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Forecast – by Craig Petty & The 1914 – A Review

Forecast – by Craig Petty & The 1914 – A Review

Forecast – by Craig Petty and the 1914 – A Review
Gimmicks and Online Instructions
(Forecast is available to ship May 9, 2022)

This is the Ad Copy:

What do the world’s top 1% of card magicians and mentalists have in common?

They have INSTANT recall of the position of ANY card in a memorized deck!

And now you can, too.

With a focus on prediction effects, master magician Craig Petty has taken an underused principle in card magic and created a monster masterclass demonstrating just how ridiculously powerful a memorized deck can be.

Imagine instantly telling a spectator EXACTLY how many cards they fairly cut from a deck.

Imagine PREDICTING the amount of cards a spectator will cut before they even do it.

Imagine performing the world’s CLEANEST Card at Any Number routine.

You will learn all of these effects and so many more.

But there’s a catch.

Memorizing a deck of cards is laborious and time consuming. It’s why so few magicians ever make the top 1% and why so many performers quit trying.

However, Craig Petty’s unique approach to learning a mem-deck will DRASTICALLY improve your progress and significantly slash the time required to learn one.

Memorizing the order of a deck of playing cards allows you to perform card miracles that appear TRULY impossible, even to other magicians. If you’re looking for magician foolers, this project is bursting with them!

Are you ready to join the 1%?

My Thoughts:

Many of you have watched Craig and his son, Ryland, toast and roast the magic community with their Youtube reviews. Many of you have also bought effects created by Craig.. like Key Master and Chop… or bought his lectures from Murphy’s Magic or Penguin. Actually, you can barely peruse anything MAGIC these days without encountering something not related to Craig. I know.. that’s a very broad statement.. but lets say it certainly feels that way.

Aside from being a highly skilled performer and motivator, Craig has talents that make watching his reviews and tutorials a pleasure. He has a natural gift of gab and the ability to take a simple effect and turn it into a showpiece. It’s not like I’m jealous.. but…

FORECAST is a masterclass. Maybe he doesn’t call it a masterclass.. but it is.. It’s an in-depth teaching tutorial on memorized decks… or as it’s commonly referred to – the mem deck. It features 9 different routines; 3 self working, 3 depend on a crib card, and 3 routines depending on a memorized stack.

According to Craig, only 1% of the magic community have devoted the time needed to memorize a whole deck.. whether it be Juan Tamariz’s Mnemonica stack, Simon Aronson’s stack, or one of their own creation.

** I am going to publish Craig’s table of contents throughout my review, which includes a brief description and the length
——–
Introduction
Craig Petty introduces Forecast. 10:18

What is a Mem Deck?
What a mem deck is and why magicians use them. 8:14

How to Memorise a Deck
A pragmatic method for learning the positions of every card in a stacked deck. 17:41
——–

FORECAST is recorded in 16 sections.. and each section is individually downloadable. I like this idea, particularly considering the length of Forecast. Did I mention all 16 tutorials are roughly 4 hours and 45 minutes? When you purchase Forecast, THAT’s what you’re purchasing. You do get two crib cards, Bicycle Jokers, included… one with the Mnemonica stack on the back and one with the numbers 1-52 and space for you to fill in any other stack you may use.

None of the effects are dependent on the Mnemonica stack, and you can use the Aronson stack, Shadow Stack, Redford Stack or others. You are encouraged to use Mnemonica, and Craig gives his reasons, but you don’t have to do so..

According to Craig.. a lot of stack trainers don’t work in the long run. His method is designed to be learned thoroughly in two weeks and in small batches of five cards at a time. Incremental steps. This is taught in the third section of the video… You are not rushed to learn a stack, as two thirds of the taught effects do not require memorization. Two days of ‘study’ will NOT commit the Mnemonica stack to long-term memory. You may learn the position of a number of cards, but if you do not use the stack for a couple of weeks, it’s gone.

