What The Audience Sees:
"Jamie did this crazy card trick! He asked me to hold the Ace of Spades and then showed me he was holding the Ace of Clubs. He then demonstrated what was about to take place and switched our cards. So now I had the Ace of Clubs and he had the Ace of Spades. He then took his Ace and tapped mine with it and told me they had switched places. When I looked, however, they were both Red Queens! OMG! It was crazy!
How It Went:
Well, unless you've been living under a rock the last ten years, you've seen this trick performed by David Blaine on television. The question is; are the reactions he gets on the show authentic? I can tell you, and I'm sure you know, that they absolutely are. Make no mistake- Eddie invented, in my opinion, one of the greatest card effects of all time with this one. It's fast, the magic happens in the spectator's hands, and it really is remarkable. I would have to say this is the one trick I get asked to do the most as well, as a civilian and as a worker.
Friday was like my own David Blaine special. People were screaming, laughing, and having a great time. I actually thought one lady was about to give birth, and she wasn't even pregnant! I think I did this trick a total of thrity-seven times (busy day at work!) and there wasn't one bad reaction. Great work Eddie!
The interesting thing about this effect is, and this is a testament to the effect, that no one, not one single person, asked where the Aces went. They all firmly believed the Aces changed into the Queens. I've played around with revealing the Aces in another location and such but, in the end, I just leave the Queens in their hand and that's where I stop. The moment you reveal the Aces somewhere else, in my opinion, you've altered the effect from a change to a switch. And that's not what I'm shooting for with this one.
History:
Published in Magician Nitely in 1974. You can find the complete text of Magician Nitely in "Fechter: The Magic of Eddie Fechter" by Jerry Mentzer.
Best Lines:
"OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG!" -a common reaction.
"TETHWH SHUYWTQR TRGHAH!" -this person actually started choking, lol.
Angry Bob Rating:
I have a co-worker (Bob) whose uncle was a magician and thereby has a good working knowledge of how magic works. He's pretty grumpy but likes Magic Friday because he can tell me how he figured out how the effect is done.. A high rating means he'll never figure it out.
"Go %$^$ yourself." -5/5.
My Rating:
10/10, no question. I thought it quite fitting that my latest Magic Friday for the Café was the School for Scoundrels "3 Card Monte" and that my first Magic Friday for Street Magic is a trick commonly referred to as "2 Card Monte". Both are fantastic and both are 10's. This is a good time to bring up a point, actually.
If you're reading this column for the first time, then you should know that I never review bad effects. I spend a good amount of my life researching effects that I know will play well, not only on Magic Friday, but also in my other life as a Professional Magician. So you're going to see a lot of 8, 9, an 10s on these pages.
The JDG Tip:
I'm not sure if Eddie does a triple but, if I remember correctly, I'm pretty sure that's how David does it- a triple and a top. I, however, prefer a double with a bottom. That's a key to success in magic- Find out what works for you!
Closing Thoughts:
There you have it.
Anything Is Possible,
Jamie D. Grant
Vancouver Magician
visit: www.whatizit.net
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1 comment:
This effect is also featured (and explained) on David Williamson's "Magic Farm." It's a real stunner when paced correctly -- and it looks as if you, Jamie, have learned the proper pacing for it.
But for the life of me, I wish it had never had its name changed to "2 Card Monte."
*jeep!
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