Hi guys,

Check out my newest release to the magic community - TRIA, an ebook with one Tarot & two playing card routines. You can get it here: http://ebooks.michalkociolek.pl/

Effects:

1. BLANC

The magician shows the spectator six cards and the spectator is asked to merely think of one of them. After doing so, the spectator is allowed to shuffle the packet, so that even he does not know the location of his card. At this point, the magician removes five out of six cards from the packet, one at a time, leaving the spectator with a single card. One by one, the magician reveals the removed cards – none matching spectator’s thought of selection. Then, the magician indicates that he did indeed remove the spectator’s card – but not in the way the spectator would think, at which point the card in the spectator’s hand is turned over, revealing a blank card.

2. FUTURE PRESENTATION

The performer correctly predicts an Ace chosen by the spectator (ex. Ace of Spades), by not only showing that the Ace of Spades was the only face-up Ace in a four Ace packet (which was previously isolated in the card box), but that the three other face-down cards were also the Ace of Spades. Almost as quickly, the Aces turn into four Kings of Hearts!

3. ARKANA

By using four random cards from the Tarot deck, and without looking at them, the magician is able to divine the randomly chosen cards.

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The effects are for intermediate card workers.

Best,
Mike

Hi guys,

As usual, I have 3 review copies - just PM me your e-mail address and I'll send the ebook right away. Thanks!

Best,
Mike

Tria Review:

I was sent over a review copy of this ebook by Michael, but my review will be unbiased, as I don't personally know Mike.

Tria is a 24 page ebook that has 3 effects.

If you are into card effects with a mental twist, this ebook is for you.

The first effect Blanc, is similar to the princess card trick, with a twist.

The description is up above by Mike, and I can see myself using this, it is really not that hard to pull off, but you do need to have some intermediate card skills, but not a lot.

Future Presentation is the next effect, and I really liked the final reveal of all the Ace of Spades at the end.....reminds me of a Wild Card type presentation but different altogether.

I will play with this awhile and see where it takes me.

The last effect Arkana, is really different, since it uses Tarot cards, but although I don't own tarot cards, I shall pickup some, and give this a try....you apparently diving randomly chosen cards using the tarot cards, and it looks like real magic.....

So basically that is it........there you have it.

Short and simple.

Although I didn't pay for this, I feel that the asking price is perfect for $10.00

Card workers will love the plots, and moves required, and will want to play around with these effects, that are similar to others, yet very different.

I for one will add one to my repertoire, and will play with the other.

I always say, if you get 1 good thing out of a book, download, video, etc, etc, its worth it....so I did.

Rating on a 10 point scale.

8/10

Good job Mike.

Alex

Thank you for the review, Alex.

I will be glad to answer any questions about the effects.

Mike

I have had the pleasure to take a "sneak peek" at Michael's new offering. I will post a full review tomorrow evening but for now, I would just like to say that, what I have read so far is fantastic. The first effect titled "Blanc" is very good and I will be doing this effect in the near future.

Like I said, I will post more tomorrow.

We should support Michael, he has some great ideas. 'A proper student of our art'

kindest Regards
Myke

Blanc: this is a sweet effect and very much like the Princess card trick. The biggest difference is that this uses regular cards and the handling is comfortable and intermediate at most. This effect is a nice start to a 3 effect Ebook. I like this and will use this one. Every phase is well explained, the writing is easy to follow but the detail is tight, nothing left out and nothing that will confuse anyone. Read this with cards in hand and see for yourself. Recommended.

Future Presentation: this effect is B Wave mixed with a quick wild card type effect resulting in a fun effect that starts off as a mentalism feat but ends as a card trick where the aces are now the kings, a double punch. This too is well explained and every detail covered. In fact, a 24 page Ebook covering three effects that is well written will tell you immediately that every thought is covered. It is not redundant or long winded. This effect I also liked, was always a fan of the original B Wave and to have a Doubke punch effect like presented with this one is a nice addition to this plot. Recommended.


Arcana: the 3rd effect, Arcana uses Tarot cards and those I do not have or use. There is an interesting principal in play with this effect and I'm certain others will use that in other card ideas who like me may not use or have a Tarot deck. I will need to read this one again to see where it take me. I'm not much into cold readings etc but look forward to exploring other options that I'm sure will become available after another read through of this.

So here you have my quick thoughts in this new Ebook released to us. The 1st two effects I recommend and I will now read the 3rd to see if I have use for this. Do remember that you may instantly like the last one the best. It is just for me personally, as tarot cards and readings are not the effects I gravitate too . I like to read them and I am entertained by them. I do need to digest this one further.

I will have a full review tomorrow, I had a peek as well. Awesome stuff here.

Mike was kind enough to send me a copy of his ebook. All 3 effects are excellent. The descriptions have already alluded to above.

Blanc is fun and to the point. A great spin on the Princess Card Trick. Taken to a higher level. I really liked this.
Future Presentation uses very interesting methodologies to extend B'Wave.
Arcana is very, very good. A lot of opportunity to interact with the spectators. A not frequently used methodology to achieve a very powerful mental effect. Excellent use of the Tarot.

The directions for Blanc and Future Presentation are very clear. Arcana has all of the information, but could be tightened up for clarity. Mike provides ample crediting.

A great set of notes. Three effects that are each engaging and will stimulate you to think about more. Definitely recommended.

Jim

Myke, Mark, Nicholas, Jim - thank you very much, I'm very glad you liked the effects.

Best,
Mike

PS.

I still have one review copy to share.

