nitial Thoughts: I have to admit that I was hesitant about buying this because I had heard that you
have to cut up bills. Anyway, I had the money, and decided to give it a try. Boy was I lucky!
Teaching: Daniel Garcia is probably one of my favorite teachers next to Eric Jones and Jay
Sankey. He speaks very clear and does mention everything you will need to know. There was only one
thing I found that I didn't like. When he was discussing the making of the gimmick, about two-thirds
of the way into it, he says something like, "Oh, and if you have a (I forget what he called it, but
it was a paper trimmer, where you run the blade down the side of the paper and it cuts it perfectly)
it will make cutting these bills easy, so you know you won't mess up." I would have liked it if he
had mentioned that before hand. Minor issue.
The Gimmick: The gimmick obviously involves
cutting up bills. Many reviewers have said that you have to cut the bill precisely in order for it
to come out right. Well, that is true as with anything, I mean, you'd have to be blind or
crossed-eyed (no offense) to not cut the bill correctly. If you are like one-eighth of an inch off,
don't worry about it. Once you have the gimmicked bill set, I strongly recommend, as Daniel does, to
practice the effect until the bill is fully warn in. It will be kinda stiff at first, but practicing
will help that. Also, just because the bill is gimmicked, doesn't mean that the fifty-cent piece is
not examinable at the end. It sure is! There are visual aids throughout the teaching as well.
The Reactions: Basically, when performed correctly, it kills. What I mean by correctly is, by
being slow and letting the effect sink in. As with any effect, if you look nervous when performing
this, you will screw up and expose the trick.
FAQ's:
Q: How much will the
gimmick cost me?
A: If you make it right the first time, seven dollars. If you are like me
however, and would like to save as much money as you can, you can photocopy the bills that you need
and use those. Works good for me and I'm sure it would work good for you too.
Q: How are
the angles?
A: Not bad, not good. You can't have anyone in back of you while performing the
changes.
Q: Any specific lighting conditions needed?
A: Yes, you want to perform this
in a somewhat dim area. Bars are great. Don't perform this while the sun is beating on you. Can't
say much more or it may lead to exposure.
Overall: 5/5