Hi gang. Rick Lax here. You're right; the box can't be examined. But on the DVD, you'll learn to perform Vertigo in a way that takes all suspicion off the box. Nobody will want to examine it. When you're done with the second phase (the one where the cards balance on the box), if anything, the spectator will want to examine the cards. Which is totally fine. As far as angles go, it's not a problem. No, you can't perform it surrounded--but pretty close. Basically, you don't want somebody standing over your left shoulder.