A few months ago, I was working a walkaround gig when I approached a group of six people. I introduced myself, and before I could start, the gentleman in the middle interrupted, mentioning that his best friend growing up was into magic, so he knew how most card tricks work. I smiled, determined not to let it throw me off. Then, he added, “Yeah, I can even do a decent double lift myself.” At that moment, I realized this was going to be one of those sets. Experience has taught me there are two ways to handle situations like these. You can try to befriend the guy, get him on your side, though he’ll probably still try to explain how everything works (at least in his mind) as soon as you walk away. Or, you can go with option two: perform something so deceptive and powerful that it leaves him speechless. I chose the latter, performing the trick I’ll describe below. I still think back to the moment right afterward when he cocked his head, genuinely baffled, before blurting out, “What the fuck was that?” True story.
My first major release to the magic community came nearly 10 years ago with a trick called AWE Struck (named after my initials, A.W.E.), which was produced by Vanishing Inc. The trick received excellent reviews, sold out quickly, and has not been available since its initial release.