REVIEW: Asi Wind's - Three Card Routines

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Link: www.mylovelyassistant.com/reviews/view/4920

Three Card Routines is a brilliant DVD with routines that will astonish laymen and magicians. The card tricks taught are not for a beginner's hands and depending upon your skill level, it will require various levels of consistent practice and polishing to get it to the point where it is performance ready. Although the term "reputation maker" is so frequently used in the description of magic products that it is has been rendered meaningless, it would be appropriate to use that adjective to describe this DVD. All three routines can be performed with a regular deck, although with necessary set-up required.

The first routine, "Triumph and Triumph again" is taught with two variations. It is performed both times by Asi at a close-up card table to a few spectators, which include magicians. In the first version, two cards are selected by two spectators and after the deck is shuffled with face-up and face-down piles, the cards in one suit rearrange themselves face-up in numerical order leaving a space for the selected card; while all the other cards are face down. Then the second card, which is from a different suit, appears under the card box, where the first card had been placed and all the cards of that suit magically appear in order and face-up with a space for the second selected card. In the second version, a selected card is removed from the deck by the spectator and not looked at. The cards are then shuffled face-up into face-down piles and spread on the table to reveal that one suit is face-up in the correct order (except one card); presumably the spectator's card)and all the other cards are face down. When the spectator's card is shown, it matches the number, but not the suit. The performer then says he will change the suit, implying the suit of the card. But, when the card is pressed between his hands and remains the same, he again fans the deck on the table and all the face-up cards that were in order a moment before have now changed to the correct suit. Totally astonishing. This trick cannot be performed with a truly shuffled deck and required a significant set-up. This is not a routine that can be performed after watching the DVD, but with practice and many hours dedicated towards perfecting it, you will knock 'em dead. The set-up is taught by Asi as well as the explanation of the two versions of the tricks. All the instruction is recorded from the performer's point of view, which should be standard for card trick instruction. The instruction, like the performances, is clear and easy to follow. The quality of the video, audio and production are all excellent.

The second routine, Asi's Any Card At Any Number (A.A.C.A.A.N.) is performed twice. Once at a close-up card table and then on stage. In the close-up setting, he has one spectator glance at the fanned deck and informs her that she can subliminally remember all the cards as they are put away. Then another spectator names any card out loud. The first spectator digs deep into her subconscious and is able to name the position in the deck where the merely though of card is situated. In the stage performance, Asi exhibits his sense of humor and uses comedy in a similar routine as he has one spectator come up on stage. Then a random audience member names the position of the card (which is in the box) and he is correct. Asi explains the necessary set-up, handling and the invisible sleight that will require practice. This trick requires the use of a well-known stack and the ability to do simple addition and subtraction in your head, under the gun. If you don't like doing math on the fly or you don't want to memorize a deck of cards, then this is not for you. The performance is as incredible as any ACAAN performance out there. Asi appropriately credits many magicians for the origin and development of this performance.

The third trick, Double Exposure, is a Triumph routine using a cell phone camera and it is fantastic. This trick, like the other two starts out with a performance by Asi Wind. Here there are two performances; one in an art studio and the other in the hallway of the building. The routine has either one or two phases and requires a significant amount of sleight of hand. Essentially, a spectator freely choses a card, places it back in the deck, which is shuffled half- face up into a half face-down pile. the magician fans the cards showing that they are indeed mixed and hands the fan to the spectator. He then takes a picture with the spectator's camera of the fanned cards. Then, amazingly, the cards in the picture are all facing one way except the selected card, which was unknown to the performer. The reactions in the DVD include comments such as "F@(# me, Holy S#!$ and WTF." There is a second phase to the tricks in which the cards can then be displayed as actually facing the same direction, except the selected card.

The ad-copy and promotional video are accurate.

For the tricks, the explanations, the production and the overall project, this DVD get the highest rating.

What am I missing here? I have no idea what he is talking about in the explanation of the ACAAN. He starts by saying most decks come in the Monica. What the hell is that? Most decks come in suit/number order and it is totally absurd to say that they come in an arrangement that I have never ever seen. Perhaps they come this way in Israel, but not in the USA. So basically I was lost from the start. Poor explanation. Great trick. He obviously has problems instructing or I am a total moron.

See
http://conjuringarts.org/tag/asi-wind/
Chameleon Deck

Mnemonica

I know that, but perhaps a clue would have been given for the uninformed sucker that bought this.