Trick Review: Daryl’s Group Session

Trick Review: Daryl’s Group Session

While I don’t perform mentalism in my shows, I have always been intrigued with Dr. Hoy’s “Tossed Out Deck.” I’ve seen the effect fry laymen, although the method, which leaves the cards in the hands of spectators, has always made me nervous. And I once witnessed a painful performance where a spectator did what the magician asked him not to do and ruined the trick, and almost exposed the workings.

A safer method that keeps the cards under your control comes in Daryl’s “Group Session.” In this version of the “Tossed Out Deck,” the magician spreads the cards in a deck and invites spectators to mentally select and remember a card that they see. No cards are pulled from the deck or even touched. The magician repeats the process with several more spectators. After the cards have been mentally selected, the magician names several cards, which correspond to those that the spectators viewed and selected.

While you can perform a version of the “Tossed Out Deck,” Daryl’s instructions explain a more-involved close-up effect. Here, the magician pulls a card from the deck and lays it face down on the table. The magician then spreads the cards and invites a spectator to mentally select one in their mind.

The original card that was laid on the table is now cut into the deck face-up by the spectator. When the spectator names his or her card, the magician asks the spectator count the value of the face-up card from its position. When the spectator counts, he or she finds her card at that position in the deck.

The effect relies on a method by Richard Bartram, Jr. As with the other effects in Daryl’s Fooler Doolers series, “Group Session” comes with the necessary props, paper instructions and a DVD that shows you the effect in action and offers a first rate explanation. Daryl’s system is a winner that gives you all the tools to successfully learn and perform the effect. And it only costs $19.95.

The trick is not difficult to perform. I practiced the effect for about a day and slipped the “Tossed Out Deck” into a stand-up show in the evening. The effect received a strong reaction from my audience. From here on, I will be carrying “Group Session” to all my stand-up shows. It’s a powerful mentalism effect that I can always call on should I need it.

If such a mental miracle can fit in your act, definitely consider Daryl’s “Group Session.”

http://www.foolerdoolers.com/store/productdetail.asp?productid=400500&itemcategory=40
$19.95

-Wayne N. Kawamoto