In this full-color illustrated ebook Ben has collected together seven of his favorite, original card effects - the material which he can rely on to astound any audience. These are fresh and at times visual takes on classic plots where clever thinking meets sleight of hand meets good structuring to create powerful, close-up card magic...
- Monty's First Dual: As an addendum to your favourite Monte routine and using just three, regular cards you apparently cause - in the fairest possible manner and with no moves whatsoever - the designated 'Money' card to exchange places with one of the two indifferent cards! Relying less on sleights and more on clever structuring and handling, this is the perfect way to demonstrate that those hustlers don't need fast hands to get you...
- uDO Spell: A freely selected and signed card lost in the deck is located by your participant - with the cards entirely in their hands! This refinement of the classic "U Spell" not only streamlines the method but layers on the impossibility to create a piece of card magic which is incredibly powerful.
- Six Pack[et]: The performer gives himself four attempts to find the selected card - and fails miserably, consistently turning up four indifferent cards. One of the cards VISUALLY turns face-up - lo! It is the same value as the selection, albeit a little ill-fitting in the suit department. Nevertheless the performer continues, and in an instant not only have two more cards turned face-up, but they have also transformed to match the value of the selection! Only one card is left face-down and upon turning it over there, surrounded by its mates, is the participant's selection. Also included is a description of the way in which the new method for visually twisting a card can be extrapolated and applied to a more classic handling using the four Aces.
- Top Card... The Second: The signed selection jumps to rest alongside an indifferent card branded as the 'Top Card' of the deck before fusing with it to leave your participant with a truly impossible souvenir which leaves them speechless. My thanks to Jay Sankey for allowing me to include this refinement of his original Top Card here.
- Triple Jump: A merely thought-of card disappears from a packet despite it never being named and appears reversed and centralised in a second packet. It disappears once again only this time to reappear reversed and centralised in the packet the participant has been clinging onto!
- The Joker's Picnic: A freely-selected and signed card is very fairly placed between the two red Kings, from whence it impossibly disappears. It reappears between the two Jokers - which your participant has been holding onto the entire time! This is a very sneaky method you are sure to love.
- Repeater Card To Pocket: A no-palm repeat card-to-pocket performed in context of a gambling demonstration: a signed selection is pushed into the centre of the deck and, after some pattering, is removed - face outwards and with empty hands - from the performer's pocket. This card is suddenly seen to be an indifferent one and again from the performer's pocket he removes the selection. Demonstrating how this might be useful in a Poker demonstration the performer shuffles the cards and deals out two hands - one for his participant and one for himself. The participant's fourth card is his signed selection - which vanishes from the packet and reappears face-up in the performer's - who turns his remaining three cards over to reveal that they are the three mates of the selection!
"I was most impressed with the thinking" - Peter Duffie
"This is an excellent book and I would happily recommend it to anyone who is comfortable with card work... the material is polished and the writing style is clear, concise and easy to follow" - Michael Jay
"You should know already that I think Ben Highway is deviously brilliant. Ben pushes the envelope, including my own work, at times. Don't read Ben's material unless you are willing to go beyond your preconceived notions of what can be done, and how." - Kenton Knepper
1st edition 2008; 33 pages.
word count: 12122 which is equivalent to 48 standard pages of text