That was a lot of fun to watch. Beautiful magic

I watch so little TV that I did not realize 'no live audience." Must be tough performing under those "no engagement conditions" conditions.
I am big on the "Story told after," and a "must have been magic" response.

High praise for enduring the conditions. Magic - not so much.

But, any experience of personally challenging the impossible is good compared with video games (opinion).

Nice tip of the hat to Roth.

Nice going Mike! I doubt if Teller really knew how the big coin got there! Tally-Ho.

Thanks guys! There were a few fooling moments that I don't know if they knew or focused on - the three complete vanishes, the appearance of the copper coin, and the 2 kicker endings. But as I said, the important thing was really just to put on a good show.
BTW, less than half the sets from the close-up version remain, thanks to all for your interest and enthusiasm! For those who missed the information, it can be found earlier in this thread.

Wow! My segment on Fool Us has received over 50,000 views in only a few days! 99% of the comments were really nice. A few were nasty, but hey, it's YouTube, and there always will be those who think they know it all and enjoy telling you how they think you did it and how bad or borng you are. Ahhh, whaddyagonnado. Great interest in the close-up version as well! People have asked me for the backround story, and I plan on posting that soon!

Michael, Penn & Teller appear to be seated some distance from the performer. I know TV cameras tend to make distances and spaces look larger than they are, especially on wide shots, so perhaps they're closer than it appears on TV.

How close (or far) were they from you, and during your performance were they watching a monitor, or were they watching strictly live?

On television, it seems to be a long distance to be watching close-up work.

They have set seats which are about 20 feet away. There is no reason to have them at the table as there is no participation. They have I pads at their seats that allow them to see everything close up, and there are giant screens on the sides that show the performance. I distinctly remember Penn watching me, then turning to look at the screen when I reveal a coin under the hand.

For those who asked, here is the close-up version full performance. Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/DtYRvd3q5H0

Got a nice note from Bill Wells after he received his set:
  "...The props are beautiful.  I can’t imagine the effort you went to in order to find just the right ones.  You can’t possible be making much of a profit on this – I know the TCC purse retails for $12.95 and I can’t imagine what the hand and lovely chest retail for … and this is not to mention what lengths you must have gone through to produce the tutorial video.  I have only had time to watch a portion of it but it is absolutely excellent with high production values and extremely well done descriptions of the sleights.  I am looking forward to watching the rest of it.  I had watched Rick Holcome’s review and he very accurately described the outstanding quality of the props and the routine but actually seeing them is a whole greater experience!"
Thanks Bill, still available from Meir Yedid at mymagic.com, or from me, by sending an inquiry to my email rubinsteindvm@aol.com

In closing the year, grateful to be alive and healthy once again! Although I can no loger work as a Veterinarian, grateful to have been able to appear on Penn and Teller Fool Us for the second time, and to perform my new coin plot The Other Hand. To combine that with a tribute to the great David Roth was icing on the cake. Grateful to those who took the plunge and bought MIGRATE, as well as the limited edition close-up version of The Other Hand. I only have 11 sets left (never to be made again), and Meir at mymagic.com is down to 2 sets. Grateful that Rubinstein Coin Magic continues to be well received, and will be coming out in 2023 in Spanish, French, and Japanese! The 4th printing is almost sold out, but I be sure to print again, correcting photo 892 (one of the translators actually pointed out that it was the wrong photo), and adding a few credit tweaks (when you control the editing and publishing rights you can do this!). And grateful to all of YOU, with your support of coin magic! It still is one of the most underrated aspects of close-up magic, and it is your enthusiasm which helps to keep it alive. And to those with whom I have occasionally exchanged harsh words, know that I never hold any malace, and it is those spirited exchanges of opinions which gives others much food for thought.
By the way, if anyone never saw the notice about the incorrect photo and needs the correct photo for their own book (it can be found in the contribution from Doug Brewer), wants a signed copy of the book which comes with an exclusive FREE GIFT, or if interested in one of the last remaining sets of The Other Hand (Close-up Version), drop me an email at rubinsteindvm@aol.com . Again, best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year filled with wonderful magic!!

A master of your art Michael , it was a joy to watch .

Thank you Carlwag, much appreciated!

Great performance. I wish you had fought just a little to make P&T prove they knew how you did it.

The first time I was on, the producers chose the routine because of the story. I knew that Penn and Teller would know how I did it, because the general idea of the method was well known (even if the techniques were original). So, I changed the ending specifically to try to fool them. Mike Close made a point that the fooling thing is just a gimmick, they really just want a good performance. However, I felt my method for the cleanup would fool them, so when they didn't mention it I asked them using code if they knew how I did the ending. They took about 5 minutes to discuss it (you don't see that on TV), then told me in code that they knew the ending. I was surprised because I didn't think they would get it, but when I watched the performance there was a flash from the studio lights catching a glint of the gold, maybe they saw that since they also can watch the performance on their I pads at their seats. However, in having them comment on it, they kind of gave it away to everyone. Lesson learned.
This time, I decided that the important thing would be to present the routine I wanted to perform, without worrying if it fooled them or not. The tribute to David was icing on the cake.
After I performed the routine, Penn spoke and miscalled the method as a billiard ball type trick instead of a cups and balls type trick. I knew what he meant, but didn't say anything because the guy who went on before me (Jafo) had just done a billiard ball routine and I realized he misspoke (that performance was put on an earlier episode). They later refilmed Penn saying the correct thing. They never mentioned anything about the rest, so I will never know if they were fooled or not. Mike Close (the judge) told me the first time he saw the trick that he was fooled by one part. My guess is that they understood the basics, but didn't think the other things were important - the appearance of the copper coin, the 5 complete vanishes, and the 2 surprise endings. So I decided to be a good guest and thank them for having me on the show. Had I questioned them about the specifics, it might have gotten contentious and they never want a back and forth. Usually when questioned, rather than let it get out of hand they go right to the judge. It is their show, and as long as they understand the basics, it is probably enough for them. Again, they don't really care about the fooling part.
Anyway, glad you enjoyed it. It is one of my favorite routines.

