theory11 — Magic Tricks & the World's Finest Playing Cards

My Biddle Trick performance

Biddle trick is perhaps my most favorite effect dealing with cards.

But it is really pointless to do these kinds of tricks in front of a cam... not as powerful with real life spectators.

I really didn't like your ending using the moves from the Invisible Palm. You should've just elmsely counted it...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Biddle

I really loved your performance 2 things though one is when you perform it make sure you don't no the card cause that could be fishy and try to come up with some way so they almost know what is going to happen and specify that it is going upside down. Like say it will turnover in the pack and then it seems to vanish and you say "O it must have turned over in the deck you are holding." otherwise great perfomance.
 
Hi EugeneSoh,

Good work on the video! However, as I watched there were a few minor things that I felt needed to be said.

First and foremost is (in my opinion) to go slower; make your movements more fluid. As they are right now, during the Biddle steal for example, you went far too fast. If I was your spectator, I would certainly feel something happened at that time -- especially since I am looking to make sure mine is there. If I, as a spectator, realize that there is for some reason an unnaturally fast-paced motion at a time like this, I will feel nothing but suspicion toward the performer. As a result, I feel if you take your time and go much slower, it will work out much better for you in the end.

Also, like someone else said, perhaps it would be a nicer idea to leave the four cards at the end separated from the deck. Thus, to further show how there was no manipulation involved, and to give the belief that the packet and the deck never really touched. Therefore rendering an impossible transposition when they were sure to Hell that the packet consisted of their card and four others. Psychology here is key for making the effect what it is.

Despite, I thought it was a rather good performance. :)

Keep it up,
Jordan
 
yea you should do another biddle count with the "5" cards in your hand. it would show that you still have 5 cards just incase ppl are skeptical. just do it like it really doesnt matter. so we have 1 2 3 4 5 cards and i dont know what one it is. that kind of thing
 
Even better than the Biddle Count to show 4 as 5, use a modified Elmsley (as taught in Larry Jennings' Classic Magic book) - much more natural looking than the Biddle.
 
I didn't really like the fact you used the Tent VAnish, other than that it's ok, I agree with Jordan that the count was done too fast, because I didn't even see my card in there.
 
This raises an interesting question on just how exactly the card should vanish...should the vanish be "implied" magic i.e. there were 5, now there are 4 therefore your card has vanished? Or should the vanish have it's own "moment" - use of the tent vanish, the rub a dub or some other contrivance? Which is more powerful in the eyes of an audience?

I think there is a strong case to be made for giving the vanish it's own moment; creating conviction in the minds of the audience that their card really is there. For the past year or so I have been doing the Biddle trick with a "lie detector" presentation, calling out the names of each card as I count through them faces toward myself (miscalling so they hear the selected card of course) and correctly narrowing it down to their card. Then it is reversed in the packet which is then flase counted again showing 4(?) X cards and a face down card - logically the selection. The face down card vanishes courtesy of an Elmsley and turns up in the pack.

At each stage there is strong conviction that YES the card really is in there, but I felt that the vanish never really got the reaction it deserved. Last time I performed it I handed the deck to a second spectator and the "5" card packet to the first spectator so that the vanish happened in their hands - much, much stronger reaction. Food for thought anyway...

The real issue as far as I'm concerned is how to get to the biddle steal position in the routine. The posted video is a classic example of the lack of consideration this phase usually gets; it's pretty weak. "I cut the deck a few times and your card is in these 5". What?

Tidying this phase up is definitely a worthwhile use of your time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.