I picked up Random Odds by Derek Ostavani a little while ago from Penguin magic and it seemed like this would tick all the boxes for a hard hitting mentalism effect:
Impromptu.
Borrowed objects.
Random selections.
Impossible coincidence.
But was it all it was cracked up to be?
First let’s check out the blurb:
No bill switch! No setup! A BORROWED bill, borrowed phone, and borrowed deck. A polished reputation-maker with layers upon layers of deception.
Derek has worked hard to mix methods so that this is not just deceptive, but also packs a huge punch when the final climax is revealed. This isn’t just a closer, it’s a show stopper for the close up and the parlour performer. This is Random Odds.
What do you get for your money?
You get a download that’s just over 26 minutes long. The first 6 minutes or so is performance, so that leaves approximately 20 minutes of explanation.
Is that it?
I hear you cry!
Well you don’t need anything else as it’s all borrowed objects remember!
Anyway what did you expect for less than 10 dollars?
Let’s break it down:
The performance is for a group of people inside a bar, it’s dark and loud, which doesn’t make for a great viewing experience but this just goes to prove that you literally can perform this anywhere in most conditions.
The explanation is very well taught, Derek is methodical in his teaching, he’s very easy to understand and he shares plenty of tips for performing. The waffle is kept to a minimum, which means you don’t have to sit there for hours on end just to learn a new trick that might take 5 minutes to perform!
The method(s) are very deceiving and easy to learn, there is one sleight you’ll need to be comfortable with in order to perform this with the playing cards.
Derek explains this simply enough but if you’re still not sure you can go to YouTube and find an abundance of tutorials for it!
No audience?
No problem! I recently did this for a friend of mine, and he got the random digits by texting some of his friends.
I didn’t like the idea of fidgeting around with his phone so I used my own and he never suspected a thing!
It does feel a little too perfect, more like a magic trick than mentalism but with a bit of imagination you can quite easily change that.
Overall this is a cool multi-layered mental mystery that will blow your audience away.
You’d probably be wise to use this as a closer because it really does hit hard, especially when they remember they have a bill (note) with a matching serial number.
Reactions are strong making this download well worth the (almost) 10-dollar investment!
You can pick this up from Penguin magic here:
P.S. Just to clarify: I have no affiliation with Penguin magic or P3.
I just happen to find a lot of value in their products!
T.T.F.N.
Ryan