Spec-Cut-Aces

A beautifully clean looking effect where the spectator cuts the pack into four piles, the top card of each pile is an indicator, and the card at each position matches – the four kings – as an extra kicker, the bottom of each pile shows the four aces. All but self-working – and a real killer.

Switchcraft

A whimsical little effect where an Ace and Jack of spades swap places twice and then leap to the middle of the deck.

Invisible Toss

The spectator’s chosen card vanishes from a set of four random selections – and reappears at the position you reach when you add up the values of the other three cards. That sounds confusing but is quite magical. Slightly less direct in method and effect than some of the other items on the disk and does require some slightly more advanced technique.

Folding the blanket

A card selected by the spectator is located in a process of ‘folding up’ a blanket made of face up and face down cards. If that sounds weird, it is! But it is a fooling effect – not least because you probably won’t understand how it works even if you know how it works! And as an added bonus you can work from a shuffled deck.

Jazz A234

This is a really nice slow motion transposition of 4 red and 4 black cards followed up by an instantaneous repeat of the same. I think this is a beautifully crafted routine loaded with plenty of magic. You can pretty much set it up on the fly so it could well be entering the impromptu collection…

Magnetic Cards

A follow the leader type effect using a magnetism theme. Very easy to do – and the one simple move leaves you so far ahead you won’t believe it.

Poker Aces

A twisting the aces type routine with a royal flush finish. A neat routine with plenty of surprises – and surprisingly economical in construction.

A Blah Day

Another variation on the clock trick with a blank card surprise at the end. This did little for me, and by its nature is quite procedural (and requires a set up). That being said, it has a few nice subtleties which make it seem fairer than many alternatives. Not one of the strongest items on the disk.

Primitive Shufflebored

A very clever variation on Simon Aronson’s classic effect. A freely shuffled and cut deck is mixed up face up and face down. The spectator freely chooses a number – and that number of cards are found to be face up. Requires a bit of maths/thinking on your feet – but a very impressive effect if you can nail it.

Spellino

A quirky little spelling effect – where the spectator spells to their own freely chosen card. Some memory work required and a slightly unclear explanation here.

Successful Succession

This is a really nice 4 ace trick where the aces travel from packet to packet rather than all in one go. This requires some moves – but there isn’t much heat on most of them, and so it should be within reach of most intermediate card magicians. Nicely routined.

Anytime Double Matcho

From a freely shuffled deck the magician makes two predictions which then match two cards the spectator freely cuts too. The use of a gimmicked card (supplied – but you’ve almost certainly got one) makes for a clean handling, but for me the impact of the effect isn’t much greater than the classic Gemini Twins – in fact in many ways the handling appears clunkier. And the use of a gaff card means it’s not genuinely ‘anytime’ unlike the Gemini effect.

Gold from Straw

A novel routine based on a Peter Duffie idea. The Jacks repeatedly jump to the top of a pile of Aces and then at the end of the trick the Aces turn into royal flush. In spite of the slightly curious name (which is explained!) this is a really nice effect with a lot of magic and an unexpected climax.

Reading the tea leaves

A card is selected and returned to the deck then a small packet of cards is mixed by the spectator and dealt into four piles. The four piles reveal the identity of the chosen card and then their combined value reveals the chosen card’s location in the balance of the deck. Another whimsical little plot with an extra surprise at the end. Quite a bit of set up but not too difficult to do.

A few thoughts

We’ve spoken before of Solomon as a creator rather than a performer and I have a sneaking suspicion that watching some of these effects live with a better performer would give them some zing. I’m aware that the way you respond to a performer is very individual – so I can only speak from my own perspective here.

One of the things I love about Solomon is his evident joy and enthusiasm in the method and construction of the effect – here is an enthusiast at work – and I enjoyed some of the stories he told on the way. Less positively his explanations are not the clearest I’ve ever seen on a DVD. Liam does a valiant job of trying to ask helpful questions to make things clearer where Solomon has rushed over something (and a few subtitles are added for the same reason) – but compared to the general quality of teaching on BBM disks this is a little disappointing.

