Bannon…BBM…yeah, you got MY attention… AGAIN! What a great download from our favorite self-working card trick deity and it really kills over ZOOM, or FaceTime, or on the phone or even in person. The magician never touches or sees the cards and the spectator does all the dealing and picking and moving of the cards and the spectator is the one who ends up flabbergasted, saying, how the hell did you do that?!
Tell your spectator to pick any 8 cards from any shuffled deck. She looks at the top card remembers it. She then mixes the cards in a way that neither the spectator nor the performer knows where the card is. Then, the spectator deals the cards into two rows and just by hearing the name of the cards, the performer quickly divines that a couple of the cards are not the spectator’s card. The spectator then moves her selected card and in no time the performer is able to announce the spectator’s card. Wanna see a performance by John Bannon? Easy, just go to the Big Blind Media website and watch it. The promotional video is 4 minutes long and has a complete and uncut performance of the trick over ZOOM. Liam Montier is the spectator and Bannon does the honors.
After I saw the trick I truly did not know how he did it and knew that I wanted this trick and that I would perform it.
Let’s check out the ad copy for the trick:
“A BBM EXCLUSIVE DOWNLOAD – ‘Zoombaya’ is the first of a series of releases from John Bannon featuring virtual, internet-friendly stunners you’ll also want to do live, up-close and personal. This incredible routine allows you to determine which of eight random cards your participant is thinking of, all whilst turned away, or on videoconference, over the internet or even over the phone. And you never see or touch the cards!
- Totally self working. Totally impossible!
- No angles, no gimmicks, no sleights, no off-camera shenanigans
- A remote miracle where you never touch or see the cards
- The eight cards can be from a borrowed deck
- No elaborate pre-trick nonsense, start immediately from a shuffled deck
- Works over video call / phone call / in person / on stage!
- Perform from the other side of the world”
Yup, its all true. So let me break it down a bit. There are some steps that need to be followed and if the spectator does not follow the instructions, the trick will not work. I would not repeat the trick because the spectator may start to see some of the steps.
Bannon does a presentation that is in his own style and this trick is so easily adaptable to many presentations that you will likely make up your own routine with the basic steps.
There is a moment – just one small one – where the performer asks a very causal question about the spectator’s card, but it is so innocuous that it will likely just fly by your non-magician audience. Any magician will immediately hone in on the fishing rod, but still be wondering how the trick is done.
There is a very clever step in this trick that makes it so deceptive and makes the trick work. I just love seeing how Bannon implements clever little tricks and steps. There is no learning curve because Zoombaya is self-working and you will be performing this trick immediately.
When you buy this $9.99 download, you get the a 3 minute and 45 second presentation that is part of the promotional video. Bannon is clearly in his office and Montier is across the world in what is likely his flat. I believe that Liam is fooled and when the trick is over he asks Bannon: “So how does it work?”
You also get a 12 and a half minute explanatory video in which Bannon explains the trick to Montier on Zoom. Montier tilts his webcam onto the top of his desk and you can see how he follows Bannon’s instructions. This trick is so easy to do and really so much fun and very fooling.
If you like the performance after watching the promotional video, then I hope and expect that you all will enjoy performing this trick as much as I do.
