Hello people of the interwebs its Steven back again with yet another blog post. This post is going to be 100% aimed at magicians so apologies in advance to my non magician readers.
So what exactly is this blog going to be about?Well when I started this blog I wanted to share stuff with magicians with that being performance videos of magicians I look up to, advice on making magic better or reviews of products I have bought recently.
Well today I will be doing a magic product review of a product that I was sent via email by the creator to review. This view will be 100% honest.
Name of product:
Easy to Execute card trickery four by J. JACK
Price:
$8 or £5.50
Available from:
http://shufflethedeck.weebly.com/etect4.html
Quick Description:
SIX PRACTICAL AND IMPROMPTU CARD TRICK
Tralier: No trailer
Quality of the PDF: The quality of the PDF is really good however there is one or two minor spelling mistakes but thats not to bad that it makes the PDF unreadable. there are also a few photos and diagrams. These photos & diagrams that are used in the PDF are really well shot but there could be one or two more photos to make the PDF not only look better but make the learning of the effects a little easier. 7/10
What effects are in the PDF?:
The following section will be split into 4 sections for each trick.
1. Name of effect.
2. Description of effect
3. My honest opinion on the effect
4. Rating out of 10
Name of effect:
Impromptu Observation Test with Aces
Description of effect:
Two red aces transform into two black aces. Stunningly, the red aces then appear out of nowhere.
My honest opinion on the effect:
At first I wasn’t really a fan of this trick but after trying it out for a friend who I was hanging out with she seemed to enjoy it. I then tried this out for a group at a wedding and they seemed to like it. I am still unsure of this trick but laymen seem to enjoy it. I have since looked up Nick Trost`s version and I would say I do prefer this version of the nick Trost one but as I have said I am not sure if I like this one.
Rating out of 10:
5/10 laymen seem to like it but I am undecided
Name of effect:
Random Thot Expanded
Description of effect:
The spectator cuts off about half of the deck. He deals as many cards as he wants from the cut-off portion into a pile. He looks at the last card dealt, places the card back on the pile face down, and places the rest of the cut-off portion on top of the pile. While this is being done, the card expert turns away. After the spectator is finished, the card expert gives the pile several shuffles. When the card expert picks up the pile, he has no idea of where the noted card is. The noted card is then discovered in short order.
My honest opinion on the effect:
This trick is very procedural and anyone who knows my thought on magic will know that I can’t stand tricks with dealing, counting and loads of instructions. With that being said I performed this in a semi-formal close up show (you know like what you get at magic clubs but I was being paid) and I did this in a very comical manner and added a very theatrical presentation to the trick and everyone liked it. I showed this to a magician friend of mine on Skype and he said it fooled him. I am not sure why as the trick isn’t a magician fooler.
Rating out of 10:
8/10 I like this trick a lot but I feel if you’re going to do this well it needs a big theatrical presentation
Name of effect:
B+D Revisited
Description of effect:
The back of two cards are signed (each card with a different word). One card is placed in the card box. The other card is shuffled into the deck. The faces of the cards changes places. The backs of the two cards attach to the transposed faces.
My honest opinion on the effect:
I like this trick I did this as part my card to box routine at a bar because this is when I felt it would play best, the reactions it got was amazing. I also did this for a friend and he wasn’t impressed but think that was just because of the kind of spectator he is. Also I do a Paul Green trick (cant remember the name of the trick but its explained in his lecture notes “take a stroll with me” ) that is similar to this effect and I do however like Paul`s version better because I feel that is more personal to the spectator.
Rating out of 10:
I do like this trick and it got great reactions but I already have a similar effect that I do. 7/10
Name of effect:
Prediction and Change City (with two alternate endings)
Description of effect:
The card pro takes out three cards. Two cards are selected. One selection is shown to be the mate of the three cards taken out of the deck. The other selection is found at a surprising place. Two alternate endings are included.
My honest opinion on the effect:
had one or two problems with learning this but after reading a few times I managed to get the hang of it. I performed PREDICTION AND COUNTDOWN CITY because I liked that one best and it got some great reactions
Rating out of 10:
This is a nice trick and has lots of different variations. Really recommend it 9/10
Name of effect:
No Turn Away Overtime
Description of effect:
A selection is placed on top of the deck. Attemting to push the card into the deck, the cardician pushes down on the deck. The top card is turned over. It's not the selection. The spectator is asked how many cards do they think were turned over. Inexplicably, the top half of the deck is shown to be face-up. The selection is soon seen to be the only card reversed in the middle of the deck.
My honest opinion on the effect:
I am a big fan of David Acer and I do own his great book “Random Acts of Magic” and I think it is a great book and everyone should read it. With that being said when I originally read overtime it didn’t really blow me away and this version doesn’t either. It’s a nice trick don’t get me wrong but it’s just not something I like.
Rating out of 10:
This is a nice wee trick it just doesn’t do much for me. If however you like David Acer`s version I am sure you will like this one.3/10
Name of effect:
From Nowhere to Here
Description of effect:
A quick location of four selections
My honest opinion on the effect:
Before I start I want to say this is based on a Peter Duffie trick called “From Nowhere which can be found in Peter's amazing book Effortless Card Magic. Now I just want to start off by saying I love Peter Duffie and his work not only cause hes Scottish and I think Scotland has the best underground magic scene in the world (Idon't say this because I stay in Scotland but because I have read some AMAZING magic from unknown Scottish magicians) but because I think he is one of the most creative card magicians out there. Now I really like this trick and I think that it’s a little procedural and has some dealing and as you know I don’t like dealing tricks that much but this is one trick that has dealing that I like. I performed this for a magician and he said he was fooled. I performed this routine for a group of friends and one of my friends said that this was one of the best tricks I had even shown her.
Rating out of 10:
Really great trick, people seemed to enjoy this and it is growing on me a lot. 9/10
Overall rating: This is a nice PDF and has a wide verity of tricks and I think although some of the tricks aren`t great the ones that are good make up for it. Over all for £5.50 this is worth the money. 8/10
CONTEST TIME:
I recently received an email from J.JACK the author of Easy to Execute Card Trickery Four and he says he would like to give away 3 copys of the PDF I have reviewed above. So if you want a copy then contact me and I will let you know how to go about getting a copy.Well guys thats it from me I will be back soon with another post.
Thanks
Steven Blair :)
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