Price$19.95
Media TypeTrick
CategoryClose Up
Date AddedJun 25, 2016
Paradox Card
Mickael Chatelain
Gi'Mick Magic
(Based on 1 review)
Mickael Chatelain is a genius to not only imagine it, but to create a beautiful hand-crafted method to go with it.
Imagine holding up a playing card. One side facing you the other side facing your audience. The spectators see the card has a circle cut out of it. You explain to them that the hole is not round it is a square. The spectators look at you like you are crazy but sure enough when you turn the card there is indeed a square cut out of the card. You can repeat this as many times as your spectators desire.
Includes a gimmick card and online video instructions.
Reviews
(Top ▲)
Mickael Chatelain's routine for Paradox Card in the promo video is fast, funny, magical, and easy to do. He displays a playing card with a small round hole cut in its back. But when he flips the card to show its face, the hole is square. He flips the card several more times, first in his hand and then on a table, and the hole keeps changing from square to round and back again.
Chatelain's routine looks like a great opener for strolling magic. The trouble is, it works only if you are wearing a certain kind of shirt and can display the card on a certain kind of surface. Performance under strong light is risky. These limitations can make the trick impractical, depending what you wear and where you perform.
Because Paradox Card works only under certain restricted conditions that go unmentioned in the product description, I'm giving it only three stars. However, the trick may be perfect for some magicians in some circumstances. With a little care it can be performed surrounded. The card is not inspectable.
Despite the limitations of Paradox Card, I'm impressed by its cleverness. It uses two different methods to change the hole's shape, and they work together to make the trick a genuine fooler.
Here are four ideas for making this trick more attractive. Some you can do yourself. Others will have to wait until Chatelain comes out with "Paradox Card 2".
First, the square hole in the card has white edges (as you might expect when a hole is cut into a card). If these edges are colored black with a Sharpie, the gimmick is much more deceptive even in strong light.
Second, the holes in the card are small and a little hard to see. Furthermore, the edges of the square hole are hard to distinguish from the design on the playing card's face (although visibility is better when the gimmick is laid on the table). The holes would be easier to see if they were larger. The trick might be more effective if it used a jumbo playing card, or even something other than a playing card, such as a giant $1 bill.
Third, the gimmick for Paradox Card is somewhat delicate and will definitely need replacement after a while. The trick would be a much better buy for the money if included instructions for making replacement gimmicks and advice about where to purchase materials.
Fourth, Paradox Card might turn into a classic if it came with a routine that was practical in more settings. If you buy the trick from Penguin, you receive access to a video in which Rick Lax offers some good ideas about making the trick more workable. He recommends performing on a certain kind of napkin instead of on a table. I found that a crumpled silk may work even better than a napkin, because the silk takes up less pocket space and its creases help disguise the gimmick's secret.
Chatelain's routine looks like a great opener for strolling magic. The trouble is, it works only if you are wearing a certain kind of shirt and can display the card on a certain kind of surface. Performance under strong light is risky. These limitations can make the trick impractical, depending what you wear and where you perform.
Because Paradox Card works only under certain restricted conditions that go unmentioned in the product description, I'm giving it only three stars. However, the trick may be perfect for some magicians in some circumstances. With a little care it can be performed surrounded. The card is not inspectable.
Despite the limitations of Paradox Card, I'm impressed by its cleverness. It uses two different methods to change the hole's shape, and they work together to make the trick a genuine fooler.
Here are four ideas for making this trick more attractive. Some you can do yourself. Others will have to wait until Chatelain comes out with "Paradox Card 2".
First, the square hole in the card has white edges (as you might expect when a hole is cut into a card). If these edges are colored black with a Sharpie, the gimmick is much more deceptive even in strong light.
Second, the holes in the card are small and a little hard to see. Furthermore, the edges of the square hole are hard to distinguish from the design on the playing card's face (although visibility is better when the gimmick is laid on the table). The holes would be easier to see if they were larger. The trick might be more effective if it used a jumbo playing card, or even something other than a playing card, such as a giant $1 bill.
Third, the gimmick for Paradox Card is somewhat delicate and will definitely need replacement after a while. The trick would be a much better buy for the money if included instructions for making replacement gimmicks and advice about where to purchase materials.
Fourth, Paradox Card might turn into a classic if it came with a routine that was practical in more settings. If you buy the trick from Penguin, you receive access to a video in which Rick Lax offers some good ideas about making the trick more workable. He recommends performing on a certain kind of napkin instead of on a table. I found that a crumpled silk may work even better than a napkin, because the silk takes up less pocket space and its creases help disguise the gimmick's secret.