The effect

A packet of 4 jokers changes to match the value of a card selected by the spectator. With almost no moves at all the whole set changes into a royal flush – a guaranteed win! I must confess that when I’d watched the performance and seen the gaff I was struggling to see how quite so much magic could be accomplished with it!

The 20 minute DVD starts with two performances for some reason. Sadly they are both ‘studio’ performances with another magician – would have been nice to see it play live for real people.

In addition to the DVD you get a specially printed card which helps you do all the work.

The teaching

Although the DVD is not very long, it covers all you need to know in enough detail. If you know the rudiments of packets tricks you will probably already use most of the moves in other effects. But the handling is taught if you’re not familiar with them.

Andy also takes you though a slightly different alternative handling – but there’s not really a great deal between them in terms of difficulty.

A Guaranteed Win?

There is definitely a lot to like here. The routine is easy to follow and not too difficult to perform. And a lot of magic takes place without too much work. Andy himself doesn’t give a particularly dynamic performance (perhaps it was the setting) – so I’m finding it hard to gauge how it might go down with a lay audience.

I have a couple of reservations though they are minor. The idea of having a spectator pick a card as part of the routine does add another level to it – but it also takes it out of the realm of pure packet trick – so part of me wonders about just introducing the other card in some other way.

As taught you really need a table or surface to perform. This isn’t a deal-breaker – but does mean there may be certain contexts where it isn’t really suitable. Similarly, though reset is relatively straightforward, I’m not sure how easy it would be in a regular walkaround context.

In an unusual failing on Alakazam’s part, the registration code for additional content doesn’t seem to work yet – but it is possible there isn’t any at the moment.

These small caveats aside, Guaranteed Win is a strong effect. A lot of thought has gone into the handling here which pays off with a smooth and very visual routine which is not too difficult to do. Well worth a look.

You can pick up a copy from MagicShop.co.uk for only £18.50 (at the time of writing).

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

Andy Smith – Guaranteed Win – Review

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The post Andy Smith – Guaranteed Win – Review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

The effect of Transcendence is very easy to describe – four spot cards are clearly shown front and back then turned over and they instantly turn into four court cards. Simple, direct, visual. It is worth watching the video below – and what you see is really the effect as it plays.

What do you get?

You receive a DVD which has been filmed to Alakazam’s usual high standards. It includes a performance, an explanation and also a ‘toolbox’ which is a series of explanations of different card moves. One of them is used in this effect, presumably the rest will be used in future releases.

You also receive all the necessary cards and a special something to help you prepare them. The cards supplied are super-thin ‘Double Decker’ cards – though you could make it up with any cards you like.

The teaching

In some respects the teaching is rather brief. Dave Loosley tries hard to draw out the moves to make the explanation even clearer. The preparation of the cards is easy and will take you only a few moments. There is enough of the ‘special something’ to enable you to make up many more sets of cards for replacements (and you may have more of the necessary around anyway – it is a common magician’s item).

The effect requires the use of a count which I had not learnt before. It is not that difficult – especially if you are used to the techniques of the Elmsley Count – however, using the prepared cards provided I found it a little confusing to learn. I recommend grabbing any four ordinary playing cards and trying the count out with them in your hands before then applying that technique to the prepared cards. I still had to watch the explanation several times to make sure I had got it right.

Together these specially prepared cards and this clever count make for a spectacularly instantaneous transformation which no one will see coming. You will need a bit of handling practise to get everything as smooth as it needs to be. And I found I had to ‘prepare’ the cards a couple of times to make sure everything worked as smoothly as I wanted. But give yourself half an hour to practise and you will have a small miracle on your hands.

In conclusion

Transcendence is a great release and a powerful effect – this series is definitely worth keeping an eye out for. It contains the common weakness of all ‘packet tricks’ – that you can only really do the one effect with it – but in its favour it resets essentially instantly – so it makes an ideal little walkaround effect.

Well worth a look for any close up or card magic fan.

You can pick up Transcendence from our friends at Merchant of Magic for £30 (at the time of writing).

