Mark Elsdon knows how to create magic and he knows how to present it. He frequently puts out pieces of magic that if it were presented by anyone else would not be as good. You all know that I am a big fan of his. More often than not he hits it out of the park, sometimes not so much (as you can see form some of my prior reviews), but he scores and takes the lead with this one.
So, what is the trick all about: you have a deck of cards and an envelope that contains one card. They are both out in the open from the beginning. You don’t need to touch anything after you lay out the envelope and the cards. Your spectator takes the deck out of the box and follows your instruction and does a quick overhand shuffle. The spectator then follows your instruction and cuts to a random card and completes the cut. The card is turned over. The envelope is then opened by a spectator and he removes the only card in it face down. Yes, it can be totally inspected. It is turned over and…. You know where this is going… the prediction card matches the randomly cut to card after the deck has been shuffled.
The trick is pretty direct and amazing. Watch the promotional video and if you love it, you know what you are getting. I always enjoy Elsdon’s patter and presentation. He always twists things just a bit to make it seem new and refreshing. Even though the method is not knew and know to the magic community, he added a couple of things. His adaptation is so simple and makes sense.
With your purchase you get a 4 page pamphlet that explains the trick. The instructions are easy to read and follow. The trick too is easy to perform. You also get the envelope mentioned above and a few prepared cards on Bicycle backs. Setting up the trick takes about 10 seconds and resetting the trick after performing it takes a few seconds, but can be done in front of people if you are nonchalant.
The ad copy states:
“The performer introduces a small envelope and says that there is a playing card inside. He places the envelope on the table and never touches it again.
A participant takes the deck out of the box and shuffles it. Then they cut the deck and the top card is immediately turned over. It is, for example, the 7 of Spades. The deck is turned face-up and clearly spread to show that there are no duplicates.
The participant opens the envelope and removes the card inside. It is a perfect match – the 7 of Spades.
AND THERE ARE NO OTHER OUTS – the card in the envelope is ALWAYS the card they choose!
NO sleight-of-hand required. This literally is as easy as it gets!
Alternative endings: You can have a photo of the card posted on your Twitter feed, Instagram or other social media. Or you can WhatsApp or message them at the start and they check the message at the end.”
The truth is that the trick may not always hit immediately, but it is unlikely to go awry based upon the method and the few extra things that Elsdon designed for this trick. I think that some people will think that the trick is a bit pricey, but I do not agree. For $30 you are getting a killer trick from a great creator. You are paying for Elsdon’s thinking and presentation and it is worth it to me.
Bottom line, Elsdon know how to amaze and with this trick he really delivers.
Thanks to Murphy’s Magic for providing this trick to me for my honest review.
