T-Change by Jeff Prace

[Tom Frame]

T-Change (Download) by Jeff Prace $4.95
Running time: 6 minutes
Available at: http://shop.dananddave.com/magic-tricks ... prace.html


This is the first of two new downloads from that creative young whippersnapper Jeff Prace. Here, Mr. Prace offers a color change.

The production quality of the video is good and the tone is consistent with what we have come to expect from Dan and Dave. You know, young, cool, street-ish. Fittingly the video was shot in the stairwell of a building.

Mr. Pace does a fine job of teaching the method, which he tells us was inspired by the work of Ed Marlo and Bebel.


A card is freely selected and lost in the deck. The performer flips the top card of the deck face-up onto the face-down deck, displaying an indifferent card. He removes the card, raises the deck to a vertical position with its back toward the crowd, and inserts the card face-up halfway into the deck.

Then he changes his mind and says that he wants to insert the card deeper into the deck. He lowers the deck to a horizontal position, removes the indifferent card from the rear and reinserts it into the deck.

He raises the deck to a vertical position and shakes it. The indifferent card instantly and visibly changes into the selected card. The performer removes the selection from the deck and hands it to his participant.


The method is a bit angley. Its best to perform the effect head-on and your right side is vulnerable.

The deck ends up dirty. Mr. Prace offers a superficial description of a clean up technique to be done on the off beat.

On an abstract level, I like the idea of his method. But in the concrete world of performing, the method leaves much to be desired.

The procedure of inserting the indifferent card into the deck, changing the decks orientation, removing the card, reinserting it and changing decks orientation again just looks bad.

If you click on the link above and watch the promotional video, youll see that the removal and reinsertion of the card is not shown. Leaving the gedinta (As Harry Lorayne used to call it.) out of the video makes for a misleading depiction of the effect.

Given this unpleasant handling, the best outcome that the performer can hope for is that the crowd will perceived him as being indecisive, unrehearsed, or unskilled.

The worse and more likely outcome is that the mob, if theyre sentient, sober and paying attention, will correctly conclude that he executes the suspicious, inelegant handling because the method demands it. It doesnt matter if they cant describe the method. Their mere awareness that something sneaky happened is enough to undermine the magic.


Not Recommended

[Richard Kaufman]

Ken Krenzel developed an incredible one-handed change of a card sticking out of a deck which was published in our booklet On the Up and Up. Amazing. Deck is clean. No gimmicks.

[Chris Aguilar]

Even the edited demo of this looks far inferior visually compared to something like Carpenter's Impulse Change, which is also not particularly difficult to do. If a person cannot clean up a single reversed card (or even find a way to capitalize on that) then perhaps that person should reconsider the joys of sleight of hand magic with cards.

[Scott M.]

It was only a $5 impulse buy, but I wish I had read your review before buying. IMO, your fifth paragraph is a salient omission. Also, Joel Givens has something similar in "Session," albeit without the Marlo aspect.

[Jeff.Prace]

Thanks for the review, Tom. Sorry you didn't like the color change. For you sleight-of-hand monkeys, I truly feel you will have fun with this and it will inspire you creatively.

The "insert and removal" was taught to make this move accessible to every card artist. Advanced card mechanics will quickly recognize other ways to secretly get into the starting position.

I originally published this in MAGIC Magazine (under a slightly different name) many years back, and Josh noted the minor resemblance to Joel Givens' change. My color change allows for a one-handed operation, among other differences. On a side note, while Josh did not describe how to get into the starting position (as we assumed readers would be able to find an adequate method themselves), he did describe a unique way to utilize this move as a four-card change.

I will end with a video I filmed a few years ago - but recently uploaded - of the color change without all the fancy editing: http://youtu.be/-_xZadJ3phE

[John G]

Jeff,
The new vid is clear, clean and impressive.

I'll offer my two cents here and give you kudos for a good move to add to the tool box. There are many color changes out there, and yours makes a fine addition.

I can see many applications, like visually reversing a card, changing the back design, etc.
Well done.

You're a creative, talented force. Keep those gears rolling.

John G