This Week's Top 20
1
2
3

Past Present Future by Rick Lax


Rick's most powerful trick, improved in every way. 3 cards freely chosen tell a personal story, and the reveal gets intense reactions. ORDER TODAY AND GET FREE SHIPPING.
FREE SHIPPING TO THE UNITED STATES.
Price: $49.95

+ Add to Cart
2022-penguin-magic-awards-nominee
bizarre
card
cartomancy
fortune
fortune-teller
future
gimmick-cards
haunted
holiday-gift-guide
medium
mentalism
mind-reading
p3
past
prediction
present
psychic
tarot

+click to enlarge

"The most powerful trick I've ever created" - Rick Lax

"This is a killer routine." - Oz Pearlman

"People will believe this is something you can really do." - Justin Flom

"This is a beautiful effect. Evocative. Intimate. Clear. Powerful." - Chris Philpott

"If you are a magician who is interested in adding a Tarot Card effect to your set, then you absolutely need PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURE. The effect is super strong and the updated cards look absolutely amazing!" - Cody Fisher

"A wonderful, engaging and memorable effect with a stunning custom tarot deck. Highly recommended!" - David Jonathan

"Big fan of Past Present Future! Thank you for putting it out again my first edition deck is beat to hell because I've used it so much! This is a great routine that builds to a high impactful finale which requires minimal to no sleights and skill - plus you can get a lot of time out of it! I freaking love this routine - I do it all the time! Releasing this has been long overdue! it's the perfect not card trick card trick!" - Dan Sperry

"Rick’s Past, Present, Future gives the every day magician the ability to harness the intrigue and power of the tarot, while retaining a structured routine that is guaranteed to get great reactions from any audience. I used the original PPF in my set. Now, thanks to the new design, you don’t have to be dowsed in black clothing to pull it off! The artwork within not only improves the visibility of the predictions, but the modernisation of the imagery means that this will work for any style of performer!" - Dee Christopher

Tell their fortune while controlling their actions with one of Rick Lax’s most powerful effects. Now printed with beautiful full-color art on tarot-sized cards, this one is a reputation maker. Your audience can make completely free choices, but no matter what they select, you will be able to reveal that they were always destined to choose their Past Present Future by Rick Lax.

Here’s what happens:

The performer introduces the Major Arcana from a deck of tarot cards and shows that on three of the cards, a single word is written. One card reads Past, another Present, and the third reads future. The cards are given a mix, and then the faces are shown, while the performer describes that the cards all represent something important in a person’s life. The performer asks the spectator to choose one card to represent their past, another to represent their present, and the last card to represent their future. The audience can freely name any card they wish. Those cards are clearly laid out on the table, and the performer gives the audience a short tarot reading before turning the selected cards over to reveal that the audience mysteriously managed to perfectly select the cards with the words, Past, Present, and Future written on the backs of the cards they selected for their reading.

Past Present Future is an incredible effect that injects meaning and structure into an amazing prediction effect where the audience has completely free choices. The very special deck of cards you receive has been engineered by the Penguin Magic team to do all of the work for you and function more smoothly than ever before. In addition to the high-quality gimmicked tarot deck, you also receive video instructions taught by Nick Locapo as well as a crash course in tarot readings so your performance can have maximum impact. Rick Lax has stated that this is the most powerful trick he has ever created, and it’s easy to see that the effect this has on audiences makes it a real reputation maker. Deliver a powerhouse performance with Past Present Future by Rick Lax.

Have a question about this product?
ASK HERE

Featured Magic Tricks

Customer Reviews (showing 1 - 10 of 180)
Showing the
reviews with
containing
Rick's most powerful trick ever!!! Report this review
Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on October 3rd, 2022
I bought the original when it was first released & I want to say this. I am Penguin Magic's very first customer since they first opened their online store 20 years ago. I've bought hundreds of their products since. I've only written 3 reviews. This is my 4th and for good reason.

I've been a professional magician for over 50 years, and I've seen it all. Pretty much done it all. I've met most of the pro's and even partied with some.

I've bought every single one of Rick Lax's tricks from his very first balloon trick up to the present. He's my favorite creator, Paul Harris being 2nd and Oz being 3rd. As far as getting deeply emotional reactions, this trick is the easiest way to do it. And every single time it has never failed to garner the reactions shown in the trailer.

I've done it in bars, restaurants, at wedding receptions, country clubs, backyard barbecues, at a 100th B'day party, Xmas & New Year's Eve parties, in business venues and people's homes. But the best one, and the reason this has stayed in my set all these years when others drop out, is because of the following...

