Here’s a strong predictioneffect that employs something called “lottery cards” (as opposed to well known “lottery tickets”). According to creator Peter Nardi, these cards are sold to help people generate random numbers to play the lottery. I’ve never seen this type of deck before, officially referred to here in the trick as “Lottery Number Generator Cards,” but perhaps this is something that’s native to the UK.
Nardi says that these are common in “pound shops.”
Video
You can watch the trick in action via video here on our magic YouTube channel.
Apparently with “lottery decks,” you mix the deck, select six random cards (numbers) and then play and potentially win. This is the setting for “Against All Odds.” The entire trick is based on a gaffed deck that apparently looks like “lottery cards.” At its core, it’s a simple, self-working card trick that doesn’t feel like a conventional card trick.
The Routine
After a seemingly fair mixing and selection procedure (no equivoque) you spectator is left with six cards that each display a different number lottery ball. You now hand them a lottery ticket, which has been sitting in plain view the entire time (or a prediction note), and it displays the exact same numbers that were selected by the spectator.
The Mechanics
The gaffed deck, which does not evoke conventional playing cards, does most of the work. While gaffed, Nardi shows a technique to display the cards so they appear mixed-up and innocent.
The process of having the spectator mix and select the numbers (cards) is seemingly fair. The mixing does involve lots of cutting of the deck and dealing by a spectators As a result, you’ll want a table to perform this one.
Getting Ready
Nardi teaches the effect via a thorough online video. There’s a performance segment and a solid instructional session where you learn how to setup the deck and perform the trick.
There’s a simple setup to initially compile the deck its proper order. The process is easy and only takes minutes. And it also gives you sense of how the trick works. Reset means you have to compile and arrange the cards in a certain order after each performance. It only takes a minute, but you probably can’t reset this one as you walk to another table in strolling situations. There are no angle issues or difficult sleight of hand moves.
Staging the Effect
Most of you will probably perform this in close-up situations, but Nardi also teaches an excellent version for stand-up or stage that involves chairs and a magic square. For this, Nardi says that he will provide pdf files for purchasers of the tricks via email. This way, you can print larger “lottery cards” that can be seen in large venues. With its multiple phases, revelations and interaction, this stage effect can work well as a closer.
It’s always great to discover a strong trick with a good built-in theme. After all, who hasn’t day-dreamed about winning the lottery? And with this trick, you can vicariously fulfill this fantasy. In all, you won’t go wrong taking a chance on this one.
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