Cocktail Monte by Alex McLittle

The classic Three Card Monte is a piece of entertainment that should be in the arsenal of every close-up magician. As such, there have been many different versions of the routine created, all with different methods. Alex McLittle's Cocktail Monte introduces you to the world of possibilities with the Nightmare Card, a special card which makes some stunning visual effects possible. Here's just one of the many possible uses:

The magician displays a small bundle of black cloth. He unwraps the cloth and inside are three playing cards-two of the cards are the same and one is different. The magician says that he will mix the cards up and the spectator is to try and follow the odd card. The cards are mixed and the spectator makes his guess, but the odd card is always found someplace else. Feeling sorry for the spectator, the magician offers to change the game, making the odds 100% in the spectator's favor. The two identical cards are placed aside, so the magician just has the odd card-and it's turned face up! How could the spectator lose? Well, when he points to the face up odd card, it visually changes into one of the identical cards!

• Quickly resets - perfect for table-hopping
• Visual transformation
• Many possible uses
• Comes complete with the cloth, necessary cards and detailed instructions