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Cherry Casino Playing Cards – Pure Imagination Projects – A Review

Cherry Casino Playing Cards – Pure Imagination Projects – A Review

Cherry Casino (Black Hawk) Playing Cards by Pure Imagination Projects

This is the Ad Copy:

Based off vintage Las Vegas casino playing cards, Cherry Casino Playing Cards pays homage to the classics of Sin City. Like Jerry’s Nuggets or Wynns, the Cherries back design was designed by Sam Devins to incorporate a simple, symmetrical back, perfect for card games and magic performances alike.

Now, we’re back in black! Pure Imagination Projects is very excited to present our newest release: Cherry Casino V3 True Black Playing Cards with a darker scheme. The black version is even better than the last. It is new and improved, on crushed Bee stock with metallic red ink throughout. The cards look as beautiful as they handle, and we cannot wait to get them into your hands!

My Thoughts:

I have handled so many decks of playing cards, hundreds upon hundreds, it’s hard to find something that attracts my attention. Cherry Casino does..

I measure a deck, in part, by how it handles straight out the box. I want something that doesn’t have rough cut edges and faro’s nicely from the get-go. Traditional Bikes don’t meet my criteria. Although Cherry Casino’s ARE made by the US Playing Card Company, they are made of the crushed Bee stock.. which is not only one of my very favorite finishes, but is very thin and easy to both shuffle and faro.

I did make the mistake of opening the tuck box, removing the deck, and wondering why they were not stacked in typical black, red, black, red descending order. Then, shuffling like crazy for a minute or two, before I remembered reading the decks come pre-stacked in a mnemonic stack. (I can be dense at times) A stack out the box is great for performing a little mental magic. Nice touch..

The cards are specially colored in a true black, which is great in the right light. Although the numbers and faces are traditional, which is a good thing, the darker black separates Cherry Casino from most decks.. and gives it a richer, more expensive look.

The Ace of Spades and Jokers are custom designed. Also, you get a blank face and double backer gaff cards.

Although my review deck was the Black Hawk, there are, I think, 14 different colors.. All the traditional colors, plus pink, purple, silver, teal, and black and gold. Most decks are priced by Murphy’s at $11.95.. BUT, there are low production decks that range from $25.00 (2500 decks) to $250.00 (144 decks), have numbered seals, and generally sell for higher prices on the popular selling sites.

Again, these are smooth handling cards, not to mention collectable cards. Their basic design has a strong appeal to both magicians and collectors. The limited run decks may become the next Jerry’s Nuggets. I am adding these to my collection of NOC’s, stashed by my computer and ready for the next ZOOM meeting.. You should too. I think your only regret will be you didn’t order more decks…

$11.95 .. Available at Murphy’s Magic and their Associates
https://www.murphysmagic.com/Product.aspx?id=60352

Review by Rick Carruth for Murphy’s Magic and the Magic Roadshow..

AM/FM Deck – Michael Breggar – A Review

AM/FM Deck – Michael Breggar – A Review

AM/FM Deck – Michael Breggar – A Review
Deck and Online Videos & PDF

This is the Ad Copy

The perfect forcing deck for working pros and a few cons.

The spectator calls a number and deals down to that card… it is the card you predicted! Or, they just start dealing until they wish to stop. It’s the predicted card. Or… well, you get the point.

Here’s the thing…. they call the number, they remove the deck from the box and they start dealing. It ends on the force card. And then, you show that any other number would have brought them to different cards.

No static at all. It’s Michael Breggar’s “AM/FM Deck”

My Thoughts:

I don’t normally preface a review with a comment about the creator. But.. I’m a fan of Michael Breggar. That doesn’t mean I’m a fan of every single effect produced by Michael.. but I’m certainly a fan of most. That said.. I’m a fan of THIS one. Brother.. that little fact makes my life so much easier..

To quote Michael…
“I cannot believe I am the first to come up with a configuration like this, though I have not seen this deck construction and general handling together. In a way, its family tree could be traced to the Svengali, Mirage, Pop-Eyed Popper, etc. gaffed decks of the golden-oldies era. Nods to one-, two-, three-way forcing decks and their ilk.”

