DVD Review: X Marks The Spot by Justin Miller

When Justin Miller marks a spot with an "X," he's not messing around. This effect is a stunning baffler where a spectator's signed card changes from a red-backed card into a blue-backed card, and the entire deck suddenly sports "Xs" on the back of each card. Miller brilliantly creates two stunning phases that amaze audiences.

You show a deck of red backed cards and tell spectators that they are marked. However, the spectators can't see the "marks." A spectator selects a card and signs its face, and it's lost in the deck. In classic "Triumph" manner, you shuffle the cards face-up and face down.

You ignite a piece of paper with a lighter and suddenly the card on the top of the deck sports a large "X" across its back. When you spread the cards, you show that all of the cards are now facing the same direction and every card has an "X" on its back. The only card that lies face up is the spectator's signed card. But Miller isn't done yet.

You pull out the signed card and turn it over. It's the only card in the deck with a blue back.

As the ads state, there;s no rough and smooth or deck switches. You'll need basic sleight-of-hand skills to perform this one, and there's a move that perhaps only serious card workers will already know. The move is not overly difficult, but you'll have to work it up.

In a sense, the plot is similar to a "Chicago Surprise" style effect where a spectator's card can be shown to be a different backed card. But Miller's deck change adds an entire new dimension.

Miller claims that this one resets in minutes and this is probably correct. While I like the effect, its reset is too involved for me to want to regularly carry around in restaurants. Also, this one requires a table which is something that I can't always count on. However, I would definitely consider performing it now and then for that special table.

The DVD comes with gimmicks to make your deck which you'll have to dedicate to the effect. You can reuse these gimmicks and there's nothing that's used up. By the way, if you don't want to use flash paper, Miller explains a different handling.

This is another winner from Justin Miller.

-Wayne N. Kawamoto

MSRP: (US) $30

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