Hi guys,

The methodology in "Arkana" has been greatly streamlined. It's an amazing (and simple to perform) piece of close-up mentalism. There's also a unique All Alike Display hidden in one of the effects, so there are actually three effects and one new sleight in the ebook.

Also, if you'll not like the material, I will refund your money.

Best,
Mike

Mike, now that is one heck of an offer, a money back guarantee! However not one will need to ever take you up on it as there is valuable info within these 24 pages for a small price.

Michael Kociolek very kindly sent me a copy of his latest ebook, TRIA.

The first effect, "Blanc" is a nice take on Henry Hardin's Princess Card Trick. The effect is strong, but it does require some intermediate level card sleights (nothing too difficult). Importantly, the card handling itself is completely logical.

The second effect, "Future Presentation" combines a prediction with a sequence of card changes. For the prediction, the spectator's thought-of Ace is shown to be the only one face up in a packet of four cards. The other three cards are then shown to be also the chosen Ace. The four cards are then displayed as having changed to four identical Kings. Personally I'm always a little uncomfortable combining mentalism effects with demonstrations of card skill but, if that suits your style, you will like this. The card handling requires intermediate level packet sleights and the moves are, perhaps, too procedural to be fully convincing. Also you are not clean at the end (the four cards cannot be examined).

The final effect, "Arkana" is my personal favourite. The spectator deals a simple Tarot spread of three face down piles. Choosing any two of the piles, she shuffles them together, removes any card and adds it to the third pile which is also shuffled (the other cards are placed aside). The mentalist (who could be blindfolded) then correctly divines and interprets each of the cards in the pile. Arkana is practically self-working (no sleights!) and uses very clever mathematical principles combined with some simple cold-reading technique to produce a very strong tarot reading presentation. There is some memory work needed (you will need to know and be able to interpret certain tarot cards) but the effect is so powerful that this is certainly worth the effort. I will definitely use this! The principle is also one that can be adapted/extended to many other effects and presentations.

TRIA is well written and easy to follow, with excellent crediting of sources. Certainly worth the very reasonable asking price - Arkana on its own is worth $10 IMO. Highly recommended.

Mike

Mike sent me this during the preview stage and I have to say these are 3 very nice effects. Much of what I have to say has been already mentioned by others. Here are my little additions:

Blanc is taking a classic and reworking it to have a nice presentation. As others mentioned, this will require some sleight of hand. Everything is motivated and even moments of subterfuge are well masked by great misdirection that Mike incoprorated into the handling.

Future Presentation is probably the most demanding effect from a sleigh-of-hand perspective. Although the ebook is advertised as 3 mental card effects, this one adds a more magic-y bit to it. For the one who wants to stick to a completely mental piece, then this is not the piece to perform. With that said, it is an effect that has elements of surprise which are nice. The lack of examination is an issue since the handling keeps the spectator wanting to handle those cards. But with proper routining, one can circle around that.

I add my voice to Michael Daniels in that Arkana is by far my favorite. I know this uses Tarot Cards but there is no reason to use them. I am not saying use playing cards because that beats the purpose of the effect. However, this to me is s very powerful routine and I like how Mike Kociolek took a very well known mathematical principle and used it in another way.

Great job Mike for sharing this. I like the way you routine your effects

Michael, Ali - thank you very much for your reviews. I'm glad you all like "Arkana," which is one of my favorite creations.

Speaking of "Arkana" - the great thing in that effect is that the cards are not marked in any way, and even before the cards are dealt, you can turn your back and you won't look at the cards until the end of the effect.

Also, no cold reading technique is necessary (but again, you can include that if you want). And, unless you really want to, you don't have to include a Tarot reading - the main effect lets you exactly divine the randomly chosen cards.

Best,
Mike

I also received a review copy
I think the plots are clearly well trodden paths however great thought has gone into the routining.
Highly recommended
Andy

Thanks, Andy. I'm glad you liked it!

If you're thinking about buying the ebook, but you're not sure about something (difficulty level etc.) - just PM me or e-mail me: mwkociolek@gmail.com . I will be happy to answer your questions.

Best,
Mike

Darn, I only have semi-intermediate card skills.

Hi John,

PM me or e-mail me

Best,
Mike

Thanks for all of the excellent reviews. Just waiting for blindside and myke's now.

Michael kindly sent me a review copy of Tria, and I was impressed with the ebook, both from an effect perspective, as well as how well written and clear the methodology was presented. There are only a few illustrations (which are very clear), but not many are needed with the detailed descriptions he provides.

Blanc
An interesting take on the classic Princess Card trick, where the final kicker is that the spectator's chosen card has not only been removed from the packet, but the image removed from the card. This effect requires a few sleights, but should be managable to anyone with a little practice (I don't use these sleights, but am almost there with presenting this effect).

Future Presentation
A card box contains four cards, which are revealed to all be the same suit Ace, the spectator's thought of card (the color being chosen using equivoke, ala B'wave). The kicker comes as its revealed that in setting up the cards for the next presentation, those same cards are revealed to be the King of Hearts. Multiple kings can be shown simultaneously, which is a nice rouse. Again, there are some sleights that are required, but nothing I would consider knuckle breaking.

Arkana
I believe I join the chorus who are really enjoying this effect, and it is my favourite in this ebook. This is fairly easy to setup, and then the spectator performs the remainder of the effect. Memorisation is low, especially if you're already familiar with the Tarot.

I would recommend this ebook to anyone looking for a easy, but effective, Tarot effect. The other effects are also excellent, thou require some sleight skills, but appear quite impressive.