Feedback, Please (Again, LOL!)

This is an effect I perform all the time. Ascanio has a fantastic version called "The Trick I'd Do for Dai Vernon" (The Magic of Ascanio II).

Some tricks lose their impact when you don't perform them for actual spectators, and this is one of them. For instance, making a prediction while mixing just four cards feels a bit odd, and it implicitly assumes a certain level of skill. I perform it for spectators: I shuffle, and they guess where their chosen cards are (reds or blacks – here I use a particular method to get the chosen cards exactly where they need to be). I 'accidentally' flash one of the chosen cards on the bottom. It's a funny, slightly silly moment, but it plays well, and that's where I execute the Glide. I ask where they think the other card is, and without giving them time to respond, I do a Double Lift to show "the top one" (I recommend doing the push-off Double Lift; you only have to leave one card behind, and it requires no prior setup – economy of motion).

Another brilliant detail, one I've thought about a lot and that I saw Karim (I think) do over 20 years ago, is to mention the suits. For example, if the bottom card is hearts, you say, "I'll put the hearts card on the table." Then the other one will be diamonds, so you say, "and the diamonds card goes on top," but you actually slip it underneath with very little subtlety. At that moment, the spectator's alarms go off. They've just caught you, and naturally, they'll say, "No, you swapped them! I saw that!" And you, acting surprised, reply, "I don't understand, the reds are right here in my hand," and you show them. Honestly, that detail is pure gold. By believing they've caught you, the spectator becomes 100% convinced that the reds are on the table, just in a different order, and the reveal is truly shocking. Without that detail, they might doubt what you say – "I'm putting this one here and this one too." But by letting them 'catch' you in that false, apparent misstep, the spectator no longer doubts that the reds are there, because they're convinced the trickery happened somewhere else.

Cheers!

Well done, Juan Carlos.

Nice trick, thanks for sharing.

I suggest you have someone record your video from different angles, so the trick really shines and doesn't flash what's happening with your hands and the cards.

The camera angle isn't doing you any favors because it makes it obvious you're doing something with the cards in your hands.

Aim for good camera angles so the trick looks its best, similar to how a spectator would experience it live.

Well done, good luck, and keep it up!

As mario_garcia_diaz pointed out, otherwise, try to ditch the 'okay' verbal tic and add a bit more personality to your presentation, not just narrating what you're doing. I think that would really elevate the overall performance, but still, even though the angle isn't the best, the effect looks good.

Good stuff. Let me share some ideas:

I agree with what's been said about the camera angle: it's not doing you any favors, especially with the shuffle at the beginning, which looks a bit off. If you were performing this for a spectator, you'd likely position yourself directly in front of them, so set up your camera in the same position and angle as if a spectator were watching (POV).

You should make the shuffle a bit longer: with only a few moves and just 4 cards, which you'd already seen, it's easy to suspect you're setting them up rather than truly shuffling. After you arrange them, peel off the cards one by one, twice, to maintain the order. If you do it quickly and smoothly, no one can follow what you're doing, and it really gives the impression that you don't know what order the cards ended up in.

For the patter, it'd be good to have something more interesting than just "I'm going to show you a trick." I'm thinking of something along the lines of, "These cards (you specify which ones, red or black) are in love with me and follow me everywhere..." (and you shuffle during the intro). Then, "look, if I pass my hand here (below), one of the cards comes back," and "if I pass my hand up here, the other one comes back," "even if I set them aside, they come right back to me." Anyway, something like that, and even better (I'm just making this up on the fly), you could say you're lucky in love, and because you have women chasing you, even the ladies of the deck pursue you (instead of using 4 Kings, use 2 Queens of the same color and two other random cards), and perform the trick to illustrate what you're explaining.

Anyway, this is just my two cents; take what works for you (and apologies for the lengthy response).

I'd like to post the solution for everyone. Thanks a lot for the tips, bye! 🤗