Magic Tricks

Product description : Marked deck have been around for years but this is the first one of its kind ! The marking are not only done in a very clever way but also visible without spreading the deck. I can see you have the minds racing with ideas and you’re right, this deck will spark your creativity ! You find any card at any position which is very useful but also very interesting for all the controlling part of your tricks. But is it worth you money ? Let’s find out !

Price and where to buy it : This is sold at $24.95 and you can find on Penguin Magic website !

What you get : You get the deck which is printed by the USPCC so the quality is amazing, I think it’s as good as the good old bicycle you’re used to use. So the cards do fan very well and shuffle and faro as a dream. They did a very good job on the design which helps in disguising the concept, but also gives a natural look to the cards so people won’t think it’s gimmicked. You’re also provided with an explanation video with Steve Gore and Pete Turner and I think it’s great they included a video, it helps beginning with the deck and having your first ideas. Overall, the deck is very well printed and the explanation video gives you the bases for it, I can’t see people being disappointed with the quality of the whole thing, they did a great job !

Teaser : http://www.penguinmagic.com/p/7505

The pros and the cons : Here is the core of my review, let's begin with the cons, as I will usually be doing, I prefer to keep the good things for the end.

THE CONS :
– Bad eyesight and low light conditions can be a problem in order to read the marks. They’re quite discrete so you need to be aware of that.
– The deck is not a Bicycle Rider back design which is the most common back among magician but this is also a pro which I’ll get back to later.
– There is an order in the marks, they decided not to put the CHaSeD order which is a shame, it would have been easier (for me, at least). But the order is still very easy to remember.

THE PROS :
– It’s the first (not the only one right now because The Butterfly deck has been released) deck which allow to spot cards in the deck without spreading it, which is a big plus.
– Imagine asking somebody to shuffle the deck and without looking at the faces or spreading it, you can cut to any card you want ! It’s perfect for forces, but also controlling the spectator card.
– The design look innocent to me, the aim of Steve was to create a deck you could buy at a gas station and I think they did an amazing job with it. Nobody ever suspected the deck.
– This is also great for ACAAN or CAAN, since you know which card is where, you can jazz about it and do some very strong routine.
– I think this opens up many possibilities, not only by knowing where a card is but also knowing which card has been removed from the pack ! This is a very strong piece of magic to do, you don’t spread the cards, you don’t look at the face and yet, you can tell them which card they remove.
– Unlike the Butterfly, the marks are coloured which means you won’t think the wear marks as actual marks ! It has been a problem with my butterfly deck, when the deck is a little bit used, some white marks appear on the sides (due to shuffles and faros) and they blend into the actual marking which makes is quite difficult. This is not a problem with the GPS.
– They included a double backed card in the deck which is a nice intention, some many things can be achieved with it.
– The quality is the same as the bicycle one, so you won’t be taken aback by the feel these have.

Overall rating : I think this deck does what is written on the tin, and does it very well. I have a feeling many people will find this deck and come up with their own ideas. I already use a Rider Back marked deck so I won’t be using it but it’s a very good one ! 3/4 hearts.

As for the difficulty level, the marking system is actually fairly simple to learn, but a little bit of work is still needed, I would say 2/5 stars.

Similar products : The Butterfly deck is the direct competitor to the GPS deck, it has also his own pros and cons.