Price$38.10
Media TypeTrick
CategoryGeneral, Close Up
Date AddedMar 19, 2015
Against all Odds
Elsdon, Mark
Alakazam UK
(Based on 3 reviews)
Lottery fever is a worldwide phenomenon and there was a time you couldn't walk in to a shop without seeing some novelty way of generating your numbers.
The Lottery Deck is one of those ways. The idea is simple, mix the deck, select six cards and take you chance! BUT what if nothing was left to chance? What if you could actually predict the lottery?
Based on an idea by Mark Elsdon (the rights to which were purchased by Alakazam almost 10 years ago) The Alakazam team have added a new design, more kickers, new handlings and new ideas!
Against All Odds is a true coming together of minds
Mark Elsdon, Peter Nardi, Dave Loosley And Andy Smith have each played with this incredible routine for the past few years and now it time to share the routines and ideas with you.
Against All Odds is a custom designed and printed deck which looks perfect in every way.
Basic Effect
After a very fair mixing and selection procedure (no equivoque) you spectator is left with 6 cards each depicting a different number lottery ball.
You now hand them a Lottery ticket with exactly the same numbers on! (The ticket may even be handed to them before the effect even begins)
Against All Odds has taken this incredible plot and made the selection process seem so free and fair, Your spectator will suspect nothing and feel like they have made every decision themselves yet, "The Numbers Will Always Match Perfectly"!
Against All Odds complete with:Custom Printed Deck Multiple handling's for both close up, Parlour and stage Bonus cards and routine With Against All Odds in your pocket you are set to perform a 5-10 min close up or cabaret set that you spectators will not forget.
Against All Odds of trick is easy to learn, easy to use and not like any other pick a card trick.
Reviews
(Top ▲)
Overview
One pack of lottery cards, one streaming DVD, $38 bucks and one Against All Odds Review. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.Effect
You predict what six lottery numbers your spectator picks in what seems to be an extremely fair and random selection procedure.Method
The method relies on a very deceptive combination of a special deck of cards that the spectator can handle and a very clever/deceptive "selection" procedure. Watch the trailer. You'll see. The selection procedure is extremely fair, self-working, and feels so random. The spectator really does make all the choices. There are no ambiguous statements or magician's choice. The spectator really does make a whole bunch of free selections and choices. The reset is a bit of a pain. It'll take about 5 minutes or so. However, the method is totally legitimate and totally doable for all skill levels with no problem.Product Quality
The lottery card deck is well made, and will last a very long time. It actually looks like something that you would get as a game or at a gift shop in a casino. The majority of the method is found in the deck which spectator handles freely. Everything is taught efficiently and in depth by the grand master dark wizard himself, Peter Nardi. He and his team have come up with some very clever and simple ideas, handling, presentations, etc. for this effect.Also included is a PDF that you can print out for a stage routine. You'll have to keep proof of purchase and email the dark wizard to get the PDF. There are several ideas presented and discussed on the training video. The something for everyone cliche seems to have a place here.
Ad Copy Integrity
The ad copy and trailer are both accurate. No bold or over-the-top claims are made. It simply states what you get.Final Thoughts
If you like the idea of this kind of effect you'll be very happy with your purchase.Final Verdict:
4.5 Stars with a Stone Status of Gem.
(Top ▲)
REVIEW (5)
PROS
This is a great routine with many opportunities to create your own stunning routine. In watching the video, I came up with an idea that I think would be tremendous. See the Suggestions section for my thoughts on this.
In addition to the routine, Peter created a magic square to use in conjunction with this effect.
The props are of great quality, and the instruction is also very thorough and very good.
The effect is excellent for close-up, strolling, or stage, with different suggestions for each type of performance.
Reset is so simple, it is reset automatically as you collect the selected cards.
CONS
You get one gimmicked deck. You don’t get a matching ungimmicked deck, so the deck is not examinable. In the suggestions section, I have an idea where, using the principles taught, you create your own decks.
VERDICT
A great effect, high quality props, and excellent instruction.
This routine is stunning and people all over the world will be able to relate to this, today and years into the future.
Each time, do a different deck switch. Here are my preferences:
First: Do a deck switch in the pocket as you switch the deck in the pocket getting a pad of paper to write the numbers. While in your pocket, come out with “the Cooler” box by Christian Engblom. Place it on the table and then get a pen from your inside breast pocket.
Second: Do a deck switch as taught by Suzanne in her DVD on her Magic Castle act.
Third: do a deck switch on the table using The Cooler.
For additional resources on deck switches, get The Art of Switching Decks by Roberto Giobbi.
