Magic Tricks

I have a feeling I’m going to catch some flack for this one. I’m sorry but. I really am. I try very hard to be positive on my reviews. However, I also feel a big responsibility to be honest in my opinion and reviews. This code leads me to this unfortunate two star review.

First off, let me say that Simone is very personable, which makes this review harder to give. It is very refreshing to see a woman in magic, a very male dominated art. Please don’t be discouraged by my review. It appears that you are getting great reviews on this trick. Remember that my opinion is simply one of many.

Ok. On to the review.

When I viewed this trick, I immediately felt that the solution was EXTREMELY obvious to even an intelligent layman. Apparently, in reading all the five star reviews, perhaps the solution isn’t as obvious to others as I thought, but still... for me, this personal conclusion would immediately serve as a barrier to doing this trick as part of my repertoire. I would however perform this trick as a casual one off for a friend in a relaxed non-magical period.

While the solution, to me, was obvious, I still wondered how the outs would be tackled if and when they were eventually encountered. This question is why I proceeded with viewing the trick explanation. This is an Osterlind trick. Surely there would be something profound to pull out of this.

There wasn’t.

In fact, not only was the work around not profound for when the spectator doesn’t do as planned in playing the tic-tax-toe game, it wasn’t really a work-around at all! So what do you do when the spectator doesn’t do what he or she is supposed to and the outcome doesn’t match what was desired? The answer? “Let’s play the best two out of three”. Really?!!!!!!

You might as well say “whoops! That didn’t go so well, huh?”

It’s at this point in the trick that a magician would typically somehow turn to an out that would magically show that this was the intended action all along.

Nope. Just a big ol’ “whoops”!

What is ironic and so disappointing is that, within just a couple minutes (literally two or less), I came up with a simple solution to this problem. In fact my solution will dramatically decrease or eliminate the issue from ever occurring in the first place. If you purchased this trick, feel free to reach out to me via gmail... magicthemagicalmagicianofmagic. Yes, that is a real email address. Haha!

Not to rub salt in the wound, but I have to continue with something that drove the nail in the coffin for me. When I finished the explanation video, I was both pleased and relieved to see that there was an additional tip video. “Oh good,” I thought. “They must have figured out these issues and now they’ll redeem themselves.” It was quite the opposite really. Yes, the additional tip video actually is wrong! (For those of you who own this and don’t believe me, stop the video at exactly 1 minute when she says “now it’ll take care of itself”! The next move she actually makes is OBVIOUSLY the wrong one. She could have won by placing the x in the opposite corner! LOL!

I’m sorry. I can’t. I just can’t. It’s a no for me. (I just sounded like a AGT or American Idol coach. Sorry)

Like I said, I hope that Simone will come out with another trick that I can give a glowing review to. But this one is a disappointing flop for me. Even more disappointing is the fact that this is a Richard Osterlind trick.

I know that this trick is getting raving reviews from everyone else. I dunno... maybe I overthink things. It just really seems obvious to me. To each his own. For me, I would be being dishonest to myself, the consumer, and the community if my review reflected more than two stars for this, based on my own unique opinion. The purpose of an honest review is to help others determine whether or not this trick would be right for them... so it wouldn’t be fair to say how I honestly felt, even if everyone else loves it. I say, let the consumer get both sides and dignify him with the ability to balance it all out and make his own decision about purchasing or not. Reviews should unbiased, not with marketing or sales in mind. Sorry. And before you say, well, for the price... NO. I have gotten many tricks at this price point that far surpasses this in every aspect.

An extreme beginner might disagree and really love this. If you’re a beginner, perhaps this is may be a good purchase. (Even then, I don’t think I would have been happy if this was one of my first purchases, to be honest.) But anyone else, please don’t get this. Save it for possibly Simone’s next trick. I’m sure that one will be better.

By the way, I always try to be honest and straightforward in my reviews, while being respectful to the magician. If you appreciate my reviews, can you please click the "Yes" button below beside the question, "Did this review help you?" It's not like I actually benefit in any way by your clicking it... but it would be nice to see if my reviews are helpful or not. I hope they are. If you ever have suggestions or comments or questions about my reviews, please feel free to leave me a constructive comment. I'm just trying to be helpful. I love the Penguin community and hope that I can someday contribute my own product. :-) Thanks for reading and for any (hopefully positive, but either way, at least kind) feedback.