HIT – by Luke Jermay – A Review
(Gimmicks and Online Instructions)

Here’s the Ad Copy…

With “Hit,” you’re able to perform an unforgettable, painstakingly clear demonstration of persuasion–and mind control. From a shuffled pack you remove just four cards and offer to play a few rounds of Blackjack with a participant. Despite letting her choose her cards every time, you, the performer, always prevail. Even when cards are exchanged and shown to the spectator, you are always left with the winning hand.

In the first phase, two hands of Blackjack are created but kept face down. The spectator chooses which hands they wants… and you win. In the second phase, a card of each Blackjack hand is shown and still…you are left with the winning hand. In the third phase all the cards are shown except one… and still you win. In the last phase ALL the cards are shown, and still you mysteriously win.

What makes “Hit” a spectacular addition to your mentalism or magic repertoire is that this is not a card trick about cards. It’s about CHOICES, and makes an ideal forum to interact in a meaningful way with your spectator. This trick is entirely self-working, and can be learned in minutes. It comes with all of the required gimmicked cards, and more than an hour of video instruction teaching every facet of the routine.

My Thoughts:

First.. Luke Jermay is one of my favorite performers. His work is always pivotal and very influential. He has excelled in both the world of magic and mentalism, and served as a consultant to Criss Angel on Mind Freak, Derren Brown on both Mind Control and Trick of the Mind, Marco Tempest on Virtual Magician and on the tv show The Mentalist. He has composed a bookshelf full of books and manuscripts.

Psychological illusions and mental conundrums are Luke’s specialties. To get a good idea of how ‘HIT’ fits into these styles.. I suggest you visit the Murphy’s link below and watch a 7 minute plus trailer that will show you everything you need to know.. other than my opinion.

Luke employs a type of blackjack many of you will not be familiar with.. a two card blackjack where no additional cards are dealt. Think of Five Card Stud.. except a different game.. and two cards. You are dealt two cards.. and the highest hand wins. You cannot ‘bust’, as 21 is the highest possible sum with two cards. So, there is a winner and a loser of each deal. I suppose you could tie.. but Luke makes sure you don’t.

The ad copy is correct. It plays out exactly as written. The only thing I could add is that it’s also possible for you to tell your spectator they will WIN the next hand, in some cases. In either case, you are in full control of all hands, and you successfully predict who will win.

It’s possible to present this as a gambling demonstration, but Luke presents it as a theorem on choices.. and how choices affect the outcome of our lives. I like Luke’s psychological approach, and the gambling approach is simply another option.

The instructional video (online) runs an hour and seven minutes. It’s thorough. Also included are a couple of additional handlings.. including one similar to the gambling demonstration I mentioned above and another using a pendulum, powered entirely by the spectator. Both are nice additions to the primary effect.

The secret, if you want to call it that, is all in the gaffed cards included with the effect. You are provided with enough gaffs to carry out four different hands, all of which you’re in full control of from beginning to end. The gaffs are not typical Bicycle cards.. they are Cardshark Phoenix cards. I would like to have the option for Bicycle gaffs, but I have enough Phoenix decks that it wasn’t a problem.

I really enjoy effects with a twist. You are encouraged to take the method and develop your own effect.. something that suits YOUR style. I’m sure you can think of many reasons why you are able to ‘control’or ‘predict’ the outcomes. As I’m fond of saying..”Use your noggin’ for something other than a hat rack” and create an effect that’s complementary to YOUR style.

Again, watch the trailer to get a good idea of how HIT looks in performance. It is easily performed by beginners willing to put in a little practice to master the handling. There are NO sleights.. so everything is about remembering whether to fan a card to the right or left of another card. Simple enough guys… I am recommending HIT to all my friends and Magic Roadshow readers.

$ 25.00 Available from Murphy’s Magic and all their associates..

https://www.murphysmagic.com/Product.aspx?id=59593

(Review by Rick Carruth for the Magic Roadshow )