Let's Get Small by Cameron Francis

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Tom Frame
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Let's Get Small by Cameron Francis

Postby Tom Frame » August 31st, 2012, 11:36 am

Lets Get Small (ebook) by Cameron Francis $15.00
31 pages, links to performance videos
Available at: http://www.cameronfrancismagic.com/Let% ... -Small.php


In 1977, I was seventeen years old and had been into magic for three years. I never left home without my cheesy vinyl accordion wallet filled with packet tricks, most of which were Nick Trosts wondrous offspring.

Id remove the packet of cards from their labeled glassine sleeve, perform the effect, replace the cards, pull out the next packet of cards, perform that effect and continue ad nauseum. I was an idiot.

Steve Martins Grammy-winning album, Lets Get Small also appeared that year. Leaping latex! I fell feverishly in love with him! I memorized the album, bought a white polyester suit and constantly recited his bits, annoying everyone within earshot. Did I mention that I was an idiot and, not surprisingly, a virgin?

And now, 35 years later, Cameron Francis decides to potentially retraumatize me by sending me this ebook that picks at both of those psychological scabs!

Hoping for a corrective experience, I screwed my courage to the sticking place and with sweaty deck in trembling hands, I worked through this material. Im glad I did. I feel better now.

Mr. Francis writes well and does a very good job of teaching the material. He duly cites his inspirational sources.

His methods require an intermediate level of pasteboard proficiency. No gaffs are required.

Mr. Francis includes links to performance videos of each of his effects. He earns bonus points for providing this valuable feature.


Distinguished: The performer displays a packet of black spot cards. A participant freely selects a card, say the Seven of Clubs. The performer cuts it into the packet and mixes the cards face-up and face-down. He twists the packet and shows that all of the cards are now face-down.

The performer twists the packet again and the Seven of Clubs appears face-up among the face-down cards. He tables the Seven face-up. He turns the packet face up and shows that the rest of the cards are now red spot cards.

This is an impromptu version of Mr. Franciss gimmicked small packet Triumph effect Mixed Perception.

I like it.


Circular Salad: The performer displays a packet of four black spot cards and four red spot cards that are in alternating color order. He squares the packet and flips it face-down.

The performer removes the top four cards and shows them to be a mix of red and black cards. He riffles the packet and reveals that all four cards are now black. He displays the cards again and now all of them are red.

He places the red cards on top of the rest of the packet on the table and picks up the combined packet. He shakes the packet and spreads it face-up on the table, revealing that the cards are in alternating color order.

This is the authors version of Aldo Colombini's effect, Nice Salad from What's Up Deck.

I like it.


Thanks To Walton: The performer displays four black spot cards and tables them in a face-down row. He displays a packet of four red spot cards. One at a time, he switches out the red cards for the black cards, but somehow he always holds four red cards in his hand.

The performer turns over the four face-down cards on the table revealing that they are the four Aces.

This effect was inspired by two Roy Walton effects, "An Illogical Conclusion" and "Oil and Queens", from The Complete Walton Vol. 1.

I like it.


Threes: The performer displays five face-down cards. He turns the top card of the packet face-up and displays the Three of Hearts. He turns it face-down and places it on the bottom of the packet. He turns the top card of the packet face-up, revealing the Three. He repeats this feat and then he tables the Three face-up.

The performer turns the packet face-up and displays the four Queens. He flips the packet face-down and turns the top two black Queens face-up onto the packet. He inserts the face-up Three between the black Queens and flips the three card sandwich face-down onto the packet. He removes the top three cards and tables them face-down.

The performer waves the face-down red Queens over the tabled sandwich. He spreads the red Queens and reveals the Three sandwiched between them. He turns the packet face-up and reveals that the black Queens are now sandwiching the Three.

He turns the three tabled cards face-up and they are the other three Threes.

This effect is based on Jumping Gemini by Darwin Ortiz and Mr. Franciss effect Providence from his ebook, Card Trail.

I like it.


Hold That Ghost: The performer displays the Ace through Four of Spades and then he turns the packet face-down. He turns the top card, the Ace, face-up onto the packet. He turns the Ace face-down and places it on the bottom of the packet. He turns the top card of the deck face-up and it is the Ace. He turns it face-down and tables it.

The performer turns the top card of the packet face-up, displaying the Two. He turns it face-down and places it on the bottom of the packet. He turns the top card of the deck face-up, revealing the Two. He tables it face-down on top of the tabled card.

The performer states that the top card of the remaining pair of cards is the Three. Without showing its face, he places it beneath the other face-down card. He turns the top card face-up, displaying the Three. He drops it face-down on top of the tabled cards.

The performer drops the face-down Four onto the tabled cards and picks up the packet. He turns the packet face-up, showing that the Four has sunk to the bottom.

He turns the packet face-down and mixes the cards. He turns the top card of the packet face-up, displaying the Four. He turns it face-down and tables it. He dribbles the remaining cards onto the Four and the Four appears face-up in his hand.

This effect was inspired by Roy Walton's Ambitious Ghost from The Complete Walton Vol. 1.

I like it.


Courtesy Flush: The performer displays four Tens and places them face-down on the participants palm. He displays four Aces and holds them in a face-down packet.

The participant removes the top Ace from the performers packet and places it on top of her packet. She turns her packet face-up, removes the Ten at its face and places it on top of the performers packet. The performer turns the Ten face-down atop his packet.