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

The post Peter Pellikaan – Transcendence – Review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

What is it?

Using playing cards printed with blue cups and a single red ball, the ball card repeatedly jumps back to the pocket even after being fairly removed. As a final phase all the cups are replaced by assorted vegetables (a la the final loads in a conventional cups and balls routine) including a classic gag to finish!

What do you get?

You get all the necessary cards, including a spare blank card for an alternative ending. The cards handle fine and the photographic printing for the final loads is really good. The cup graphic is a little basic with the ‘highlight’ almost appearing like a misprint, but this is easily overlooked.

My biggest criticism is the printing of the backs of the cards. These are solid colour red or blue backs with a white border – but unfortunately (on my set at least) the borders were quite uneven on different cards. This isn’t a deal breaker by any means – and will probably fly by a spectator (in spite of the move used in the routine) – but it would have been nice for a bit more consistency here. They also feel just a trifle thick – which in the initial packet makes the Elmsley count a little harder. Again, this isn’t a deal breaker, but slightly thinner card stock might have made the first count or two less bold.

You also receive a DVD which contains a couple of performances (one live – hurrah – and one studio), a section on set up, an explanation, an extra ‘runthrough’ for practising purposes – taking you through the moves quickly firstly with minimal explanation and then a second time without any explanation – and a brief explanation of the Elmsley count (which is the only ‘move’ required). Teaching is clear and at a sensible pace. It is no longer than it needs to be but says everything necessary. I found the runthrough section really helpful for getting the routine firmly in my head.

What do we think?

Cup Cards is a fantastic little effect. The routine is very easy to do (if you can do an Elmsley count) and the construction is such that you hardly need to remember anything – you just keep on doing those counts! I like the premise – and although I haven’t properly road tested this yet I see no reason to think that this would be anything other than entertaining for a lay person. Lots of magic happens for a relatively minimal amount of work – and the pun at the end suits my own performance style well – though there are alternatives if that isn’t you.

I’ve even worked out a couple of alternative handlings for the last phase of the routine which didn’t sit quite right with me – that is actually a sign of my desire to use this rather than a criticism of the effect. Anything you’re going to use yourself is worth tweaking.

All in all we like this a lot – and I can see me using this. My only negative point (apart from the minor printing issues mentioned above) would be that re-set will take you a minute – preferably without anyone around. Which means in my usual walkaround setting I could probably only use it once. But I like it enough that I would probably still use it!

Available from Merchant of Magic (with thanks to MagicTao who kindly provided the review copy) – £24.99 at the time of writing.

The post Will Gray – Cup Cards – review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

It’s easy to do and easy to follow for the spectator – which is always a good start. There is no real sleight of hand involved – instead, cleverly gimmicked cards (all on Bicycle stock) do all the work for you.

A couple of variations are taught – one with a more ‘mental’ feel and one with more ‘comedy’. I don’t think either of them add much to the effect – though I do like the performance only version where the spectator’s thought of card appears in your wallet (easily achieved with a m**t**l* o*t wallet) and indeed Peter Nardi’s own handling.

On the subject of Peter Nardi’s handling, it is highly confusing to start the explanatory video with the explanation of Peter’s routine. This happens before you’ve had the basic routine explained and could easily leave you mystified. That highlights another small issue of download/online video-only releases like this (see my minor rant as I review the Last Laugh).

Unlike a DVD there is no way to jump to a particular section on the video – so if you want to go back to check something you just have to guess – or watch the whole thing again.

All in all I think this is a nice effect with good audience involvement and a decent amount of magic which will go down well with lay-people. Reset is straightforward, though I’m not convinced that you’d want to do it as you walked to the next table as Daniel seems to suggest. But it should only take a moment or two.

It’s a good price for a good effect. Well worth a look.

Available direct from Merchant of Magic for only £21.50 (at time of writing)

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

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For those of you that like the history (and I’m in that category) it is probably apparent that this is a distant cousin of Alex Elmsley’s classic Dazzle (which can be found in his sadly out of print Collected Works Vol 2 – or is taught on The Tahoe Sessions Vol 1 DVD). But as Liam Montier says Sizzle is like “Dazzle on steroids.” Bannon has done his usual job of clever routining and structuring to remove most of the moves, and leave you ending clean – putting it much more into the orbit of most magicians.