——–
False Cuts and Shuffles
Learn how to appear to mix cards while secretly maintaining their order. 13:05
——–

Simple, basic false shuffles or cuts are both taught and used throughout the tutorials. Table false cuts are an easy favorite.. and one of my personal favorites is a very convincing faro false shuffle… Remember, unlike Si Stebbins, you cannot cut a stacked deck, as the process is dependent on you knowing the location of each card in the deck.. not its position in relation to other cards.
Audiences do not ‘assume’ you can memorize a full deck of cards.
One of the false shuffles is a very convincing faro false shuffle…
________

Card at Any Number
A freely chosen card and number are found to match the card and position in another deck. 19:58
________

Card At Any Number. Uses two decks. Self-working. One deck is ‘prepared’.. and a second deck has a number from 1 to 52 written on each card. A spectator selects two cards from the numbered deck.. selects which card they want to represent the value and which to represent the location… and the card is found at that exact location in the other deck.
Similar in ways to Joseph B’s ZACAAN but not quite as restrictive. ZACAAN told you the numbers to write on each card, while Craig’s ACAAN allows you to use your own selections and create a crib card accordingly. I was a big fan of the Joseph B effect.. so it’s safe to assume I REALLY like Craig’s method.
________

Envelope of Mystery
Every decision the spectator makes is predicted in the envelope of mystery. 18:55
________

Envelope of Mystery. Another effect that does not require you to know a stack. It does require the cards to be in a stack.. or at least the top five cards. Craig has the magical ability to take fairly simple effects and make them seem fresh and original. With Envelope of Mystery, he takes Paul Curry’s Swindle Switch and a cross cut’s force.. and works it into a very rewarding effect that’s all but guaranteed to fool your spectators.
________

Number Mates
A four-of-a-kind miracle where the spectator does all of the work. 16:57
________

Number Mates. A spectator thinks of a number, and after a little by-play, selects a card at random containing four written numbers. In time, the four numbers reveal the location in a second deck of the spectator’s selection, plus its three mates. Like the other effects, it does require a stack.. but doesn’t require you to know the stack. All the ‘hard stuff’ is accomplished beforehand..
________

Storm Force Berglas
Another, very clever take on the card at any number plot. 24:37
________

Storm Force Berglas. Based on Storm Force 7 by Martin Sanderson, but converted to an ACAAN. Will require a stacked deck, a prepared deck, and a regular deck. Although it’s more complicated than the previous effects, it’s worth the extra effort. You will need a crib card, which is included with FORECAST, but, again, you don’t need to know the stack.
________

Fifty Two Revelations
Find a spectator’s card in one of 52 fun yet seemingly impossible ways. 27:31
________

Fifty Two Revelations. You’ll need the provided crib card. a breather crimp, a mem deck, and 52 double blank cards. The blanks will be prepared with writing provided from a Forecast download. The blank deck (and its instructions written on each card) will tell you how to ‘maneuver’ through the regular deck to find your named card. This effect is somewhat better than my description! I don’t want to give away too much…Craig also teaches an Erdnase Change and a Slip Cut/12 Change to cover two out-of-the-ordinary possibilities. Craig guesses only five percent of purchasers will go to the trouble of preparing and learning this special effect, but, just as a very small percentage of magicians will actually learn the Mnemonica Stack, those that take the time to set this effect up are winners…
________

Snapshot
A multi-phase routine which increases in impossibility, ending with the performer taking a mental snapshot of an entire pile of cards and successfully recalling them. 17:34
________

Snapshot. You’re to the point you either need to rely on the crib card or have your mem deck stack order down pat.. Ortiz, Close, and Malone all have variations of this effect. Nuff’ said.. The spectator’s divide the deck into three small piles, using the Joker as a cut card. After successfully predicting the bottom card of the first two piles, Craig momentarily glimpses the 8-10 cards in the third pile.. and then names every card in the packet from ‘memory’. Craig carefully demonstrates how to perform this effect using the crib card.. for those who haven’t yet memorized a stack.
-This- is probably my very favorite effect among all the effects. It’s a solid 10 out of 10..
________

Bonus
A bonus routine from Craig’s Visible project. This isn’t a card at any number, but a number at any card! 25:07
________

Bonus. This is an effect from Craig’s Visible project, and requires an invisible deck and a mem deck. It’s called Any Number At Any Card. Again, Craig’s easy manner and handling makes this effect play much bigger than, say,.. if I were performing it. You can slip the crib card under your cellophane.. if you’re not yet confident with your stack. A spectator deals down to an unknown (to you) card and remembers that card and its number in the deck. You find their card in a second pack.. because the number of the card’s location in the first pack is written on the back.
________

Card College
An entertaining and highly impressive routine centered around how to learn card magic. 30:51
________

Card College. Based on an effect from Matt Baker’s The Buena Vista Shuffle Club. This is more of a demonstration of your ‘immense’ card talents than an effect. Forget the crib card for this one. You answer the age-old question from a spectator regarding how long it took you to learn card magic. There’s a cutting aspect that requires practice, a prediction aspect, and a ‘weighing’ the deck aspect that’s very similar to the cutting. This is a reputation-maker.. and it doesn’t come cheap.

