Featured Product
The Blurb
Finally, a coin, poker chip, and mentalism effect, all rolled into one!
Here’s what happens:
Three different color poker chips are freely chosen by three different spectators. Four-coin envelopes are then introduced, containing coins from your collection. Each spectator freely chooses an envelope, leaving one unchosen.
Throughout the routine your spectators may choose to switch around the chips and envelopes, as they are all free choices. After opening the envelopes to show the chosen coins, you now reveal the big surprise ending: Each chip has a prediction, and as they are turned over, the image permanently imprinted on the opposite side of the chip matches exactly the chosen coin!
Best of all, Conviction Prediction packs small, plays big, everything can be examined as there are no gimmicks (just a simple, undetectable secret move), and you are totally clean!
Comes with three special poker chips, three different coins, envelopes, a plastic carrying wallet, and access to a comprehensive online video tutorial (half-dollars not included).
“A brilliant prediction effect, that you never see coming. Five stars.”
– Marc Salem
Jheff's Guide
[NOTE: This is a revised version of my earlier comments. After discussing this with Dr. Michael Rubinstein, he cleared up a point or two. The following are my revised comments.]
WHAT IT IS:
Effect with Props
HOW ACCURATE OR COMPLETE THE AD COPY IS:
It’s mostly accurate. Not everything can be examined, but everything that’s left on the table can be examined. Also, the “packs small, plays big” doesn’t seem to apply to this routine as it’s not organically suited to being performed for large audiences. Coins, like cards, are not props that can easily be seen in the back of the room for large audiences. So, though it’s quite possible to perform this in front of large audiences (Dr. Rubinstein has), it doesn’t involve the entire audience. It does pack small though.
SET-UP AND RE-SET:
The set-up takes less than a minute as it involves the pre-arrangement of pocket space, at least if you use Dr. Rubinstein’s presentation. I found that if you put all the props in one pouch, you can actually use that as part of the routine to put opened envelopes back in the pouch, which enables you to easily do some of the work involved. This reduces and/or eliminates pocket space.
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED THAT YOU NEED OR NEED TO KNOW:
The plastic wallet that comes with the plastic is a cheap one. With repeated use, and because the wallet is stuffed with many coins, chips, and envelopes, it will wear. As mentioned above, I suggest you buy a nice coin/card pouch to use instead. Also as mentioned above, you will need pocket space, though as I also said, you can use a coin/card pouch instead. A minor point is that the images that are imprinted on the chips, even though they are representations, don’t look like accurate replicas. But then these are supposed to be representations, not replicas. There could be good reasons having to do with the production process as to why the artwork looks like this, but the images are intended to be representations and not intended to fool anyone into thinking they are the real coins stuck on the back of the chips. Again, this is a minor point and, for those concerned about this, it should not affect the performance at all. Finally, there are some basic and simple coin sleights involved, but they are quite similar to techniques a mentalist would use when handling billets, so this shouldn’t be much of an issue.
SUITABLE VENUES:
Close-up, Walkaround, Internet
JHEFF’S JUDGMENT:
Good coin routines in mentalism are not that common. Dr. Michael Rubinstein, known for his expert coin routines, has released a coin routine that is direct, surprising, and not that difficult to do. Even though I have considerations and issues with the the ad copy (see above), they are, for the most part, minor ones, and don’t diminish my conclusion that this is a winning mentalism routine with coins.