Muscle Reading by Roberto Giobbi

Card College Light by Roberto Giobbi
Page 49 et seq.

Personal Comment: Lots of setup, considering that a key card would work almost the same way. It would still be self working. And after a glimpse any shuffle may happen. So why the whole work... Because some need that. Not me. Thanks. But I gotta give the routine one big pro. It will fool fellow magicians.

Difficulty: Self Working

Slow Henry by Roberto Giobbi

Card College 5 by Roberto Giobbi

Page 1239 et seq.



Personal Comment: This is demanding and I don't do it justice. I'm sorry. But this really is a good trick. It has suspense and surprise. It is deceptive (if done right) and a very clear effect. But it's not easy. In fact, it's the kind of trick, that if you don't do it regularly you will forget the phases. Aside from that you need quite a lot of table space. This makes the trick not a work horse. It remains for those special occasions when there is enough time and space. But I like it anyways.



Difficulty 4/5

Coalaces by Roberto Giobbi

Card College 5 by Roberto Giobbi
Page 1178 et seq.

Personal Comment: This is one of those effects that really register on the emotional level. Four cards turning into one. That is cool! The only cooler thing is the exact opposite. Now think about it. If you are going to end the effect where the video and the book ends, you really miss out on a great opportunity to do great magic. Here is my little addition to that. After having a card selected and the four aces turned into the selection, reverse the process: Put the selection face down on the table... but when you turn it face up it is the four aces again. It really hits people in a strange place. Then you can produce the selection form any place you want to. If all of that is put together it gives it a nice feeling of a whole routine. I think I read something like this somewhere... it's ringing a bell.

Difficulty 4/5

The Quick Change Artists

Card College 5 by Roberto Giobbi
Page 1163 et seq.

Personal Comment: Really good. There are tons of routines like this. But this is put together well. The setup is little and the effect good. I like the rhythm of the changes. "1, 1, and 2". Instead of the usual "1, 1, 1, slow 1", Or the "boom all 4". This should work as a prime example of how to put together a prelude to a longer routine. And what you need to do, to make this your own.

Difficulty 3/5

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

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

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

Three-way Excursion by Roberto Giobbi

Card College 4 by Roberto Giobbi
Page 859 et seq.
Page 841 et seq. in the German Edition ("Transposition Excelsior")

Personal Comment: Really nice and easy, but you need table space. Lot's of table space. So this is not for the closeup kind of guy who is used to doing card magic amongst wineglasses with very little space. But if you have the liberty of space, there is no reason not to do it. It is based on Irv Weiner's "Triple Transposition", a credit that is not in the German edition for some reason.

Difficulty 2/5

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

Ultra-ambitious by Roberto Giobbi

Card College 4 by Roberto Giobbi
Page 1005 et seq.
Page 948 et seq. in the German Edition

Personal Comment: I have a hard time believing that I have not chosen more Ambitious Card sequences for the Daily Card Trick. But this is the first one. Personally too much for my taste. But my opinion shouldn't count, as I threw my ambitious card out of my working repertoire a long time ago. It is pretty complex compared to the "single phase modular thinking" usually associated with the Ambitious Card. But if you are the type of performer that sticks to his handling and doesn't improvise a lot this might be for you.

Difficulty 4/5

Card Collection by Roberto Giobbi and Jim Surprise

Card College 4 by Roberto Giobbi
Page 1002 et seq.
Page 945 et seq. in the German Edition

Personal Comment: This is the version I've been using in a regular performance. It is straight to the point, practical and fairly easy. I changed the whole selection part of the routine. In the book it tells you to take out the selections one by one from the middle, spinning it out of the deck. Not only do I have trouble doing that, I also think that in terms of structure this kills my personal pacing. I want to show all the selections at the same time. So I added the switch which works fine in the routine and is nicely covered in the action of picking up the kings. This works much better for me and my somewhat chaotic nature as I perform. Almost forgot. I changed the ending too. In the book version the four aces (not kings) are placed on the deck and vanish instantly only to reappear in the middle of the deck having caught the selection. I like the effect that the selections rise to the top, getting trapped by the kings. Again just me.

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 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

Monarch's Quartette / Verwandlung by Roberto Giobbi

Grosse Kartenschule
Volume 2
Page 429 et seq.

Personal Comment: Monarch's Quartette by Larry Jennings. This is the version by Roberto Giobbi from the German edition of Card College. It is seemingly not part of the English version of the book. It is a nice routine that is fairly easy to do. I still have my doubts about the Jinx Switch but I tried it and it went unnoticed. "Verwandlung" is the German title and means "Change". The original version (Ultimate Secrets of Card Magic p.83 et seq.) has a slightly different handling, which a tad less practical but as bold as one could wish for.

Difficulty: 2/5