The Effect
One by one, four aces are set out in front of the spectator along with three other cards from the deck for each ace. Then, one by one the aces disappear. The cards are placed back on top of the deck and then each aces is spelled A-C-E-O-F-C-L-U-B-S and so on, and after each spelling the card is turned over to reveal the ace.
Cost
Around £16 depending on where you buy. Widely available but as usual I got mine from Mike Danata at
http://www.mikedanatasmagicstudio.co.uk, postage free.
Difficulty
(1=easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)
I'd rate at between 2 and 3 but will be dependant on your skill level.
Review
This routine is essentiall a re-worked McDonald's aces without using gaffs and this is precisely what attracted me to this DVD.
The aces can be found in your favourite way or just normally seperated from the rest of the deck before the deck is shuffled by the spec.
From then on in is where the sleights are used to count out the packets and then count to vanish the aces. Once the aces have been vanished and the cards replaced back on top of the deck which has been placed to one side, The deck is now stacked for the count to reveal each of the aces.
This is a very clever routine and for the purests who don't like using gaffs then this is going to be right up their street. It's a very clever routine and on the DVD you are shown and taught six varying routines.
My personal favorite is the first one by Martin Lewis who is credited with creating the stack. The Alex Elmsley version shows just what a master he was and the remaining performances are by Bill Malone, J.C. Wagner, Michael Ammar and James Swain.
It's more difficult to learn COllin's Aces than the standard McDonald's Aces but I think that the effort is well worth it
Overall
A nice DVD and a great rouine. 8.5/10
Member of the Magic Circle & The 2009 British Isles Close-Up Magician of the Year
It's not really an optical illusion - it just looks like one!