Wink Wink by Ben Harris

Quarks & Quirks by Ben Harris
Page 32 et seq.

Personal Comment: This is certainly a great addition to Hoodwink, also by Ben Harris. I personally think that Ben Harris is the king of half baked ideas. Fortunately it take little effort to turn those ideas into great magic. (that leaves me wondering why Ben Harris doesn't do that little effort to begin with) But Wink Wink is good. There are several ways to end this. I like the above version with the switch near the end.

Difficulty 3/5

The Dance of the Cannibals by Roberto Giobbi

Card College 3 by Roberto Giobbi
Page 619 et seq.

Personal Comment: So this is the trick that is missing in the German version of the book. I like it. It says that the cannibal plot was originated by Lynn Searles and a markted effect involving gimmicked cards. Naturally tons of ungimmicked versions popped up. This is Roberto Giobbi's take on it.
Here is what I like about it. The plot: Cards eating cards, that is so weird and off the beaten path that there is a lot to like. The handling: The fact that the missionaries are not shown makes the effect clear. What I don't like: The setup. It is needlessly complicated and can be changed with little effort. Instead of all the false counting and displays in the beginning a simple partial top change would have worked the same. And here is a little addition that some of you might wanna use. Have a small piece of a card handy and slip it into the kings, then you can let them "burp" out that piece. Funny.

Difficulty 3/5

Das abgenommene Auge by Jochen Zmeck

Handbuch der Magie (German book) by Jochen Zmeck
Page 77

Personal Comment: I tried his trick recently. It is good. Nothing of importance, but good nevertheless. I see this more in a longer routine with all sorts of stuff happening to the pips. But this trick ends the Jochen Zmeck homage. For this time ;)

Difficulty 2/5

Die Korrektur des Zufalls by Jochen Zmeck

Handbuch der Magie (German book) by Jochen Zmeck
Page 53 et seq.

Personal Comment: A great trick for a beginner. Simple and direct. Nothing for the pro, but you gotta love the method here.

Difficulty 1/5

Die unsichtbare Karte by Jochen Zmeck

Handbuch der Magie (German book) by Jochen Zmeck
Page 48 et seq.

Personal Comment: To force the card would have been a better way than to do that bold peek. But some might get a kick out of this ultra bold peek. The effect is straight forwards and simple. But one thing: In Germany one of the most common games to play is Skat so most of the sold decks are intended to be used for a game of Skat. A deck of Skat only has 32 cards and no joker. Therefore the effect would be much quicker.

Difficulty 2/5

Doppelte Verwandlung by Jochen Zmeck

Handbuch der Magie (German book) by Jochen Zmeck
Page 47 et seq.

Personal Comment: Really cute trick. While this might not end up in a professional's act I can see this one done at a bar among bar bets and such things. Easy to do, no setup (well openly taking out the Jacks) and a visual effect. Cool stuff. If part of a longer routine this might be worth checking out.

Difficulty 2/5

Eine außergewöhnliche Wanderung by Jochen Zmeck

Handbuch der Magie (German book) by Jochen Zmeck
Page 46 et seq.

Personal Comment: It is easy to underestimate this one. Especially for most German magicians I know as they generally tend to underestimate the value of the book. There is a saying among German magicians: "Everybody owns it, nobody reads it!" Well I read it and I gotta admit some of the stuff in this book is really good. The book is for beginners. Hard to believe if you see the trick. The could be a trick in a Marlo book (perhaps it is). I like it, although it is not my style to handle packets of cards so "squared".

Difficulty 2/5

The Finger Stab by Ken Krenzel

The Card Classics of Ken Krenzel by Harry Lorayne
Page 49 et seq.

Personal Comment: Cute idea. The book says this is a substitute for the card stab with the knife and all. I disagree. But rather easy to do. I see it more in a cutting the aces routine.

Difficulty 2/5

Turn Blue by Ken Krenzel

The Card Classics of Ken Krenzel by Harry Lorayne
Page 70 et seq.

Personal Comment: It is hard to believe that a self working effect can get way better reactions than a complicated one. But this trick really is one of those self working gems. All you need is an odd backed card and the rest works by itself. I did that for laypeople the last few days. And all I can say: "Damn, this is a great trick" And you are way ahead of the audience. I am not sure if this makes it into my repertoire, but it sure makes it into my favourites.

Difficulty Self Working

Boxed Transpo by R. Paul Wilson

Was downloadable at R. Paul Wilsons website.

