This is a fine card trick, for a beginner, but hopefully one that is just a stepping stone to
greater card tricks. While reasonably fooling, for a lay audience, I find the process of counting
out cards in the beginning and especially perusing the faces of the cards before the revelation,
tedious and unimpressive. The fact that the presentation is not particularly compelling doesn't
help. Cameron calls this a fooler for magicians, and while that will be true for some, a solution
was immediately clear to me before I watched the explanation. Cameron’s solution is slightly
different (and better), but the principle was the same. Since it seemed obvious to me, I wouldn't
show this to magicians.
As mentioned in the beginning, if you are a beginner, or just
showing card tricks informally, your audience might be amazed. For professional use, however, I
would pass.
I love this trick and have already performed it. Got great reactions. If this is considered a mediocre trick in Prague, they must have some great magicians there doing stuff that I’ve never seen.
I asked this question in all sincerity. I am not trying to start an argument or be rude. If you already knew how the trick worked why did you purchase it? Did they leave Vital Information out of the advertisement video? Is this going to be one of those tricks that I purchase and find out that the only reason it looked as good as it did is because they did aggressive video editing?
jmorrison7, I'm glad you like this trick, and I don't doubt you can get great reactions from it. I still stand by what I said in my review. Of course, it is not the review of Prague, it is only my personal opinion.
chmrfixit, I was given this trick on the condition that I write a review for it. I didn't actually view the performance until it was already in my account.
Of course there are many things....infinite really...that are mediocre. So to note another one -- without offering more -- is also not impressive.
I would offer that there are not abundance of readily accessible card effects available for on the fly set-up from a borrowed deck (and there is probably a snooty response to any notion of on the fly set-up). So before we just dismiss effects with some genuine entertainment value...let's offer a suggestion for a stronger alternative...with borrowed deck / on the fly set-up. But alas...we mostly know all the alternatives from a limited set of possible effects. So why the snarky attitude to an effect that is additive to a limited pool?
Got a "greater trick" we don't already know...by all means lead the way...
Or just continue on down your path of snarky...and its final destination.
Boracay, the review is not snarky, it is honest.
Nick gave us his honest opinion, to which he is entitled, without being attacked. His review is much more valuable than the other sycophantic reviews by Penguin's stable of regular reviewers. Attacking him is wrong.
Penguin has changed in the last year or two. Has anyone else noticed that the same reviewers are used over and over again, and they almost always submit the early positive reviews? Always 4-5 stars. I could name names, but look for yourselves. You will see the same names reviewing all the newly introduced effects.
In exchange for advance copies of the effects they agree to write reviews. This clear conflict of interest is not always stated in the review. Even if they are honest positive reviews, the appearance of impropriety is there.
For that matter, WHY are they listed as "Verified Buyers," if in fact they didn't spend their hard earned money for the effect? Bartering a review for a free effect is NOT the same as forking over cash for it.
Also, I can't prove this, but it is my observation that there is a long lag or delay in publishing negative versus positive reviews which wasn't there before.
From my perspective, positive reviews from the stable of reviewers are questionable, as are anonymous reviews. I am now waiting for reviews by named confirmed buyers NOT in the stable, and consider reviews that include both pros and cons as more valuable. Virtually every effect has some cons in certain performing situations and for certain performers.
Problem is, once this questionable review practice is exposed, new shills can be added/exchanged and it will take awhile to sort them out.
Anyway, thank you, Nick for your honest review and for disclosing the fact you were given a free copy in exchange for a review.
Come on Penguin, own up to this deceptive (unethical sense, not magical sense) practice. Stop labeling shills as Verified Buyers and require them to disclose their free copies in their reviews.
In theory the review process is vendor independent and helps prospective buyers to make objective informed purchases...NOT a marketing tool.
Kind regards to all.
@ Jbauman: if what you say was true, I would get very disappointed because the (not only but) main reason I buy here is the trust I have on reviews and the frankness/fairness of Penguin...
Ok I am none, just a magic-lover-fellow, no pro at all, and buy a few things a year but... let's say I hope that if there has been some misunderstanding, Penguin will soon clear them all.
Thank you all for your fairness (I think many no-pro-guys out there rely on it).
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