Magic Tricks

I feel the reviewers really haven’t done justice to this routine. Several reviewers mentioned Dan’s performance and technical skill. I am not buying this routine to be entertained—I am buying it to learn the routine. As for criticism of Dan’s coin skills, his audience assistant is repeatedly gobsmacked. Any roughness in performance actually proves that you don’t have to be Geoff Latta or Curtis Kam to get great reactions with this routine. This is a 5-star routine.

These reviewers then say that the roughness of the performance means they doubt Dan’s choices in the routine, and therefore the routine is slapdash. I disagree. There are 3 main differences in Dan’s and Tommy’s routines:

1. Boston Box versus a drawstring bag
2. A hand-to-hand transfer
3. A Ross Bertram sequence

I believe all 3 of Dan’s choices are well-justified, and he explains them well.

Dan uses a drawstring bag instead of a Boston Box. A Boston Box is an odd apparatus, and it’s an expense. If you’re carrying everything in your pockets, it’s heavy. If you’re going to keep the arrangement of the coins in the Boston box, which tends to open up and spill, you will need to keep it in a purse or A DRAWSTRING BAG. The bag offers several advantages, including cost and lightness. But Dan explains what you need to customize a container for the routine, so Dan is giving you options.

Dan’s hand-to-hand transfer is motivated. Even Bill Malone, who has tremendous skills, uses a similar principle to make his pass invisible. Dan explains Tommy’s move, which you can do if you prefer, but keep in mind you’re not Tommy Wonder.

The Ross Bertram sequence is tough to do convincingly, and Dan points to laymen’s observations of its transparency. Again, do it if you want, but it’s unnecessary, and you probably aren’t as good as Ross Bertram.

Tommy Wonder created a genius routine in which the second phase repeats the first, but with a different method and a presentational twist. The challenge in any coins across is the ending. Usually, the last coin is anticlimactic. But Wonder devised a killer ending, and Dan brings down the house with it. The point is not to rate Dan like a gymnast doing a floor routine, but to look at the genuine reactions he gets.

Here we have a routine that uses regular coins, is self-contained in a single bag (or coin purse), instantly resets, and gets strong audience reactions. If you’re a restaurant worker, stroller, or have your own table at a venue, a routine like this is invaluable, a real worker.