357 by Tom Lauten

Magic Friday is written By Vancouver Magician Jamie D. Grant

What The Audience Sees:

“This Friday was pretty cool! Jamie came by and told us that we were going to be playing Russian Roulette! Big Ted got a bit scared but Jamie explained that we were going to be using paper bullets and not real bullets- that would have been inappropriate for a corporate environment (in my opinion). Anyways, it was still exciting. Jamie showed us six pieces of paper and six envelopes. Each sheet of paper had a something written on it that symbolized a bullet and, on the other side, something that indicated that it would be safe. We turned one of the papers with the Bullet side face up and put all the papers in the separate envelopes at random. Without looking or anything, Jamie slowly pulled five of the six papers out of the envelopes with the Safe side face up! You have seen Big Ted with each revealing- you would think the things were real! It was really fun without being dangerous, and I have no idea how he did it!”

How It Went:

This was a fun day! The thing that I need to say, right off the bat, is that this routine really “opens up” the group you’re performing for. It just encourages discussion and chat and, well, fun. As opposed to say, the Ambitious Card, for example, where everyone for the most part is silent (or in shock) and simply watching, this effect is very interactive. Almost every time I said, “We’re going to be playing Russian Roulette today...” someone would point at one of their co-workers or boss and scream, “Use Him!!!”, lol. So, right away, people were into it.

And I also love the fact that it uses pieces of paper instead of, ummmm, bullets. Lol. Seriously, there’s something nice about the compactness (is that a word?) of it all. Six envelopes, with papers inside, and you’re ready to go- super clean. And, like I said, people had a great time all throughout the day. Not one mistake and everyone completely understood what was going on, and what they were supposed to do. Awesome.

Best Lines:

”BOOM!”
-This guy yelled that, and I mean YELLED THAT, with every envelope, lol, even though it said “Click”. Pretty funny.

”How did you know? How did he know? Someone tell me how he knew?!! I mixed them myself!!!
-The specs can totally shuffle the envelopes and you’ll still know. Sweet!

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

”Give me those %^#%^#% envelopes! ... ... Give me the %#%^#%^ paper!!! ... ... Okay, how about you go #%%#% and the #^%^# the %#^%#^#^ out of the %$%#^#%!... ... Now!"

-5/5. There is no way he’ll know. It took me a fair bit of practice until I was confidant I could be 100% and there’s no way a spec will ever know after one viewing.

My Rating:

I really like this effect (obviously, or I wouldn’t be performing it, lol). And I can’t see too many downsides, to be honest. I guess, ideally, you would use a table but, and I did on Friday, it’s totally possible to do this standing, which is great. I was also totally sure that there was no way that anyone knew how I was doing it, and that it would always work. Having effects like those are sometimes rare, so it was nice feeling. 9.5/10.

The JDG Tip:

This isn’t a tip of mine, but something I read on the forums, which is don’t use a black sharpie to write the words as they might show through the envelope. I had no problem but it’s something to consider. My personal tip to you is to practice. Take the time and make sure you’re one hundred per cent. It is a game of life and death after all.

Closing Thoughts:

Peter and Marc (who do the teaching on the DVD) are genuinely funny guys and ask pertinent questions to each other. It made the learning process fun and so much easier. A job well done. That said, I would have liked to see Tom on the DVD (just because I like putting faces to great ideas).

Have a great week!

Jamie D. Grant
Vancouver Magician
www.jamiedgrant.com
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