matter

The subheading for this chapter is ‘More involved and unconventional card plots’ and that feels like a fair summary. I’ll be honest, I was less-grabbed by some of these routines, though there were some routines with clever gimmicks (you need to make or in some cases buy) to produce some fun visual effects.

I was probably most taken with Perspective – which is a really interesting twist on the Do as I Do plot – with lots of magical moments. I also enjoyed the plot of a little packet trick called Countdown Packet – where the face values of the cards change with the number of cards in the packet as you keep removing cards. This felt like a great plot and a decent method.

Particle Physics

The packet tricks have landed. I have been a packet trick junkie since I first discovered Rainbow Cascade in Davenports in the 80s or 90s. So I was looking forward to this chapter. But when I got to it I was a little disappointed. It felt like there was a bit of an over-reliance on a 2 for 4 count which doesn’t seem that strong to me. On the other hand, I really appreciated the attempts to routine small packets with the random extra cards that come with some of the many new decks. That is something I have meant to have a go at for some time. I didn’t think these were amazing, but they were a good starting point for further exploration.

Beyond the Standard Model

This one is subtitled ‘Curious effects and gags for card magic.’ It contains some interesting ideas but they sometimes feel more theoretically elegant than practical. First is an exploration of that curious phenomenon of ‘Ambigrams’ – writing which says two things depending on which way up the writing is. It felt, here, like he had set himself some constraints and found a solution without really giving much thought to entertaining magic – this was clever but a little contrived.

Checkmate takes the idea of an 8-ball production and changes the gag to streamline the production – the chess piece produced being smaller. I can see some reasons to do this, but it seems to lose some of the impact. Have a break is an amusing idea if you want to make magicians laugh but I’m not sure I would use it in the real world. I really liked the Flexacard concept – which appeals to the maths geek in me (I’ve always been fascinated by these kind of objects) – but again I think probably more of a private amusement than something for performance.

Optics

The effects in this chapter are designed specifically for performing on video – which is very much home territory for Harapan who first launched his work in this arena. I liked the fun concept of the Frog Price – and the clever use of a principle normally used in a quite different way for 2 + 2 = 4. The ‘Hybrid Flexagon’ described under the heading of 4,3,2,1 is something I will almost certainly have a go at making, but I’m not sure it really fits the criteria of the chapter.

Fluid Dynamics

This final chapter was a really interesting one for me. In it Harapan explores the concept of multiple pathways in magic effects, with particular reference to the Trick That Cannot Be Explained. I enjoyed reading his thoughts from the point of view of the construction (and interpretation) of magic effects and some of the ideas there are worth pondering if you are serious about shaping your magic for greater effect.

I had some philosophical disagreements with his discussion of evolution and intelligent design in some of the essays – and not just because I am coming from a somewhat different worldview to his. I feel that the analogy was somewhat strained – not least because (as he identifies on p224) the magician himself plays a significant role in the artificial selection of the optimum path. The relative weakness (to my mind) of some of the argument in these essays doesn’t detract from the usefulness of the ideas and concepts he explores.

In conclusion

Principia is a beautiful and stimulating book which would grace any magician’s library. I was impressed by the clarity of the explanations – his background in teaching definitely comes into play here. This is a book you will want to peruse slowly – with a deck of cards and a bottle of wine (or your own favourite tipple) – since there is much to enjoy and reflect upon. For my money the first (and largest – almost 36%) section of the book contained the strongest material. But there is plenty within the rest of the book to get you thinking and exploring. Highly recommended.

You can pick up Principia from MagicShop.co.uk for £48.99 (at the time of writing).

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

Harapan Ong – Principia – review

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The Tricks

Karmatic by John Bannon
The DVD starts with a corker. This is the Mighty Bannon’s sort of take on the Trick That Cannot Be Explained. Which is to say that it relies on a certain amount of ‘jazzing’. But the premise and method mean that the jamming doesn’t require any sleight of hand – only a bit of on your feet thinking. In effect the spectator shuffles the deck and yet you have successfully predicted the outcome. I like this a lot – and it is dead easy – the only possible negative is that it does somewhat depend on the spectator being able to riffle shuffle.

Coincidence by Bill Simon
The spectator spookily finds two matching pairs without ever knowing how they did it. That bald description doesn’t really do justice to what is a very strong bit of magic from the ingenious Mr Simon. The bad news is there is some set up required. But it is worth it for a really fooling bit of magic that is very easy to do. I love the construction which makes the effect build to an apparently more impossible second phase.

Five Nine King by Martin Gardner
In this clever mathematically based trick, in spite of a high degree of freedom of choices, the spectator manages to find 4 of a kind. It relies on a clever set up and is pretty fooling. For me it is a little on the procedural side, but nonetheless a clever effect.