The performer turns his packet face-up and reveals that he is holding the four Tens. The participant turns her packet face-up and discovers that she is holding a royal flush in Spades.

What a terrific, evocative name for a trick! This is a refined version of Mr. Franciss Flush the Transpo from his Moment's Notice 4 ebook.

I like it.


Cheating Cards: The performer displays the four Jokers. In the context of Poker, he flips one Joker face-up atop the packet. He removes the Joker, shakes it and it transforms into a King. He turns it face-down and tables it.

The performer turns the uppermost Joker face-up, removes it, shakes it and it transforms into another King. He tables it face-down.

He simultaneously transforms the two remaining Jokers into Kings and drops them face-down onto the tabled Kings.

In a Blackjack context, the performer picks up the packet and deals two face-down Kings to the participant. He turns his cards face-up, revealing that he holds a King and an Ace. The participant turns her cards face-up and discovers that she now holds an Ace and a King, for another Blackjack.

This effect was inspired by a Kyle MacNeills Daley's Dream.

I like it.


Small Time: The performer displays two Jokers and four Kings. He removes, squares and tables the face-up Jokers.

He flips the Kings beneath the top King face-down and places them on top of the tabled Jokers. He inserts the King of Spades into the card case and tables it.

The performer sandwiches the three Kings between the Jokers. One at a time, the three Kings vanish from between the two Jokers. The performer removes the four Kings from the card case. Everything can be examined.

I like it.


Getting Evener: The performer displays a packet of sixteen cards, eight red and eight black. He mixes the cards and hands the packet to participant #1. She cuts the packet several times and notes the color of the bottom card, say red. Red becomes her target color. Participant #2s target color is black.

Participant #1 deals the cards into two face-down piles. Keeping the cards face-down she freely removes and tables four cards from her pile that she believes are red. She places the remaining cards in the performers hand.

Participant #2 removes and tables four cards from her pile that believes are black. She places the remaining cards on top of the cards in the performers hand.

Participant #1 turns her cards face-up and they are all red. Participant #2 turns her cards face-up and they are all black. The performer turns his cards face-up and reveals that they are separated by color.

This is the authors updated handling of his effect, Getting Even from his Ultimate Impromptu Card Magic DVD. It was inspired by Paul Curry's Out of This World and Karl Fulves' Even Money Proposition.

I like the effect, but I dislike the authors method because I hate the Reverse Faro shuffle. I cannot fathom how the execution of a precise, orderly procedure is supposed to convince the crowd that the cards are randomly mixed. Order does not convey chaos. Chaos conveys chaos.


Low Riser: The performer displays four Kings and three indifferent black spot cards. He tables the Kings in a face-down row. He places the spot cards face-down on top of the King on the right of the row. The performer picks up the packet and turns the top card face-up, revealing that the King has risen to the top. He turns the King face-down and tables it in its former position.

The performer places the face-down spot cards on top of the King that is second from the right side of the row. He picks up the packet and turns the top card face-up, displaying a spot card. He turns the spot card face-down onto the packet and shakes it. He turns the top card face-up onto the packet and reveals that the King has risen to the top. He turns the King face-down and tables it in its former position.

The performer places the face-down spot cards on top of the King that is second from the left in the row. He picks up the packet and turns the top card face-up, revealing that the King has risen to the top. He turns the King face-down and tables it in its former position.

The performer picks up the face-down King on the left end of the row, flips it face-up on top of the face-down spot card packet in his hand, then turns the King face-down. He places the King on the bottom of the packet. He shakes the packet and turns the top card face-up, revealing that the King has risen to the top. He turns the King face-down onto the packet.

The performer waves the packet over the three face-down tabled Kings. He flips the packet face-up to reveal that he is now holding the four Kings. He turns the tabled cards face-up, revealing the three spot cards.

This small packet elevator routine was inspired by Peter Duffie's "Hellraiser" and Jack Carpenter's "Escalator Aces" from his Pasteboard Palette lecture notes.

I like it.


I really like Lets Get Small! Cameron Francis has crafted a very attractively priced ebook filled with well constructed, strong effects that will floor lay folk and renew your appreciation of the power of packet tricks.


Highly Recommended

Harry Lorayne

Re: Let's Get Small by Cameron Francis

Postby Harry Lorayne » August 31st, 2012, 5:32 pm

Nice review, Tom. Interesting that you HATE the Reverse Faro. I use it a lot, and never, ever, fail to convince my audience the the packet of cards is shuffled. I discuss it quite a bit - different effects, handlings, etc., in Special Effects. I'm sure glad you didn't review that book! Regards - Harry.

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Tom Frame
Posts: 1344
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Del Ray
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Re: Let's Get Small by Cameron Francis

Postby Tom Frame » August 31st, 2012, 6:24 pm

Thanks, Harry.

I'm not surprised that the Reverse Faro serves you well. When you perform, the tricks and their methods are irrelevent. You Sir, are the magic.

Harry Lorayne

Re: Let's Get Small by Cameron Francis

Postby Harry Lorayne » September 3rd, 2012, 12:13 am

What a nice thing to say. Thank you. H.

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Don Hendrix
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Joined: January 18th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Tucson, AZ

Re: Let's Get Small by Cameron Francis

Postby Don Hendrix » September 3rd, 2012, 12:38 am

I wish that all magic sites that sell ebook would be as simple as Cameron's. As soon as you pay with Paypal, your downloads appear on the next page. No waiting, no entering passwords, etc. Simple and virtually instant. I like it.


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