Boris Wild is a French magician known throughout the world for his work on marked decks. He explains his marking system in his lecture notes cleverly titled Boris Wild’s Lecture along with a few of his other routines. Here’s what is included:
Kiss Count- This is a slight variation in handling of Brother John Hamman’s Flushtration Count. It is a little more complicated, but the retention of vision created when each card is placed to the table is strong. Also, this count appears more flourishy than its counterpart. This will appeal to some, but the fact that the count requires a working surface will force most cardmen to stick to the original.
As a side note, I must mention that this section does not discuss any routines using the move. For a utility move such as this, I have no problem with this. However, Boris re-explains the count in the next routine. While this is a minor concern, I fail to see the reasoning behind explaining the count separately only to include the same instructions in the next effect.
Chain Reaction- Two decks of cards are introduced, one “normal” and one “special.” The “special” deck of cards is shown to consist of an entire deck of double backers. A few double-backed cards from this deck are tabled. A selection is made from the normal deck, let’s say it’s the Ten of Hearts. The selection is used in a brief Wild Card routine as the double backers on the table are one-by-one transformed into the Ten. Finally, the entire “special” deck changes into the Ten of Hearts, and everything is examinable.
Despite the possibility for confusion, the routine, if handled correctly, would be very powerful for a lay audience. The Wild Card phase is especially well thought out. Best of all, the routine is easy to do. Still, while the routine is strong, there are certainly better All Backs and Wild Card routines in the magic literature. I mention this not to discount Boris’s effect, but for a working professional to justify carrying around extra props, the effect must be as powerful as possible. I’m not sure this trick qualifies. In short, while the routine is worthy of study, it may not be something you will ever actually perform.
The B.W. Marked Deck- Let me preface my comments on Boris’s contribution to the world of marked decks by admitting that I have never really used one in the past. As a result, I cannot offer much of a comparison between Boris’s version and past solutions. That being said, I was immediately struck by how easy it was to use. The marks on the backs are easy to read; there is no complicated memorization involved in learning to read the marks; and each card can be located quickly when the deck is spread on the table or in the hands. It seems the only difficult thing to do is to actually make up the pack. Again, since I don’t have any experience with marking decks, I do not know how difficult Boris’s version is to create with respect to others. However, I can tell you that once the deck is made, it would be a very powerful tool to add to your arsenal.
Inexplicable- This is the kind of stuff I love. Basically, this is Dai Vernon’s legendary “Trick That Cannot Be Explained” performed with a marked deck. This makes the final revelation, whatever it may be, even more impossible. While this kind of an effect is very difficult to describe in print, Boris provides some useful “outs” to make sure the ending always kicks the spectators in the teeth. The only problem I have with the write-up is the author’s claim that a particular ruse works 99% of the time. The laws of probability simply don’t agree with this assertion. At any rate, the experienced performer will be able to slay laymen and magicians alike with this idea.
The B.W. Memorized Deck- Boris’s stack makes it fairly easy to calculate which card lies at a specified number. Likewise, it is easy to compute the number at which a specified card lies in the deck. As a result, this stack can be a great utility device in some situations. However, if you are serious about working with a stacked deck, I must warn you that Boris’s stack has some severe limitations. First, the stack does not appear to be random at all. This may not be a problem for many performers since the cards can be shown casually with a dribble display. However, they cannot be viewed for very long or a pattern will become immediately apparent. Second, mathematical calculations can never make up for truly knowing the stack by heart. Sure, the mental calculations make locating a card or position easier in some ways, but the calculation will take time. In some effects, this extra time is simply not available.
Miracle!- This is Boris’s solution to the venerable Any Card At Any Number plot. The effect is as follows. A blue deck is tossed out into the audience. A red deck is introduced and a spectator shuffles the cards. Another spectator names any number from 1 to 52 (let’s say she names 23). The magician takes back the red deck without looking at the faces and the spectator selects a card (let’s say it’s the 7 of Clubs). The magician asks the spectator to remove the blue cards and count down to the 23 card. Of course, it is the 7 of Clubs.
The effect and method are both fairly straightforward. As you might have guessed from the contents of these notes, the routine requires both Boris’s stack and marked deck. He uses both principles intelligently to construct a routine that should completely fool any audience. Once the performer becomes familiar with these two ideas, there is very little work to do at all. I should mention that this routine does not satisfy most of the “impossible” conditions magicians usually associate with the ultimate solution to the ACAAN plot, but for the performer who is only concerned with entertaining an audience, Boris has created an extremely powerful routine.
Pure Telepathy- This is absolutely worth the price of the lecture notes. In fact, if it were marketed separately, it could probably sell for even more. The effect to any audience is completely impossible. In fact, I distinctly remember being flabbergasted when I saw another magician use this routine to fool a room full of magicians. Pay close attention to the conditions of the effect.
The magician shuffles the cards and leaves them on the table. A spectator is called on stage as the magician withdraws to a corner of the room. The spectator is asked to cut the cards wherever she wants and to remember the bottom card. She then shuffles the cards in her hands as much as she likes. The remainder of the deck is put in the box and placed away. The magician returns to the stage and retrieves the cards, but he never looks at the faces. The cards are spread in front of the lady’s eyes as she is instructed to concentrate on her card. Little by little, the magician drops all the cards except one: the card the woman is merely thinking of.
· There is no pumping, fishing, forcing, estimating, or peeking.
· There are no stooges or assistants.
· The spectator has a completely free choice of a card.
· The magician truly never sees the selection being made.
· The cards are legitimately shuffled.
· The spectator never has to say a word.
· The magician never sees the faces of the cards.
· The effect can be immediately repeated.
The best part of the whole thing is that the routine is relatively easy to perform, yet it could be built up to be completely impossible. In fact, it is strong enough to be performed as a closer. If you're still not convinced, take a look at a demo from Boris's site: http://www.boriswild.com/boriswild_uspure.mov
The routines and ideas included in the notes are obviously things that Boris has used for real audiences. The explanations are clear his writing style is easy to read. In short, if you are looking for card material with a mental flavor, these notes are definitely worthy of purchase. The price is low and the material is strong. Recommended.
-Available from http://www.lybrary.com/boris-wilds-lecture-p-342.html
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
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