Company of Three by Roy Walton
This is a Roy Walton classic – where you can locate two different spectators’ cards by spelling and counting. As taught it requires one very simple bit of sleight of hand – but a truly sleight free handling is also taught. I like this. A very simple set up does all the work for you. A lot of bang for your buck.

Sorta Swiped by Jack Tighe
This is a clever and easy take on the mystery card idea. The spectator chooses and signs a card – and through a slightly ‘sucker’ presentation your different-coloured-back ‘lucky card’ morphs into their selection. Two versions are taught – one of which includes the use of a man-servant! This is a strong routine – but you’ll need some extra cards beyond your normal deck to bring it about. But you leave your spectator with a nice souvenir they can keep. There’s a really nice force taught that I’ve not seen before which would have other uses – especially in an Anniversary Waltz type routine.

And there’s more tricks!

Miracle Aces by Stephen Tucker
Another take on the ‘spectator cuts the aces’ type routine. The spectator seems to have a fair degree of freedom and yet still all comes good. A small set up is required and then the procedure is very simple. A clever self-working solution.

Baker Street by Liam Montier
Baker Street is a two-phased mind-reading effect where you can reveal two cards chosen by two spectators. Again, a small set-up is required. I love the way the construction enables you to deduce both selections in an impossibly fair way. Great little worker.

Third Attribute by Michael Breggar
A really nice routine where a card from a borrowed shuffled deck is selected in a fair manner – then shuffled into a face up and face down deck. The spectator picks three random cards from the deck and then you ‘deduce’ their chosen card. The presentation provides beautiful distraction from the very simple method. I’d not heard of Michael Breggar but this makes me want to investigate his work some more.

Swindle Conincidence by Peter Kane
A fantastic combination of ideas which produce the effect of two spectators selecting the same card in the fairest possible way from two borrowed shuffled decks. Although I knew the principles involved this one flew past me first time. I love the sneaky procedure. Fantastic effect.

Card U Reka by UF Grant
A triple prediction effect with a pseudo-card-reading presentation. There’s some set up required to make up the decks for this effect. But you’ll then have a powerful effect without any hard work at all. Sneaky.

Final Thoughts

One of the many things I like about this series is that they don’t just teach some cracking new tricks, but they unearth and polish up some classics (hence here tricks by UF Grant and Peter Kane etc) which may have passed you by. I’m a firm believer that in our attention to all the new releases all the time we often overlook gems from the past.

The teaching is clear and everything you need to know is explained. If you can’t get at least a few routines from this that you will use then I don’t know what you’re doing! This volume reminds me particularly of the strength of even a small set up in terms of getting you so far ahead. Although these are self-working, it would be of real benefit to get your head around a false shuffle or two in order to add another layer of convincing to them.

It is a while since we looked at the last volume, but Ultimate Self-Working Card Tricks Volume 4 feels like it is the best in the series so far. Full of fantastic, workable material.

What are you waiting for? Go out and buy a copy!
You can pick it up direct from BBM for £21.99 or the download for only £20.50 (at the time of writing).

Many thanks to BBM for supplying the review copy.

Ultimate Self Working Card Tricks Vol IV – review

4.5 / 5 Reviewer

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What do you get?

You receive a link to a 19 minute download of the instructions and all the necessary, custom printed cards. There are fun graphics on the cards and on the explanation! As you would expect, everything is clearly explained at an easy pace. The one exception to this is the Elmsley Count – which is not taught. However, if you’ve done any packet tricks in the past you probably know it. And if you haven’t, you should! (We would recommend getting hold of the Elmsley Count Project which is comprehensive in its teaching and also includes loads of great effects).

Variations on a theme

In additional to the version you see in the trailer, two variations are taught.

The first is a ‘fractal’ version. I know John likes to end clean – but I’m not sure the extra hoops to jump through here are really worth the ‘benefit’. You also end up with a discrepant number of cards at the end. Although it is unlikely anyone would notice this and it could be passed off as another ‘mystery’ I’m just not at all sure it is worth it.

My preference would be to do the standard routine, and while the spectator looks at the squashed flies (which is where the attention is), quietly pocket the others. You could have some matching blank cards in your pocket if you really wanted to end clean – but you wouldn’t be able to do that with the supplied cards – so you’d have to buy another set!

The second variation is a handling which goes back to Roy Walton’s Oil & Queens. Interestingly, this is the effect that inspired the effect which inspired this in the first place! I quite like this handling – and it has the extra benefit that you can do it without a table. You’ll need to choose the one that works for you.

Final Thoughts

Buzzkill is a really fun effect which is unusual in that it would appeal to both adults and children alike. So I can see it as a really good trick to have up your sleeve in a walkaround situation where both children and adults may be present. The slight downside is that the re-set isn’t instant – so you’d probably need a minute to yourself to get the cards back in order.

