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AsL Special user 680 Posts |
I just learned Allan Ackerman's Impromptu Ultra Mental from his Las Vegas Card Expert video and I really don't like one phase of the routine. It's the phase where he goes under the table to so something "fishy" and apparently reverses one card (he may have used a different word than fishy). I'm still currently working on modifying the routine where I can keep the deck in full view of the spectator at all times but I still have a little ways to go.
Since I know this effect has been out for decades, I'm sure there's been many different versions of impromptu ultra mental published. For those of you who do perform it, who's version do you consider the best? All the Best, magicianguy4life |
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John Carey V.I.P. 1057 Posts |
Don't discard the Ackerman handling sir. I have used this for years to very strong effect.
Kind regards John |
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Daegs Inner circle USA 4291 Posts |
Michael Close's is pretty good if you really looking to do this ungaffed
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Steven Keyl Inner circle Washington, D.C. 2630 Posts |
Ackerman's is ungaffed as well. Can be done FASDIU.
Steven Keyl - The Human Whisperer!
B2B Magazine Test! Best impromptu progressive Ace Assembly ever! "If you ever find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause, and reflect." --Mark Twain |
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Kjellstrom Inner circle Sweden, Scandinavia, Europe 5203 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-06-13 15:13, Steven Keyl wrote: That is a very good advantage, you can do it w. borrowed deck and without any setup. First time I saw this routine I thought it was som kind of Invisible Deck, no, just a regular deck of cards. You can get th DVD here, directly from Allan - http://www.allanackerman.com/ From ad. "Allan Ackerman's two previously released videos "The Las Vegas Card Expert" and "Every Move a Move" have been combined in this double length DVD. The DVD features Ackerman's best routines and techniques in one place. Routines include: Marlo's Double Brainwave Update, 76 Collectors, Impromptu Ultra Mental, Quick Coincidence, Ackerman's Opener, Mixed-Up Blues, The Spectator Cuts Double, Gemini Mates, Impromptu Paul Fox, The Vanishing Aces, Small Packet All-Backs, Change of Mind, Revisiting the Card Case Collectors. Techniques include: Ackerman Varies Kelly, Ackerman Varies Kelly to Full Palm, New Convincing Control, Ten-Handed Poker Stack, Minus-One Bottom Deal, One-Handed Center Deal, Swing Cut Bottom Palm, One-Handed Center Curry Change, The A.B. Bottom Palm, Bottom Deal & Applications, The Slip Shod, Thoughts on the Zarrow Shuffle, Spooky Altman Trap, Reassembled Finale, and Hofzinser Pass to Full Bottom Palm. Running time: Approximately 150 minutes." |
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Mike Webb New user 70 Posts |
Depends on the execution.
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AsL Special user 680 Posts |
Thanks for all the responses so far.
A quick question for those who do use Ackerman's version. You guys don't see any problem at all with taking the full deck out of the spectators view during the performance? In my opinion, the moment you decide to take the full deck out of the spectators view is the moment you lose A LOT of the effect. Judging from what I thought when I saw these type of effects many years ago before I decided to start performing, I was nearly always quite confident the magician did "the work" when the deck went out of my sight. Why wouldn't you want to keep the deck in full view the entire time? Just my opinion... All the Best, magicianguy4life |
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Steven Keyl Inner circle Washington, D.C. 2630 Posts |
There's no problem for me in removing the deck from view because the action is entirely motivated. I openly tell people that I'm going to try to find the mentally selected card and 'mark it' by turning it over. I typically put my hands under the table where I can still see them and to the spec it appears I'm fanning through the cards to try to figure out what their mental selection was. When my hands come back into view there is one face down card outjogged in the face up deck. You know the rest from there.
If you were to execute a h*** p*** and show that their card has turned over the effect is now divided into two phases. First, their card has 'magically' turned over by itself, and second that this turned over card is their mentally selected card. At first blush it may seem like this is twice as powerful. But in my, albeit limited, experience the effect gets a little muddled if done this way (and yes I have done it this way in the past). The focus gets put on the fact that the card magically turns over by itself and the mental aspect of the effect is completely lost. For the work involved, just do any 'spectator's selection turns over in the deck' trick and it will play just as well. The beauty of this effect, at least to me, is that it's a completely mental effect without cards magically turning over, etc. I have plenty of those types of effects in my repertoire but not nearly as many pure mental beauties like this one.
Steven Keyl - The Human Whisperer!
