When I was a young laddie, we didn't have one-trick DVDs. As a magic creator/seller myself, I've struggled with this concept. I've come to the conclusion that in order for a one-trick DVD to have any value, it really needs to be a "product" that "comes with" an "instructional" DVD. For example, Smashed by Jay Sankey. For $30.00 you get the "gimmick" you need and rather than a booklet for instructions, you get a DVD... That makes sense to me.

"Clutch" sold as a single trick DVD, just makes no sense to me. Even at the relatively reasonable price of $20.00, it's still a bit of a mystery why people would rather by one trick for $20.00 when they could have 10 to 15 tricks for only a few dollars more.

Putting aside my own bias about the method of delivery here, let's look at the trick itself. This trick is all about over-proving how fair you are. The entire presentation by Oz Pearlman (who is a very talented magician) is basically, look how fair I am. I won't touch the deck. Look at my hands; they're empty. Look; nothing up my sleeves, etc.

He talks, in the explanation, about how over-the-top the reactions are from audiences, but in the live performances, I just didn't see those types of reactions. The effect is that the spectator picks a card, shuffles the deck, puts it in the box, puts the box in his shirt pocket. The magic reaches in a plucks out the selection out of the closed box in the pocket of the spectator.

This is nothing new in concept. Oz has taken a couple of basic card moves/techniques that we all know and turned it into a presentation piece. This is certainly the kind of thing that plays well close up or on stage, and it is a good trick, and it might even be worth $20.00 bucks if you end up adding it to your act, but even so, it's not like this trick is suddenly going to put you on the map and allow you to increase your fee. The DVD does cover the effect and various moves in depth, but it's almost as if they thought, "hey we'd better add this section and that section to make this DVD look like it has a lot of material."

It's a simple routine that can be done with a borrowed deck, and it plays bigger than it is for sure, but not worthy of a single DVD release. We're this one of many routines in a book or DVD, I would be talking about how clever this trick is and how it's one of many clever (hopefully) ideas on the DVD/Book.

As it stands, there are plenty of better ways to spend $20.00 bucks. You could go to McDonald's 4 times, for example.

The trick is good. No question there. But the product loses points for overall value. Effect: Gem. Product: Rubble.

It's impromptu, easy, and great.

Literally, you can take anyone's deck and perform completely surrounded,confidently, and easily.

The mechanics are pretty much nothing, at least compared to most magic tricks. There is one sleight, but it's incredibly easy, and it barely counts as a sleight anyways. 95% of the entire trick happens in their hands.

Great effect, I highly recommend it.

(I'm currently performing it at the Olympics, in that huge crowd)

Teaching: Standard Oz Pearlman teaching, Oz goes over the entire routine and explains the TWO moves you will use for this trick. 10/10

Quality of materials(if it is a gimmik etc): No gimmicks needed this can be used with your deck or even a borrowed deck.

Difficulty: Requiring no sleights (with the exception of two moves that barely qualify) Clutch is simplicity at its best. 8/10

Applications: Perfect for restaurant magic and strolling/walkaround magic. This could also be used for a stand-up or even a stage show. As Oz says in the DVD rarely do you get a card trick that you can do for Hundreds of people.

Overall Rating: Clutch is by far one of the cleverest tricks I have seen Oz do and I would easily recommend it. 9/10

This words well for large crowds and I like that, some car tricks do not. It uses a spector and lets the magic happen with them. Again this is very good.

I love this trick Add to cart.

Thnx, OZ! I've been looking for some of the strongest material to add to my evening show... Love Clutch!!!!

Bless Penguin and Oz for putting a full performance in the promo video above; it takes guts because the method seems incredibly obvious. I've been doing card magic for less than a year and I knew these principles, and could have done Clutch (from a mechanical standpoint) months ago. Consider the cost of the product tuition for a lesson in how effective magic has more to do with creativity and presentation than tricky moves.

There's no need to review the trick because you can watch it performed in full yourself, right above. If you can manage basic card handling, you can do this.

Oz offers some tips including audience management during the primary "move," but I would have liked to see more time spent on other presentation ideas and philosophy. I'm afraid that the trick is so easy that it leaves the door open to poor presentation of what should be a miracle. Perhaps I've been spoiled by Aaron Fisher's DVDs, or Nobledaza's S.W.C.T., where some of the best stuff on the disc wasn't directly teaching the advertised trick(s).

Heh, heh... I walked up to the table and one of my specs was a casino card dealer. So I performed the effect and had her shuffle the cards. (Wonderful how well they can do that.) Either way blew them out of the water. The waitress came up later and handed me the comment card from the table which read:"The magician uses a marked deck, and the gravy is canned". That's-how-good-clutch-is! I fooled a casino dealer. I highly recommend Clutch.

C.

It is amazing that something so simple to perform packs such a big punch. Great reactions as it looks like a near impossible feat and you are totally clean wioth no angles to worry about.
Great work - wish I had thought of it myself.

Once again oz a great trick!!!!!!!!!! This is a great trick, It will leave your audiences Stunned when the see you pull their own card out of a closed box!!!!!! I think this is great all you need to perform is a deck of cards. Fun to perform and you are left clean!!!