This is all about how to use a red/blue double backed gimmicked card to create effective card magic.

There is nobody better in accomplishing this than the creative and prolific Dan Harlan.  In the L&L Publishing DVD series alone, he has 20 DVDs to his credit. 

Dan has come out with all sorts of effects: predictions, transformations, transpositions, and locations.

Turning Blue is a straight-forward trick where a chosen card becomes the only blue-backed card in the red deck, and then magically, its back changes back to red.  Dan comes out with different variations of this effect – Special Glasses, Getting Warmer and Fingerprints.  They are all individually effective because Dan has provided each of them with the appropriate patter and presentation. 

“Prediction 1” and “Prediction 2” are variations of a prediction trick where the performer’s blue backed card matches a freely chosen card from a red deck.  “Making A Bet” is a comical/sucker version of this trick.  “Trading Places” is another variation using both a blue and a red backed deck of cards.

“Star Trek” is an amusing trick based on the popular TV series of the same title.  A card freely chosen from a red deck is trapped among 4 freely chosen cards from a blue deck.  Magically, it gets transported back to the red deck and is found face upwards.  The handling is clean.

“R & B Special” is a 3-phase sandwich trick.  A signed chosen card from a red deck is found sandwiched between 2 blue cards also freely taken from a blue deck.  This is repeated, but this time the spectator gets to handle all the cards.  In the third and final phase, the 2 blue cards are placed clearly far apart from one another in the red deck – yet they come together magically and sandwich the signed chosen red card.

As a bonus, Dan teaches how to do a tarot-type reading using the cut-deeper force.  Performing magicians will want to add this to their repertoire because audience loves to have their future foretold.

You receive an instructional DVD and 3 gimmicked cards.  Dan Harlan does a good job in explaining all the effects.  All of the tricks are easy to do, requiring only basic card handlings.  There is a segment which shows Dan performing the effects live.  It will be surprising indeed if you cannot find at least a couple of tricks that you can add to your performing repertoire.  (5/5 stars rating)