Personal Comment: If the angles allow this is a pretty nifty trick that I can recommend. I changed the initial count to go for a more traditional approach, not because the suggested method is bad, but because I was unable to pull it off convincingly. I am reading into R. Paul Wilson's material at the moment and at first look it looks good. Let's see if there is more like that. I did it for laypeople today (many days later after having recorded this video which was about three weeks ago, as I usually work in advance) and I got good reactions. The box adds another seperation making the effect seem even more impossible.

Difficulty 3/5

Choice Flesh by Phil Goldstein

Focus by Phil Goldstein 1990
Page 23 et seq.

Personal Comment: Honestly... I don't like this one. It is a strange hybrid between, collectors, the interlaced vanish, cannibal cards and the princess card trick. It feels half baked. But it terms of method this is good.

Difficulty 3/5

Snap Differential by Phil Goldstein

Focus by Phil Goldstein 1990
Page 10 et seq.

Personal Comment: This trick made it actually into my repertoire some years ago. I changed it a bit to fit my style. Here is how! Version #1: I ask the spectator to remove any four card form the middle of a face down spread of cards, claiming they will be the kings. Of course this doesn't happen to which I add in a slightly disappointed tone "they have cleverly disguised themselves I guess" then I proceed to show each card miscalling them as the kings. Then the magic happens and voila you got the kings fixing the error. Version #2: I spread through the face down deck out jogging four random cards claiming that this is a trick with four cards, but the best part is that none of the cards must be remembered. Then I show each card naming the value, always adding "don't even think about remembering this one" which has the reverse effect. "The reason I don't want you to remember the cards is that those are not the cards I just showed you. Those are the four kings." The change is made exactly when I say kings. Both version only require that the kings are secretly on top of the deck. I highly recommend this trick by Phil Goldstein. Very, very, very cool and practical, especially if you get rid of the X-card by just droping it on the face down deck which should be in front of you, adding clean to the list.

Difficulty 3/5

No-Gaff Differential by Phil Goldstein

Focus by Phil Goldstein 1990
Page 5 et seq.

Personal Comment: Good one, nice clear effect and good method. Love it.

Difficulty 3/5

Transfourmation by Phil Goldstein

Focus by Phil Goldstein 1990
Page 12 et seq.

Personal Comment: I'm not sure about this. It certainly is a great effect and the method is deceptive. Maybe it's the lack of inner logic. But that didn't prevent me from liking similar effects in the past. Something about this trick is not right... but it gets one hell of a reaction when I tried it for real people. So I guess I have to say that I like it, sort of!

Difficulty 2/5

Overture by Phil Goldstein

Focus by Phil Goldstein 1990
Page 3 et seq.

Personal Comment: This is the first trick in the book and rightfully so as it perfectly indicates what's comming up. It is not a great trick, not mind blowing, but a great lead in to bigger and better routines. I like it.

Difficulty 2/5

Contest #1

Again:

a card is picked
the card is torn in to four pieces
the four pieces are displayed
three of the pieces go in the spectator's hand
the remaining piece "grows" another quarter
the spectator only holds two pieces
the two pieces are displayed
the two pieces are put back into the spectator's hand
another quarter "grows" on the card held by the magician
the spectator only has one piece left
the spectator is instructed to hold on to the last piece
the magician tries to "grow" the fouth quarter but fails
the magician then vanishes the three quarter card
the spectator now holds the fully restored card

Solutions go to: zaubererroland@gmail.com
Add "basic method" and the name you want to go by!
Be sure to say if you are ok, with me mentioning your name.

The contest is open for submission until I decide to close it. The is the very first contest I do in my life, so have mery with me, if things are not as smooth.

Proof Of The Pudding by Obie O'Brian

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 3, Number 10 October 1980
Page 139 et seq.

Personal Comment: Same effect as before. So you see how knowledgeable cardmen have wasted time with the Hideo Kato Trick or as I like to call it: "The Hideous Card Trick." Why did those card man feel the need to publish this utter crap? well... I do it to proof a point.... come to think of it. The trick is called Proof of the pudding. Maybe Obie O'Brian wanted to prove something too.

Difficulty: 1/5

Over Here, Of Course! by Edward Marlo

The Legendary Hierophant by Jon Racherbaumer
Page 319 et seq.

Personal Comment: So this is Ed Marlo's version of "Where has it Gone" by Hideo Kato in terms of effect and method is is much closer to the original version and boring as hell. But I can see why. The whole routine was designed to fool magicians. And as such it should be treated. Don't torture your audience with this.

Difficulty: 2/5

Gone To Earth by Roy Walton

The Legendary Hierophant by Jon Racherbaumer
Page 324 et seq.

