Eddie Joseph's Premonition

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WV.
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Eddie Joseph's Premonition

Postby WV. » November 4th, 2010, 6:27 am

This is my review of this incredible effect!

The magician walks onto the stage and asks ANY spectator to name ANY card. The spectator is then invited to the stage and before he even comes onto the stage the magician pulls out a deck of cards from his pocket and puts it on the table. The spectator is then asked to go through the deck and find his card. Much to everyone's surprise, that card is missing from the deck. The spectator is then asked to count how many cards there are in the deck and miraculously there are only 51 cards. The magician reaches in to his pocket and instantly pulls out the spectators thought of card.

Price: $4.95

There is no need to purchase any special props or gaffed cards as this effect uses REGULAR playing cards.

This effect is VERY easy to learn, because there are no moves or forces to learn. In fact, the only time the magician touches the deck is when he takes it from his pocket to put it on the table. From that moment on the spectator handles the cards.

In my opinion this is THE most power mentalist effect with a deck of cards. The secret will amaze you. Eddie Joseph performed this to a group of magicians and after the effect was presented to them they were ALL convinced that the magician that was asked to think of a card was a confederate. I was very doubtful before I purchased this effect, but I was not let down. This is really as clean and direct as it sounds. Not only will it get you great reactions, but it will give you some insight into how powerful the human mind is in being able to be this creative.
Last edited by WV. on November 4th, 2010, 7:22 pm, edited 0 times in total.
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Bob Farmer
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Re: Eddie Joseph's Premonition

Postby Bob Farmer » November 4th, 2010, 7:38 am

The trick was actually invented by William H. McCaffrey and can be found as "The Prize Winner" in GREATER MAGIC (pp. 564-565).

The procedure you describe is wrong -- the spectator does not go through the deck twice, he counts the cards face up as he looks for his card.

Unfortunately, the method has a major flaw, as I discovered when I showed it to my then 86-year old mother. She noticed the duplicate cards because as she was looking for her card she called out each mate as she came to it (something any intelligent spectator will do). Of course this revealed that the mates were duplicated.

This trick is an interesting antique, but it's far from anything cutting edge today. Rather than pay $5 for a trick that has been in print for many, many decades in many different versions, buy a copy of GREATER MAGIC or T.A. Waters MIND, MYTH & MAGIC -- or the 13 STEPS TO MENTALISM -- these are all much better investments.

WV.
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Re: Eddie Joseph's Premonition

Postby WV. » November 4th, 2010, 7:49 am

The description is the way it is presented in the book. Maybe the version I am referring to is different than the one you performed?
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Jonathan Townsend
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Re: Eddie Joseph's Premonition

Postby Jonathan Townsend » November 4th, 2010, 8:25 am

Hey, what is this, a pinochle deck?
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

WV.
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Re: Eddie Joseph's Premonition

Postby WV. » November 4th, 2010, 9:18 am

This effect uses ordinary playing cards.
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Jonathan Townsend
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Re: Eddie Joseph's Premonition

Postby Jonathan Townsend » November 4th, 2010, 9:52 am

WV wrote "This effect uses ordinary playing cards."

The term effect pertains only to the intended audience perception of an item. The method used to create the effect is its own matter.

In this case the EJ item methodology is made up from two packs of ordinary cards and as Bob Farmer pointed out an attentive audinece member may notice something as the cards go by - hence my comment above about what they might say.

BTW Steve Dusheck has a version of the trick in one of his books :)
Last edited by Jonathan Townsend on November 4th, 2010, 9:57 am, edited 0 times in total.
Reason: Was almost going to use the terms from The Prestige, the Pledge in this case. :)

Denis Behr
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Re: Eddie Joseph's Premonition

Postby Denis Behr » November 4th, 2010, 10:26 am

Bob Farmer: "She noticed the duplicate cards because as she was looking for her card she called out each mate as she came to it (something any intelligent spectator will do)."

You are insulting quite a lot of spectators here! ;-)

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Tom Stone
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Re: Eddie Joseph's Premonition

Postby Tom Stone » November 4th, 2010, 10:53 am

Bob Farmer: "She noticed the duplicate cards because as she was looking for her card she called out each mate as she came to it (something any intelligent spectator will do)."

Denis Behr: You are insulting quite a lot of spectators here! ;-)

People's perception is often different when being within their comfort zone vs. being outside it. A person who might see through things when being at home, might not do the same when being in the center of attention among strangers. Intelligence is probably not an as essential factor as the setting.

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Q. Kumber
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Re: Eddie Joseph's Premonition

Postby Q. Kumber » November 4th, 2010, 11:59 am

Ted Lesley has a very good presentation in Para Miracles.

Ian Kendall
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Re: Eddie Joseph's Premonition

Postby Ian Kendall » November 4th, 2010, 4:42 pm

I've discussed this with Bob in the past, but I've never had someone notice the duplicates in the deck.

I was convinced I had thought this one up by myself, until Alexander Crawford said 'I like your presentation of Premonition...'

Ian

Bob Farmer
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Re: Eddie Joseph's Premonition

Postby Bob Farmer » November 4th, 2010, 6:40 pm

Deciding to put my money where my mouth is, I have invented "The Bammo Oblivion Deck."

ANY card thought of by the spectator vanishes. You don't need to know the card. He doesn't need to name it. He can spread the deck on the table and look for his card -- he will find the three mates, but not his card.

There are no phoney selection procedures. There is no need to force a card and you don't need to know what the card is. It works automatically and there are no sleights.

The only magician I have shown this to is David Acer (October 2009 at the Montreal Drumfest). I believe he will testify in my favour. It did fool my mother! (now 90).

And I have more than one method.

The ultimate method: the deck is on the table before you start. ANY card is thought of -- no forcing. You do not know the card. The deck is removed from the case and the three mates are there (as only the spectator can see -- since you don't know the card) -- but his card is gone (or it can be a double-blank card).

Resets in 1 second. No sleights. No rough and smooth -- it's a brand new idea.

I plan to publish this as a manuscript.

You can also have the thought card vanish from, say a red-backed deck, and appear as the only red-backed card in a blue-backed deck.

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Eddie Joseph's Premonition

Postby Richard Kaufman » November 4th, 2010, 7:27 pm

I have banned WV (who's from South Africa, by the way) because I don't like people who take advantage of our Forum. Deleted all of his links and most of his posts..
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Bob Farmer
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Re: Eddie Joseph's Premonition

Postby Bob Farmer » November 5th, 2010, 7:18 am

Strangely, due I suspect to some Satanic intervention, people whose posts are deleted here, are also deleted in real life. One moment they're there -- the next, gone -- the forum a veritable Bermuda Triangle of Opinion.

Excuse me a moment, my left hand seems to be dissolving into nothingnes.......

Jonathan Townsend
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Re: Eddie Joseph's Premonition

Postby Jonathan Townsend » November 5th, 2010, 9:40 am

The new Bammo item sounds promissing. About how much would it cost to have made up in my usual cards (Tally-Ho Blue Back Circle Design) ??

Bob Farmer
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Re: Eddie Joseph's Premonition

Postby Bob Farmer » November 5th, 2010, 10:02 am

Jonathan -- a very sneaky question. I will neither confirm nor deny that cards need to be "made up."


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