One nice extra feature which I don’t recall seeing on any other DVDs is a separate menu item for ‘setup’ – so you can see the setup for the trick without having to watch the explanation again. This is a useful feature – but also points to the fact that many of the effects do require quite complicated setups.

I would love Owen to explain the thinking behind the somewhat quirky titles/menus – and in particular why they feature a slightly out of focus floating table lamp!

So all in all we’re blowing a bit hot and cold on this one. There are a couple of effects which we will definitely pursue, and several which (in performance) may yield reactions strong enough to justify the setup required. Solomon will never be my favourite performer, but you will learn a lot about constructing a routine from his work.

Available direct from MoM (with thanks to BBM who kindly supplied a review copy) £19.99 (at time of writing).

The post Solomon’s Secret Subtleties – Review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

The first is Peter Duffie’s Phantom of the Wallet – which is a really nice no palm (signed) card to wallet which requires only basic card handling skills. I was reminded about it in an email from Martin Breese International – who produce the effect – offering it at a reduce price this week. Only £10! To be honest, even the special wallet (which is nicely made in leather) which you receive is worth that – and would lend itself to a variety of other routines. Grab a bargain whilst they’re available.

On the subject of bargains, MagicNevin are offering Blue Backed Bicycle Cards for only £1.49 this week – which is an excellent price – and UK postage is free on orders over £10.

Let us know if you spot any bargains, or re-discover any classic routines.

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Card to Envelope

There’s always a buzz about the latest card to impossible location, but here the routine is stripped down to the minimum requirements.  A signed and torn up chosen card reforms and reappears in an envelope which has been in full view all the time.  And did I mention there was only minimal sleight of hand.  This routine is almost as old as I am but it is a gem.

Lie to Me

Here’s another variation on the noble Lie Detector plot.  A lot of magic happens in a fairly small space of time as (with the aid of a magic medallion!) randomly cut to cards provide answers about the spectator’s chosen card, which then reappears in the performer’s pocket.  And as an extra kicker the randomly cut to cards change to make four of a kind with the chosen card.  A little more handling skill required for this one, but a pleasing routine.

Clouseau for Workers

In this neat re-working of an earlier effect, the spectator’s card appears at the position nominated by the spectator in a run of cards set aside at the beginning.  This is apparently an Alex Elmsley plot which I haven’t come across before.  It is certainly an elegant handling – there are no superfluous moves – though the plot doesn’t excite me if I’m honest.

JackAces

This is a nice sandwich effect where the two black jacks locate the selected card and immediately the two red jacks find its three mates.  A small set-up takes it out of the completely impromptu realm but this is not difficult to do and has a strong double climax.

Countless (Ace) Turning

Another approach to the Vernon’s classic Twisting the Aces plot.  This is obviously designed for someone with a fair bit of card experience – moves like Turn-over pass, double cuts, palming and copping cards are required without any additional explanation given.

Matter of Facts

This is another ‘lie detector’ routine where a four-card packet reveals the identity of the spectator’s freely chosen card.  This relies on subtlety more than sleight of hand and so is well within the reach of all card men (should that be card people?!).  A really neat solution which looks extremely fair.  Well worth a play with this one.

Twister’s Bluff

A Royal Flush in Spades turns over one card at a time and the final card (the ace) disappears only to be found in your pocket.  The starting point here is the Alex Elmsley ‘Twister’s Flush’ effect – but the effect and method are somewhat different.  For some reason this grabs me less than some of the other effects in the book, and it requires a working knowledge of quite a few sleights and counts.  Perhaps a bluff too far…

Return of the 7

A spectator selects six cards from the deck and then another one.  They’re mixed together and when one card is turned face up, they all turn face up with the exception of the chosen card – which is also of the opposite colour to the other six.  Short and sweet.

Homing Cards

This is a simple variation on Carlyle’s Homing Card.  Briefly – two cards are chosen and lost in the deck.  The first appears in your pocket and is placed in an obvious visible place (e.g. sticking out of the deck) then it reappears in your pocket and the second card is found to have swapped places with the other card.  A direct, strong effect.  But you will need to be able to palm a card.  You didn’t think it was real magic did you?