What do you get?

Sizzle comes with all the necessary Bicycle cards you need to perform the effect and a DVD to teach you. The DVD is nicely produced and easy to navigate. It has a few performances – although I would say none count as ‘truly’ live – which for me means with normal people in a non-studio location. This isn’t a major gripe, and the reaction of the muggle girls (!) on the final studio performance is suitably impressive – but it would be wouldn’t it?!

One thing I really like about the teaching on the DVD is that there is a ‘Magician’s explanation’ as well as a more detailed explanation. I really appreciated this since it cuts you to the chase if you already know the component moves. Within just a few minutes I understood the routine. Liam Montier does a great job of explaining everything clearly – and in the more detailed explanation takes you through all the moves on the way.

There is also a third explanation called the bullet point explanation (which BBM have introduced on a few of their recent DVDs) which is an even more compressed explanation – ideal for practicing with or refreshing your memory. Atmosphere is added by a spooky shadow on the left hand side of the screen! One thing I would have really liked to see here is a very quick explanation of the setup/stack at the start of this. There is a separate set up section but this also introduces all the cards and is ever so slightly more laboured than it would need to be if, for instance, I was coming back to refresh my memory on the trick after a while. But again, this is a minor quibble.

There is also a slightly different handling given which some may prefer.

Sizzle-ing extras?

The DVD includes a bonus effect called Banhilation. This is a self-working full deck prediction effect. It didn’t rock my world, but as you would expect with Bannon there are some nice little subtleties as he works with a principle you almost certainly know. Not to be sniffed at, but I’ve seen better bonuses!

The final elements of the DVD are separate explanations of the different counts used in the effect – this time taught by Bannnon rather than Montier. I think Liam’s explanations are easier to follow, but these have the advantage of being easily located on the DVD.

All in all this is a great little trick. An enormous amount of magic takes place with cards changing colour and value multiple times. It is not difficult to do and ends beautifully clean. I’m not sure I would use it when gigging since reset would take a moment or two longer than can sometimes be afforded in the real world, but a great one-off trick to have in your pocket.

Highly recommended and available from Merchant of Magic (with thanks to BBM who kindly provided our review copy) for £17.99.

The post John Bannon Sizzle – review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

On the grounds that a picture speaks a thousand words, you may like to watch Paul performing it on YouTube.

It’s a straightforward and direct effect – a packet of identical cards turn into a Royal Flush with rainbow backs. As John Bannon would say, it’s ‘Fractal’ i.e. it ends clean and examinable. It’s not a hard trick to perform – in fact if you’ve been in magic any length of time you will probably be able to work out the handling from the video – but it is worth purchasing to get the necessary selection of cards.

Paul supplies all the necessary cards in a variety of USPCC stock. Mine included a nice Erdnase green back, a Karnival Midnight, a pink Bike, and an attractive limited edition Bike. Yours might be different. They come in a neat plastic wallet, and there is a folded A4 page of instructions.

As with all Paul’s productions, this is clearly printed and explained. The only necessary ‘move’ is explained – and you probably already know it. I’m glad he didn’t bother with a DVD (as so many others seem to). It isn’t necessary (you can always watch the YouTube clip if you’re really struggling) and would only add to the cost.

I think this is an excellent addition to his range of packet tricks. It is £18 including worldwide p&p direct from Paul Gordon.

Special Offer
He’s also doing a launch offer in conjunction with another new effect – COPWAK (a pocket-free variation on one of my favourites – Corner of Picadilly) – see video below. This normally retails at £13, but until 20th March he will do you them both for £23. Simply send £23 (British Pounds) to PayPal using pgmagic@btinternet.com. Mention this offer in the “special instructions” box on PayPal as you come to it. Please mention Bicycle-Cards.co.uk too!

The post Jeepers Creepers – another packet trick from Paul Gordon appeared first on Bicycle Cards.