AM/FM Deck is not a trick. It is a tool. It is an intriguing way of forcing a card or producing a card from a named location in a deck. If you watch the video, you get a good notion of just a couple of the productions you can achieve. This is much more than a.. “..deal down to a number and there’s your card..” effect. It is a series of effects made possible by being able to know, in advance, the identity of a card at a predictable location… AND… being able to convince the spectator the deck is a conventional deck, full of different cards. It’s not. But that’s the secret behind AM/FM Deck.

I don’t like to comment on reviews by fellow reviewers. It’s not nice.. and I try my best to be a nice guy. That said.. A very popular reviewer recently reviewed Michael’s deck and did his best to classify it as nothing more than a Svengali deck. It’s not. It cannot be used as a Svengali deck, as the math doesn’t gee-haw. Yes, there’s a number of the same cards in the deck, but, as Michael says, the ” deck construction and general handling ” is different from a Svengali deck.. as well as some of the other popular forcing decks. You are paying for the madness behind the method.. and there’s plenty of madness to go around. I promise…

AM/FM Deck was created using a variety of psychologically motivated moves. Michael furnishes buyers with two separate videos.. one 18 minutes long and one 30 minutes long.. detailing the why’s and what for’s. All the steps are explained and justified. Ultimately, his philosophy is..’don’t let the forcing deck become the center of attention. Bring it into play.. let it do its thing.. then take it out of the spotlight.’

Aside from forcing a card, its very basic purpose, Michael teaches a zoom show method, where a prediction card is mailed days ahead of time to the host.. for the grand reveal during the zoom meeting.

Video two, titled – More, Better, Other Tricks with the AM/FM Deck – features a variety of effects that do not rely on simply forcing a card, but expand the concept. One.. the Happy Birthday effect, begins with the spectator’s birthday serving as the numerical location. The spectator is then given a birthday card with the same card dealt to – found printed or attached to the inside of the birthday card. Another effect uses six dice to decide on a location within the AM/FM Deck. Yet another revelation uses a giant card concealed under your mat as the final reveal.

One of my very favorites is based on the classic Out For Lunch, probably by William Larsen Sr… but maybe Edward Bagshawe.. The notion is very visual and surprising.. and happens in the spectator’s hands.. always a big plus. And finally, Michael has devised a compelling use of the AM/FM Deck to reproduce an Invisible Deck effect.. except it isn’t an invisible deck effect.. much to the chagrin of the poor magician(s) who were on the edge of busting your measly carcass.

AM/FM Deck is available in Red or Blue backs.. (Bicycles) The video, although filmed in Michael’s office, I assume, is a very good production, using multiple cameras and picture-in-picture technology. The sound is ideal and everything is up to Murphy’s Magic standards.

There is also a PDF included with the videos, giving you an overview of most of the effects taught in the videos. All the basics are discussed, including the deck layout should everything become displaced.

Remember, when you purchase AM/FM Deck, you are purchasing a tool. You are given tutorials to seven or eight different effects, some which could easily be sold as stand-alone effects. Honestly. I am going to recommend this to my friends and readers. It is well worth the time and effort, and your magic will grow exponentially…

$29.95 ..   From Murphy’s Magic and their Associates..

https://www.murphysmagic.com/Product.aspx?id=69968

Review by Rick Carruth for The Magic Roadshow

EASY MONEY Wallett – Spencer Kennard – A Review

EASY MONEY Wallett – Spencer Kennard – A Review

Easy Money Wallet – by Spencer Kennard – A Review
(Gimmick and Online Instructions)

** Presale Note:This item is available for Pre-Order only.
Release Date:12/13/2021

This is the Ad Copy:

A classic of classic’s, Tom Burgoon’s Power Pickpocket has been a powerful piece in the arsenal of many stage performers over the past few decades.

