Daniel Tyler’s Flick The Switch


This product is a three page PDF file, available through the Tyler Magic website: http://www.tylermagic.com/flicktheswitch.htm

Flick The Switch is essentially a utility move for visibly switching bills, coins, folded cards, matchbooks, or basically any small, thin item. In a nutshell, you hold a folded bill clipped between your right index finger and thumb, flick it a few times, and it visibly transforms into another bill. While the move itself is a little knacky, it’s really not that hard to do and is visually shocking. You do end dirty, but with a little misdirection, clean up isn’t a huge problem. I do not feel that this move will take the place of the classic $100 Bill Switch anytime soon, but it is gimmick less and has a lot of potential.

While I personally wouldn’t use this move for a traditional bill switch, it can be utilized for surprising transformations. The bonus effect included in the tutorial is one such effect. It’s a bill to card effect that I quite like. Here’s the effect: A card is selected, signed and lost in the deck. A bill is borrow. It too is signed and folded into eighths. The bill is given a few flicks and suddenly changes in a folded card. The card is unfolded and found to be the signed card. The deck is spread and bill is found in the center.

This is probably one of the best applications of this move. Because the misdirection is built into the routine, there isn’t any heat on the dirty hand. The reason I don’t think this sleight would play as a traditional bill switch is that once you’ve transformed the bill, people would immediately want to see both hands empty. Actually, Daniel does suggest that once you’ve transformed the bill, you don’t show it as being transformed until you hand it back to the spectator. This is very good thinking. However, transforming the bill into a signed, folded card or book of matches, is a much more visual and stunning. And if you hand it out to the spectators, all the heat will definitely be on the object, allowing you to deal with the dirty work in whatever manner you wish.

As stated above, the PDF file is three pages in length. As with Daniel’s other products, it is well written but contains no pictures. I do feel Daniel could have been a little more specific in describing the move (it took me a little while to figure out how to flick the bill and with which part of my thumb) but he does a good enough job. Also included in the tutorial is a bonus sleight so you can perform the bill to card effect. This is described even better than the actual flick move. Although anyone who owns a couple of Jay Sankey dvds will be very familiar with this particular sleight.

Daniel offers this PDF for $3.49 at tylermagic.com. The price is very fair for a move with limitless applications. Another fine product from the ambitions Mr. Tyler.

Overall rating: 8 out of 10.