I walked past a young, scraggly, homeless man one day, sitting on the sidewalk and begging for change. Instead of simply giving him money which wouldn't last but a day, I wanted to empower him to elevate his life to a new level and give him the feeling of hope for a better tomorrow.

I pulled out a $1 bill, and when he looked up I miraculously changed it into a $20 bill and placed it into his cup. I now had his attention as I withdrew the PPF deck. I asked him if he believed in Magic. He said yes. I asked him if he ever had a Tarot Card reading. He said no.

I sat beside him and took out the cards. When it came time for him to choose his Future card, I subtly guided him to choose the Wheel of Fortune card because on the cheat sheet on the box the word Hope was written next to it, which I showed to him.

At the end, when I turned over his Wheel of Fortune card and showed him that fate had chosen his future for him, he burst into tears, stood up, brushed off his clothing and hugged me. As I was also moved to tears, I realized that here we were, two grown men who had just met on the street, crying and hugging each other. I'm getting glassy-eyed just writing this. That was a day of Magic and Hope which both of us will remember for the rest of our lives.

Put this in your Cart and buy it now. This isn't a magic trick. It's a Lifesaver.
30 of 33 magicians found this helpful.
Did this review help you? 1 comment
Wow! Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on December 15th, 2015
Rick Lax is really giving Paul Harris a run for his money as the greatest living magic trick inventor. Over the past few years I've purchased a number of Rick's effects (at incredibly reasonable prices!) and have yet to be disappointed. The thing I love about Rick, and Paul Harris as well, is that they are less concerned about the method and more about the emotional connection with the spectator. It's powerful stuff.

Any knowledgeable magician should be able to figure out this trick's basic method by watching the trailer but it is worth the price for the wonderful subtleties that Rick has clearly spent a long time honing, let alone the beautiful Tarot Deck that comes with the purchase. He's thought of everything, from setup, to a clever "cheat sheet" for the Tarot read, to a very fast reset that can be done in front of the spectators. Just top notch.

The one caveat I would give, and this is no criticism of the effect, is that I would make sure to only use positive interpretations when doing the Tarot reading. I've preformed Paul Harris' "Dr. Fun", which is similar to this in that the reaction of the spectator can be surprisingly emotional and learned early on not to go "negative"-no dead relatives, pets, etc. Keep it all upbeat.

Just a great effect. Simple, easy, effective. Well done, Mr. Lax!
19 of 19 magicians found this helpful.
Did this review help you? 2 comments
Devilishly clever, but not for everyone Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on December 19th, 2015
So, I really like this and actually think it fits my style. (I play the role of a mentalist/modern shamanic healer.) Rarely do I buy a trick that I feel I can actually use as it. This one I can. That said, it won't fit everyone's style. It just wouldn't be a good fit for most magicians. Let me put it this way, if an invisible deck fits your style, then just stick with it, don't bother with this. Compared to the invisible deck, this will take much longer to set up correctly (in terms of patter), and if you don't set the mood right and instead play the role of the skeptic, trickster, showman, or conman, then when it comes to tarot, it will all seem a pointless farce.
For those who find that the invisible deck looks too much like a magic trick and you want an effect that is more believable and less impossible, and if your style leans more towards the bizarre and you also do tarot, then this might be for you. It can touch the participant more. It is really about feeling. I see this as a good opening for someone who wants to do tarot readings. It would be out of place if it is the only tarot thing you do.
As to the trick itself. It is devilishly clever. There are multiple principles at work, and they are all layered together. I won't tip just what they are, but as I watched the video I had several "Damn, that is clever" moments. I can tell that some real time and effort went into thinking this out. This is a developed routine, not just a good idea to be used elsewhere. There are many other tarot tricks available. The Invocation, for instance, has several, but each of those are generally just card trick adapted to a tarot deck. This is more in that it relates to a very common tarot reading.
The deck itself is first rate. The art is good. It looks aged. It handles the way it needs to.
9 of 9 magicians found this helpful.
Did this review help you? Do you want to respond to this review?
Great fun Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on January 7th, 2016
This is straightforward, not difficult, persuasive, and lots of fun. The cards are handsome and eye-catching. First rate overall!
9 of 10 magicians found this helpful.
Did this review help you? Do you want to respond to this review?
4.5 stars but it is AWESOME!!! Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on December 23rd, 2015
This is a great trick. Thanks u so much Rick!!! It is very easy to do and gets great reactions. The video instruction is also very helpful and detailed. The only reason I kind of took away half a star is because I am afraid that it may not last very long after the gimmick wears out. I hope penguin sells refill decks for this. I will definitely get them.
9 of 10 magicians found this helpful.
Did this review help you? 2 comments
Pretty Persuasion Report this review
Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on August 17th, 2017
This reminds me of Deep 3 by Bro Gilbert. In that trick, two unique jokers reveal the initials of a spectator's "first love." That trick seems more organic, because after a deck switch, you can go on with other card tricks with the spec none the wiser.
With PPF, you have yet another dedicated deck, which, unless you are doing a full mentalism / haunted magic close-up act, seems a bit suspect whipping out mid-performance: "Hey, NOW let's do a trick with a Tarot deck!" I thought the idea was to have a deck NOT look like a trick deck. You can't repeat it for the same group, and once you're done, well, time to set that deck aside.
The trick exploits the "novelty" of Tarot cards, and minimalizes any actual "reading" some specs may expect when they see a Tarot. But, do you seriously want to get into in-depth Tarot readings anyway? This is a MAGIC trick.
Along w/ Deep 3, PPF seeks to associate a deep intimate "psychic connection" between the subject (usually a woman) and the Magi. ("Hey Bro! Let me read your Tarot, yo?")
Does it rise above "See, I KNEW you'd pick those cards, 'cause I wrote a Pre-Dict-Shun!"? Perhaps. It seems fresh because of the colorful picture cards.
The cards are high quality, the teaching clear, the effect easy to perform. For a one-off, stand-alone effect with a unique prop, it's OK.
8 of 11 magicians found this helpful.
Did this review help you? Do you want to respond to this review?
WOW!!! Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on December 15th, 2015
This is not just an amazing trick, it's also an absolutely diabolical reading tool!

