BBM Archives - Bicycle Cards

Cameron Francis – Super Mega Card Miracles – review

Phil Sweeting — Sat, 20 Jul 2019 23:01:47 +0000

Super Mega Card Miracles is the latest understated title from Cameron (!) featuring his best versions of some of his favourite effects. Let’s go straight into…

…the tricks

Dedoner
I missed what the effect was first time because I was so amused by the idea of Cameron performing to himself! You’ll have to watch it to see what I mean! This is a kind of triumph meets colour changing deck card location. A strong effect with only basic card handling. Neato!

Collins Thing
Think ‘4 Ace Trick’ but with the kings. But instead of the Kings coming together in one packet, they all disappear in slightly different ways from their packets. And then they are found again in an increasingly more surprising way – the final one appearing in the card case. Minimal set up (you can probably guess what that is!) and pretty easy to do – if you know the most common packet trick count. Beautifully structured, I really like this and will try to keep it in my repertoire.

Switch Jack II
Two cards are chosen and replaced in the deck. Two jacks are placed under the card case, the other two ‘catch’ cards from the deck. The first ‘catch’ is the first selection. But the second is the other two jacks. When the card case is lifted, there is the second selection. A brain frying miracle Love the silliness incorporated into the explanation. You guys rock!

Thanks to Walton
A clever impromptu packet trick where you show 4 red cards and 4 black cards. The black cards are inserted into the red packet one at a time and keep changing colour to red. And in a final kicker four of the cards turn into the aces. This is a neat trick with lots of magic which is fairly easy to do – but you’ll need to work a bit to remember the order of the moves. I think that some spectators might need a little help remembering which packet is which – so clear signalling/presentation required. But a great effect. And it sets you up nicely for…

Precursor
This is the cousin of a 4 Ace trick, where each individual ace performs a different ‘effect’ before all instantly gathering together with the Ace of Spades. A typically whimsical presentation from Cameron and fairly easy to do if you have any familiarity with packet tricks. These two routines do flow really nicely and give you a great impromptu set.

Easy Hof
A card is chosen and lost in the deck. The four aces are used to identify the card. First spelling suit – and revealing the suit of the card. That ace is placed face down on the table. Then spelling value – at this point all the aces turn into the mates of the originally chosen card. And the tabled card turns into the selection. A fun routine with some moves – but not what we used to call finger-flinging!

The Super Mega Card Miracles keep coming – all on one DVD!

Mercury Card Load
So you’d guessed right? This is a way of loading a folded playing card into a playing card box (previously seen on his Murphy’s At the Table Lecture) Nice climax to a ambitious card routine or any other routine where you end up with a MCFed card! This kind of ‘impossible location’ is always powerful – and a big plus of this one is that no special props are needed – just practising a little move. Yet another reason to learn the Mercury Card Fold!

But Not Least
This is a triple card location (really a sandwich effect) where the Jokers do all the work – capturing the selections one by one – the final one turning first up on the way. There’s some really sneaky routining here which means that your work is done before they even know what the effect is. And oodles of misdirection for the only real move. This is top class Cameron.

Stand Up Christ Aces
The Four Aces are placed into the deck according to the spectator’s merest whim. Yet you can locate them in increasingly baffling ways. Nice use of an easy but fooling move from a Colombini routine. I’m running out of superlatives here – but again this is so neatly constructed – John Bannon would be proud. Great routine which you can do (as its name suggests) in the hands or at a table.

One flew over at my behest
This is a card across effect where the spectator’s freely thought of card jumps from one half of the deck to the other half. Invisibly of course. It uses a clever Bannon Move from Mentalissimo (which is always a good start). Clear effect, easy to do. Not the biggest mystery on the selection, but worth watching the performance if only to enjoy the goofy spectator!

Collectors Item
This is a super-smooth collectors plot. Another Bannon move gets you so far ahead you wouldn’t believe it. Everything seems so fair – yet the three selections which have been shuffled into three separate packets all end up ‘caught’ by the four kings. Brilliant construction – not too difficult to do – worker!