Little Sympathy

A neat little packet trick with eight cards.  One is chosen and the others mixed face up and down.  In a flash they all turn the same way with the exception of the ‘mate’ of the chosen card.  To my mind it will need a decent presentation to move it out of the realms of ‘just a puzzle’ – but a nice little effect.

Blackstone in my pocket

This is a ‘bonus effect’ which owes something to an original observation by Chip Kleiman.  (Incidentally – what makes a ‘bonus effect’ a ‘bonus’ – how do you know how many effects should appear in a book or on a dvd?)  This is a really unusual effect which rather appeals to me.  It combines mind-reading with the vanish and reappearance of a chosen card in your pocket – and best of all, a quirky presentational angle.  A very pleasant bonus indeed!

Final Thoughts

There’s quite a variety of material here in such a short book.  Some definitely feel stronger than others – though I haven’t road tested them on audiences to assess how well they play to laypeople.

My main criticism would be the absence of explanation for the majority of the moves required.  There’s nothing too obscure, but for someone just starting out they would need some extra resources.  I lost track of how many routines seemed to require a half pass, for example.  I know you can’t explain everything in such a short book, but even some references to chase up would help the total newbie.

But if you have an intermediate level of competency with cards there is nothing here which should be too challenging.  And for the incredibly reasonable price of $15 (= roughly £9.38 at the time of reviewing) – which is barely enough to buy two decks of the latest bicycle cards that seem to keep cropping up – even if you only find one or two routines to use you should be happy.

Hooked on Cards is available from MagicShop.co.uk (with thanks to Peter Duffie who kindly provided the review copy).

The post Two by Duffie – Celtic Cabal and Hooked on Cards – Part 2 appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

We can’t describe or comment on every individual effect, but we will pick out a couple of the gems and offer some general thoughts – and Part 1 of this review will focus on Celtic Cabal.  This was actually released in 2010 but we have only just had a look at it…

As regular readers will know, I have a small leaning in the direction of mentalism, and so appreciate that the first 40 odd pages (of this 181 page book) cover this area.  The largest section covers card magic (70 odd pages) and there are small close up (non-card) and stage sections and a bonus manuscript from Tom Sellers.  This is a lot of magic for your money.  Here are a few highlights of the various sections.

Mentalism

There are some interesting twists on some standard effects, some new presentations (including a neat ‘just chance’ effect with straws), some work on magic squares, and even an essay on the performance of mentalism.  I particularly enjoyed a routine with standard ESP cards partly based on the work of the ubiquitous Max Maven and a series of variations on the ‘diary trick’ – at least one of which may end up in my working set.  Peter himself contributes one of those diabolical all but self-working effects based on Bob Hummer’s CATO principle which could be a go-to impromptu effect.

Card Magic

Again a whole variety of effects including spelling tricks, ace tricks, transpositions etc. Some require reasonably advanced card handling, some are all but self-working.  A couple that caught my eye were an Alan Rorrison idea which provides a really elegant addition to an effect I already use in various forms to make a really strong routine and Steve Thompson’s incredibly subtle solution to a problem with some forms of OOTW.  I love his thinking on this. R Paul Wilson also contributes a nice and easy take on a four ace routine.

Close-Up Magic

This starts with a matrix effect that almost makes it into the card section because it’s not just the coins that are magical in this routine! There’s an interesting essay on creativity from Geraint Clarke who also includes a neat torn and restored bank note routine.  Trevor Lewis contributes a routine involving a nun (!) and a slightly risqué card trick slips in on the grounds that it is more than a card trick! There is also a two-stage story-based presentation from Dominic Lavin which seems to owe much to a Robert Neale presentation of the same effect.

Stage Magic

Pat Fallon contributes his presentation for the classic anti-gravity glasses.  There’s also an unusual routine for the Lota Bowl utilising the principle in a different way.  An updated version of the classic Fogel Bewitched, Bottled and Bewildered routine adds a mental twist and the mix is completed with a children’s routine and even the design for a magic table!

