The difficulty with B'Wave is merely one of covering your bases presentationally.

If presented as a puzzle, the most common response is:

"What if I said the Queen of _________?"

I'd be curious as to how folks deal with countering this before it happens or, perhaps, how you deal with the question when it arises?

That being said, while similar, they do generate different responses. TS might be considered more satisfying to a laymen plot-wise because it feels like it comes to a logical (and circular) ending, whereas BW generates more questions... At the risk of starting a firestorm, BW seems to be the choice of pros as it offers more freedom in presentational approach, whereas TS appears to be the choice of enthusiasts as it is a more finished piece with multiple climaxes (and who just wants one?)...

Responses?

ajp

Goldstein recommends the following that should answer your question:

Your patter can go after the initial reveal, "Now, you may ask what if I had chosen a different card beside the Q_? If that had happened, we would have both been in serious trouble...because (reveal the other cards' faces), the Q_ was the only one I had!"

Both are very good, but I would have to say B'wave is a bit more direct. I would still say they are both incredible and if you were looking at buying them, GET THEM BOTH!

Andrew

I would say TWISTED SISTERS. If you can master the Elmsley count, the color changing effect is very very "visual" and "surprising". Also, the routine has 3 phases, which increases the effect one by one.

best,
Hirase

In this thread, people keep mentioning the three phases of Twisted Sisters.

To me, it has four phases.

Firstly, I've magically managed to turn a card face up in each pile - skillful, eh?

Secondly, they're the thought-of cards - spooky!

Thirdly, I know I said that I'd magically move the thought-of cards from one pile to the other, and you're thinking ?Hey, how do we know that you've done that??, so let me just prove to you that the cards came from the other pile - look!

And fourthly, I know what you're thinking, you're thinking it?s spooky that I knew what cards you were thinking of, you're thinking it?s amazing that I managed to swap them between the two piles, you're thinking it?s amazing that I managed to turn them face up, and as well as thinking that I?m so magical that you wanna have my babies, you?re also thinking ?What if we?d thought of different cards?? Well, that IS what you?re thinking, isn?t it? <Slowly turn the cards over, one after the other> Read ?em and weep.

Dave

I seem to be the only mage who doesn't seem to like the Brainwave deck. Due to the "possible" discrepancy at the start with the red box.....blue cards, also counting cards as they go by, and lastly the reset isn't quick enough for me, so all these factors strongly suggest that the "T-S" is a better effect. It's a stronger piece of magic in my mind.

Just my thoughts.
DADE.......

By the way, who knows how to get on to the Secret Sessions forum?

DADE, B'Wave and the Brainwave Deck are two different effects. You need 50 posts to get into the Secret Sessions forum which should automatically appear at the bottom of your screen.

Yes, B'Wave uses only four cards. The reason for the name is that it is an abbreviated form of the Brainwave Deck.

Twisted Sisters all the way!!

I also recommend B'Wave...by the way, another presentation is published in a Genii from (I think) 2000 by Just Alan...