(see some tips below)

First, I'd like to say anyone who saw this trick and thought there would not be a stack involved that you must not be very bright. (Sorry...but come on....how else would this trick be possible?) Secondly, if stacking 20 cards is too hard and takes you longer than 3 mins then this is not for you.

Now that I got that out of the way...I love this trick! The only reason I gave it a 4 is because the real "smart guys" will figure it to be a stack. But if you watch how Joshua does it with his patter and alot of false shuffles you can see how this can be an amazing trick...especially to laymen. So a big part of the responsibility is yours to disguise the fact that it's a stack and present the odds in your patter.

That said, I do this all the time, usually when I first take out the deck. What is so great is that there is no gimmick and nothing to hide. If your patter is great, as Joshua's is, then you will get the reaction that we all love. You can have your deck already stacked and not do the trick. I always set my deck just so I have the option to do it. One of the best reactions I ever got was with family. We were going to play cards later in the night and the deck was out on the table, but laying amongst a bunch of stuff. I swiped it and went into the bathroom and stacked the deck. I then put it back on the table so nobody saw me touch it. When we sat down to play, I was asked for a card trick as I often am. So as the person was opening the deck, I said to give me the cards. Now if she would have dropped them or shuffled, I would have done something else, but she took them out and handed them to me. I said are these shuffled? and I spread them out so they could all see that they "looked" to be. I then said I'm not even going to shuffle these or handle them so you don't accuse me of anything fishy. I then went into the patter just like Joshua does. When this trick ended I got 3 "wows" and a big "wtf" at the end. The beauty was, someone accused me of bringing the deck or touching it and I said to the host...have I touched these cards...did we set this up??? And she vehemently said "NO....I JUST PUT THEM OUT" I swear it was worth the money for that one reaction...especially from the "smart guys" whose goal it is to figure out how I do any trick I perform!

Here are a couple tips. You can EASILY write the order on the flap of the card box. Seriously, it's only 2 letters per card ie: AH = Ace of Hearts and just write it in 2 rows of 10. Anyone claiming they can't do that just can't write small. BUT...and this is my first tip:

Tip #1 : You will always be setting the stack in private and you always will have your cell phone...well most everyone will. I just use a note pad app and put the stack in my cell...now you have no reason to cry that it's too much to write on the card box. (again, you could EASILY do it like he says) I also put the odds in my cell. But I use different odds. Here is my second and third tips:

Tip #2: In the stack he gives you, use the Ace of Clubs (AC) INSTEAD of the Ace of Diamonds (AD). This will give you a Suited Black Jack in Clubs rather than an AD and a JC. The odds of the black jack being suited from what I found online is 1 in 1326, I think that is a small thing but just adds to the whole "odds" patter. I also just round up on all of my odds. I say "finding just one card in the deck is 1 in 52. While a two card suited black jack is 1 in over1300 (now I remember it's 1326 so I end up saying it...but to start out, I would just round it to 1300). Having a Royal Flush dealt to you and the odds jump to 1 in over 649,000. (he says the exact number which is 649,580 I just haven't been able to let that 580 into my brain, but eventually it will seep in) And the odds of a perfect Bridge hand....1 in over 5 million." (all the odds I use are from him so if wrong, don't blame me! Except the suited black jack which I found online a while ago so if that's wrong, blame the Internet as a whole!)

Tip #3: It is very, very easy to reset the stack after you do it once, obviously. So when practicing you can literally restack the deck in under a minute. I know it's under a minute because my cell goes dim after 30 secs and I normally have to tap the screen once to brighten it when I restack when practicing.

Not ground breaking tips, but I think these will give you some comfort if you are thinking of buying this great trick. It's also very easy to remember how to do the deal...the hard part, if there is one, is syncing your patter with what you are doing. I hope you love this one like I do. I always have my deck set like this so I can do it first or not. And like Joshua says, you can use the deck as long as you don't disrupt the 20 card stack which is also an option. I haven't done that yet but you could easily do a trick before this which would make this one that much better, as they'd not expect a stack.

I bought this several years ago...and did nothing with it...and then this past week I decided to try it out... I've performed it 3 times in 3 different restaurants....to the wait staff..(I was a customer wanting to "show them something"...)....

All 3 times I ended with this trick and got a standing ovation!......this KILLS!

I showed them a few things with an ordinary deck and then put the deck away.... when they asked for "one more"...I picked up the deck with the setup and continued;.....their jaws dropped....

Get it NOW. It's worth the time....and money!

Too cool to pass up. You will make a reputation with this one!

The plot is clear and easy to explain. The only moves you have to do are easy. The reveal of the spectator's freely chose card creates a big initial reaction but the subsequent reveals seem almost impossible and knock it out of the park. I downloaded it and was performing it that evening. Highly recommended.

Sure this trick does involve a lot of set up but so what. A lot of really good tricks out there require set up so don't let that turn you off. Spectators are usually really impressed just by the fact that you found their card alone. But in the end, when you turn over the other cards to reveal that you have perfect hands, they lose it. If you don't mind spending five minutes or so prepping a deck, then this is a great find.

This is a good trick, and has lots of levels of suprises. I only gave it 3 stars because of the set up involved. You would either have to start with this trick, or do some sort of deck switch. I think it's too impractical for a walk-around type setting, as it would take a few minutes to reset, time you may not have.

Most are impressed by the simple, fake climax, but when you get to the real end? This effect is KILLER! It takes a lot of setup, but I just keep a card with the setup in my wallet, and it's totally worth it! Do yourself a favor and add this one to your cart now!

The good thing about this effect is that if done properly, the finish is pretty surprising and builds nicely. I can't understand why anyone would complain about having to set up a 20 card stack, considering that this effect requires a convincing false shuffle and a control-to-the-top. If you've taken the time to learn how to do those things proficiently, you don't have the patience to spend a minute to pull out 20 cards??

The only negative here is a negative that any "deal" type card effects share. Once the trick is over, and the spectator attempts to deconstruct it, a stack is the only logical answer. So no, it doesn't really feel "magical"... if anything, they'll be impressed by the mechanics that were required to reach the finish... but they won't be bewildered.

Just a set up and a good hold on the presentation will set your spectators off on this one. I've always loved how Joshua Jay structures effects with bigger and bigger endings. Fireworks ending! warning: may be too much amazement for spectators to handle!

I've preformed it more than 10 times. If performed with correct patter and at right time right place, you will get very good reactions.
However, the setup really is a let down (so long and boring). Also, if you're working with smarter audiences, they will suspect a setup, so you need to work on some good false shuffles, I recomend the false riffle shuffle, get it with emerge triumph.
Overall, I gave it four stars because it's a bit pricy and though needs setup, does not work well as an opener. Still, you should consider getting it.

when i first got it i loved it it will be the card trick i will always do. It is easy and the method will do it all. well done Joshua Jay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.