Captivated
A packet trick with 4 Kings and 4 Aces. It starts off like a ‘twisting the aces’ effect – but then halfway through the Aces and Kings swap place – and then instantly the Aces sandwich the Kings between them. Think Paul Harris’ Reset with a twist. There’s some clever thinking here, but for some reason this one didn’t captivate me.

Final Thoughts

I’ve seen a lot of Cameron Francis’ work but I really do think that Super Mega Card Miracles is the best collection of his work to date. As I write, another BBM volume featuring Cameron has just arrived through the door – so watch this space to see if it is immediately superseded!

Although the effects aren’t self-working, none of them require really difficult moves and with only a small amount of practise would be within reach of any but the absolute beginner. I don’t want to keep repeating myself, but these routines all show the signs of having been worked over to the last detail – they are brilliantly constructed to maximise impact and minimise effort.

Super Mega Card Miracles comes highly recommended. You can pick it up from BBM (who kindly supplied the review copy) for £21.99. If you prefer a download that is available for £19.50.

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The Boris Wild Marked Deck Project – review

Phil Sweeting — Wed, 22 May 2019 20:19:45 +0000

The Boris Wild Marked Deck Project is a 2-DVD set (or download) from the excellent chaps at Big Blind Media which explores in great detail the magic you can create with this excellent tool. Boris Wild’s name is more or less synonymous with the Marked Deck – so you already know that it’s going to be a worthwhile resource. The 2 DVDs run to over 4 hours playing time – so we’re not going to be able to cover ever last detail. With that in mind, let’s get straight into our review.

Disk 1

The first DVD starts by explaining a little about the history of the marked deck and how and why Boris Wild created this deck. He explains exactly how it works and how you can make (or customise) your own – although these days you would probably find it just as easy to buy one ready printed (also available in Red Backed Bicycle or in Phoenix Deck Standard or Large Index).

Basic Uses

After the history come lots of helpful handling tips. These are great especially if you’ve never used a marked deck before. But even if you have, they also cover some specific aspects of this system.

The next section is really a bit of a plug for further resources. All the effects taught on this DVD can be done with a shuffled deck. But when you add other ideas such as a stacked deck then the possibilities really do multiply. And so Boris points you towards his book, Transparency, which explores some of these things in more detail.

Incidentally, if you like the idea of combining marked and stacked decks, you might like to look at Luke Jermay’s Marksman Deck – which is a bit like the Boris Wild Marked Deck on steroids!

More General Ideas

Boris also explains how his deck can function as a Safety Net. Yes, that’s right, a marked deck in everyday use can be useful when falling off a tight rope. OK, so not strictly speaking for falling off a tight rope – but it can be helpful as an ‘out’ in other magical disasters.

Boris also covers some work on the cull – which I as far as I can recall is identical to the material on his Sensations DVD.

Lots of routines

There are several really strong routines taught over the 2 DVDs. In truth a marked deck is one of those things that laymen think they know about. So a good presentation which completely obscures what you might be doing is a massive bonus. And you have that in spades on this set.

In one routine you appear to memorise a deck. In another incredible trick the spectator literally does all the work and yet still locates their card. And then another version where they repeat it!

These are all very simple in method and yet the presentation sells them and makes them remarkable.

There’s a very clever sandwich location effect – which also teaches you another sly way of allowing the spectator just to peak a card and yet for you to know its identity.

Inexplicable is an exceptionally strong prediction effect. You’ll need to be comfortable with a bit of jazzing– but the result is an absolute corker.

Invisible but marked is a very clean invisible deck type presentation using the Boris Wild Marked Deck.

Puracaan – which also on Sensastions set – as we’ve said before is a neat solution to the classic ACAAN effect.

I don’t know how many of these effects have been taught before on Boris’ earlier releases (apart from the ones I have mentioned) – but they are all worth spending some time on.

