The first thing I noticed upon opening my parcel was the deck of cards (as you might expect). They are not Bicycle cards or, indeed, USPCC playing cards. The Phil Plus! (PP) deck comes on red backed Protea cards, a South African brand. (I understand Trevor Duffy's Magic Products is based in South Africa). Whilst the quality of the cards is not up to USPCC standards, they are perfectly adequate for the job at hand.

As far as I know, it would be impossible for this deck to be produced on Bicycle stock. You'll see why this is the case if/when you buy this! In any case, it works perfectly well on Protea stock so don't get hung up on it.

It took me just a short while to get used to the feel of the cards and to get the method down. It really isn't difficult to perform at all, but needs just a bit of time to get the routine smooth and flowing. This is time well spent as it will mean you don't hesitate or stutter during the performance. Actually, I guess this applies to pretty much any effect you care to mention.

After practicing for a while, I showed this to my wife (bless her, she is my magical guinea pig) and she was quite impressed which is always a good sign! I have also performed this for a girl at work and she absolutely loved it; in fact, she was rendered speechless which, I can tell you, is a considerable achievement on my part! PP is fantastic in that it involves spectator participation to a slightly higher level than is normal for your typical card trick. I think this serves to heighten the sense of wonder and astonishment, especially after the second phase of the routine when the spectator names the card. And it is this second phase that is what makes PP such an improvement over the original Phil deck; it basically ensures the spectator will not back track on the presentation and possibly work out the method. This is, essentially, built-in misdirection and requires virtually no conscious effort on the part of the magician to misdirect the participant. As long as you present this well, the trick works itself and will come to a natural, absolutely bewildering conclusion.

OVERALL
Quality of the deck aside, PP is a superb trick and judging by the reactions it has elicited, your spectators will love it, too; mine certainly did. Simple to perform, gets great reactions and is great fun for all concerned; and reset takes a matter of seconds - you really can't ask for much more than that. Suitable for the beginner as well as the more advanced magician, I would highly recommend this little gem. (It's also worth noting that PP is available as a blank version so you can personalise the cards and are not limited to girls names).

I don't particularly care for mechanical decks and packet tricks...but, when my dealer demo'd this deck for me, I knew instantly that I had found the perfect closer for my restaurant gigs. The pack is based on a favorite older principal...with an ingenious extra twist that kicks the original effect into turbo!

I've added the effect of showing the back of my business card blank and laying it back down onto the table in plain sight. Then, at the end of my set, I bring out Phil Plus. Phase one blows the spectator away. Phase two doubles the pleasure. This intenisifes as I turn my business card over to reveal their randomly chosen card written across the back. A block buster effect that leaves them with my business card in hand and my reputation as an entertainer reinforced.

Thank you, Trevor & Phil! Well worth the money! Easy to master. No reset. Ideal for walkaround, table-hopping and close-up!