How many people do this effect? I am looking into learning it. What do you think about it?
Ste

Do you mean Fast and Loose, or the Endless Chain? It is a great swindle, and one of my favorites. You can see some video on Fast and Loose in the Scoundrels Videos section of http://www.scoundrelsphotos.com

Its a great trick. After doing it several times I like the magical ending sometimes where you tie a knot in the chain and this knot is moving down. At the end you ask: Do you think the know will dissolve or not?
If the spectator says dissolve: you pull your palmed extra knot off and say no here it is, you are wrong. And vice versa.

Hey nice video Whit!

"The Art of Close-up Magic" Volume 1 by Lewis Ganson on page 87 is a three part routine of the endless chain entitled "The Figure 8". First is the chain swindle followed by the knot off the chain as mentioned above. The third part is the ring off the chain with the spectator holding the chain over his thumbs. I have been doing this routine for many years. It is a crowd pleaser and packs small in a coin purse. I start the routine with the 2 one dollar bills changing into a 2 dollar bill and go on from there.

BTW the 2 volume "Art of Close-up Magic" is a great set of books. They contain NO card tricks! There is a lifetime of usable routines in this set.

Whit,
Thanks for the link to the Scoundrels Forum. I'm new here and this is the first I've heard of it, but you can bet that the videos there will keep me busy for quite awhile!

Fast and loose is a real worker. The School for Scoundrels- Book, and DVD are the best and most in depth source on it. A must. Plus the chain Whit sells is also the nicest. The triple link chain is perfect, and the size is right.

George Blake's- Loopy loop manuscript is good
Magic Menu also had a write up on it
Johnny Thompson - does basically the loopy loop routine on his L&L videos (highly recommend)
Marc Desusa- has some chain work too butd he's working it differently with a long chain and throwing two games at once...I personally prefer the classic.
Also the Ganson books as mentioned above (highly recommend)

If you sell this right to an audience its a killer. It has become a regular request at the bar. I use four silver dollars as the markers for the bet, and at the end I'm in a perfect situation as I put away the chain to do Eugene Burgers 3 coin mystery. (I have a servant built into the bar I work). Definitely a laymen pleaser.

Thanks Whit for putting out such thorough material and great props.


Mike G.