Personal Comment: This is Roy Walton's take on "Where has it Gone" by Hideo Kato (published in Genii, September 1969) which differs quite a lot from the original trick. But the changes where done for the better. The basic effect remains. A card vanishes and then reappears. However I cannot help to note that this is a weak effect. If I take a look at my card repertoire this would be bottom drawer material. That doesn't mean that Roy Walton is a bad magician, it means that he took a bad plot and made it "okay". Speaks for the magic wisdom of a Roy Walton, which I consider the lost third god of cards. And this, among his creations is just proof that he is able to "polish the turd". I don't recommend doing this trick. But I urge you to compare this version with the original to see what changes were made and to see why they were made. This tricks is what I consider a perfect example to teach someone was makes up good card magic.

Difficulty: 2/5

The Whistle by Theodore Annemann

Card College 2 by Roberto Giobbi
Page 374 et seq.

Personal Comment: Actually pretty nice. It's more about the presentational issue and that is what counts for the audience. I like this trick a lot and I can see how thow could be overlooked as a "cheap trick" The method is solid, angle proof and practical. And the effect.... well if you don't get the effect I cannot help ya...

Difficulty: 1/5

Twist Till It Hurts by Geoffrey Latta

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 1, Number 13 December 1978
Page 139 et seq.

Personal Comment: *sigh* Another twisting routine... But at least this is self aware of it's existence among many, as the title shows. Is it any good? Unlike many version this one doesn't hide it's discrepancies. It embraces it. And that might be appreciated by a few. So if you like bold this is good, otherwise stay away and stick to Bro. Hamman, which is much clearer.

Difficulty: 3/5

Dazzling Interchange by Geoffrey Latta

Richard's Almanac by Richard Kaufman
The Collected Almanac (Vol.1 No.10)
Page 82 et seq.

Personal Comment: This is where my inability to cheat on camera shows. I suck at doing passes and culling is not my cup of tea either. But those who are great at it might find this routine incredibly nice. I did it for regular people and with proper misdirection this is a strong routine. I can recommend it.

Difficulty: 4/5

The Jumping Card by Jeff McBride

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 2, Number 5 May 1979
Page 199 et seq.

Personal Comment: If the surface is right, there is no reason not to do it. It's easy, impromptu and looks cool.

Difficulty: 1/5

O. Henry Selections by Jim Swain

Richard's Almanac by Richard Kaufman
The Collected Almanac (Winter 1985)
Page 384 et seq.

Personal Comment: I suck at doing half passes, but if you don't this might be for you. The effect is clear and the ending provides a nice kicker. Here is a little tip, don't do the routine with brand new cards as I did. It becomes very difficult doing so.

Difficulty: 3/5

Yours, Mine And Ours by Jim Swain

Richard's Almanac by Richard Kaufman
The Collected Almanac (Winter 1985)
Page 387 et seq.

Personal Comment: I sort of like this. Easy to do, although... I need to hold my right hand in a odd position during the main move. Otherwise it would flash. I guess big hands help with this one. The effect is clear and it has a fulfilling climax. I changed a tiny bit about the ending. According to the books, one of the kings would be put in the center and the remaining one would turn into an ace. It bothered me that one got treated in a non magic fashion. So I made both kings transform into one ace. Like an upgrade if you will.

Difficulty: 3/5

Convincing Technicolor Oil & Water by Jon Racherbaumer

Richard's Almanac by Richard Kaufman
The Collected Almanac (Winter 1985)
Page 377 et seq.

Personal Comment: Meh.... Oil and Water. Still I am not sure if adding a different back colour enhances the effect. I'm actually not sure if oil and water is a good effect anyways. Feels like a cheap triumph to me. And if you think about it... 8 card unmixing for a mixed condition is a lot weaker then a whole deck unmixing after been shuffled face up into face down cards. So I will not perform this bit. Not recommended!

Difficulty: 3/5

Recollectors by Jon Racherbaumer

Richard's Almanac by Richard Kaufman
The Collected Almanac (Vol.1 No.Summer Extra)
Page 103 et seq.

Personal Comment: The routine really takes a lot of time to get to the point. I don't like that. And is the effect really that good? Something bugs me. I don't like this one.

Difficulty: 3/5

Reality Glitch by Tom Stone

Vortex by Tom Stone (and Steven Minch) 2010
Page 27 et seq.

Personal Comment: Tom claims the discrepancy goes unnoticed due to change blindness. I don't know. I really don't. I do not feel comfortable doing this in front of real people. SO I cannot tell you how well it played. In both, effect and method.

Difficulty: 2/5