Reducing Turnover
Skomp offers his "Turnover Twist," a move that allows you to spin a packet of cards and flip them over and forms the basis of the bewildering Sobriety Test (which also benefits from the use of a gimmicked card). Here, a jack, queen and king are shown in a certain order that quickly changes.
Skomp explains how to apparently halt your heart beat with a method that requires no preparation or extra props or gimmicks. "Confession of a High-Tech Psychic" offers an untested mentalism effect that relies on technology but offers lots of potential. Here, a randomly chosen audience member (not a stooge) names any object (it's a free choice). When an envelope that has been hanging above the stage is brought down, it is opened to reveal a picture of the object, place or person that the spectator named.
Cards Into Anything
The remaining effects involve a clever gimmick that makes an entire deck of normal cards appear to shrink into a pack of miniature cards. Another similar gimmick makes an entire pack of cards turn into a miniature playing card, dollar bill, or candy bar wrapper. And still another gimmick makes a full size card box turn into a miniature card box. I really like these visual effects and plan to use them.
I found Steve Skomp's "Devious Deceptions" to be refreshingly different and filled with material that can take residence in lots of acts. There are several here that I intend to try out. As the title implies, Skomp has indeed created a series of devious, as well as entertaining, deceptions.