Final Thoughts

The performance setting can often make a big difference to a release like this, and I love that most of the performances are live (with the remainder in the studio).

Boris’ style is very different from most of the magicians releasing effects these days. His routines tend to be longer because he talks a lot! Perhaps it is the ‘French’ way? But I really enjoy the change of pace. And you will learn a lot about presentation and audience management by watching this experienced magician perform. And given that most of the effects are all about the sell it is great to see him work his magic!

If you don’t yet do any marked deck magic, this would be a great place to start. It will get you working like a pro! ~~My only frustration is that there doesn’t seem to be a bundle including the deck – so you will have to make a separate purchase.~~ EDIT – D’oh – yes there is – the link below is to the bundle including the deck!

If you already do some marked deck magic then it is still well worth a look – because there are some very different kinds of routines on here and it is a great chance to learn from someone who lives and breathes marked deck magic.

All in all another great release from Big Blind Media. You can pick up the Boris Wild Marked Deck project direct from Big Blind Media (who kindly supplied the review copy) for £34.99 at the time of writing.

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Liam Montier – The Seer Deck – review

Phil Sweeting — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 00:01:52 +0000

With the Seer Deck that clever man Mr Montier has combined two old ideas that you may well already be familiar with in a way which opens up a whole load more possibilities…

The Seer Deck core effect

The main effect Liam teaches goes something like this. Two spectators each glimpse a card as you riffle through them. You are then able to read the mind of the first, and then show the second that you had already predicted their choice in advance! This plays even better than it reads – you will get great reactions!

Liam explains the method clearly in conjunction with John Carey who adds some helpful observations. As with many mentalism effects you will need a little confidence/practise to perform this well – but it doesn’t require sleight of hand, rather a small amount of sleight of mouth. And it is routined in a way which makes even this easier than it might be.

The deck is heavily gaffed – so is not really any use for other routines. But you could come up with alternative applications of the deck supplied with a little imagination..

What do you get?

In addition to the cleverly gaffed deck, you get a link to an 18 minutes teaching video. That may sound quite short – but it is ample time to explain all the necessary. You also get (hurrah!) a small sheet of printed instructions. These are written in quite a small font – but I’m always a fan of clear written instructions too.

What do we think?

I’m going to keep this one short and sweet because the effect is. A powerful routine with a clever deck that does most of the work for you. What’s not too like?

The Seer Deck is a real worker – and you can get it from the Merchant of Magic (also available in Red Bicycle cards) for£22.99 (at the time of writing).

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

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John Carey – Impossible Location Card Tricks – Review

Phil Sweeting — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 19:24:31 +0000

When I picked up Impossible Location Card Tricks – I was expecting something totally different! I was envisaging ‘location’ as a noun – and expected a DVD full of effects in which chosen cards appeared in impossible locations. In fact, ‘location’ was functioning as a verb – so the DVD is crammed full of chosen cards which are located by the magician in impossible ways.

If I thought that then someone else probably will, right? Or am I just very odd? Don’t answer that.

The tricks

Anyway, let me tell you about the tricks. Although John’s name is on the project and he does the teaching, a good number of the tricks have been contributed by others. Here’s the skinny…

Entrapped – John Carey
Spectator chooses a card from a shuffled deck which is lost in a packet of 5. Two queens are added to the packet. The queens ‘whisper’ the name of their card and then trap the chosen card in a sandwich. Easy to do and with some presentation skills could be an entertaining little routine.

The 7 Card 21 Card Trick – Mike Powers
The venerable 21 card trick meets a truth telling dealing effect. And the spectator’s card is located. The questions/dealing procedure takes this away from the trick that everyone’s grandad taught them – and it does seem impossible. But it is a little procedural for me – which will also affect the kind of audience you might want to perform it for.

Bake Off – Jack Tighe
A card is chosen and lost in the deck. You can reveal the card – and then (in spite of the pack being shuffled and cut) locate the card by touch in your pocket. One of the few effects on the deck which requires some set-up/preparation. But a strong effect nonetheless.

