The effect in a nutshell?  Two signed cards vanish from the card box – being replaced by two aces.  The signed cards appear in the performers’ pocket – leaving an impossible item for your spectators to take home.

You’re provided with all the cards you need to make up the special deck which does most of the work for you.  It will take you 10 minutes to set up but is well worth the effort.   As always Liam is really good at crediting his sources – including the excellent Peter Duffie [watch this space for reviews of a couple of his recent releases…- UPDATE – first review live now]

The gaffed deck really does make the handling of this one a dream.  The initial display of the Aces gave me an enormous flag about what was coming next, but would fly past a non-magician.  The selection process seems very fair – and really is!

I just love the economy of this trick – before they really know anything has happened all the dirty work is done.  The ‘Misdirection’ patter is engaging and also provides the cheekiest cover for a move which saves you from any palming.

Reset is straightforward though not quite instant.  And if you were performing it several times in an evening you would obviously end up with a smaller and smaller deck!

It’s a one trick pony.  But it’s a great trick!  Apparently the performance section of the DVD was filmed the same time as the excellent Ultimate Self Working Card Tricks Vol 2 and Miracles without Moves DVDs – and this was the effect the girls kept on going on about!

There’s a lot more on the DVD than just the basic routine.  Perhaps most interesting is a different handling with a (largely!) regular deck.  This will suit magicians who are a little more confident with their card handling and who may prefer not to have a different deck in action for every effect.  There’s even a section about the clothes to wear when you perform it and a streamlined version with a hoody!

He also describes in elliptical terms how you might use the Wormhole gimmick in this kind of routine.  And then an earlier version of the effect called the Departure Deck (originally released on the Kapow DVD/Ebook).  This works with a regular deck with a tiny setup.  I actually really like this one and can see myself using this in an impromptu setting.  I should have got hold of the Kapow DVD!

I think this will play really strongly for laypeople and so have no hesitation recommending the Misdirection Effect.  It is due to be released on October 7th – but you can pre-order direct from BBM.

NB: Since I started writing this review Liam and I have become Facebook friends so I now know how old he is.  I was HORRIFIED!

The post The Misdirection Effect – Review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

For the instant gratification junkies out there, Kapow is an instant download so literally no waiting to learn these routines! We always enjoy the thinking of messers Montier and Francis, and with 10 effects in this 36 page ebook it is excellent value at only £10.99.

Most card magicians I know make a feature of card to wallet, and most of us also have an obsession about getting the best wallet! This is a brand new version of the card to wallet which is already getting some good reviews. The advertised feature is an instant reset for an envelope inside the wallet to make it even more impossible. £54.99

Our final recommendation this month promises to be a very powerful new principle. Again, we haven’t seen The Spiral Principle yet (though we will review it fully when we do) but early impressions on the web seem positive. Powerful magic with a borrowed deck, including a powerful Out Of This World routine and an ACAAN variant. £23.50

The post Trick of the Month – March 2012 appeared first on Bicycle Cards.