CardGames Vol 1 Issue 1

Chris Rawlins has been releasing hit after hit lately. I’ve loved his specialized decks of cards that masquerade as a game but contain hidden secrets that allow you to perform strong magic. His new venture with Brad Hodgins is a monthly release of a new trick under the title “Card Games.” The concept is not a subscription; although they did offer a limited number of subscriptions for the six issues that will be in Volume 1. Instead, on the first of every month for September through February, they will be releasing one hundred copies of that issue for sale. It will be a booklet and a “special something.”

Part of the fun of these releases is the mystique that surrounds them. They are giving you an idea of what the trick is, but keeping exact details to a minimum so that the exact trick is preserved for those who buy it. 

Below is their description of Issue 1.

“Using one regular shuffled deck of cards. Someone thinks of any number between 1-52. Someone else physically removes a card. With the deck in their hands, the card is remembered and replaced anywhere they wish. They now freely shuffle the deck and without the performer touching the cards, the selected card is at the thought of number.”

Clearly, this is a version of ACAAN. The description above reads as impossible, but you should know that it isn’t the whole story. In fact, what is left out is the very thing that makes it unique and fun. After the number and card have been chosen, there’s a twist that happens that makes it deviate from a traditional ACAAN. That twist increases the impossibility and takes the effect into a different realm than what is expected.

The booklet you receive is small and concise with minimum details, but it is nicely printed and laid out. The special thing that is provided is also nicely printed and good quality. It looks exactly like what it’s supposed to look like. That piece is ungimmicked and can be examined, and it’s a central part of the story and the method. In fact, when people describe the experience to someone else, this special thing will be the main part discussed. 

The method itself is so simple. It’s so simple that at first you may think to yourself, “really, that’s it?” But that’s why it’s so great. There’s no math, no sleight of hand, and no memory work. 

It fact, it’s so easy that literally the day after I got it, I performed it twice. It got great reactions. Way better reactions than a typical ACAAN, and the story it creates is far more interesting for them to tell than a typical ACAAN. The reactions were bigger than you would expect from the very little amount of work you have to do to make it happen. I love magic like that. My favorite type of magic to perform is magic that is so easy that I don’t have to even think about the actions during the performance, and yet so strong that it leaves a lasting impression. That can be a difficult thing to balance, but this is a great example of that.

It definitely leaves me excited for the next five issues of Volume 1. I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes, and I love the anticipation and mystery of not knowing what’s to come. 

Issue 1 is sold out, but I heard they might be opening up some more subscription spaces later this month, which might be the only way to get Issue 1 for now. I’d keep my eyes on the website below

www.hiddengames.store