Review: Jokers Wild by Rodger Lovins

In what amounts to a mechanical card or color change, in Rodger Lovins' latest, "Jokers Wild," a joker visually and seamlessly turns into the spectators selected card. This one is easy to learn and perform and the simple mechanism is reliable and repeatable.

The Trick

The plot is classic with a different method. A spectator freely selects a card and returns it to the deck. If you like, for a stronger effect, the card can be signed. After some shuffling, you tell the spectator that his card is now on the bottom of the deck and show him a joker.

When you’re told that this is incorrect, you tap the joker with the card box and it instantly and visually turns into the spectator's card. You then open the card box to reveal that the joker is now inside and nowhere in the deck of cards, which is the case.

Easy to Do

The trick is easy to do, thanks to the gaffed card case and card. There are no complicated moves other than a straight forward "tilt" move. Interestingly, Lovins explains the move but neglects to address it by its formal name. Just one warning, when the color change takes place, there's a distinctive "click" that may arouse suspicion.

Can you perform a similar effect through sleight of hand? Well, this is a simple card change but the mechanical method does leave you clean with no joker to be found in the deck. Reset is fast, probably less than ten seconds, but you’ll want to do this out of sight of spectators.

Jokers Wild is great for beginners, but you will want to have some basic card handling skills. Experienced card workers can already perform the basic trick and have a host of card changes at their disposal. Furthermore, they probably won't want to carry around special cards for such a simple outcome.

I'm not particularly excited by the end effect, but I give Lovins lots of credit for his creativity and innovation.

MSRP: (US) $29.95

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