________

Card Box Prediction
The performer places a card in a card box and the spectator does the same. This is repeated four times. Despite the performer always placing their card in first, the spectator always finds the matching coloured mate. 15:37
________

Card Box Prediction. The magi predicts every action of the spectator. He uses a Providence side-loading box for ease of loading. This is basically a one-ahead effect with some slick, but not complicated, handling. Definitely one of the easier effects.. but you do need to know your mem deck.
________

Invisible Memory
A version of the classic Invisible Deck trick without the need for a gimmicked Invisible Deck. 21:09
________

Invisible Memory. Another invisible deck effect with an additional mem deck. Craig finds the spectator’s named card, upside down, at a specific location in the mem deck.. then finds his favorite card, also upside down, in the same deck. Does use a half-pass during an all-around square-up.(Taught) I like the idea of combining the mem deck with the invisible deck, as the invisible deck is already a super strong effect.. and made that much more with the introduction of a mem deck.
________

Further Reading
Craig talks about his favourite mem deck inspirations and resources for you to explore. 9:25

Final Words
Craig offers some final words of encouragement before saying farewell. 8:37
________

Further Reading & Final Words.. Mnemonica and Aronson stack discussed. Tom Crosby’s Shadow Stack ‘Recall’. The Redford Stack.. based on Mnemonica but tied to Si Stebbins. Pete Turner’s Stack Watch. The Buena Vista Shuffle Club book. Pit Hartling’s Order To Amaze. Darwin Ortize for good measure. Michael Close’s Worker #5 and the memorized deck ebook you can get directly from his site. Rick Lax video to help memorize Mnemonica.

Craig also Thanks everyone for their help and support, particularly The 1914, and offers some final advice on the mem deck and memorizing the deck in the proper way.

The tutorials are filmed using handheld and still video with multiple cameras at multiple angles. The video is ideal for Craig’s teaching and uses a solid black background with full spotlight lighting. The sound matches the overall quality of the tutorials.
Again.. the tutorials run about 4 hours and 45 minutes.. so there’s a LOT to see… and a lot to learn.

I understand Craig’s passion. I’ve explored memorized deck effects for years.. from a distance.. and greatly admired those willing to devote the time and effort. They perform a brand of magic not achievable by us mortals. Perform ‘Snapshot’ at a club meeting and enjoy the subtle discontent you create among the mavins…

I think you should know by now whether FORECAST is for you or not.. so I’m going to call this review ‘done’.. This will be the best thirty bucks you’ll spend this year.. -if- you take time to watch and learn.

Totally Recommend to anyone, of any skill level. Being a beginner doesn’t exclude you from memorizing a deck. And being a veteran performer doesn’t mean you can’t up your performance level.

Best line of the video: “Cloe’.. have you ever helped a magician before… well… you aren’t helping one now!”

$30.00 From Murphy’s Magic and their Associates..
(Remember.. available May 9, 2022 )

https://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=71418

Review by Rick Carruth for Murphy’s Magic & The Magic Roadshow.

ORBIT by Mark Parker & Jonathan Fox – A Review

ORBIT by Mark Parker & Jonathan Fox – A Review

ORBIT by Mark Parker & Jonathan Fox – A Review

This is the Ad Copy:

This is exactly the type of magic effect that peaked your interest and served as the gateway to the art. Why? It’s super visual, super fun and pulls people in like a magnet. Even better it’s EASY to perform allowing you to focus on the most important aspect of any effect – the performance! It also has the advantage of quick reward – which makes it perfect for street magic, strolling. It gets right to the point.

Imagine making – Mobile phones, glasses, dishes, wine glasses, credit cards, CD’s any suitable object float between your hands! Orbit is a revolutionary levitation device!

