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Last Laugh Review

One streaming video, one special deck of cards, $38 bucks and one Last Laugh Review. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.

Last Laugh Review: Effect

A "selected" card is found to be the only card in the deck. The rest are Jokers.

Last Laugh Review: Method

The method relies on a very clever "selection" process and a special deck of cards that is supplied. I'm sure you're thinking that you can simply have a card "selected" from one deck, and then have the other deck be all Jokers except for the one "selected" from the first deck. You're right. You could do that. However, this particular method of "selecting" is extremely deceptive. Watch the ad trailer. You'll see. Combine that selection procedure with the supplied special deck, and you've got an extremely deceptive, impossible seeming effect.

When you add to it the presentational premise taught by the dark wizard himself, Peter Nardi, then you have one of the most deceptive combination of concepts that I've seen in a very long time. The method is super easy, super practical, and completely doable. It takes about 2 minutes to reset. All skill levels welcome. You'll need to supply your own regular deck.

Last Laugh Review: Ad Copy Integrity

Let me part the curtain and give you a peek into the back end world of magic production and distribution. When producers such as Alakazam Magic, for example, create products, they often will try to sell a batch of them to Murphy's Magic at "jobber" cost. Murphy's then, in turn, sells them at wholesale prices to retail magic stores. The retail magic stores, of course, sell them to you at retail price. Well, producers who have you register their product on their site, like Alakazam does, run into a problem.

The problem is this. Let's say that Joe's Magic Shop bought a couple dozen copies from Murphy's at wholesale. They want to sell these products to their retail customers, of course. The last thing they want is for those customers to, then, head over to Alakazam (a competitor) and register and sign up for stuff over there. This creates a situation where Joe's Magic is essentially directing its customers to one of its competitors.

So, to prevent this, Murphy's tells producers to NOT have product registration codes on the copies of the stuff that they purchase from the creator (in this example, Alakazam). Of course that become a problem when Alakazam puts product registration code stickers on all of their packaging before shipping it to Murphy's. To combat this problem, Murphy's removes the registration code stickers from their inventory before they sell it to the retailers.

Whew. That's a long story to tell you this simple thing. The ad copy says " . . . comes complete with a special deck and a registration code . . ." This, of course, is not true. But it's not because it was meant to be deceptive, and I imagine that if you buy directly from Alakazam, you will get a code.

You will be able to watch the training video at Murphy's website. You will not need the product registration code.

Last Laugh Review: Product Quality

Product quality is solid. The dark wizard does a great job of explaining the details required to perform the routine. He also offers some alternate ideas and handling tips along with some tips on modifying the supplied gimmicked deck (if you want to). It comes ready to go, but some alternate ideas may make you want to change it a little. The deck supplied is very cleverly gaffed and well made.

Last Laugh Review: Final Thoughts

If you like this effect, then you'll be very happy with this product. I'd say that $38 bucks, though maybe a little steep, is a fair price for this.

Final Verdict:
4.5 Stars with a Stone Status of Gem.

Available at your Favorite Magic Dealer. Dealer's see Murphy's Magic for details.