Hi

For just a few days ago I decided to master the ambitious card. And then I really mean practice until I can do it in sleep ( I know you can always get better but you know what I mean..). So.. I think I will buy Daryl´s ambitious card dvd but first I wanna hear what you reccomend. I´m also thinking about mystery box II by John Kennedy as a finisher, and since I´m working with red cards I wonder if the card in it comes in random color or what? So please post a comment.

Thanks / Karl

If you are thinking of making your own routine, I would suggest Darl's ACR. He also covers a very nice climax, but it's really, and I mean really, a pain to make. Along with his FISM winning (I think) routine, he also goes over many other moves that you can use.

I think you can choose what card color is in the box. The one I saw was Red Bicycle. Unless you insist on showing the box empty right after "dumping" out the card, you can get by much cheaper with other methods. The heat shouldn't really be on the box anyway. They should be looking at the card. Just take this opportunity to casually put the box away as they're opening the folded card.

Thanks for your replies, I mailed penguin and they said you can put your own card in the box. I´m gonna buy Daryl´s dvd to. Thanks again!

/ Karl

I just checked out that Mystery box and just thought I would mention...I think you will have just as much luck with a Lippincott box. If you hunt around you should be able to find one for between 30 and 50 bucks. Have yet to find one on penguin(except for Joe Porper's $200.00 steel version) but that doesn't mean they don't carry it. Their search engine doesn't seem to be 100% yet.

Thanks but I dont Think thats the thing for me (if it works like a ringbox), cause I will have the box on the table the entire ACR to ceep the suspense up, then let them lift the lid and I drop out their card.. Thank you anyways!

Okay...I'm assuming you know the method for the mystery box and prefer that. Personally I'd prefer a good ring box. With practice you can load pretty quick and most spectators won't even remember you came near the box.

On the other hand, if he knows the method of the Mystery Box, he should also know it doesn't work the way he described. The performer has to show the card in the box, no it's not examinable beforehand, and the performer then dumps the "card" into his hand (with some sleight of hand) as he lets the Mystery Box do what it's famous for which is to hide the gaff in plain sight so the box can be (casually) shown empty afterward.

In other words:
The Mystery box is preloaded with a fake
The performer handles the box at all times
Yes, they can lift the lid but you do all the rest of the work
The dummy card in the box is *not* the actual chosen card
The card has to be dumped into the performer's hand, not the spectator's
The box can be shown to be empty and can withstand some light examination

This last point is the strongest selling point for magicians who like overpriced mechanical gadgets, but is also the worst reason to buy the box. The heat should never be on the box in the first place. Flash the insides as empty and PUT IT AWAY.

I can do all the above (except for showing the container empty, but it's really not a big deal as the attention is on the card) with just about any ungaffed box that will hold a folded card.

BTW, a Lippencott box uses a totally different method. It's usually a locked box, you can show it's empty before locking it, or just bring it out already closed and tell them there's something in there (when there really isn't). You then have to have some choreographed justification for handling the box after the item (usually a ring, but if a folded card fits it works too) is vanished to allow you to insert the item into the "locked" box. After that, they can unlock the box themselves and remove the contents themselves.

Eostresh is right that it can be loaded fairly quickly, and if done right they shouldn't remember you coming near the box. In reality you probably hand it to them to open which is all the time you need to do the dirty work.

That's kinda' where I was headed with with my comments. I think it is a bit pricey for what you get and I think there are several Ring boxes(lippincott style) that can be purchased much cheaper and are a bit more versatile.