Impossible – Larry Jennings
A Jennings classic – in spite of losing a card with a high degree of fairness – the spectator locates their own card by spelling the word ‘impossible’. There’s a reason it’s a classic. Pretty easy to do and very fooling.

Bloody Amazing – Steve Bryant
A rework of Steve Bryant’s trick with toned down language for the UK market! Again it is spelling the title of the trick which helps locate the spectator’s chosen card. Some might still be uncomfortable with the toned down language – but with only a little thought you could change that too…

Lost and Found – Nick Trost
Nick Trost’s name is usually a guarantee of quality and often of ease of performance. A card is selected by the spectator and returned in the middle of the deck which is then fairly shuffled and cut. And yet you can still locate their card. A bit of set up needed – but a strong effect with very little effort on your part.

Counting on You – John Carey
Spectator thinks of a number and deals that number of cards down from a shuffled deck and remembers the card at that number. The cards are cut and mixed, then the performer cuts a selection of cards from the deck. The spectator then reveals the number they’re thinking of – and you’ve cut that many cards – and amazingly you’ve located their actual card. Again, easy to do and simply constructed, yet quite baffling to a layman.

Princess in my Pocket – John Carey
A card is thought of and shuffled away into a small packet. The cards are then put in your packet and you are still able to locate their chosen card. A very straightforward effect – easy to do.

Waikiki Location – Bill Morata
A deck is shuffled and divided into three sections. The spectator chooses one and selects a card and the cards are reassembled face up and down. After a cut and a mix, you are able to reveal their chosen card. I found this one distinctly underwhelming – the method seeming entirely obvious to me. But then I’ve been doing card magic for over 30 years. I suspect a layperson would be more baffled.

Emotional Reaction Plus – Dai Vernon
This is a nice twist on the Dai Vernon classic, using such a simple technique, and yet providing a strong piece of magic. A deck is shuffled, and the spectator takes them and chooses a card and cuts it into the midst of the packet. You can then locate the card in whatever way you please. A lovely cheeky set up and a strong effect. Definitely worth keeping this in your impromptu repertoire.

Anything else?

The DVD also includes a short ‘interview’ with John Carey. He speaks to camera answering questions which appear on the screen. I love how straightforward and down the line he is. An answer which may be of particular interest for the readers of this site – how much is too much for a pack of cards?!

BBM always put out decent DVDs that are well produced with good content. Quite a few effects on this DVD rely on specific procedures and as such will require careful instruction and handling of spectators. I don’t think there are man ‘magician foolers’ on Impossible Location Card Tricks – but it contains many effects which would be helpful for the beginner or newcomer.

If you’ll forgive a slightly ‘old man rant’ – there does seem to be a bit of a trend to put out DVDs of tricks which can be found in books all over the place. The host then becomes like a guide to the treasures of the magic library world to those who can’t be bothered to invest the time digging. I’m really grateful for the way they do this – and they often ‘mine’ some wonderful magic. But I feel that something is lost if you don’t go digging yourself.

So in conclusion, Impossible Location Card Tricks is not my favourite BBM release ever, but nonetheless, is full of routines which are strong and accessible.

You can pick up Impossible Location Card Tricks from the Merchant of Magic for £22.92 (at the time of writing) or just a fraction less as an instant download.

Review copy kindly supplied by BigBlindMedia.

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John Bannon – Lucky – review

Phil Sweeting — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 20:18:27 +0000

Lucky is the first of a couple of limited edition John Bannon releases for which our good friends at BBM have got their hands on as a UK exclusive – so of course we had to take a look.

It is a 104 page perfect bound book from his 2016 tour containing 10 items – most of which haven’t been in print before (though a couple have been put out on DVD since Lucky was first published).

Let’s tackle them in order.