Rick Lax is an AWESOME teacher! No stone is unturned in his instruction.
5 of 5 magicians found this helpful.
Did this review help you? Do you want to respond to this review?
Great trick. Bad batch Report this review
Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on December 3rd, 2017
Iv been wanting to buy this effect ever since it came out. I had a feeling of the method but still like how it was presented and custom cards. So I eventually got it. Cards a good quality, strong sturdy. Nice detail to them. Ricks teaching is great as always breaks it down step by step.

Unfortunately for me the deck didn't work as described. Without revealing the method, the deck has to be broken in, which is fine considering things and you expect that and ricks shows you what to do. Even after I did it several times the deck was doing things I couldn't control. Things it shouldn't do if it was constructed 100%. This is the only thing I can say without revealing the method. Maybe I got a bad batch and unfortunately for me I would have no confidence in performing this without flashing.

With the trick being titled as the greatest trick rock has created, maybe they should have limited to maybe 100 people so wasn't mass produced and thing alike this wouldn't happen.

If your thinking about buying it I would highly recommend it. It's a brilliant effect, great video and teaching, I just got a bad batch as I said.
6 of 8 magicians found this helpful.
Did this review help you? 3 comments
Taro-iffic!!! Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on December 17th, 2015
Great magic should connect with people and this trick does that in spades. If anyone wants a piece of magic with a unique captivating story line and makes a strong emotional connection this trick is for you. Bravo Mr. Lax, you have another winner!!!
5 of 6 magicians found this helpful.
Did this review help you? Do you want to respond to this review?
Problems with mine! Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on November 9th, 2020
I hate to leave a negative review but these cards have never worked! I bought them a couple of years ago and had to put them away unperformed. I have just tried to use them again - for Zoom - but after playing around with them again, I have remembered why I put them away in the first place!
The problem - on my set - is, the r**** & s***** on my cards does not work! I have a r******* s**** and have applied it but still the cards do not do what they are supposed to!
I do normally know how to handle cards as I am a Professional Close-Up Magician but am so disappointed in these cards!
I have gone with two stars as opposed to one as they look great and the routine is very nice, it's just a shame that my cards seem to have been treated with something that make the handling almost impossible!
7 of 11 magicians found this helpful.
Did this review help you? Do you want to respond to this review?
Bestsellers
See all bestsellers



Act Builder beta



     Get To Know Us

     Shipping and Store Policies

     Need Help?

Home | About Penguin Magic | The Penguin Foundation

Mail orders: Penguin Magic, 3299 Monier Circle, Unit A, Rancho Cordova, CA 95742
Call us at 800-880-2592 | International Dial: +1 707-317-6733

© 2002-2023 Penguin Magic. All Rights Reserved.
We hope you found the magic tricks you were looking for!