-Super Visual
-Easy to do
-One size fits all
-No threads or magnets
-Completely self-contained
-Robust and heavy duty (THIS IS NOT A TT)
-No set-up, the gimmick is always ready
-Comes with special gimmick ready to go

Please note angle considerations during performance.
Every detail is covered in a step by step online instructional video. Nothing is left out.Now go out there and blow your spectators away!
Idea for Orbit by Illusion Designer Mark Parker brought to life by Jonathan Fox and Global Magic Shop..

My Thoughts:

ORBIT is a levitation gimmick device. You can ‘levitate’ almost anything with weight.. from cell phones to packs of playing cards to glasses of wine. Thankfully, Orbit does NOT employ threads or magnets, and can be brought in and out of play with almost a moment’s notice..

There was a time twenty years ago when I performed my ‘magic’ in a public setting.. for anyone who would watch. One of my favorite devices was a suction cup attached to a thumb tip. I would attach it to a cola can and casually wait until I thought someone was watching. The can would suddenly ‘get away from me’.. and I’d try to reel it back in, indiscreetly, as if I hoped no one saw my misfortune. I’ve had literally dozens upon dozens of folks walk up to me, perplexed, and want to know how my cola can ‘appeared’ to take flight.

I loved it…

Well.. it’s been long enough that it was time for someone to bring this cool little device back for a new generation. Illusion Designer Mark Parker and Jonathan Fox with Global Magic Shop have done so.. and I’m glad.

I’m not going to tell you this is a thumb tip, because, in the traditional sense, it’s not. But it does go on the thumb.

Orbit works on the same principle as the original device. Fortunately, Orbit is adjustable to fit different size thumbs, and comes with shims to make it customizable. It is NOT latex or soft plastic.. but a very hard plastic to last a very long time. It also features ball bearings between the connection points, joining the thumb holder to the suction cup. This is a very important feature, as it allows for hand movements far outside the boundary’s of the original.

Jonathan Fox goes into considerable detail in the almost 50-minute tutorial, teaching how to properly handle the gimmick to get the proper balance and appearance to make your performance ‘magical’.

Special sections are included for attaching to playing card boxes, cell phones and wine glasses. Quick note: To attach to a card box, you need a box with the cellophane wrapper.

ORBIT comes with a heavy-duty gimmick holder for easy retrieval and ditching. The holder has a clip to attach to your pocket or belt. The holder is also close-able to simplify carrying the gimmick.

The last two sections of the tutorial include a section on maintenance and a bonus section on early prototypes and the thought processes that went into designing the new version.

Jonathan doesn’t call ORBIT a stand-alone effect, but an enhancement device to add an additional level of sophistication to your performance. Knowing me.. I’m just a step away from 2002 all over again.

There isn’t a real skill level. Even a beginner, if you watch the instructions and pay attention to your positioning, will be able to perform in short order. Obviously, you cannot perform surrounded. So a little audience management will be necessary.

As I mentioned.. the tutorial is approx. 50 minutes and you can watch it online or download it to your desktop. The quality is good, the sound is good, and you’ll have zero problems with the video.

The performance visuals are something special, and ORBIT is definitely a device you need to give serious consideration to purchasing. If the price seems a tad steep, it’s not. It’s built to last. And once you’re comfortable with the handling, you’ll be glad you listened to me. You’ll find yourself using ORBIT over and over… I promise.

I recommend it…

$39.95 .. From Murphy’s Magic and their Associates..

https://murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=71843

Review by Rick Carruth for Murphy’s Magic & The Magic Roadshow

A New Magic Roadshow Journal of Magic Just Published..

A New Magic Roadshow Journal of Magic Just Published..

Early Summer 2022…

No funny business. No jokes. No enticements… I’m keeping this announcement on point. A new issue of the Magic Roadshow just published, and I want you to be one of the very first to read it. I think you’ll find something inside to make it all worthwhile. I think I spent more time trying to finalize this issue of any issue.. ever. That doesn’t guarantee it’s my very best.. but it’s certainly my most ‘personal’.. You’ll see…

Remember.. The Roadshow is always FREE

https://47416e.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/MAGIC-ROADSHOW-SPECIAL-13.pdf

Unhanded – by JP Vallarino – A Review

Unhanded – by JP Vallarino – A Review

Unhanded – by JP Vallarino – A Review

This is the Ad Copy:

Imagine being in full control of a spectator’s card, without EVER touching the cards. Impossible!? Welcome to J.P. Vallarino’s UNHANDED! 