It was great.

I'm so happy this show is giving so much wide exposure to so many magic greats.

Thank you Critter

Someone asked me if there was a back story to the second time I was on Fool Us. I just reread this thread, and told a lot of the story, but I had refrained from telling the whole story...till now. You never know what the producers want when they scan the audition acts, but this time I think it was the Roth hook that got them interested. They liked it but they had me cut out a spellbound sequence (it would have added another 30 seconds but they are strict on time and going over), and they changed one of my lines which was a Roth quote. So, "A half dollar, a fifty cent piece, a SILVER coin", was changed to A half dollar. A fifty cent piece, but there is no picture of 50 cent, just of JFK." I guess they thought that would resonate more with younger audiences. Oh well.
It was covid time, and my wife was unable to come with me. They wanted us in and out, so we did the introduction clip the first day, and the rehearsal right before the filming. I was supposed to keep quiet about this next part, but I found out that Penn had already talked about it on his podcast at some point, so I can spill the beans here. On the day I was supposed to perform, Teller got sick with covid and couldn't make it! So, I was just performing for Penn! Because I was worried about the 9 cameras they would use, I tried to turn my hand with the coin in stealth palm so it wouldn't flash. I succeeded in keeping the coin from flashing, but as a result it was more difficult to show my hand empty, which is the purpose of using stealth palm. Oh well!
During the routine there is one spot where I bang my hands against the table and ask Penn (and presumably Teller) if they saw anything.
I had 2 answers ready. First, if he said he didn't see anything, I would say, "I know you saw me bang my hands against the table, but I did something else - I switched the coins". The second thing, if he said he saw me bang my hands, I was supposed to say, "Well, I also did something else, I switched the coins". I kind of figured he would say the latter, so I mentally prepared myself for that
But he only said he didn't see anything, and I was so flustered, I said " You mean, you didn't see me bang my hands against the table?". That is a bad answer as it makes the spectator look foolish, but I was surprised, and it just came out. So much for being prepared. When you see the spot, you will see that they edited out that entire exchange.
As I mentioned earlier, during the after trick banter Penn miscalled the trick by saying it was like a billiard ball routine (because the guy before me did a billiard ball routine), but I didn't say anything because I knew he really meant cups and balls. He finished by saying that Teller knows a lot about coin magic, so I didn't fool them. Now Teller was home sick with covid, and I later found out he wasn't remotely hooked up to the show (I think they did that in the days afterwards). So, he couldn't have commented on the act, and Penn knows squat about coin magic, so I am sure he was fooled. I later found out that he couldn't give out the trophy because he couldn't go up on stage by himself to give the trophy, and the one guy who got it during that time was given the trophy by Allison. So maybe I would have won, but that is just speculation on my part.
Based on the last time I performed I decided not to challenge him on anything, and just smile and accept what he said. But I am sure in my gut he was fooled. They later had Penn and Teller watch my spot on a monitor and were filmed together, and when Penn spoke at the end he said it was like cups and balls, not billiard balls like he said when he was alone. At that point they had already watched my intro spot (which they don't have access to during your performance because it is filmed basically at the same time you are there to perform, and needs to be edited) so they knew it was a Roth tribute and talked about that after watching the monitor together. They also showed no emotion during this refilming, which surprised me as they usually try to look like they are amazed during the acts. Was that because they were rewatching me on a monitor, no audience, or they didn't like the act? Who knows.
Anyway, afterwards I went back to my room, ate alone in the hotel (we couldn't leave the hotel because of covid rules) and went home the next morning.
So that's the story! If you look back at this thread you will see that I put out a limited edition close up version, and I think three sets still remain (Meir Yedid at mymagic.com has a couple as well, and was the only dealer who sells it) but if anyone is interested, drop me a pm for ordering details). Here is the clip again for those who missed the performance. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/2do4Mbvihpk?si=u1GcvAkl1x2wA76Y

Here is the close up version (which comes with a video tutorial for both the close up AND Penn and Teller stage version). The stage version is less versatile because there is a bit of a set up. Here is the performance:
https://youtu.be/DtYRvd3q5H0?si=MiS8hMnRLrnLWP_q

That's quite a story! The spellbound routine would have been great too.

I remember Penn writing in one of his books about being obsessed with C&B.

Michael, that is a crazy story. I knew they took a lot of liberties on so-called reality shows, but I continue to be surprised at how things are manipulated.

Thanks for sharing!