As a bonus, there’s a reprint of a Tom Sellers Manuscript – Royal Flush – detailing various false shuffles and moves and routines using them.

This is one of the most varied ebooks I have seen in a long time – literally something for every kind of performer.  Everything is clearly explained and well-illustrated where necessary.  The book is nicely laid out – and extremely easy to navigate with a properly hyperlinked table of contents.  All in all an excellent read and much that will stimulate your thinking.

We salute our Celtic Fringes!  Available from Merchant of Magic (with thanks to Peter Duffie who kindly provided the review copy) for only $22.50 (about £14 in real money – or less than 31p per item!).

[You can read part 2 here]

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Mind Mirror (Jack McMillan)

A really clever and very fair looking card discovery (originally published in his Expert Card Technique).  Some set up required but beautifully simple.

Convergence (Cameron Francis)

This is a really commercial version of the ACAAN type plot.  If you have a long memory you will remember this was released on the Annihilation Deck and for me (you can see our review here) it was stronger than the main effect.  This is a brilliant solution which you can just concentrate on presenting.

Stock Exchanged (John Gustaferro)

Here’s how it plays – a pack of cards is well shuffled and mixed with the help of two spectators face up and face down.  At the end of the process two predictions match and the rest of the cards right themselves and separate themselves into reds and blacks!  Triumph meets OOTW meets a double prediction.  Very clever routineing combines some principles you will probably know for a great effect.

Sense-Sational (Ryan Schlutz)

Crazy levels of very free-looking mixing end up with the location of 3 randomly chosen cards.  There is a setup required but it is well worth it for the power of the effect.  There are three phases to the routine each utilising different principles all of which are well concealed.  You may well find yourself incorporating some of them in your own effects.

Poker Pairadox (John Bannon)

A mixed up set of cards instantly separates out into matching pairs with a nice presentational angle.  Insanely easy and very visual looking.

Four Most (Peter Duffie)

This is a clever twist/extension of an effect you may have done before.  Three spectators stop you at random points as you deal out some cards and insert bank notes to mark the spot.  One of them stops during dealing for your note and at the end you have located the four aces.  Showy, easy to do, engaging.  This one is going straight into the working set!

Password Fallacy (Jim Steinmeyer)

Whilst I’m a big fan of Steinmeyer’s books, I must confess I’ve never seen any of his close-up effects, so I was curious to see what this was like.  It is effectively a spelling effect – but the method is such that with care it could be done over the phone or in any other entirely hands off way.  It’s not a massive mystery but it is a puzzling little effect with a logical premise and if presented well it should go down very nicely.

Amara Rises Again (Ryan Matney)

I’d never heard of Ryan Matney before, but this is a nice little effect.  The spectator ‘goes digging’ in the pack of cards and by a very fair looking process manages to identify the card which matches one isolated in the card box, and also find its three mates.  An engaging plot helps keep this otherwise slightly ‘procedural’ trick moving.  The ‘force’ is very clever.

Blind Choice (Roy Walton)

A clever little colour-matching effect involving five spectators.  Think OOTW but without such a lengthy dealing procedure and involving more people.  Compact, clever thinking as you would expect from Roy Walton.

Final thoughts

I think there is some really strong material on here which would be really helpful for someone just starting out, and in the hands of someone with a bit more performing experience they would become miracles.  I will certainly be using some of these.

If I had a minor niggle, it is that a couple of the effects have been released before – on BBM disks – but at least they have re-filmed them so it isn’t just a cut and paste job  More positively, as we’ve probably said before, Liam Montier has a real gift for explaining things very clearly – so full marks on the explanations.  I also note the blatant use of attractive women on the main menu without making comments!

All in all, a great disk – go get it.  The release date is 17^th June and there are all kinds of pre-order deals on – we’ve highlighted a couple below.

(Oh – and for the next week you have a chance to win it and a bundle of other goodies in our competition!)

You can get it direct from the horse’s mouth at BBM.

