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HANDS OFF (ACAAN) by Patrick Redford


The Effect
Someone names any card, another names any number. The performer asks if it would be impressive if that card were found at that number in the deck of cards he's been holding. The audience agrees, but the performer admits it would not be very impressive as he's been holding onto the deck the entire time and could have done something sneaky. What would be more impressive is if that card was found at that named position in a second deck of cards that the performer has gone no where near. Better yet, that deck has been in full view since before the effect began.

This deck is tossed to an audience member who opens the box, removes the cards, and counts them one at a time face-up to find the named card at the exact named position.


Cost
I purchased mine as a £16 digital download from Elmwood Magic (they still have a special introductory price on their site for this)


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

There are options here: it could be as low as 2 - but you'd probably want to perform it up a notch, which could make it a 3


Review
I must admit, when I initially watched this, I thought it was very clever, but was slightly let down. Very quickly though I realised just how good this could be.

This is not the holy-grail, nor does it aspire to be. It is a very different approach to the traditional ACAAN (at least, from everything I've seen). It represents a combinations of several principles we all know and love - and a couple of "throw-away" insights which were new to me, and almost worth the price alone! It's difficult to review without talking too much about the workings - as that's where the brilliance is. All I will say is that it's not 100% impromptu and there is a very subtle gimmick involved (not included, but easy to make). Don't let that turn you off. The method is bold, which requires a bold and confident performance - but I'm sure you'll really enjoy performing it.

There are 3 effects included: the main Hands Off routine (close-up) / a stage version / an impromptu CAAN. I've only spent time with the main effect. You can actually perform the main routine using various techniques and handlings, changing it up depending on your abilities and the "effort" you want to make (ie: layman v fellow magicians). Finally, the principles and teachings included here are not restricted to just this routine - you can adapt for a whole multitude of uses. Which is always nice.

In summary - brilliant thinking on an old classic and highly recommended.


Overall
9/10

Nice review, Grant!

I'm going to second Grant's opinion on this. I had the distinct pleasure of watching Mr. Redford perform the effect at a lecture last week. It's a highly practical solution to the plot, and it's definitely something worth looking into, if you are looking for an ACAAN effect.

The impromptu version (Fantasie Impromptu) is a great bit of lateral thinking, and even though it's offered as a bonus, it's a strong effect on it's own.

Is this significantly different to Dave Forrest's red & blue deck one (either Route 1 or autobahn I can't remember which was which)?

Not sure - I'm not familiar with the working of Dave Forrest's routine. Patrick does mention it in the video, highlighting that they are different routines, with his pre-dating Dave's by quite some time.

To quote Patrick from a recent post over at another forum...


"For the record, the version that David Forest put out came out after my version so one could say his is a variation of mine. In reality, it was simply a case of independent creation. My version predates his by several years.

This is a new version that uses a special gimmick. The version from Mendacity does not allow folks to open the box themselves nor does it allow the box to be handled freely by the audience. In this new version called "Hands Off" it does.

If one wanted to, it is possible to toss the deck that's been on display and untouched by the performer out to an audience member, he or she may open the box, remove the cards, and count to the named number to find the named card. In the demo video I open the box simply because.....who cares who opens the dang box!?"



G