Magic Tricks

When I first saw this trick, I have to be honest. I was like, "meh."

I guess it's because, to me, the presentation seemed a little lackluster. I kinda assumed that all 4 cards were in his pocket the whole time. I think that, as a spectator, I might have came to the same conclusion... but I'm a tainted spectator (i.e. I'm familiar with magic now, so...), so it's really hard to know for sure what I would have thought. That said, the fact that this truly is a REAL card flight... well, when I realized that on watching the explanation, I was like, "Well ok then" and I sat up and paid more attention.

By the time Paul was done, I was impressed, as I always am with his tricks. He's a great teacher and, I'm not gonna lie, I wish I had his accent.

So, let's answer some important questions:
1. Is this for beginners? Yes and no. Yes, if you've been a beginner for a while (having practiced and performed at least some) and you're ready to go towards the deeper end of the pool. No, if you don't want to practice and practice first. You actually have to work to be good at stuff, ya know? Imagine that. :-) That said, with practice, this is doable.
2. Is there sleight of hand? Yes. A little. As Paul said, this isn't a knucklebuster. Of course, that's Paul saying that. A beginner would definitely disagree. But I do have to get on my soapbox and say, if you really want to be a good magician, you should willing to EMBRACE and MASTER knucklebusting sleight of hand, or at least some basics. Yes, it's frustrating (I'm not even there yet)... but practice makes better. Unless you just want to impress Grandma. Then, no, you don't need sleight of hand. Stick to self-working only if you're satisfied with mediocrity. (And before any self-worker lovers attack me, I agree that there are TONS of AWESOME self-working tricks! I love self-workers! I'm just saying that a real magician won't, in my humble opinion, avoid learning sleight of hand... that would be a disservice to his or her potential as a magician.)
3. Is this easy? Not to be redundant, but there will be practice for the beginner. For the experience beginner who knows some basic sleights and above, yes, this is easy. Just please practice.
4. Are there any cons on this trick? Yes. Again, I do feel like the presentation (IN MY HUMBLE OPINION) could be improved upon. I think that there is at least one point where time could be taken to sign one of the four kings. If that is done, then the fact that this is a true flight and that it is obvious would take the reveal to another level. I'm gonna try to incorporate having a card signed. Another thing is that, immediately after the explanation, the explanation is again showed from a different camera angle... which is a good thing, but it was weird how it was done... There was nothing that said "Explanation from a different angle." So I was confused at first. I was like, is this the same thing? I think it would have been good to use editing to combine the two views and felt is was kind of a lazy way to approach this, since, to benefit from both views, I literally have to watch or shuttle search the whole explanation again. That's really the only negative criticism I have. But I will say that I certainly DO appreciate the second camera angle. It was definitely valuable. I just wish it was all part of a single explanation edit.
5. Was it everything you dreamed of and more? It was BETTER than I expected. Again, I thought the trick was simpler (no real flight... just having cards in the pocket to begin with). Paul never disappoints with his teaching.
6. Will you perform this? Yes, with a signed card. I would like to see the reaction as he performs it and then try to incorporate the signed card. I'm guessing it'll make a huge difference. I'd probably favor the signed version, but I'll still try this as he performed it a coupl times to see how it goes. This would be a good opener. I don't feel it's the best closer... but as an opener, especially because of the setup, this would work. Restaurant workers will want a quick few seconds of privacy or a little boldness or sneakiness (if in public) to set up. Yes, it can be done for restaurants. You will need a table down, as is obvious from the presentation. I suppose you could do a strolling version, but there are better tricks for strolling.
7. Do you recommend it? Yes. I think this is a legitimate $9.99 trick, as it is priced.

So I give Paul a 3.75 stars. I was expecting to give a 3 star... but it really is a good trick, so I feel like it's about a four star. But I docked a quarter star just because of my impression I was left with that the cards were already in the pockets. Yes, he does use that assumption for the final kicker when he shows that the kings are not in the deck... but again, my feeling when I first saw it was that he simply dumped those kings somehow. I dunno... the more I think of it, the more I think I'll just give him four stars.

So scratch my original rating... a solid four stars for this trick! (I reserve fives for tricks that blow my mind, especially visually.)

(By the way, I always try to be honest and straightforward in my reviews, while being respectful to the magician. If you appreciate my reviews, can you please click the "Yes" button below beside the question, "Did this review help you?" It's not like I actually benefit in any way by your clicking it... but it would be nice to see if my reviews are helpful or not. I hope they are. If you ever have suggestions or comments or questions about my reviews, please feel free to leave me a constructive comment. I'm just trying to be helpful. I love the Penguin community and hope that I can someday contribute my own product. :-) Thanks for reading and for any (hopefully positive, but either way, at least kind) feedback!)