I slightly prefer the graphics and back designs on the cards that John uses in his explanation to the ones that are supplied – but that is a tiny niggle – since there’s nothing wrong with the cards supplied.

It is easy to do and the magic is direct and clear. It’s only a quickie – but I think you’ll enjoy performing Buzzkill and, more importantly, get some good reactions from it.

Buzzkill is available from BBM for £17.99 (at the time of writing).

(Many thanks to BBM who kindly provided the review copy).

PS – I really like James Went’s performance (which isn’t on the download) and I include here for your viewing pleasure:

John Bannon – Buzzkill – review

4.4 / 5 Reviewer

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Deviant Shuffle
This isn’t a trick, but is rather a technique used in some of the routines. It is a sneaky combination of moves which allows the spectators to shuffle the deck whilst retaining a stock of cards. There are no ‘moves’ to speak of here and it does look pretty fair. Neato!

He also explains some subtleties on a breather crimp and a short card – both of which are underrated techniques which enable hands off miracles!

Void
This is a very convincing reveal of a card that the spectator is only thinking of. Quite a lot going on here and some clever subtleties. Two versions are taught – one is more ‘advanced’. As with many mentalism effects you will need some confidence in improvising around a script. But the techniques you need are not advanced and are clearly taught. A further variation is taught which works the opposite way round – which I can’t really explain without exposure!

Thought of Monte
Two spectators choose cards in a very fair way. Then you play a sort of two card monte game where the cards turn into the spectators’ selections in their hands. Did I mention you can do it with a borrowed shuffled deck?! This uses a lovely peek from Ollie Mealing which is fully explained and I’m sure you’ll use in other contexts too. And there’s another really nice utility move – a kind of switch. A neat little impromptu routine.

Villains and Heroes or possibly Heroes and Villains!
This is framed as a lie detector kind of test – where you pick up on the spectator’s tells to reveal their thought of card. The construction allows the spectator a lot of freedom and several free shuffles and yet you can still identify their card. Great effect. (The DVD titles give one name for this and Steven gives it the opposite name!)

Technically Missing
The spectator chooses a card and loses it in the deck. You not only find it again – but you also find its 3 mates. This looks so fair and the outcome is very surprising. Like many of the routines on the DVD this has lots of nice subtle convincers.

Memorabilia
This is another revelation of two merely thought of cards. For some reason this didn’t grab me as much as the other routines. And you’ll have to be prepared to do some verbal jazz to get to your successful result. But still very strong for a layperson.

Out of my sight
Another routine based on Vernon’s classic Out of sight, out of mind. The spectator thinks of card and you reveal it! Again, you’ll need to be prepared to think on your feet to pull this off. But if you’re confident with the approach you’ll have another very strong routine.

Medley
This is a nicely constructed series of three revelations of a spectator’s chosen or thought of card under the theme of a gambling demonstration. The phases seem more and more impossible and very fair. Possibly my favourite on the DVD.

Deadcut
With the presentational hook of deadcutting, you manage to deadcut to a card that the spectator has earlier freely chosen and lost in the deck. One of the easiest effects on the DVD – and yet just as strong as any of the others. Really nice routine.

Final Thoughts?

There is a lot to like about Rogue. BBM’s production values are always high and having Liam Montier in the saddle helps to make sure explanations are all very clear. I must admit to being amused by the ‘spooky mentalism background music’ – which is a bit of a break from BBM tradition!

Rogue is billed as ‘easy to do mentalism with cards’ – and I would just gently question the easy to do. It’s not that any of the routines require difficult sleights (although one of the peeking techniques taught does in my mind qualify as at least early intermediate) – but as with many mentalism effects you need a degree of confidence with your script to sell them. Not all the routines require this – and at least half are unquestionably ‘easy to do’ – but I would just put a tiny caveat on that label.

Another very personal reflection is that although I liked a lot of the effects, my main reaction to this DVD was to want to use the different elements and techniques taught here to come up with my own routines.

There’s a big in-house debate about mentalism and card magic and whether they should go together. But I think this DVD proves that you can do cracking mentalism with cards without any loss of integrity.

If you like strong mentalism then Rogue is definitely worth a look.

And you’ll be glad I waited so long to review this because it’s currently on offer for only £12.60 at the Merchant of Magic! (at the time of writing!)

Many thanks to BBM who kindly supplied the review copy.

Steven Palmer – Rogue – Review

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After a down-to-earth foreword by Gary’s good friend Mark Bendell (and by the way if you still haven’t seen The Unknown – you really must – it is brilliant!) and a brief encouragement from Gary to actually try the things out (!) we get straight into the tricks.

First up is a cracking self-worker called B’Waver. If you can imagine B’Wave plus card to impossible location you’ve got the idea. And it’s so easy to do. Great start!

