Triumph by Dai Vernon

Card College 3 by Roberto Giobbi
Page 654 et seq.

Personal Comment: This is not the original handling. For the original handling please refer to the book "Stars of Magic" (Page 23 et seq.) This uses the "Zarrow". Roberto Giobbi claims no involvement in this, so the "other" participant in the handling remains unknown. It is a classic. Rightfully so. But it is not easy. I suck at doing the move involved. And I am honestly practicing the Zarrow for a few year now. My hands simply refuse to do the proper work. Anyway, what I like about the version above is the lack of any "proof". The situation is so clear that this doesn't need any proof.

Difficulty 5/5

A Sure Bet by Roberto Giobbi

Card College 3 by Roberto Giobbi
Page 565 et seq.

Personal Comment: Larry Jennings also came up with a version. But the above version was created by Roberto Giobbi "independently" which means Larry Jennings had nothing to do with it. Technically speaking there is no need to even mention Larry Jennings. But some credit crazy magicians think otherwise. So after wasting all those words... the trick is gold, pure gold. The sucker element gets the audience if they really think you messed up. That of course requires acting. Also it requires real good audience management as they must not speak up telling you that you are wrong. So if you have kids in your audience this might not be the effect of choice. But if you sure you can pull this off, the reactions are crazy. This is no longer about the cards. This trick glorifies the magicians ability to fool the hell out of you. To lead you down the path that you think is safe, yet the magician has been there already.
There is also a risk involved in doing this trick. If the audience doesn't like you, they will also shut up and not tell you that you got the wrong card. Having the right card in the end however will also carry a very bad subtext. "Look at me, I'm smarter than you!" That has to be avoided at all cost.
So the trick requires audience management, acting and likability on the performers part. So this might not be for everyone. But for those few... this is gold.

Difficulty 2/5

Remember and Forget by Christoph Borer

Card College 3 by Roberto Giobbi
Page 546 et seq.

Personal Comment: Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser came up with this excellent plot. The technical solution in this version could not be more simple and clever. I love it. But I see a problem with it. This could not be performed anywhere. It needs proper framing. So this is perfect for a Salon type piece. Very much in the same way Hofzinser did. It required the spectator to remember two cards. And as easy as this sound I do recall many situations where my audience couldn't remember one card. Distraction is the key word here. If there are distractions like alcohol, loud noise, peer pressure this trick is not recommended. But otherwise go for it. The method allows for more than two people to participate. Always a good thing.

Difficulty 2/5

The Invisible Card by Dirk Ferguson and Roberto Giobbi

Card College 3 by Roberto Giobbi
Page 523 et seq.

Personal Comment: Creator of the base of this trick is magician Dirk Ferguson who called it Wow! Confusing? I added this fairly known trick to show how weird proper crediting can go. Dirk Ferguson published this under his pen name Richard Bruce in the 1951 issue of Hugard's Magic Monthly (Vol. IX, No. 4, page 835 et seq.) It was an instant hit. For some reason it got also known as the "Biddle Trick" mostly because of some bad marketing by one of those magic companies that sound close to "illusionist". "Wow" however was the correct title. Nowadays "Wow" is often associated with a plastic gimmick. The title that Roberto Giobbi chose is taken as well. Gerald Deutsch's "Invisible Card" comes to mind. Whatever. The world of magic crediting is a difficult one. The trick itself however is a great one. Easy to do, strong effect.

Difficulty 1/5

The Strasbourg Waltz by Richard Vollmer

Card College 3 by Roberto Giobbi
Page 613 et seq.

Personal Comment: Nice version of Twisting the Aces I think. Not much illogical stuff going on. And I've been through many, many version. The last effect seems a bit off, but hits people on a weird emotional level. I tried it and I get good reactions. Compared to the almost non existing setup this is great. However is you don't like the end you can do the following. Lose the two aces in the middle of the deck instead of placing them on the table. The other two go to the top. Do the magic stuff and reveal the other two aces on top. Deal them on the table and do a turnover pass as you show the other aces in the center. If you decide on that handling you don't even have any setup at all.

Difficulty 2/5

Rise and Switch by Bill Simon and Roberto Giobbi

Card College 3 by Roberto Giobbi
Page 590 et seq.

Personal Comment: Could be included in almost any existing ACR. The method is solid and the "indicator" card really help to make it easy to remember what is going on. I would file this under "Nice, but not my cup of tea" as again there is the issue with the table space, limiting it's real world use drastically. I can imagine, letting others hold the indicator cards and placing the selection on top of those. That would transform the bit into a "in the hands" item making this much more attractive. In face now thinking about it, it probably is the best approach. Just place the indicator card into the spectators hand. Face up. Then place the selection on that card Face down. Follow quickly with half the pack, then let them remove the indicator card from the bottom of the pack to be placed on top of the pack, telling them that the selection will now follow. During the second phase you make the two spectators switch the indicator cards. I assume you can even prompt them to do so. So it seems to be their idea, making this much stronger.

Difficulty 1/5

The Palindrome Cards by Roberto Giobbi

Card College 3 by Roberto Giobbi
Page 585 et seq.
Page 622 et seq. in the German Edition

Personal Comment: Meh... is that a good card plot? I personally like the straight order in the court plot more. You know, mixing them and then they are in order. The sudden reverse of the order would be a nice finish for the standard routine.

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

Set-Reset Plus by Roberto Giobbi

Card College 3 by Roberto Giobbi
page 616 et seq.

Personal Comment: Paul Harris' effect Set-Reset has been through a lot of trouble. The inherent flaw in structure and method. The later has been worked on many, many times. This version by Roberto Giobbi is a synthesis of Paul Harris, Bernard Bilis and Richard Vollmer. I like it. I added the presentational layer, which I think has been done before. But it solves the inherent dramatic flaw well I think. Or to say it in as few words as possible: Works for me!
The original description includes a flourishy type of colour changes that I am simply unable to do. I don't have the dry hands required for the "snap action" as it is written up. Couldn't include so, I went for a more traditional type of colour change near the end.

Difficulty 3/5

The Time Machine by Steve Freeman

Card College 3 by Roberto Giobbi
page 588 et seq.

Personal Comment: You could say it is just another two card transposition, but it feels differently. Maybe due to the presentational frame of time travel. I like it, as it is very straight forward and very quick. I like quick effects. And the fact that you do not need a table makes the whole thing even more desirable to perform it.

Difficulty 2/5

The Four Seasons by Lynn Searles and Roberto Giobbi

Card College 3 by Roberto Giobbi
page 525 et seq.

Personal Comment: I like that trick. But more in terms of method than effect. There are far better examples out there, but you will get a kick out of the method.

Difficulty 1/5