Happy Magic Trails to You!
PROS
This is a great routine with many opportunities to create your own stunning routine. In watching the video, I came up with an idea that I think would be tremendous. See the Suggestions section for my thoughts on this.
In addition to the routine, Peter created a magic square to use in conjunction with this effect.
The props are of great quality, and the instruction is also very thorough and very good.
The effect is excellent for close-up, strolling, or stage, with different suggestions for each type of performance.
Reset is so simple, it is reset automatically as you collect the selected cards.
CONS
You get one gimmicked deck. You don’t get a matching ungimmicked deck, so the deck is not examinable. In the suggestions section, I have an idea where, using the principles taught, you create your own decks.
VERDICT
A great effect, high quality props, and excellent instruction.
This routine is stunning and people all over the world will be able to relate to this, today and years into the future.
Suggestions
Watching the video, I had an idea. Talk to the audience about how Harry Houdini did some magic shows and sometimes he would spend time with an audience debunking scam artists pretending to have special powers when they were really doing magic tricks. You then explain how impossible the odds are of winning the lottery, and what a waste of money that is. You say this is not a magic trick, but a “public service demonstration”. Using the principles in the video, create one ungimmicked deck and two gimmicked decks. Bring out the ungimmicked deck in number order and spread to show every single number. Give it a shuffle and invite a participant to give it a shuffle. Then do a deck switch as you get a pen to write down a test example of actual numbers drawn. You do another deck switch to redo the experiment with different numbers, and you do a final deck switch to hand out the ungimmicked deck at the end for examination.Each time, do a different deck switch. Here are my preferences:
First: Do a deck switch in the pocket as you switch the deck in the pocket getting a pad of paper to write the numbers. While in your pocket, come out with “the Cooler” box by Christian Engblom. Place it on the table and then get a pen from your inside breast pocket.
Second: Do a deck switch as taught by Suzanne in her DVD on her Magic Castle act.
Third: do a deck switch on the table using The Cooler.
For additional resources on deck switches, get The Art of Switching Decks by Roberto Giobbi.
Happy Magic Trails to You!
(Top ▲)
To be honest, I was not expecting the spectator reactions that I received from performing this trick. After watching the promotional video, I thought it was a good trick with an engaging patter. I thought it would be received well, but I really underestimated the effect it was going to have on spectators. After about a dozen performances, I can honestly say that the reactions could not be better. All of the spectators walked away with “winning” lottery numbers and almost all of them promised that they were actually going to play the lottery this weekend. Alakazam Magic and Mark Elsdon have a hit, again.
Against All Odds is a lottery prediction trick with a specially printed deck of cards. These cards have pictures of lottery balls on the faces and are not regular playing cards. Although I have not seen this before, apparently a deck of lottery cards were popular in England to help people randomly pick numbers for the lottery. The backs of these cards all look the same and show numerous different colored and numbered lottery balls. The trick also came with two cards that have pictures of balls with numbers on them, 1-52, but there is no explanation for why it was included or how it can be used in the performance.
Basically, the performer fans the cards face up for the spectator. The spectator can see many different colors on the cards. The performer squares the deck and places it face down on the table. Then, the spectator cuts the deck several times, discards half of the deck, discards even more cards by other methods and randomly arrives at 6 face-down cards. The performer points to a piece of paper that was written before the trick was started and was in view the entire time. Amazingly the 6 different numbers that are on the faces of the 6 selected cards (representing 6 lottery balls) match the 6 numbers on the papers. You can either have the numbers written on paper or a lottery game card.
The trick comes with a link to either watch or download a 32 minute instructional video, taught by Peter Nardi. Against All Odds was purchased by Nardi 10 years ago and just recently released after Nardi played around with the idea and concept.
The instructional video is well taught and the audio and video quality is par for the Alakazam Magic (that is top-notch). First, it explains how to set up the deck, which is very easy. The set up takes about a minute or two. Then, Nardi demonstrates how to perform the trick in a studio setting with one spectator. This performance can be seen in the promotional video.
A few minor issues with the trick. First, Nardi explains that he only uses 49 cards (numbers 1-49) and removes the cards from the deck that are marked numbers 52, 51, and 50, since the English lottery apparently only uses 49 numbers. That is not the case for all lotteries. This doesn’t really matter, but cards 52, 51 and 50 must be removed. What I have done to explain why the cards are being removed from the deck is to merely explain that with each card that I remove from the deck, the spectator’s odds of winning increases. Nardi explains that to pick 6 different numbers out of 49, the odds are 1 in 14 million. Although I am not a math wiz, I actually think the odds of winning using 49 cards are around 1 in 10 million and the odds of winning, using 52 cards is about one in 14 million. And, I could be wrong, but it doesn’t make much of a difference because the odds of winning are still so insanely large and I guarantee that no spectator will know the actual odds and will just accept what you tell them.
