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The Effect

He says:
"This is my favvourite card trick. Like you, I know hundreds of card tricks, but this demonstration is special. Here are a few of the features.

1. The demonstration can be performed with anyone's cards with absolutely no preparation.
2. The effect can be done close-up sitting at a table or as a stand-up performance piece in front of a large audience.
3. The effect can be described by a participant in one sentence - "The card I thought of was found at the position in the deck I selected."
4. The stunt is stunning and memorable.

Cost
£15.23 at World of Magic

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)

3.

Review

I am slightly obsessed with this kind of effect at the moment, but I must admit, I have been looking for something like this for a while. The description that Barrie gives is fair and accurate (although I am not certain I could carry it off on a big stage - but I'm sure Barrie could!).

Like all of Barrie's work what stands out here are the subtleties. Everything has been carefully thought through and everything in the routine is there for a reason. That is what you are paying for.

You are supplied simply with a manuscript (it really is an impromptu effect - nothing else needed) which has a few illustrations to detail one of the sleights.

A word about the sleights. The routine uses a couple. I am certainly not the world's greatest cardman, but they are well within my range. At the point of the 'harder' sleight there is EXCELLENT misdirection at that particular point, meaning you really should have no worries about it.

I like this a lot. Often when I read things for the first time I think - this has no chance of working in the real world (or perhaps more accurately I myself have no chance of making this work in the real world, which is a slightly different thing!). But this one I just wanted to get up and practise!

As I was buying this I was chatting to a more experienced magician who was familiar with the Berglas version of this effect, and it was his opinion that Richardson's was stronger overall. I don't know the Berglas routine, but this one is certainly worth a look.

Overall

For my money I don't think you will find a better impromptu, any time, anywhere version of this. Give it a bit of practise and you'll have a real winner on your hands.

I agree, I love this version and have great success with it.

I also agree, the concept is very strong, it is impromptu (OK the trick title does say that already I know), and the descriptions of how to provide cover for the only minor moves required, and which are completely in tune with the flow of the trick, make this a favourite of mine too

I have to agree. This is the only card at any number i perform. Worth every penny.

Lovely effect, i use it all the time.

I recently got this after reading the review. I tried it a few times with minimal success. The reason was that the spectators asked..."Why did you break the flow of counting to flip over the dealt cards?" Now I did it in context of the rest of the trick. And the 'move' went unnoticed, but it was the break in flow that made it 'off' i guess. Any tips?

Hi All,

this was the first ever ACAAN that I got and I sweated when I first saw it.
A little card experience later and I love ths trick! (2 years)
I usually ask the spectator to name the number held on the invisible tape and then make sure that they don't want to change - I also ask what they would have changed it to.
When I am counting through the cards I make it feel like I/They could have the wrong number and this create natural break points during the counting to cover the next 'move'
In short - if you are counting out and stop once then you highlight that that there is a break in patter. I you have had several breaks then it seems normal as it has happened before.
I also ask for the spectator to count with me and occaisionally deliberately get the counting wrong so that I get corrected - this focusses (is that a word?)the spec on the counting and allows reason for the deliberate breaks!

thanks

Andy