Crazy Card Trick is basically a chance for Gary to show off how many ways he can show four cards to be the same card! After two cards are selected and lost in the deck, four cards constantly change into different cards – including the selections – which then vanish and reappear in the card box. This is worth studying just for the individual sequences even if you don’t like the routine. Which you should, because it’s a good one!

Pocket Aces involves the four Aces jumping around and ending up in the spectator’s pocket. You’ll need to be confident with palming for this one, but it makes a nice change from some of the more common four ace plots.

Thoughts is a somewhat ballsy mentalism effect where a card the spectator names a card and it is the one you have placed on the table in front of them. Gary’s given some thought to outs so you can give this a go. You know you want to!

Card in Balloon does exactly what it says on the tin. It reminds me of a routine I used to perform years ago (though the method is completely different!) – and there really is something very appealing about a chosen card appearing in this way. You have the drama of the balloon popping combined with a very visual appearance. Worth a look.

Mystery Card 2.0 is a no gimmick version of the mystery card effect. Briefly – a card is reversed in the face up deck. The spectator chooses (and signs if they wish) a card which is then lost in the deck. When the deck is spread the face down ‘mystery card’ is found to be the spectator’s selection. This is really strong – and I love the cheeky method for getting everything into the right place. Excellent effect. Gary says he uses this as an intro to his Ambitious Card and I imagine that is a great way to do it.

Back Palm Thank you Mam. Apart from having an excellent title, this trick utilises one of the few more flourishy moves I ever got round to putting the effort in to learning. Can you guess which one from the title? Two cards are selected and lost in the deck. An indifferent card is removed from the deck – it vanishes – and then reappears in your hand changing into the first selection. This card then vanishes and reappears turning into the second selection. And if you want an optional kicker both cards can then re-appear in your pocket. That seems like overkill to me – but then I haven’t tried it in front of real people yet. Another nice plot.

Pause for thought

At this point I realise that if I’m going to describe every effect in the book this is going to be a long very long review indeed. So I’m going to give you some selected highlights followed by some final thoughts…

Gary’s in depth understanding of misdirection is on display in a number of effects (notably Card under Glass and Pocket to Pocket) and you will learn lots about constructing your routines to take the heat off your moves if you pay attention here.

Did we mention Gary’s bold methods? Vanishing Point is a super sandwich effect which requires a certain amount of Chutzpah!

One of the few non-card items in the book – Exact Change 2.0 – is also one of my favourites. A prediction routine where you predict the exact change from your spectator’s imaginary trip to the sweet shop.

Coins Predicted has possibly the least exciting title in the book but is a really commercial effect with an engaging hook. It includes a script by Christopher Williams who has provided some great scripts for a couple of the routines in the book – well written and effective.

Iphone 20 shows Gary’s knack for coming up with fun plots which are a bit different and also very commercial. This involves a spectator’s signed selection merging with an ‘iphone’ playing card.

Kickback Sandwich is a neat sandwich type effect with a merely thought of card and some built in comedy which also effectively enables the method. Great lateral thinking and a fun routine.

Rubik Revelation cashes in on all the interest in Rubik’s Cube magic at the moment and is a very straightforward and somewhat bold method of predicting the pattern on a cube the spectator has freely mixed.

Colour Diffusion is another fun effect where a small packet of cards change to all have different coloured backs. That is a very bald description – but the routine is nicely structured in a way which involves the audience really well and maxes out the psychological effect of the change. Oh, and did I mention It is dead easy to do?

Colour Remix is a great multi-phase oil and water routine using an idea I have never before seen (and I’ve seen a lot of oil and water effects over the years – though I may just have missed this idea) – where the red and black cards also have contrasting backs so that you can apparently tell from the front or the back whether the cards are mixed or not. A simple subtlety means this actually makes the routine much less sleight-heavy than most similar routines – and it also includes a multi-coloured backs finish. Neat.

Coin to Anywhere is an idea of pure cheek contributed by Chris Congreave. It enables you to vanish a borrowed and signed coin and have it appear anywhere – with precious little effort on your part. There’s a variation on this theme which might appeal to mentalists too…

And there’s loads more I haven’t even mentioned. Gary has a knack for coming up with direct plots or clever variations on existing plots. Some of the ideas might even stimulate your own creativity.

As before the book is packed with clear illustrations and also photos of Gary performing with amusing captions.

This is another fabulous release which will more than repay your investment of time and money studying it. I think performers at all levels will find multiple routines they can use here. They range from self-working effects to things which will require a bit more sleight of hand – but I would say that most things would be in the reach of most performers with a little bit of practise.

You can pick up Life’s a Beach Volume 2 direct from the publishers at MagicSeen for £25 (at the time of writing). I’m very grateful to Gary for supplying the review copy.

Gary Jones – Life’s a Beach – Vol 2 – review

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