Paul Gertner again:
To reply to the original question: Do you need to do a Faro Shuffle to perform Paul Gertner's Unshuffled Kicker?
To perform it the way I did on Penn & Teller Fool Us YES you need to be able to do a perfect Faro shuffle.
However... I have included on the DVD in the Unshuffled Kicker a way to use the Kicker without doing a Faro Shuffle. You will not get the full impact of the trick in other words... there is no UNSHUFFLED on the side of the deck 4 times then 2 times then 1 time... then a change to the selected card and then a final change to PENN & TELLER (or any third word).
In this case you show a deck of cards with little black marks on the side of them. The spectator selects a card and returns it to the deck. The spectator can even shuffle the cards and the black marks on the side of the deck get even more mixed up. You take the deck back from them and have them hold out their hands, and you place the card box in their hand between their palms. You hold up the deck and ask what the name of their card was? They tell you Two of Spades. The marks on the side of the deck slowly change to read TWO OF SPADES (Just like I did on Fool Us when it changed to read PENN & TELLER) You then tell them to shake the card box. They hear something inside and when they open the card box they find the selected card the two of spades. You are pocketing the deck & Kicker while they are discovering the Two of Spades inside the card box.
So you get the final impact of the little marks changing to the name of their card on the side of the deck (and the selected card ending inside the box) without a Faro... but you DO NOT get the full impact of all the changes from the original routine. You need a perfect Faro to get that benefit.
Hope that helps answer The question.
