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Hi all,

May be a difficult one to answer but can't think of how else to discuss.

Has anyone come across a handling of OOTW whereby you don't have to stop halfway through the spectators dealing and switch the colours.

Just think it would be much more powerful if you could complete the dealing with everything face down.

Cheers.

YES! I invented one! It was completely useless although I made a lot of money selling it to the daft magicians who were foolish enough to spend money with me! I was in a hotel in Edinburgh and the bloody traffic outside kept me awake all night so out of frustration I pondered the same question that you asked. I came up with something and advertised it in Abra and sold a ton of them. It was a clever idea but completely impractical but I was once told that magicians will buy anything. If you advertise gold plated thumbtips they will buy them just because they are gold plated.

If I ever find the advertising copy I will post it here. For all I know somebody will STILL buy it even though I just admitted it was a load of garbage! Oddly enough I only got two complaints, one from Hubert Lambert in Ireland who told me it was awful and I wrote back saying that I agreed with him and I should know since I invented it. He was quite delighted with the answer for some odd reason so that was the end of that. The other complaint was from Clifford Davis the Daily Mirror journalist and amateur magician who was the nasty judge on New Faces. He was the Simon Cowell of his day. He did not complain about the method only the quality of the product and how badly it was made. He irritated me somewhat so I wrote back to him that the trick was for buying and selling only and quality was only a secondary concern. He was not happy that the trick deck I sent him, although all the cards had a similar back design the shading was a bit off with many of them. I explained that the best thing to do in that case was to perform the trick in a dim light. He never replied for some odd reason but it did deal with the complaint.

If I can give anyone any hints or tips on customer service please let me know.

There are a few methods which don't require stopping half way through.
Many of the John Kennedy variations for example. Also there is a great one I learnt from a penguin lecture which eliminates the dealing switch in a very satisfying way.
And if I'm not mistaken you could check out the Derren Brown version.

However... I still prefer the original. The reason is that when it was the only method I knew, and I wasn't entirely satisfied with the switch of colours, I spent some time working out a presentation which suited me, and I built in a justification which worked really well (and was naturally understood without me needing to over explain it).
Although I now know ways to eliminate the switch, I've discovered that they aren't as effective because they do not fit the presentation I've made work for me.

So I'm not saying you shouldn't look to eliminate the switch... but I'm saying that perhaps it is worth considering potential benefits of the switch, how could you make it work for you? Could you make it a strong point of the routine?

The effect is too long to begin with! Stopping at the half way point gives everyone a break from the repeditive action of dealing.

I agree. The best way is the original way. It is indeed a long trick but the effect is well worth it. And HOW it is worth it! I think it may well be the best card trick of all time. You have to know when to do it. It is not an opening trick for example. And the reaction is often very different. You may well get gasps of astonishment but you may also get stunned silence as what has just happened actually sinks in. They will talk about you for years afterwards. I think it is tragic that the secret of the bloody trick can be found online on that awful You Tube place and I hope to God that nobody who doesn't deserve the trick looks it up online now that I have mentioned it. If they do I warn them that I shall put a psychic hex upon them.

I think it is the greatest card trick ever invented. It baffles the mind rather than the eyes as some of the latest card atrocities do. What I call chewing gum for the eyes and I consider chewing gum to be the most disgusting substance known to mankind.

As for the length of the trick that is what showmanship is for. There are various supposed "improvements" to shorten the length of the trick, the best being the UF Grant variation but all these are poor substitutes for the original Paul Curry version. As Al Baker once said, "Many a good trick has been killed by improvement"

This is one of them.

mark lewis wrote: As Al Baker once said, "Many a good trick has been killed by improvement"

Paraphrased to me many moons ago as:

If it ain't bust, keep fixing it until it is'

Thank you all for your replies. Really interesting points of view.
I love the original routine, I have to say. I suppose though it was the thought that perhaps the layman may be even more staggered without the switch. But as you mentioned, it's still probably the best trick of all time..... So why change it,other than stamping your own presentation on it.

I've always been worried that the original is too well-known among laymen. The only person who's shown it to me is not a magician.

Barry

Paul Harris's Galaxy is an OOTW effect that allows the spectator to deal all the cards w/o changing colors half way.

I find this effect a bit long and repetitive, as do a lot of the specs I've shown it to, and the break good. I do like the idea of not having to do a colour switch too tho!

My favourite handling from the few I know so far is from Mr Carlyle's 'The Carlyle Touch Vol.2', he puts the big mentalist twist on it and I think it just looks lovely when he does it There is a colour switch but overall the effect is much more natural looking than the pre-set deck as everyone can shuffle the hell out of it, I like that.

There is a handling, and not only do you not need to stop half way, but you can let your spectators shuffle the cards during the routine. It's "Out Of My World" by Joseph Barry. I first saw it at Blackpool in February 2015 (and bought his manuscript). It's still available for sale. It baffles everyone that I've shown it to. It might seem expensive, but it's worth it.

Bit of an older thread, but going for it anyway.

I used to absolutely love the OOTW plot. I used the Paul Curry version with a pencil dot rather than counting though. Then I kind of went off it as it seemed to long and procedural.

Then I started doing Paul Harris's Galaxy which I still really like, but was never really completely happy with the ribbon spread at the end. Seemed a bit too...magic-ey.

Then I got a copy of L&L's world's greatest magic - OOTW. I'll be totally honest, most of it I've never watched all the way through because it's so incredibly dull. I did watch Eugene Burger's version of it though (because he's Eugene Burger). It is amazing. Uses half the deck, completely shuffled. You do change the piles halfway, but it's so well justified that it would seem stranger if you didn't. Totally recommend the DVD just for that. I believe it's also on Exploring Magical Presentations.

OOTW is my favorite plot. I love it.
So when the OOTW book (Best of All Worlds) came out I bought it immediately. And, just like you said about your DVD, it was completely dull. Just the same trick over and over with very slight variations, but nothing noteworthy.

I remember Eugene's OOTW is in his Penguin Live lecture. I do not remember his justification for the switch, so I'll have to rewatch it.

I've used Paul Harris's Galaxy for years. It's done me proud.

But sfter reading this thread, I'll get the Worlds Greatest DVD for Mr Bergers version!