With Tom’s blessing, Spencer Kennard now brings you the next iteration in this solid piece of visual magic – with EASY MONEY.

Not only can it recreate all the visual moments of the original, but it’s also made with the close-up magician in mind – and to your average spectator, the easy money wallet passes off as an everyday regular wallet that can create powerful moments of visual magic!

Make a wallet appear, vanish, transpose, and even be produced from the most unexpected places. It really seems like wallets are just coming out of nowhere!

The video instructions cover everything you need to know about the wallet and covers routines that will satisfy both the amateur and professional magicians.

It’s fast, easy, fun and EASY! If you like visual magic that literally packs flat and plays big then Easy Money by Spencer Kennard is for you!

Available in two colors, black and brown.

My Thoughts:

Easy Money is a very unique piece of magic. It’s not an effect, in and of itself, but more of both a prop and a utility device designed to give you the opportunity to create your own special magic.

Easy Money is a wallet. It’s a specially designed wallet which looks to be full of cards, licenses, and money.. but is actually foldable, and foldable again, to allow you to conceal it in the palm of your hand. Think of a Mercury Fold made of leather.

With its unique design, you can take it from a pocket, remove an item from it, put it back in the pocket, and then suddenly reproduce it from your seemingly empty hand. Spencer and crew have created a number of uses for the wallet.. but it’s one of those items for which you’ll find your own personal uses.

Although sold as suitable for beginners, I’d recommend you at least understand a couple of coin basics.. like a false transfer and a finger palm/classic palm.

The wallet itself is very well constructed and should last for a very long time. It contains a special foam to give it depth and add to its realism.

The video tutorial is just over one hour long, and well-taught by Javier Fuemayor. Everything is as you would expect from a Murphy’s Magic release. Both video and sound are quite good. Plus, Javier is a good teacher and learning all the effects is easy.. aside from what practice you should invest before performing in public.

Rather than write about everything included in the tutorial, I’ll list the Table of Contents and add my personal content. That way I don’t miss anything.. (As my dear mother used to say..”Ricky, you know how you are…”)

Introduction – Intro from Spencer Kennard. The creation of Easy Money is explained.

Which Hand – Good opener. introduces you to the wallet, the fold, and gives you a good beginning.

Wallet/Coin – A coin in hand changes to a wallet in hand.
Very visual. Not truly a beginners effect, but nothing more complicated than a coin false transfer.

Wallet Thru Table – Definitely one of my favorites. Uses a couple of false transfers of a coin to set up the finale with the wallet. Very visual.. and the misdirection is perfect. Also uses a classic palm and/or a finger palm.

Shar-pay – Produce your wallet from the top of a Sharpie. Multiple uses, including performing it in the real world for real cashiers. After producing the wallet from the cap, produce it again from a couple of currency notes ..

Coin Gag – Squeeze your wallet like a lemon.. and produce a stream of coins. Nice quickie..

Wallet3 – Produce a wallet from a wallet. Remove some money.. and then produce another wallet from the money. Slick three-phase routine.. “Some people like to keep their money in a wallet.. I like to keep my wallet in my money..”

Quantum Fold – Show the audience your folded wallet. Use a common method to produce credit cards from or place credit cards in your folded wallet. Seems impossible.

Hidden Pocket – Pull your wallet from a pocket that doesn’t exist. Again.. very visual, and will open more than a few eyes.

Extra Ideas – Tips to add that extra bit of realism to your performance. Social media tips. Accessing your wallet via Greg Wilson technique.

Putroduction – A Thank You from the creators to all the folks who made Easy Money possible..

Straight up.. Easy Money won’t satisfy every performer. Just as coin magic isn’t for every magician, or mentalism, or rope magic, or….. This is for the performer who enjoys quick, sudden magic… and magic that catches your audience off-guard. There’s not a big build-up or long winded stories. You don’t paint a pretty picture. Instead, you appear to be leading your audience down one path.. and suddenly there’s yet another path they totally didn’t anticipate. That’s what EASY MONEY is about…

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

https://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=65753

Review by Rick Carruth