Chop Shop – is a lovely fractal packet trick (and in the BBM bundle comes complete with the necessary cards). An odd card repeatedly jumps back to the packet in spite of being placed in your pocket. And in a kicker ending all the cards change to aces. This was not new to me (we first saw it on Fractilicious) – but remains a strong effect with superb routining. And it’s not too difficult if you can manage an Elmsley count. Although it is great that they have bundled the cards, I’m not a massive fan of the card stock (and especially the faces of the cards) they have supplied – so I will probably make my own set up. In Bicycle cards of course!

Proxy Shock – this is a subtle and fooling revelation of a card only thought of by the spectator. It requires a degree of confidence to perform well but will be utterly baffling if you can pull it off.

Cut and run – is a full deck running false cut culminating in an ace production! Not only is this a neat idea, I like the way he combines it with later ideas in the book to provide a logical series of effects which are set for one another.

Hybrid Holdout – this was another one that was familiar to me – due to it appearing on Bannon’s forthcoming ‘Dealing with it’ DVD (review to follow next month). It is in effect a very sneaky way of retaining a stock of cards whilst giving the spectator the strong impression that they have shuffled the whole deck thoroughly. A very versatile little procedure.

Stealth Assembly – this is actually a routine by the talented John Carey – using some Bannon moves. Aces are placed on the top of four piles, three of which the spectator stacks. In an instant all the aces have gathered in the fourth pile. This is how I like my magic – simple but bold. And I enjoyed Bannon’s reflections on ‘badinage’ (what you’re going to say to frame the effect).

Big Fat Bluff Aces – you may have already seen this on the Bullet Party DVD (or the book of the same title, or even in High Caliber – which, by the way, I am still trying to get hold of if anyone wants to put me out of my misery!). It is a surprising take on the classic 4 ace assembly. The first three aces disappear from their packets, but then the fourth packet turns into a packet of 4 kings. Then instantly all the aces return to the top of their packets. A nice twist with a degree of Chutzpah required!

Plot Twist – this is essentially Vernon’s classic Twisting the Aces with a typically whimsical Bannon wrapping and a few little subtleties and what I would almost call an extra phase on the end. You’ve probably already got a version of this trick but you might get some new ideas.

Triplicity – Bannon seems to have been more interested in mentalism in recent years and this is a devastating (to the layman) triple demonstration. First you read the spectator’s mind naming their card only thought of. Then you accurately divine its position in the deck. And then at the end you show that the whole thing was predicted in advance. It uses some incredibly devious (yet wonderfully simple) principles which you have probably come across before. But the whole thing is wrapped up into a very strong routine. Definitely a keeper. (in spite of the paragraph which gets repeated on page 80-1!) (This also appeared on the excellent Move Zero Vol 4)

Blues Alley Jokers – this is a quirky little sandwich effect based on a Jack Carpenter idea. Two Jacks are reversed in the deck near the top and the bottom and a selection is made from somewhere in between. The performer cuts to one of the Jacks and then as he apparently tries to cut to the other one using only one hand, we suddenly discover that the chosen card has appeared between the two Jacks in the performer’s other hand. This plays better than I’ve described it, but does require some slightly more advanced handling than the rest of the material in this book.

A Fred by any other name – this is a twist on the classic Fred (or Phil) trick where you use an ordinary ungaffed deck – and instead carry with you a card with all the ‘names’ of the playing cards on it. I like the way this sort of turns the original concept on its head and retains the ‘gag’ value of the original, but uses an ordinary deck. Typical Bannon cunning. You could argue that the effect is slightly less ‘clean’ for this – but magic always involves some kind of compromise (unless you can actually do real magic!) and this seems like quite a sensible one.

A lucky find?

It’s Bannon so I came to Lucky predisposed to like it. But it’s not just the magic, I love his down to earth and stimulating (provocative) style. Like his spoken style, he writes laconically, but every word is worth reading.

I think Lucky contains something for everyone, so would encourage you to head down to BBM’s special Bannon Sale section to get yourself the book or a bundle deal before they all go! (And watch this space for a review of the delightfully titled Djinn and Tonic very soon)

Thanks to BBM who kindly supplied the review copy.