This is the ultimate card control utility – they choose, they sign, they cut, they shuffle, and they can even place the deck back into the card box to make it completely sleight-proof! You can have your back turned the entire time while sipping Pina Colada’s, and UNHANDED will control of their selected/signed card for you!

And because you never have to touch the cards, the heat is never on you. UNHANDED can be used as a super easy peek, as a devious card steal, a card penetration, a fully hands-off transpo, or a miraculous vanish! From magic to mentalism, the choice is fully up to you!

You never have to touch the cards
The spectator does all the work, yet you still have control of their card
Over 2 hours of instruction – (We couldn’t stop coming up with routines!)
Includes sleight free routines for beginners
Includes advanced routines for magicians looking to easily level up.
Use it as a card steal, card control, in mentalism, card penetration, and a super easy peek
Instant reset
The power to control their signed and selected card is now in THEIR hands! But what you do with that, is entirely up to you… This is UNHANDED!

My Thoughts:

I recently received a number of items from Murphy’s Magic for review. I was impressed by all the items, to some degree. But.. THIS item.. UNHANDED by JP Vallarino, was my favorite. My mind has been racing with the many possibilities and different ways this can be personalized by the performer to suit his style.

My goodness.. I don’t know where to begin. So… lets start with a basic performance/handling and go from there..

JP has created a utility device that allows the magi to allow his audience to perform much of the magic.. and he can still take the credit. I don’t want to say TOO much, but I want to say enough to answer your basic questions about Unhanded.

The magi, with a very slight bit of prep, can hand a deck of red Bicycles to a spectator. The spectator can then open the deck at any location and make a 100% free selection of a card.
(The magi has his back turned during the effect)
The spec then signs the card and places it face down on top of a face down deck.
The spec is then requested to cut the deck, and he can then cut it a second time or allow a fellow spec to cut it.
He then places the deck inside a red Bicycle card box.
The deck is handed to the magi, he recaps what just happened, and opens the card box.. dumping the cards back into the spectator’s hands.
The spec is asked to look through the deck and find his signed card.
He cannot find it.
The magi can then produce the signed card from any location he chooses, including a pocket, a hat, or a wallet.

This is the most basic performance, and you can expand in so many directions from there.

The basic performance is created so a beginner can perform it for friends. More advanced performances include techniques like palming and double undercuts to achieve wildly different reveals. The advanced sleights are NOT required, and are made available so the magi can perform the same basic effect, with the same props, for the same audience, at different times.

Aside from the basic handling, a second method involves the cards being dumped into a paper bag, after the ‘magic’ moment, along with the card box, and the signed card is found inside the box.

Another involves a ‘do as I do’ plot and a second, ungaffed deck.

A third effect is a sandwich effect, using a second Joker. And a fourth and fifth effect include an ACAAN effect and a card penetration effect.

This is only the tip of the iceberg.. as you will adapt effects you use in your current routines to these props. I would say ‘..the possibilities are endless’, but that’s so cliche.. although it’s sorta true…

What’s included? You receive a red Bicycle gaffed card box, a gaffed card (Joker), and approx. 2 hours and 15 minutes of video instructions. You supply a normal red Bicycle deck. Although the video may seem long.. it is full of additional handling ideas and additional effects. The basic effect is covered completely in the first 20 minutes.

The last portion of the tutorial video includes a section of ‘Ideas’ the Murphy’s team developed to add even more versatility…
Maintaining the specs card on top.
Double Undercuts
Basic spread controls and bottom steals
Applying key card principles
A special section on ‘peeking’ the selected card.

The video quality and sound are typical Murphy’s Magic quality. No problems at all. You can watch everything online or download the video.. (1.93GB)

Needless to say.. I highly recommend UNHANDED, and at $34.95 it is a real bargain.

JP published a compilation of performances to Youtube.. you can watch it at: https://youtu.be/UgXqNbSA1D0

$34.95 .. From Murphy’s Magic and their Associates..

https://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=66091

Review by Rick Carruth for Murphy’s Magic & The Magic Roadshow