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Think by Shin Lim

Mr. Lim is becoming rather prolific these days. We should expect some good things, after all, Shin was both FISM and IBM champion in 2011. For a chap barely out of his teens, its pretty impressive.

The Effect

A deck of cards and a prediction is presented. The spectator is asked to think of a number betwixt 1 and 52, and then to deal cards down to that number. The card they arrived at matches your prediction. At no point does the magician touch either the deck or the prediction.

Here is a Youtube clip of the performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzgZGhJhS-s" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

Cost

You can find this in the region of £20:00.

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)

1 - as you don't really do anything except issue instructions. There's a little bit of memorising on your part, but that's the only place you may find difficulty if your memory is extraordinarily bad.

Review

Who doesn't like doing nothing and getting everyone else to do the work? Forget those pesky sleights...drop the work on the pass, leave behind the bottom deal...get the spectator to do it. If Mr. Lim won his accolades by getting the judges to do the work for him, I tip my virtual hat to him.
The production value of the DVD is high, every pixel razor sharpened, so full marks for that.
The explanation by Shin however can sometimes become irritating, as he over-explains elements of the trick. Some may need it only once, some twice, but it felt at times like the depths he goes to are un-necessary. I got it the first time around, and I'm sure most others will too, so to hear it another three times felt a bit insulting and frustrating. Maybe he was just very chuffed with his own creation.
There is a little bit of memory work on behalf of the magician but I assure you, its really nothing and the sheet they provide with is only looked at once or twice before you're out on your own with it.

Shin gives three versions of the trick. Now, the Youtube clip is the reason I bought it, and I'd say its the reason others will too. It was a bit weird then, to discover that the version in the clip is the 2nd version and not the first one he teaches. Initially I felt robbed, like the trick wasn't the one I'd paid for. The 2nd variation is much more convincing, much more hands off and, I'd imagine, the version most of you are likely to use. Its an odd thing that's niggled me...probably more than it should.

That said, the explanations are clear enough and even if Shin does go on a bit, he does provide you with subtleties and a couple of 'outs' if needed.

Overall

The trick itself is, needless to say, a self-worker. As such, I should make my opinion clear here and now: this trick is gold for those starting out in magic. Its a genuinely baffling effect to the right kind of lay audience. Since you do nothing, it teaches you to both frame the effect in a convincing manner (NOT like the youtube clip I might add) and allows you to get a hold on audience management. It also means you are not handling the deck, and I think its a good thing to grow a pair and let the audience handle the deck from time to time. Its more convincing for them too. Such a thing is a great confidence booster for the novice. Moreover, there is a very slight chance of being caught out with this, and even though the chance is very small, it still gives the feeling of being brave with your magic which again, is great for those starting out and looking to build confidence.

I have my own ACAAN - as I'm sure a lot of you do - but mine relies on sleights and as such is nowhere near the hands-off approach of Think. Sadly, I'm no longer into carrying around a bunch of decks geared for various tricks. I'm sure most of you know there's a set-up for tricks of this variety, and therefore you'd need to create your own 'Think deck'. This is fine if I want to annoy people that come to my house, but not if I'm out and about or in my favourite tavern.

Despite my niggles, and the fact that this isn't strictly an ACAAN, I still consider it a decent trick that has the potential to floor and stun if presented correctly. Framing this effect is key, and since you have all the time and potential to do so, there's no reason you shouldn't make it as affecting as possible.

8/10