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Rush: Close-Up Russian Roulette
by Dee Christopher

$21

(1 review, 2 customer ratings) ★★★★

PDF | by download [1.79 MByte]  
Rush: Close-Up Russian Roulette by Dee Christopher
  • Powerful.
  • Easy to do.
  • 100% Success rate.
  • No markings or magnetics.
  • Brand new method.
  • Logical items to carry
  • Can be performed in any situation.
  • 1 minute set up and you're good for hundreds of performances.

"Dee Christopher has managed to find an exciting and original way to introduce a dangerous stage classic to the close-up arena. A marvel idea from an amazing artist." - Daniel Madison

"Great bit of original thinking mixed in with the prospect of burning things. Double win! Sadly, it always works...so it's terrible for pyromaniacs." - Paul Brook Mind Reader

From the introduction by Dee Christopher:

I have been performing russian roulette routines on stage for the best part of a decade. I've used spikes, staple guns, power drills, knives and other items.

The basic effect is that the performer avoids the dangerous item out of several identical items, for instance, the only cup with a spike under it. These routines are filled with suspense and impact - For a long time I've been searching for a way to create a russian roulette routine in a close up environment, something that could be done in a walk around or table gig.

I've seen a few on the market that look like magic tricks, or are illogical. I wanted something that used items that you would carry in your pocket, that looked innocent and that worked EVERY time, no matter the situation.

With RUSH, you will be given the secret to creating the perfect close up russian roulette, using several normal disposable lighters.

One by one, the spectator will select three of the four lighters to either light under your palm, or to set alight an item of value (such as an envelope with money in it). None of the lighters that they select will work, the only lighter that actually lights is the final one left. Every time.

If you work in bars or nightclubs with their own branded lighters, you can easily gimmick their lighters in the bathroom and perform this effect. If you're working a trade show or for a company's party, use their branded lighters. Why not have your own lighters printed with your details and give away the final lighter as a business card style souvenir!

The effect can be presented as a powerful demonstration of influence of decision, subliminal suggestion, influence of chance, prediction or spectator as mind reader. Whatever your angle, this will go in your set.

1st edition 2012, 19 pages.
word count: 1934 which is equivalent to 7 standard pages of text



Reviewed by Christian Fisanick (confirmed purchase)
★★★★★   Date Added: Thursday 16 June, 2016

For a while there, it seemed that every magician that you saw on TV did the death defying Russian Roulette feat with the nailguns or the spike under the paper bags. Dee Christopher, among others, has downsized the effect for close-up performance using Bic lighters. It's a pretty good trick, and perhaps slightly more dangerous looking than Cobra Kiss, which uses the mini-staplers, but I have to ask, to what end? The big-brother stage versions have been so overused that they have lost their novelty so the miniturized versions, which are much less dangerous, are even more muted in effect.

The instructions here are good, and you'll need a bunch of a specific type of disposable lighter that you will need to modify. The fabrication of the effect is fairly easy. Pulling it off effectively is somewhat harder because there is a move involved that you have to execute multiple times, which I personally think is fishy. (The best way to do it is probably misdirect your spectator to examine another lighter in a kind of "one-behind" way.) For what this effect is, it's clever, and it does work as promised. For me, I prefer a completely non-dangerous version by Titanas using shaken-up soda cans. The worst that the audience thinks could happen is that a can explodes, and I get soaked (just like in the old SCTV Doug & Bob McKenzie bit called "The Beer Hunter"). While that routine removes the danger element, it's much more devious and easier to do. I'm not really sold on Rush with the lighters, but you may prefer it.