The Surprise – Think Nguyen – A Review

Exciting new variation of CAAN from Think Nguyen. This is the ad copy:

Every once in a while, a magician comes up with a trick so good, they refuse to share it with anyone but themselves. Enter Think Nguyen’s masterpiece, The Surprise. After months of our begging and pleading that this needed to be shared with the magic community, Think has finally allowed us to publish his most closely guarded secret.

Using a borrowed and freely shuffled deck, this is the most impossible Card At Any Number we’ve ever seen. Describing it in ad copy just doesn’t do it justice, so we’re not even going to try.
Seriously, go watch the trailer.

What you get:
No gimmicks
No magnets
No difficult sleight of hand to learn
No arts and crafts
No stack or memory work
Nothing to add or take away
And definitely NO MAGNETS

If you’re the type of magician that relies on self-working gimmicks as a crutch, this effect is definitely not for you. Yes, Think reveals all the secrets to performing The Surprise, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

When you combine Think’s methods with traditional sleights, congratulations, you’ve just discovered the formula for creating genuine magician foolers.

The most hands-off Card At Any Number, this is The Surprise.

My Thoughts..

This is one of the more unusual effects I’ve reviewed in the past year or so. I must admit the ad copy is correct.. There are NO gaffs, magnets, or difficult sleight of hand involved.. and that’s the truth.

There IS a certain method to the madness. I may be the wrong guy to review The Surprise because I knew the secret the moment I read the ad copy. I knew the secret because I use the same method to perform an ACAAN I created several years ago. Like Think, I’ve guarded it like the Queen Jewels.. not wanting to share it, but knowing once the secret was revealed there’s no do-over.

This is ALL method and jazz magic. If you’re worried about complicated sleights.. don’t. If you’re concerned you won’t be able to do it.. don’t worry. And if you’re anxious to learn a new method that will give you a new super power.. do buy it.

Watching the video will show you the true look of the effect. There’s nothing left out, nothing hidden, and nothing that needs to be done other than what you see. That said, there IS a moment when the magic is done you are not aware of on the video. It is so quick and, usually easy, no one knows what you did… although ‘did’ is almost a misnomer. Buy the video and you’ll understand my cryptic message.

For those of you looking for an instant miracle.. keep looking. There is a little ‘work’ involved in making this complete. Think of it more like forcing a card using a classic force. There is a point where you need to make the effect work, as opposed to it working out itself.

Although my effect differs very much, performance wise, from Thinks.. I hate to see the method made available. But, all is fair in love and war, and the magic community deserves The Surprise. There are so many great magicians out there, I see this being re-worked by fertile minds and transformed into something greater and more startling.

I would be foolish to not recommend The Surprise, as it is, in fact, a Surprise… a new secret, that will leave you alone in your bed at night.. thinking of the possibilities and confounding your friends over and over. Although this is quite the stunner for the public.. it is also a true magician’s fooler.

The Surprise is an instant download. The running time is almost 50 minutes and the video itself is typical Murphy’s Magic quality sound-wise and video-wise.

$14.95 At Murphy’s Magic and their magic associates..
https://www.murphysmagic.com/Product.aspx?id=65236