You have to love this trick, simply because you don't see the kicker coming. If you're a jaded card
guy, you'd look at this routine and let out a yawn as you're thinking, "Big deal, you can do an
Elmsley Count. Do we really need another version of a Sympathetic Card routine??" But then when
you realize they were 4 aces, it's hard not to laugh and think, "Ok, you got me!"
So yes,
this will get really good reactions... and it's not that hard to do at all. As implied above, you
just need to be able to do an Elmsley Count, and you need to remember the brief handling sequence.
The only problem is that you only end 3/4 clean. And after just having "seen" 4 jokers turn into 4
aces, the spectators are really going to want to see the cards. It helps that you can toss the
cards around casually and show both sides. This will deflect a LOT of heat from the gaff, so for
this reason, the lack of examinability is far less of an issue here than in other effects.
Generally, I'm not a huge fan of packet tricks, but this one is just so good, so surprising, and
almost so clean, it won me over easily.
I just got this for Christmas. I give it 5 Stars.
1) The one I bought here at Penguin came with 4 videos which provided multiple ways to present this trick.
2) My favorite video does NOT require an Elmsley count.
3) This is an exceptional trick, I would say it's a little more difficult than beginner, but not as hard as intermediate difficulty. I needed to practice this for at least 6 hours over a couple weeks to feel comfortable presenting it the first time.
4) When I do this trick I also add the words, "You might even think I have more than 4 jokers, but really, I don't".
5) I do feel there is always a downside because nothing is perfect. There isn't really a route to a perfectly clean end. There is a nearly clean end, but not perfectly clean. I really like Scanzello's Anomaly a tad more, because it has a way to end perfectly clean
