Official Reviewer
Oct 08, 2022
Overview
By nature, I am a minimalist, I hate being weighed down with “stuff”. If I were to carry a deck of cards, I would perform all night with that one deck. I certainly would not carry a “one trick pony” deck just to do one effect with it. That has changed now that I've seen I Dream of Mindreading by John Lovick. I find that I Dream of Mind Reading is so unique that I would consider carrying it just for the one effect it does do.Effect
The performer asks a spectator to think of a card. When they have one in mind the spectator is given a deck of cards and is instructed to place down the number of cards equal to the value of the card they thought of and when done, place the remainder of the deck on top. The spectator is then instructed to put down a number of cards for each suit, and place the remainder of the deck on top again, and they do. All the while the performer has his back turned. The performer picks up the deck, scans the cards and announces the color, suit and value they spectator thought of. The performer is absolutely correct. But wait, this really wasn’t a card trick but a telepathic experiment because the performer then displays the cards and they are all blank.Method
The method used to achieve this effect is not only incredibly clever but incredibly simple as well. All I will say is that nothing but a blank deck is used. As long as one can convey the instructions clearly, you will have a seeming miracle on your hands.Product Quality
The deck provided is a regular Bicycle Blank Face deck. You can add a couple of Jokers as suggested by Joshua Jay as convincers that it is a real deck. The printed instructions are eight pages. It covers the history of the effect, a couple of different methods and the a few pages of suggestions by such notables as Joshua Jay. The instructions are clearly written and I don’t foresee anyone having problems following them.Ad Copy Integrity
The ad copy is completely accurate. The product delivers 100% of what is claimed. There is no hyperbole in any of the statements describing the effect. The only area in which there may be a bit of incertitude is if one considers a blank deck a “gaffed” deck. It is just an ordinary blank deck, nothing more has been done to it.Final Thoughts
This one ticks all the boxes for me. The premise is easy to follow, the spectators are led down the garden path as they think they know how the trick is being done and the impact of the deck being completely blank and examinable is a great kicker.
