PROS

This is a really powerful gambling demonstration routine. It’s not that difficult to do.

It can be performed with a prepared deck or a borrowed deck.

It is easy to set up and clean up.

The DVD instruction is very thorough, perhaps too much time spent repeating the effect over and over. However, the purpose of repeating it over and over was to demonstrate how to handle different outcomes.

The effect can be performed surrounded.

In the DVD, Luke talks about how to use patter to make the effect stonger.

CONS

There are two versions. One with a gimmicked deck and one with a borrowed deck. The borrowed deck version requires a pretty bold move. Some performers may be concerned about how bold the move is. However, having performed the effect several times, the move has not been questioned.

VERDICT

A very stunning effect that is not too difficult to perform. The best version is with a gimmicked deck, but he also teaches a borrowed deck version.

“The Trick That Cannot Be Explained” (TTCBE), created by Dai Vernon, is a classic of magic. The effect is simple. The magician sets aside a prediction, a spectator freely shuffles and cuts the deck, and then, regardless of their actions, when a card is finally arrived upon, it matches the prediction. When performed well, the TTCBE leaves an indelible impression on an audience. The caveat in that sentence is, of course, “performed well.” One of the elements that makes the TTCBE difficult to learn and perform effectively is that it doesn’t have a straightforward method. On the one hand this fact can intimidate magicians who are accustomed to performing with certainty, while on the other it can lead to performances that meander, are lackluster and end with a whimper rather than a bang. Nevertheless, some of magic’s greatest practitioners have TTCBE in their arsenals, and use it to great effect. Unfortunately, the learning curve required to perform it effectively puts off many magicians, myself included.

Luckily, Luke Jermay has made it accessible to the rest of us with his latest release, “The Game.”

Mr. Jermay’s first major addition to the plot was to change the premise. Instead of the performer predicting what card the spectator will choose, the spectator, after freely shuffling and mixing the cards, gives the performer the exact card he or she needs to complete a royal flush in spades. Not only does this approach provide a fantastic emotional hook, but the presentation justifies some of the procedure from the original TTCBE that can occur as a bit arbitrary or strange. For those familiar with the original method, Mr. Jermay’s approach replaces counting and spelling with a similar procedure that is a logical extension of the gambling premise. It’s a deeply elegant solution.

The second of Mr. Jermay’s wonderful contributions was to make the effect sure fire, 100% of the time. This doesn’t simply mean it will have an ending. Instead, his approach guarantees the ending will be a straightforward one, with every action along the way being one that would occur at the gambling table. And, as with the TTCBE, while the path his method follows can vary, the end result, that the spectator gave the performer the one card he or she needed, is always the climax, and the procedure always makes sense. While accomplished practitioners of the TTCBE can also create a similar effect the vast majority of the time, Mr. Jermay’s approach guarantees a hit every time, without years of in-the-trenches experience and training. This isn’t to say the method is “self working” (as no such thing exists), but this aspect of his approach provides a set of training wheels, allowing the performer who wishes to perform the TTCBE the ability to gain experience performing the effect, while still guaranteeing a powerful effect.

Mr. Jermay teaches two versions of his routine, one that requires a special deck and one that does not. The special deck he uses isn’t a unique, gimmicked deck, but a utility deck that in all likelihood is laying around in one of your magic drawers. And while there is one major difference between the two versions, the final effect remains the same. Mr. Jermay is also joined on the DVD by John Archer, who provides excellent counterpoint, asks good questions and who acts as a student learning the routine. The instruction itself is clear and comprehensive, at least as much as it can be with a trick that “cannot be explained.” And while the method cannot be definitively outlined, Mr. Jermay covers a number of different techniques and approaches that will cover the majority of possible situations one might encounter. His solutions are organic, logical, simple and direct, without complicating the plot or adding unnecessary props.

The “Game” by Luke Jermay is an extremely efficient handling of the TTCBE. The premise and approach provide a logical and engaging hook without confusing the plot, limit the need for improvisation without diminishing the effect, uses a procedure that is always consistent with the established premise, all within a structure that guarantees a strong ending. The “Game” provides a strategy the neophyte interested in attacking the plot can use, while offering subtleties and ideas an experienced practitioner can apply to their own approach. I give this my highest recommendation.