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Bicycle Karnival Fatal Playing Cards – review

Phil Sweeting — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 12:28:17 +0000

It has been some time (a couple of years?) since we’ve looked at a new Karnival Deck from BigBlindMedia, so we were delighted when the Karnival Fatal playing cards dropped through our letterbox. Here’s our review…

As with previous decks, the talented Sam Hayles is responsible for the design. It is a highly stylised design which plays with the idea of ‘double exposure’ in a striking black and white design. There’s a lot of white space around the edges of the design which doesn’t make for the most interesting spreads and fans – so not a deck for cardistry perhaps.

The tuckcase suitably showcases the design and retains the prominent Bicycle branding of which we obviously approve!

One disappointment for me was the small number of faces which have been specially designed for the deck. So, as is traditional, the Ace of Spades gets a superb treatment featuring the femme fatal of the title and the cityscape which blends in (like the image on the front of the tuck case).

The jokers, too, get a redesign, again featuring the lady and cityscape – though here you can hide or display either aspect depending on how you arrange them. I like both Joker designs, but for magic use it is sometimes helpful if they are indistinguishable.

Otherwise, the rest of the cards have standard ‘Bicycle’ pips and faces. I would have like to see more work on these if possible.

Usefully, the deck also includes a double-backer and a blank faced card. These both have many applications for magicians – and the latter, in conjunction with the white space on the back design already mentioned – enable to the impression of a fully blank deck.

There’s not much more to say here. Printed on decent quality USPCC stock, the Karnival Fatal deck is a joy to handle, straight out of the box. Fans and spreads and sleights all easy to perform if you’re used to the airflow finish.

For us this is a nice deck, but not a ground-breaking one. But a must for all you collectors and Karnival nuts out there.

You can pick up a Karnival Deck from the Merchant of Magic for £7.99 (at the time of writing).

There are a few more pictures below. (With thanks to BigBlindMedia who kindly provided the review copy).

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Ryan Schlutz – Mr Lifto – review

Phil Sweeting — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 23:01:35 +0000

Mr Lifto is a pleasingly visual effect which is simple to describe. The spectator chooses a card which is lost in the deck. The magician then removes a bunch of cards from the deck which proceed to stick to his obviously empty hand. In a flash, all the cards fall away but the magician manages to catch one – the chosen card.

Like so many of BBM’s releases, this is a largely self-working routine. You will need very basic card handling skills – but not really any sleight of hand. Ryan has a fun presentation which involves the spectators well – and as has already been mentioned it is highly visual.

You are provided with the gimmicks you need to ‘do the magic.’ The main gimmicks should last a very long time. A little extra something will need replacing – but it is readily available, and the DVD suggests a number of different alternatives so you should be able to source the necessary easily and at low cost. You’ll need to provide your own deck of Bicycle Cards.

It’s hard to find much more to say about this. Teaching is via DVD which includes a short ‘studio’ performance and very clear explanation of how the whole things works. The DVD runs at less than 20 minutes but is clearly shot and easy to follow. I enjoyed the jaunty background music on one of the sections!

There’s not really any re-set, and the deck can (with only tiny reservations) easily be used for other effects too. The gimmick itself, might lend itself to other routines with some imagination.

Mr Lifto is a great little release. It isn’t the most stunning effect we’ve ever seen – but it has great visuals and is easy to do so we would consider it well worth a look.
You can pick up Mr Lifto from the Merchant of Magic (who also have a nice video review if you want a second opinion!). £21.50 (Mr Lifto is also available in blue)

With thanks to BBM who kindly provided the review copy.

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Black Friday Magic Sales

Phil Sweeting — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 22:17:29 +0000

So it seems that everything in the US eventually comes to the UK, and in this case it is good news for bargain hunters as black friday sales hit the UK magic scene.

Here are a couple of the deals we are aware of. We’ll highlight others as we spot them – or as you do if you let us know!

