Price$40.00
Media TypeTrick
CategoryMentalism
Date AddedSep 20, 2005
Trilogy
Brian Caswells
Alakazam Magic
(Based on 2 reviews)
You name a random card, spectator one picks a random number. Next you name a second random card and a second spectator picks a different number. Finally, YOU name a number and spectator three names ANY CARD he likes. Get this, you ALWAYS choose first ! We bet you can see where this is going and are already thinking how the...!
OK - here goes: You open the card case and remove the deck. You freely show that all 52 cards have different numbers on them. You remove the card spectator number 3 named and place it face up on thier hand. You now turn the deck over and remove the cards bearing the numbers spectators one and two named. When you flip over the first two you have an exact match card/numbers! The third card is still face up, Remember, spectator three had a free choice of ANY card. It couldn't possibly be, could it? The spectator turns it over - it's the exact number you named !!! All three spectators are left holding the exact card/number match that they picked!
How clean is TRILOGY? Well, there are NO sleights or cosy handling of any kind. There are NO forces, NO one-ahead and NO sticky cards.
Comes complete with 2 Bicycle Decks and instructional DVD.
Reviews
(Top ▲)
This is the first time I've played with a deck of thin cards. I remember reading about them in T.A. Waters' Mind, Myth & Magic, but I assumed they were basically "unobtanium". They're strange; kinda like the cheap drugstore cards I had as a kid.
I have one major gripe about this product, and it's not the cards. It's the instructions. They're crap.
For instance, the only place in the instructions it actually tells you that these are thin decks of cards is on the back page under "Final Thoughts". Even then it doesn't mention that each deck is supposed to consist of 76 cards. They just launch into explaining the setup of the two decks. Of course, I'm trying to get the math to add up to 52 and it's not working.
Once I figured out the math, at least the setup became more obvious. The instructions are still dicey and convoluted. I did manage to make it through enough of them to be able to perform the effect.
The effect is good, but will requires a very clear presentation. I've played with many versions of famous "Phil" trick over the years (I've been using a home-grown method for the past decade or so). I like the effect because the effect is very straightforward. Any card, one freely selected "name", and they match.
This version has numbers on the back of the cards. They don't correspond to the position in the deck… just numbers between 1 and 52. It's a bit confusing, which is why I say it needs a clear presentation. The effect is done with three cards. For the first two you name a card and your audience names two numbers. The third is done in the reverse manner (you name the number and they name a card).
I've showed the effect to several non-magician friends. It certainly fooled them. But when I asked them to repeat the effect a few days later, they weren't even close. If you're OK with that type of reaction, then give this one a shot.
I have one major gripe about this product, and it's not the cards. It's the instructions. They're crap.
For instance, the only place in the instructions it actually tells you that these are thin decks of cards is on the back page under "Final Thoughts". Even then it doesn't mention that each deck is supposed to consist of 76 cards. They just launch into explaining the setup of the two decks. Of course, I'm trying to get the math to add up to 52 and it's not working.
Once I figured out the math, at least the setup became more obvious. The instructions are still dicey and convoluted. I did manage to make it through enough of them to be able to perform the effect.
The effect is good, but will requires a very clear presentation. I've played with many versions of famous "Phil" trick over the years (I've been using a home-grown method for the past decade or so). I like the effect because the effect is very straightforward. Any card, one freely selected "name", and they match.
This version has numbers on the back of the cards. They don't correspond to the position in the deck… just numbers between 1 and 52. It's a bit confusing, which is why I say it needs a clear presentation. The effect is done with three cards. For the first two you name a card and your audience names two numbers. The third is done in the reverse manner (you name the number and they name a card).
I've showed the effect to several non-magician friends. It certainly fooled them. But when I asked them to repeat the effect a few days later, they weren't even close. If you're OK with that type of reaction, then give this one a shot.
(Top ▲)
This is definitely one of those tricks that leave the audience (even magicians) going "How did he do that?" The method is diabolical and very simple. The only caveat and it is minor with a good presentation is that the first number must be less than 27 and the second number greater than 26.
Not mentioned in the description above is that you can have the spectators remove the cards as you go through the deck. This removes sleight of hand from the spectators' mind. Also seeing a series of randomly numbered cards and for the last card an array of shuffled cards convinces the audience of the normalcy of the deck (except for the oddity of random numbers on the backs of the cards)
The presentations given are not the most inspired. If you can develop a good presentation, you have a miracle that is simple to do, direct and will leave then scratching their heads.
Not mentioned in the description above is that you can have the spectators remove the cards as you go through the deck. This removes sleight of hand from the spectators' mind. Also seeing a series of randomly numbered cards and for the last card an array of shuffled cards convinces the audience of the normalcy of the deck (except for the oddity of random numbers on the backs of the cards)
The presentations given are not the most inspired. If you can develop a good presentation, you have a miracle that is simple to do, direct and will leave then scratching their heads.