Reviewed by Davide Rubat Remond
If Impossible Challenge to New Zealand Poker, Biagio Fasano’s new effect, were a stage magic, it would certainly be a great illusion, comparable to Metamorphosis or a beautiful crate to dissect into several parts the living being inside. The challenge consists of a novel version of poker, with somewhat wacky rules, but still fun and easy to follow: it looks like a classic routine with the deck of cards to be dealt and cut into various bundles, but at the end, it changes direction and culminates in the impossible. The surprise of defeat on the part of the spectator, in a challenge that had all the hallmarks of an easy victory, is produced when expectations are betrayed by the appearance of an incredible final poker of aces. The illusionist will win the challenge if, at the end of the various stages of the game (which may be three or four), on ribbon spreading the cards, all four aces appear to be turned face up, while all other cards are turned face down. If even one of these conditions does not occur, the spectator will be declared the winner.
The spectator begins the challenge with the great advantage of playing with double the number of covered cards, compared to the illusionist who plays with uncovered cards, and the four back aces (the essential conditions for his or her victory). Throughout the duration of the effect, the cards will be continuously dealt in various piles, then reassembled after eventually being turned to the opposite side, according to the spectator’s will. Special attention to the movement of the four aces from one pack to another, from one direction to the other, at each moment of the various stages of the game, restores the sense of genuine randomness obtained from the spectator’s absolutely free choices.
The truly amazing thing about this effect of Biagio, which is inspired by and is the child of his previous Virtual Revelation Triumph, is the great, total freedom of action of the spectator on the packets and, in particular on the distribution of cards in the second phase, without any predetermined order. Similarly, the third phase (optional because it lengthens execution time) simulates the use of some dice, which are emblems themselves of randomness. I had a chance to test it before publication and I must say that the first time I did not believe my eyes, I was sure it could not succeed, and instead the four aces showed up on time among all the other back cards. It is absolutely incomprehensible at first glance the mechanics of this effect that exploits Bob Hummer‘s CATO (Cut And Turn Over) principle in an evolved form. Even the contactless versions, offered as an alternative to the main effect, to be performed over the phone is something incredible (personally experienced with Biagio) that happens directly in the hands of the viewer.
In addition to the characteristic of being an incredible, incomprehensible, high-impact effect, it is totally automatic and impromptu, allowing absolute freedom of choice to the spectator, with no mathematical calculations, no memory effort, no special techniques, indeed no card magic techniques. Only a deck of cards, even an incomplete one, can be customized to one’s personal taste.
This time Biagio has surpassed himself, it will be hard to think of anything better than this Impossible Challenge to New Zealand Poker, in terms of the quality of the magical effect, simplicity of execution and total freedom of action.
A live performance of the effect, can be seen on YouTube:
The E-book, in English and illustrated in color, is available at www.Lybrary.com:
https://www.lybrary.com/impossible-challenge-at-new-zealand-poker-triumph-on-steroids-p-926766.html