UPDATE – I’m going to front load this one since it is available ALL WEEK and the others may well have stopped. At MagicNevin if you use the code ‘black’ you will get 10% off (their already competitive prices!) all week.

Big Blind Media are having a Black Friday Sale with some good discounts – many of 50% or more. One that stood out for the card collectors is their Karnival Bundle – an uncut sheet of your choice plus 3 random Karnival Decks for £24.99.

Full52 are having a Black F52Day Sale. As well as good reductions, if you buy 5 items, you’ll get another 2 free plus a £10 gift voucher. We’re enjoying watching the David Regal set at the moment (£17.99 in the sale) and we’re also fans of B’Voque (only £7.99) as you can see in our review.

We don’t know much about King of Cards – a new supplier in the UK – but they have a good range of Bicycle Cards and other brands, and are offering 20% off with the code ‘BLACKFRIDAY’ and it looks like free shipping too. So worth a look.

The MagicAttic have got some deals. Spend £20 and get a 10% discount and a free gift (code: ‘Blackfriday10’) or spend over £50 and get a 15% discount, free postage and a free gift (code: ‘Blackfriday15’).

MA Pro have 30% off any items in stock for today only. No code needed.

MagicShop.co.uk – 20% off today only – use the code ‘blackfriday14’.

Have you seen any other Black Friday Magic Sales?

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The Wallet Transformer Review

Phil Sweeting — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 00:01:08 +0000

There’s lots of new magic being produced all the time – sometimes, it seems just for the sake of the magic companies to make a pound or two. What immediately grabbed our attention about Cameron Francis’ latest clever idea is that it tries to solve what we perceive to be a genuine problem. If you’ve been in card magic for any length of time, you’ve probably got some version of card to wallet. And more often to not, a wallet which works well for this effect isn’t suitable as an ‘everyday’ wallet. Enter the Wallet Transformer.

If, like so many other magicians, you love collecting wallets, you won’t get one with this effect! Instead you are provided with the materials to assemble a gimmick which, as the name suggests, you can use with pretty much any wallet.

The gimmick is simple – both in working and in assembly – which always a bonus. Some construction is required – but it doesn’t require you to be a craft guru. The simplicity means there is little to break, and the gimmick should last a decent amount of time. But it would be easy to repair/replace if needed.

As ever with BBM produced items, the explanation is clear and complete. Every detail of constructing and using the gimmick is covered and a basic routine (though you can add it to the conclusion of pretty much any ACR or whatever it is you do).

This is a very clever solution and the effect is extremely convincing. Can’t say too much more without risk of exposure. The demo video is accurate. The effect calls for basic card handling skills but no palming which makes it accessible to most performers. It really can be used with pretty much any wallet, and a couple of common types are shown.

The ‘basic’ routine provided is very usable. The first phase is a sandwich effect very similar to a routine I first saw in Karl Fulves’ Self-working card magic – but none the worse for that. Then comes the card to wallet. We liked the routine, but as we’ve said you could add the card to wallet as the last phase of any favourite routine.

A bonus effect is on the DVD called ‘3 Card Money’. This is a very clean card to pocket climax to a short monte routine with a signed card. It’s not the most remarkable effect you will ever see, but a nice extra. The DVD also contains a sample episode of BBM tv and some trailers for other BBM effects.

If you have a favourite ‘non-magic’ wallet which you would like to use for CTW then this is a realistic and effective solution. It would also work with some ‘peek’ or multiple out wallets to add that feature if you are already using a different kind of gaff wallet. A great addition to this whole area of magic.

You can pre-order direct from BBM. Release date is 21st February. It will be £19.99 – but if you pre-order now you can use the code ‘TODAYiamrich’ to get 15% off anything. Sorry – we don’t know how long this voucher code will last.

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BBM Discount code – snap up some magic bargains

Phil Sweeting — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 17:30:10 +0000

Get 15% off ANYTHING ON THE BBM STORE! Just use this special discount code on checkout – ‘TODAYiamrich’ And watch this space for our review of their two new decks of bicycle cards…

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