Like other have said the cards received are different then what is on the video making it a pain to
say the least to try and follow.
What makes it worse is Rick Lax's as usual total inability to
teach just like all the other stuff I have gotten with him. He is horrible at teaching. I like his
presentation ideas but that means nothing when he isn't good at explaining them.
Also penguin
and Lax added a new video explaining that the cards you get are different than the ones in the
teaching and presentation videos. No Kidding!
What a joke they took the time to make a video
telling you the cards are different why not just make a video with the right cards? That would have
taken just a little bit more effort that was already put in the cards are different video. Boo!
As far as Rick's teaching is concerned, I find him better than most, but....I bought Rick's very first trick and most of all of his following tricks because they're clever and, mostly, taught as well as other creators. However, he does mess up and get confused at times, misnaming things. They all do it. But why don't they catch their mistakes and fix them before releasing the trick? Are they that blind and deaf that they don't catch them during the final review of the video? All of us customers sure catch them...and we don't appreciate it.
They should edit that out and splice in the corrected version. It wouldn't be difficult or time-consuming. Or, in the final, released version they should at least include some added text on the screen explaining their mistake(s) and correcting them. Simple.
But, 99% of them don't do it. Why? I don't know. Laziness? Maybe. It's not fair to the customer who paid for a trick and a 100% correct explanation. Anything less is irresponsible and unprofessional, not only for the creator but also the retailer. In fact, I hold the retailer mostly responsible for not holding these guys to a line. So, they get sloppier with less attention to detail and little concern for the length of time their gimmicks and gaffs will last.
That is especially true with money tricks using bank notes in which you fold and unfold the bills repeatedly during each performance. Given a short time, and I mean short, the bills break down and rip and tear till they're unusable.
Either they're destroyed completely to the point where the bank won't even accept their return, or just partly so you need to remake the gimmick (if you can). But, they never give you fair warning before purchasing nor do they offer advice on how to make your paper money gimmicks last much longer. Some of the creators are now just starting to include that information. It's more pertinent for newbies.
I know I'm getting off point here, but there's three more things to consider.
1) Some money tricks require you to cut up real currency. For a trick. Rick Lax's Transaction is one such trick. Check with your bank first to see if they will allow you to return taped currency. Most won't. I know. I've been in this magic business for over 50 years. And they will NOT accept bills with rubber cement residue on them. That adds considerably to the cost of the trick.
2) Certain bill changes could involve five $100 bills to be used if you want to perform the same routine as they do in their trailers. Personally, I think you'd be a fool to walk into a rowdy bar on a weekend night and start flashing around $500 in cash in full view for all the drunks to see. Expect you and your $500 to part ways before the sun comes up.
I use fake money and I take the time to put Invisible Scotch tape on all outside edges and all folded edges. Instead of lasting for a year, they last 10 years. And not a single spectator will care or say anything because it looks soooo real today. Besides, that's not what the trick is about.
You could use grocery coupons for all that matters. It's the transformation that matters. Trust me. I've been doing it for ten years. My Slow Burn gimmick has lasted me for 10 years and still performs well and looks good.
3) Lastly, all magic videos should be shot over the shoulder instead of as if you are the spectator. Your brain has to do mental calisthenics to decode the mirror image it sees. It's so ridiculous that these creators can't figure that out. I'm so exasperated by their ignorance and failure to comprehend what their viewer/magician sees and has to descramble it to make any sense of it.
different and confusing
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