Merchant of Magic are offering a deal with Volume One and Volume Two together with 25% off.

Freepostmagic are offering a free deck of Karnival Hornets or Karnival Deathheads with pre-orders while stocks last.

The post Ultimate Self Working Card Tricks Volume 2 – Review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

Merlins of Wakefield have a special offer on a nice little Wayne Dobson ESP effect called ESP! 30% off for a limited time.

The Bicycle Gargoyle Deck is reduced to only £6 at The Card Collection

10% off at MagicTricks.co.uk using the code ‘Halloween12’ valid until October 31st.

And in case you’ve never come across these, Jamie Grant does some great video reviews of magic tricks based on real world performing on a Friday! He now posts them all on Facebook.

The post Friday Magic Specials from around the web… appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

If you can’t wait for the postman to come – especially with all the bank holidays – why not get an instant download? Peter Duffie’s card work is always worth looking at and this collection is typically varied. £6.99 (we have more instant card magic suggestions here)

Here’s another new deck of cards. The jury’s still out on whether these are primarily magician/collectors pleasers, but the Ask Alexander cards look good and I could see these adding atmosphere to a mind-reading routine. £5.99.

This one’s a bit of a wild card. We don’t know much about the work of Ryan Schultz – but what we hear is all very positive. This book sounds to be full of commercial close up card magic – from peeks and moves to killer routines and thoughts on the real work along the way. Just the kind of book to take on holiday for a treat… £32.50

The post Trick of the month – June 2012 appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

This is not going to be for everyone, though if you are looking around for a present to buy your magic-loving partner, this could make a really great gift! It is a blank journal to record your magical ideas, thoughts, notes etc, but it has been bound to make it look like a replica edition of Erdnase’s classic Expert at the Card Table. We think it looks great. And it is cheaper than one of those posh notebooks you can buy in the stationers! £12.50 (if you’d rather have a copy of the actual book, there’s a lovely Erdnase pocket edition available for £9.95)

And if you’re looking for some instant gratification, Duped is a neat little effect from Cameron Francis. An ideal walkaround effect with instant reset. Four cards reveal a spectator’s chosen card in a very magical way. Only £6.99 and get it straight away!

The post Trick of the Month – May 2011 appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

It is rare to find a card trick that works well in a larger ‘platform’ context, but Fourseen is just such an effect. It is by Wayne Dobson which means it will also be entertaining and easy to do and it now comes with a DVD to help you learn it. What’s not to like? £15.00

PSI Poker is a new and intriguing effect from the creative brain of Ben Harris. A self-working, and ever so fair looking poker prediction effect. A nicely produced booklet explains it all for only £12.50

I’ve been playing this for a little while and hope do you a proper review of this when things become slightly less busy here. But Phantom of the Wallet is a great no palm signed card to wallet with an entertaining plot. Nicely made props and well written instructions – just what you’d expect from a Breeze/Duffie collaboration. Only £23.50

The post Trick of the Month – March 2011 appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

The boys at BBM have recently launched Gafftastic which promises to be “a collection of mind frying, easy card magic using special Gaff cards. All of the required gaff cards come free with the DVD. That’s 13 cool gaffs printed by the USPCC!” I’ve not seen it yet, but BBM rarely disappoint. (£17.99) Oh yes, and they’ve got some more Karnival Decks in stock.

Peter Duffie has released a couple of previously marketed effects (Pronto-Print & Vortex) as e-tricks. If you buy both you get a discount and a free trick! See PeterDuffie.com

Paul Gordon is offering some new tricks and books for 2009 including a re-vamp of the classic ‘Insurance Policy.’ I have been enjoying watching his ‘Live in Action’ DVD recently – well worth a look.

And regular readers will know I am a fan of Roberto Giobbi. He has released a follow up to Card College Light called… Card College Lighter. Definitely worth a look. The cheapest I’ve found it is at Studio9Magic for £21.99.

That will do for now. Happy Bicycle Card Bargain Hunting!

The post What’s new? appeared first on Bicycle Cards.