Anybody else use Paul Gordon's "The Eight of Diamonds Trick" from his Card Startlers DVD. (It was also in Harry Lorayne's Best Of Friends III renamed Greight.) Well, it's a kool killer. Man, it fries! A guy in our Chicago circle (Mitch White) performed it for the boys...knocked them dead! I vote it my favourite sleight-free trick. You ain't seen nuthin' until you've seen this. But gotta' be performed well...or it's a puzzle. JP

Thanks for the tip. Haven't seen it and am curious to look it up. Paul Gordon has some really nice effects.

Mark.

John,

Thanks for the recommendation of that effect. I don't know of it --- is it one for which you could provide a brief description?

Thanks.

Yeah, a description would be nice. I can think of a few tricks where the spec takes off a random amount of cards then you find their card, some are quite clever and pretty hard to work out how it's done.

The official blurb says :

"Spectator shuffles the deck, then picks a small packet of less than 15 cards off the top, counting them as you look away. Then they are combined in the deck, deck is cut in half and you count down to their card's location."

I have a feeling it's not as simple as that and that a few bits are missed from the description.

I agree...but you can see the ad HERE ...

I believe he did perform it on T.V recently on a chat show; together with a few others from the DVD set. If I can locate the link, I'll post it here. JP

Thanks very much. If you find that link, I'd love to see it!

It's in the latest issue of The Magic Menu. Paul is going to be a writing a column every other issue.

Hi John - Yep! I've been using it for a few years now. It's my sole 'magician goes wrong then is right' effect.

There is a clip of him doing "Greight/The Eight of Diamonds Trick" on his website. The audience literally YELL at the end! So much response for so little effort! My kinda trick...

I also watched him do it in Blackpool on his stand and in the Ruskin Hotel...he sure the heck knows how to entertain...and be heard over every other dude! Funny!!!!

JP

JP bigging up PG again... curious!

And I bring up Harry Lorayne in a sizable number of my posts, so I am not quite clear what you are saying here Jack of Spades. Could it be that MAYBE Paul Gordon is a hero to John Pilotzi just as Harry Lorayne is to me?

All due respect, just trying to suss what "curious" might imply.

Ahimsa,
Vlad

I like Harry Lorayne's stuff and (probably not coincidentally, since they both have similar approaches) I like Paul Gordon's stuff. The Eight of Diamonds trick is a very practical and workable trick. It's a nice, simple plot and because of it's method, it would be very hard to demo the entire trick on video or do a complete write-up of the procedure because the procedure is the method! A demo or write-up would give the trick away. Rest assured it is worth tracking down, I think.

Essentially it uses an old principle to accomplish most of the method and it ends up being a combination of "magician in trouble" and a spelling trick. If these types of tricks are your cup of tea, you will love this trick. Hope that helps clarify without giving anything away.

Vlad: Don't try to rationalize with the venomous Jerk of Spades. He is full of venom and jealousy when it comes to me. What else can it be. Current example: Go to the thread that has to do with Methods of Propelling a Card Into The Air, and see his lovely post of April 15th. Nothing new from this idiot. Don't know why - can only be silly jealousy. HARRY L.

PS: He also thinks he's funny - see his posts near the end of that thread. God save us from people who think they're funny and are "far from it."

Jack of Spades has accused at least 5 magicians (on TMC) of being Paul Gordon. I'm NOT him, but I'd LOVE to be! JP

Hahaha what is with all of the hate in the magic world now days, Paul Gordon has some absolutely brilliant effects, diminishing not likely, corner of picadilly... god, I actually could go on for a while here. Jack of Spades can probably make a card go through a window, make sure its not signed or anything, or maybe he could levitate a few inches off the floor.
And just took Harrys advice, I might learn how to make a card propell through the air... I'm sure that works brilliantly if your booked for a wedding... just mind the ceiling of course...
Bloody amature magicians with stupid views that like to ruin magic...
Get back to your illusionist dvds before its past your bedtime...

Oh wow, gotta' chance to do this GREAT trick on WGN-Chicago TV. I hope it "airs" soon. In fact, I hope it airs at all. It was a part of a "street magic" piece...watch out for it. It "blew em away" I'm glad to say! JP

QwertyHero,
That is the "basic" effect. But, the description could have been better. It is essentially a strong magician seems to be in trouble then whacks the audience at the end. It's an excellent and quite easy to do fun effect and is completely impromptu.

As John Pilotzi notes it is in BoF III. He also states it is in Paul Gordon's Card Startlers DVD. I cannot comment on Paul's DVDs, but the write up in Mr. Lorayne's Best of Friends III leaves nothing to be desired.

I play this effect with such a sense of overconfidence (read I do it FIRMLY tongue in cheek) and the presentation is such that at the end, it really does hit hard - at least for me.

Ahimsa,
Vlad

Paul actually "presents" it slightly differently than the way described in BOF III.