Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: Rock Me By Great White
Well, we're headed in the right direction. If you've read my past reviews you'll find that I'm not a fan of the one trick DVDs for $30 bucks, especially the ones that come with no prop or anything else. I've often commented that if the DVD came with a prop or a well crafted gimmick, and the DVD was more just the instructions for the gimmick, then I'd be ok with the $30.00 price tag. Well Jokers Wild approached my fantasy in that it's one trick that comes with a very well made gimmick, but there's no DVD.
Of course, that's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I'd rather have the well made gimmick with printed instruction rather than a DVD that painstakingly shows me how to make the gimmick, so nice work on that front Mr. Lovins. What you get is a full deck of Bicycle playing cards (ungimmicked). Plus a a special gimmick that makes this effect work, and 1 sheet of paper with instructions on front and back.
The effect is simple:
A select/signed card is lost in the deck. You then show the bottom card to NOT be the selection . . . one tap of the card case on the deck, and the card on the face instantly changes into the selection. Check out the demo. If you like the effect, you'll like the product.
It's very well made and a solid effect. The only real complaint I have is that the instructions read more like a demonstration of how the gimmick works rather than a magic effect or a routine. Additionally, I think that the product is a bit overpriced at $30. I'm aware of the Jay Sankey product, Invisible that comes with a 2 hour DVD plus an 'Invisible Deck' all for only $25.00.
However, in fairness to Mr. Lovins, I don't know how much it costs to create the gimmick that comes with the effect. But a cursory glance tells me that he probably could have either a) included a DVD for the price of $30.00, or knocked off $5.00 bucks as a non-DVD product.
Other than that, however, this is a solid routine that requires you to carry nothing more than your deck of cards with you. The gimmick can remain in the card box if you're not using it.
Final Verdict:
4 Stars with a Stone rating of Definite Gem.