Review of Pinky Swear by Doug Conn

“Pinky Swear” is an instructional DVD that teaches two techniques: the “pinky count” and a “pass,” and teaches several great card tricks that you can perform with the sleights. Your instructor is Doug Conn who provides excellent technique and instruction. For a reasonable $15, this DVD is worth the price just to learn and master the “pinky count.” It’s a move that has a reputation for being difficult to master so be prepared to work.

(Personally, I’m glad that I learned the “pinky count” many years ago. It’s a sleight that I constantly rely on - at least once in almost every card routine in my repertoire. And I’ve never been “caught” using it.)

The DVD begins with Conn showing and demonstrating all the work on learning the move. Start practicing as you’ll need to have mastered this move to learn the tricks. By the way, for the tricks, you won’t need to count more than 13 cards. As Conn points out, and I know this from personal experience, the deck gets harder to work with the further you count down the deck.

Since you’ll also need a “pass” for the tricks, Conn teaches a great version with lots of variations. But for purposes of the tricks on this DVD, you’re welcome to employ your own favorite pass or even a double-cut. With “pinky count” and “pass” in hand, you’re ready to move to the tricks.

The first three tricks are variations on the same theme - rolling a die and affecting the outcome of a dealt card. In Coincidice, you have a spectator roll a die onto the table to freely generate a number from one to six (it’s legitimately fair). You then you deal that number of cards onto the table from the top of the deck and the resulting dealt card matches the dice roll.

Conn offers secondary phases on this theme with Fourtunate and Random Specificity and these routines may be combined. No matter which versions you choose to perform or mix and match, I think that the overall effect is strong. Also, I like the idea of performing magic with the die/dice (maybe a Dr. Sach’s, Bob Sheet’s “It’s the Rules” - please click here to read my review - or other routine) and then moving into the card trick (or vice versa).

Magic Spell allows you to spell and reveal a four of a kind via spelling. Of course, the cards have been previously lost in the deck. As part of this routine, Conn teaches a great four-of-a-kind-card production that is flashy and impressive. Legendary Ace Cutting provides Conn’s take on a Scarne “cut to the aces” style routine. It’s not quite up to the legendary (mythical?) conditions of the Scarne proposition (what is?), but it’s good.

Something quite different, An Artistic Application allows spectators to freely name two primary colors and then these colors appear on the face of a freely selected playing card. Going a step further, you blend the colors together to form the secondary color on the playing card (the two primary colors apparently vanish). No chemicals and no mess. This is all based on (what else?) sleight of hand and clever use of the “pinky count.” Conn also offers discussion on employing the pinky count so a stacked deck can become something of an index that allows you access any card at a moments notice - a useful capability.

At only $15, “Pinky Swear” is a great deal. And even if you don’t perform the tricks (and I think this is unlikely- you’re bound to find something that you like), you’ll still be walking away with the powerful “pinky count” in your sleight of hand arsenal. Now that’s a deal.