Once you perform the trick the reset can take up to a minute or two, but that is not an issue because you would not want to repeat the trick again, and, unlike many other tricks, I was not asked to “do it again” once it was done.
The trick is very easy to perform and has proven to be outrageously impressive to spectators, especially since the spectator makes all the decisions regarding which cards to pick, cut, discard and select. It is mostly hands off by the magician and there is no sleight of hand required. This trick is great for close-up and you can have multiple spectators assisting in the card selection process. The promotional video and the ad copy are accurate.
In additional to the standard performance, Nardi teaches an alternative way to reveal the prediction with two envelopes; one labelled “Loser” and one “labelled “Winner.” Nardi also teaches his stage chair-test version that used PDF’s that are included with the trick. Although I did not perform the stage version, it seems to be a great variation of the basic effect. Nardi only teaches it, but does not demonstrate it. It would have been nice to see a live performance of the stage version.
If you are looking for easy, hit the ground running and impressive, look no further.
Against All Odds is a lottery prediction trick with a specially printed deck of cards. These cards have pictures of lottery balls on the faces and are not regular playing cards. Although I have not seen this before, apparently a deck of lottery cards were popular in England to help people randomly pick numbers for the lottery. The backs of these cards all look the same and show numerous different colored and numbered lottery balls. The trick also came with two cards that have pictures of balls with numbers on them, 1-52, but there is no explanation for why it was included or how it can be used in the performance.
Basically, the performer fans the cards face up for the spectator. The spectator can see many different colors on the cards. The performer squares the deck and places it face down on the table. Then, the spectator cuts the deck several times, discards half of the deck, discards even more cards by other methods and randomly arrives at 6 face-down cards. The performer points to a piece of paper that was written before the trick was started and was in view the entire time. Amazingly the 6 different numbers that are on the faces of the 6 selected cards (representing 6 lottery balls) match the 6 numbers on the papers. You can either have the numbers written on paper or a lottery game card.
The trick comes with a link to either watch or download a 32 minute instructional video, taught by Peter Nardi. Against All Odds was purchased by Nardi 10 years ago and just recently released after Nardi played around with the idea and concept.
The instructional video is well taught and the audio and video quality is par for the Alakazam Magic (that is top-notch). First, it explains how to set up the deck, which is very easy. The set up takes about a minute or two. Then, Nardi demonstrates how to perform the trick in a studio setting with one spectator. This performance can be seen in the promotional video.
A few minor issues with the trick. First, Nardi explains that he only uses 49 cards (numbers 1-49) and removes the cards from the deck that are marked numbers 52, 51, and 50, since the English lottery apparently only uses 49 numbers. That is not the case for all lotteries. This doesn’t really matter, but cards 52, 51 and 50 must be removed. What I have done to explain why the cards are being removed from the deck is to merely explain that with each card that I remove from the deck, the spectator’s odds of winning increases. Nardi explains that to pick 6 different numbers out of 49, the odds are 1 in 14 million. Although I am not a math wiz, I actually think the odds of winning using 49 cards are around 1 in 10 million and the odds of winning, using 52 cards is about one in 14 million. And, I could be wrong, but it doesn’t make much of a difference because the odds of winning are still so insanely large and I guarantee that no spectator will know the actual odds and will just accept what you tell them.
Once you perform the trick the reset can take up to a minute or two, but that is not an issue because you would not want to repeat the trick again, and, unlike many other tricks, I was not asked to “do it again” once it was done.
The trick is very easy to perform and has proven to be outrageously impressive to spectators, especially since the spectator makes all the decisions regarding which cards to pick, cut, discard and select. It is mostly hands off by the magician and there is no sleight of hand required. This trick is great for close-up and you can have multiple spectators assisting in the card selection process. The promotional video and the ad copy are accurate.
In additional to the standard performance, Nardi teaches an alternative way to reveal the prediction with two envelopes; one labelled “Loser” and one “labelled “Winner.” Nardi also teaches his stage chair-test version that used PDF’s that are included with the trick. Although I did not perform the stage version, it seems to be a great variation of the basic effect. Nardi only teaches it, but does not demonstrate it. It would have been nice to see a live performance of the stage version.
If you are looking for easy, hit the ground running and impressive, look no further.