Description
Double Back - by Jon Allen
Cost & Availability
£11.95, available from
www.emagictricks.co.uk
Difficulty - A very easy 3
(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)
Review This is my own personal interpretation, the effect supplied is slightly different
Imagine taking four cards from a deck - two pairs, for instance - a red king and a black king, a red five and a black five...
You show the cards freely front and back. You pick up and show the Red Five, and place it on the table - the spectator places their hand on the card. You then show the Black Five, place it under their hand with the red five.
You then turn the final two cards face to face, showing clearly that you are holding the two Kings. You put the two kings back together, face to face - and touch the back of the spectators hand with the two cards.
You comment that you've just forced the cards to swap places. And you smile!
You then joke "No, it's not that easy - look, I still have the two Kings" and show the two Kings once again.
"Here's the REAL changeover" and you tap the back of their hands once more with the Kings.
Instantly, you spread your two cards and turn them both face-up. They are the two fives.
The spectator lifts their hand - they are holding the two kings.
THIS IS EXACTLY AS IT HAPPENS - and it believe me when I say that your spectators will be very shocked indeed. And being honest, the first time I performed this (about 5 minutes after opening the packet it arrived in) I actually shocked myself - this is SO visual!
The trick employs a VERY simple and familiar card-magic principle. And unlike some other similar effects, this one has no moving parts, hinges, flaps, trapdoors, mirrors, magnets or disguised assistants. It is a VERY simple handling, with a couple of quite simple sleights.
The cards required are all supplied - and the ones I received were on red Bicycle Poker stock. But bear in mind, you don't need a whole deck to perform this effect - I simply found it more credible to do it that way, as I find carrying a packet of four 'ordinary' cards around on their own implies that there is actually nothing ordinary about them at all!
A fine little trick, which can be instantly repeated with NO resets - it can be performed perpetually.
Overall
Right then - down to the nitty-gritty. There are few effects these days that actually make me go 'ooh'. And there are even less that actually inspire me. But the sheer simplicity and principle involved in this effect make it absolutely 100% performable, and it has already inspired me to create another ESP based effect of my own.
The visual nature of this effect is what wins hands-down in my opinion. The actual change of the Kings to the Fives is almost instant - and you see THE WHOLE CARD, not just an index or a glimpse - no siree, you see the whole back, and the whole face, and in milliseconds, both cards have changed.
The almost angle-proof handling requires minor skill, only in as much as there are some basic sleights involved. The supplied documentation on how to perform the effect will possibly read as daunting to a novice, as the sleights have no descriptions, and are referred to only by their 'technical' name. There is an alternative handling supplied, which eliminates possibly the most feared sleight (and if I mentioned it's name, most people on this forum would tremble!) - but the rest is relatively plain sailing and self working.
The 'doom' factor is practically nil on this one, too. The trick simply CAN'T go wrong, as long as you know the routine. Obviously, there's 'pilot error', but the actual cards shouldn't let you down (unlike another similar effect, which caused me a slight red face - BTW Yankee Tom, where IS my Red one??? Tee hee!).
All in all, for the money, this effect can't really be done justice by a boring old review. The only way you'll fully appreciate this is to buy it and perform it - and you'll understand my enthusiasm.
Ratings
10/10 - excellent value for money, although documentation may be a little daunting for a complete novice - so I'd recommend only magician's with a basic knowledge of card sleights buy this one.
You really should buy this - especially if you're a bit creative - it will open up some doors to some new ideas, for sure.
Packs into a regular Bike deck, and with a simple switch (which I've tried) the cards are examinable.
Do yourself a favour... log onto eMagictricks and buy one now.