I suggest that you get a copy of the L&L Publishing Wild Card dvd. It's one of their World's Greatest Magic series and has performances & explainations by Steve Dacri, Darwin Ortiz, Harry Allen, Tommy Wonder, Eric Decamps, Boris Wild, and Scotty York.
If you can't find anything that suits you there, then I would move on to something else.



You can devise a routine where different random cards are changed into the Wild Card, but you would have to sacrifice some of the more beautiful transformations, which are only possible with the traditional Wild Card setup.

Just wondering if anyone can recommend a good version of Wild Card that's done in the hands?

I've always counted on having a table available, so that the "changed" cards can visually accumulate. But maybe someone has another way...?

One suggestion. In The Hands Wild Card by Tom Dobrowolski. Take a look and see what you think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1idb2JmHaw

I really like Tom's handling. But if he wasn't using his close-up pad to hold the packet of cards while the spectator chooses the "wild card", where else would he put them?

I'm making 2 assumptions here - that the packet of cards should stay visible once he "shows" those cards, and that he wouldn't want to use the spectator's hands as a table for that packet of cards.

So I'm wondering if this is a purely "in the hands" working of wild card.

Thanks Feral Chorus for posting my video and the suggestion. Appreciate it.

Hi John Strum,

Glad you like the handling. This was originally developed for walk around situations.When I do it walk around I have a card "selected" first put the deck away and then introduce the wild card packet. I do the changes placing all the cards in the spectators hands once they've changed as in the video. When displaying/separating the cards into 2 piles near the end I put the packets in 2 spectators hands one on each side. I the put the 2 packets back together go right onto the final count/display. Once they're shown to be jokers again I put the packet of cards away. For years I did a packet switch at the end and would give away the jokers. My DVD has a performance done without a table as I just described it. If I do have a surface I will use it pretty much as you see here.

Thanks again for the interest and kind words about the routine. It's served me well for many years. Any other questions just ask. Cheers.- Tom

Thanks for helping me to see this handling as a true 'in the hands' version of the effect. I appreciate every choice you've made here. And I appreciate even more that you were willing to take the time to draw me such a perfectly detailed map. Thanks Tom!

No worries Jon. Glad it helped!

Tommy Wonder's version is the best I know. Very clean and the display is elegant at the end.

I've started using a "Walking Dead" type zombie-infection story. I really like Dan Harlan's "Walk on the Wild Side" for some nice reveals, in the hands.

Yes, I've been working on "Walk on the Wild Side" I like it.

How about these? Some different handlings in and amongst and none of these use playing cards.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=wate......M=VDMCNL

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=ESPe......ORM=VIRE

http://paulromhanymagic.myshopify.com/products/happy-faces-2

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=wild......ORM=VIRE

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=wild......ORM=VIRE

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=zomb......M=VRDGAR

Great stuff! And much food for thought... thanks!

I have been reading Frank Garcia's Wildcard book and there are some great ideas in it that go beyond the standard.
It's a great resource for the trick that is generally pretty inexpensive and as they say "sometimes that which is old is new again".