B2B Magazine Test! Best impromptu progressive Ace Assembly ever! "If you ever find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause, and reflect." --Mark Twain |
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wsduncan Inner circle Seattle, WA 3619 Posts |
I finally came to the conclusion that the smart money is on the gaffed deck. Here’s why:
Let’s assume you have seen someone do the effect and you’re driving home, talking about it. You’re going to come to the conclusion that the magician somehow either flipped the card over by “sleight of hand” or that he “switched the card.” Since that’s not a very magical memory, I would want my presentation of the effect to make sure they knew for an absolute certainty that neither of those things happened. The problem is, you can’t do that with any of the ungaffed methods because that’s how they work... So the smart money is on the gaffed deck because you can put emphasis how clean the handling is, and that you don’t do anything. The only thing better than doing the Ultramental Deck, is using Darwin’s handling, in which the pack is back in your pocket before the spectator reveals the card he choose. |
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Cohiba Special user Michigan 749 Posts |
Is it possible on the ride home you come to the conclusion that a trick deck was used?
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Hideo Kato Inner circle Tokyo 5649 Posts |
Before driving home, before getting on the car, but just after seeing the trick, most of audience would conclude what magician did.
If you master sleight hand method and gaff deck method and perform both methods on several occasions, you surely will know which is far better. Hideo Kato |
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AsL Special user 680 Posts |
Lol
Quote:
On 2009-06-16 00:37, Cohiba wrote: |
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AsL Special user 680 Posts |
I was talking to a buddy of mine about this and he brought up a very good point. If the original handling of Impromptu Ultra Mental was used in a routine then you could easily structure the routine so that there's a greater time lapse between the reverse of the card and the revealing of the card which could possibly be a very strong point in overall routine.
He mentioned some items along the line of having the thought of card written down, center tear, performing some other effects in conjunction with this one, and then revealing the thought of card. His version DEFINITELY has a lot of things to work out. Just some food for thought... |
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wsduncan Inner circle Seattle, WA 3619 Posts |
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On 2009-06-16 02:15, Hideo Kato wrote: Exactly. |
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wsduncan Inner circle Seattle, WA 3619 Posts |
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On 2009-06-16 00:37, Cohiba wrote: Sure. But the reason the method has stood the test of time, is that people can't imagine how a trick deck would do what the Berg deck does. The method invites scrutiny, while sleight of hand methods require the audience to not pay attention, or they'll notice some dicey handling. I'm not suggesting you can't fool people with a sleight of hand version. I've fooled magicians with mine. I'm suggesting that, for this effect, the gaffed deck is a better solution. |
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Steven Keyl Inner circle Washington, D.C. 2630 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-06-16 22:20, wsduncan wrote: I think most would agree that a gaffed deck is a cleaner solution for a couple of reasons: First, the spec can name ANY card. In Ackerman's routine they need to mentally pick one of the cards that you fan through. In their mind it might be the whole deck but the choice is in fact a limited one. Second, and more to your point, the handling is cleaner in that you pick up the deck, fan through the deck and BAM there is the card. In defense of the impromptu version, though, if you structure and routine it well they should walk away with the same impression. If I were doing this effect on its own then an Ultra Mental or ID would be the deck of choice. However, if you're doing more than one effect for people then this is a terrific alternative. Either that or go to the venerable deck switch.
Steven Keyl - The Human Whisperer!
B2B Magazine Test! Best impromptu progressive Ace Assembly ever! "If you ever find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause, and reflect." --Mark Twain |
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michaelvincent V.I.P. 567 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-06-15 22:28, wsduncan wrote: Do As I Did is a sensational effect. Even more so if you combine it with Darwin's clever little secret from "At The Card Table". Good call WSDuncan Mike Vincent London Ps I Mike Close's handling on the Allan Ackerman routine is all so very powerful, I use frequently.
Magic for the 21st Century
"Why be mediocre, when you have excellence as an option" Mastering Magic Elegant Decpetions Learning Tools The All Cards Blog The Vincent Academy of Magic |
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AsL Special user 680 Posts |
As previously mentioned, after using a gaffed deck a simple deck switch could also be a very nice alternative to the problem. I'm not fond of gaff decks by any means and I've never worked with deck switches either so it's not really my style. I imagine it could be a beauty in some people's hands though...
Sounds like I should definitely take a look at Michael Close's handling. Any other thoughts, opinions, or advice about this topic? |
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Steven Keyl Inner circle Washington, D.C. 2630 Posts |
What is Michael Close's version called and where can it be found?
Steven Keyl - The Human Whisperer!
B2B Magazine Test! Best impromptu progressive Ace Assembly ever! "If you ever find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause, and reflect." --Mark Twain |
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Steven Keyl Inner circle Washington, D.C. 2630 Posts |
After a quick look around I believe it's simply called The Invisible Deck and it's in his workers series volume 1.
Steven Keyl - The Human Whisperer!
B2B Magazine Test! Best impromptu progressive Ace Assembly ever! "If you ever find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause, and reflect." --Mark Twain |
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