Reviews

Michael Ammar "Easy to Master Card Miracles 1"

Welcome to my review of Michael Ammar’s “Easy to Master Card Miracles 1.” In this review, I will break down each effect, and give my opinion on each.

8-Card Brainwave: The magician brings out a small packet of cards, and has a spectator merely think of one. The magician places that card aside, and shows each of the cards backs to be red. When the magician turns over the thought-of card, it’s back is blue.

A great effect. One problem with it, however, is that you can’t take the cards from the deck you’ve been using. You have to keep the cards separate from the deck. If you’re doing other card work, it’s probably best to use this as an opener. It’s fast, simple, and impressive.

8/10

Red Hot Mama: A spectator freely selects a card, and places it back in the blue-backed deck. When the spectator pushes on the back of the deck, the magician spreads the deck to reveal that one card has turned red. Turning it over, the magician shows the red card to be the freely selected card. Placing the card aside, the magician has the spectator look at another card. When the magician spreads the deck to reveal another red card, the magician apparently messed up, because there is no red card, except the one on the table. The spectator names the card, and the red card on the table is revealed to have changed to the spectator’s second selection.

Red Hot Mama is an effect I’ve been using for years, and despite it’s simplicity, it has proven to be very powerful. It require a little bit of set-up, and isn’t instantly resetable the way Michael teaches it, but if you think a little, you will find that with a slight alteration, the effect will reset instantly.

9/10

Acrobatic Aces: The magician decides to test the spectators, and see if they can find the aces. Spreading the deck on the table, he has four spectators pull out cards. When they are found to be indifferent cards, the magician acts like the cards are really aces. The magician places three of the cards face-down, and balances them on the other “Ace.” With just a flick of the wrist, the four “Aces” really do become aces.

This is a nice little trick, but is best used to lead into a four ace routine.

6.5/10

Secret to a Perfect Royal Flush: The magician tells the spectators that he is going to demonstrate how gamblers cheat. He demonstrates how a gambler would use the bottom deal to deal four aces to himself, by dealing five hands of poker. He shows the other hands to be mediocre, with pairs and straight-draws, and shows that he, of course, has four aces. Gathering up the cards, the magician deals the cards again. He shows that everyone has terrible hands, with not even a pair. Turning over his cards, the magician shows that this time, he doesn’t have the four aces. He has a royal flush.

This is a mediocre routine, in my opinion. There are much better poker deals.

5/10

Triumph: The magician has a spectator select a card, and replace it in the deck. Half the deck is turned face-up, and shuffled into the other, face-down half. Making a magical gesture, the magician spreads through the deck, and shows all of the cards to have righted themselves, except the selected card.

This is a wonderful routine, that has had many variations. The method used in this routine is good, but there are much better versions. Even so, you should definitely try it, and discover your own ways to do this classic effect.

8.5/10

Further Than That: The magician explains to the audience that in most effects, you would just pick a card. But this trick goes further than that. The magician has a spectator name any number between ten and twenty. The magician deals that many cards on to the table. Most magicians would just have you look at that card, and that would be it, but this trick goes further than that. Instead of just using that card, the magician adds the two digits of the number together, and has the spectator remember the card at that number, and lost it in the deck. It would be one thing to find that card, but this trick goes further than that. The magician explains that he is going to have the deck itself tell him what the card is. After listening to the deck, the magician reveals the name of the card (Let’s say the ace of spades). Most tricks would end there, but this trick goes further than that. The magician spells the name of the card (Ace of Spades), and deals one card for each letter of the value into one pile, and one card for each letter of the suit into another pile, showing the last card to be the selected card. Most tricks would end there, but this trick goes further than that. The magician shows that the cards dealt into the value pile are all aces, and the cards dealt into the suit pile are all spades. Most tricks would end there, but this trick goes further than that. The magician deals a hand of poker with the ace of spades, and shows the hand to be a royal flush.

There is a lot of debate among magicians as to if this is a good or bad routine, Personally, I like it. However, one problem I have found is that the ending, where a royal flush is dealt, is weaker than the other phases of the routine, weakening the effect. It is still a good effect, so give it a chance.

7.5/10

Las Vegas Leaper: The magician gives a spectator a small packet of cards from the deck, has him/her count them (Let’s say there are ten cards), and place them somewhere where the magician couldn’t get to them. The magician takes three cards from the deck, and explains that they will travel, one at a time, to the spectator’s packet. The magician takes the first card, tosses it invisibly to the other cards, and clearly shows two cards remaining. The second card is apparently palmed into the other hand, but shown to have mysteriously disappeared with the other. The last card is shown (For example, the two of clubs), placed on the deck, and tabled, the hand covering the card. However, when the hand is lifted, the card is gone. The magician shows that the top card isn’t the card either. When the spectator counts his/her cards, the three cards are found to have traveled to the other ten cards, making thirteen, and the two of clubs is even there. The spectator takes the cards and places them aside again. The magician riffles the cards three times toward the spectator’s packet, and when the spectator counts the cards, there are now 16 cards.

An excellent effect.

8.5/10

Cannibal Cards: The magician takes out four kings, which will represent cannibals, and has three spectators select cards, which will represent the cannibal’s food. The kings are held face down, and the spectator’s cards are placed, one at a time, into the king’s packet. Each time, the kings (cannibals) are found to have eaten the cards (food), and the cards have all disappeared. When all of the food is gone, they begin to cannibalize. The kings are placed onto the deck, and when the deck is spread, one of the kings are gone. The deck is spread again, and the second king is gone. The deck is spread a third time, and the third king is gone. The last king is cut into the deck, and when the deck is spread, the kings are found, and in the cannibal’s bellies (Interlaced between the kings) are the three selections.

Cannibal Cards is a very good routine, that I have used many times to great success.

8.4/10

A Night at the Improv: A description of this effect would take about 2 pages, so instead, I’ll briefly describe what happens in the effect. The magician takes a shuffled deck of cards, and tells a story about a man named Sam Spade (Ace of spades).

The whole story is very silly, and although it is entertaining, I would recommend Bill Malone’s “Sam the Bellhop” routine instead, which can be found on Bill Malone’s “On the Loose 1.”

6/10

Bonus: The Insurance Policy: The magician explains that a lot of magicians (himself included) have taken out an insurance policy, to insure that every time they perform a magic trick, it will turn out ok. The magician has a spectator remember a card, and shuffle it into the deck. The magician now takes out his insurance policy, and places it on the table. When the spectator is finished shuffling the cards, he has him turn over the top card, and says that it will be the selected card. When it’s found to not be the card, the magician starts making up excuses for the mistake. It’s a good thing he has his insurance policy. The magician opens the insurance policy, and starts reading the terms. When the insurance policy is opened all the way, the back of the policy is found to be a large picture of the selected card.

Another great effect. The Insurance Policy is best used as a closer.

9/10

Overall:

Overall, Michael Ammar’s “Easy to Master Card Miracles 1” is an excellent video, especially for those who are new to magic. Easy to Master Card Miracles 1 has many gems, which are simple enough to be learned by beginners, yet powerful enough to be used by professionals.

8.7/10

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Shane Wiker