Bob Sheets is one of the strongest workers in magic. Stand-up, close-up, this guy does it all. And when he tips one of his own routines, you know that it’s going to be entertaining.
In “It’s the Rules,” Sheets teaches his dice routine where, through a series of moves, the spots on a pair of dice appear to move and change. His dice trick offers a strong routine, good handling that can accommodate large dice and a killer climax. It’s a routine that packs small and plays well to close-up crowds. The effect, in many ways, is similar to “Doctor Sack’s Amazing Dice Trick,” and overall, I prefer Sheet’s version.
Both “Doctor Sack’s” and “It’s the Rules” employ moves that accomplish the exact same thing. But Sheet’s moves may be performed more slowly-the fingers on the hand help to mask the dirty work, and you can hold and manipulate larger pairs of dice. In fact, with Sheet’s handling, you’ll want to use larger dice because smaller pairs are a bit clumsy to work with. I like the fact that you can use larger dice, which allows the effect to play to bigger close-up audiences.
Sheet’s routine offers an amazing sequence where the dots on the dice jump around. It’s probably personal preference whether you prefer Sheet’s sequence, or that of “Doctor Sack’s Amazing Dice Trick.” But after the dots jump around, Sheets adds a killer climax where he counts through the numbers of the dice by simply turning his hand up and down. This addition makes his version stronger than “Doctor Sack’s.”
The only downside to Sheet’s DVD is that he explains the entire routine in a single video segment. I wish that he had broken down the routine in sections so I didn’t have to constantly pause and go back to review his instructions. The trick is not a knuckle-buster, but it takes some time to learn the sequences.
“Doctor Sack’s Amazing Dice Trick” has been a part of my strolling repertoire for about two years and it always receives a strong audience response. I learned the routine by purchasing and watching James Lewis’ excellent video of the same name.
Given a choice now, I would have preferred to have learned “It’s the Rules” when I decided to add a dice trick. But I’ve been performing “Doctor Sack’s” for some time and my presentation is solid and comfortable.
So what I’ve done is incorporate Sheet’s handling, which works with the Doctor Sack’s routine, but allows me to work with larger dice-something that I wanted to do before but couldn’t. I am now shopping for larger dice to carry around in my close-up kits. The other thing that I’ve done is incorporate Sheet’s climax to the dice routine. I’ve performed the ending for a couple of weeks and it offers a fantastic closer to the trick.
If you’ve been wanting to learn a strong close-up dice routine, Bob Sheet’s “It’s the Rules” is an excellent effect from a true worker. As far as I’m concerned, it’s from Bob Sheets. It’s gotta be great. It’s the rules.
-Wayne N. Kawamoto
