"Up the Ante" booklet by Martyn Smith
Suggested Retail USD$19.95
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 8 Out of 10

"Up the Ante", a booklet by Martyn Smith, takes an old idea and wraps it in a gambling presentation that plays solidly off the handling, and in the end delivers a fascinating routine though some may find their reduced roles in the effect a little discomforting.

Here's how the whole thing goes:

The spectator is given a deck to cut as many time as they want, then riffle shuffle once (even terribly so), then deal the cards in several pairs, then in sets of four, and finally in two sets of thirteen cards. To begin, you "bet" the spectators that each pair consists of a single red and a single black card. Naturally, they do. Then you "up the ante" by "betting" that each of the sets of four cards contains one card of each suit. Of course, they do. Finally, you bet that each set of thirteen cards each contains one of each value, Ace through King. Amazingly, they do.

To add a dash of flavor to the mix, this effect is easy to do and doesn't rely on gaffs or gimmicks, sleights or moves, instead utilizing a mathematical principle to get the job done. I've been doing Bob Neale's version of this ("The Probability Pack" from his "Life, Death, and Other Card Tricks") for years now and this whole thing is a mind-numbing, jaw-dropping, exercise in cerebellum freezing. It really can play that good and that's no hype.

However, I have concerns about it being presented as a series of wagers, particularly because there seems to be a break in logic for me. You see, the ad copy throws me when it comes to this: "If you did not possess a reputation as a card-sharp before this routine, you certainly will at the end! Remember that you did not shuffle or indeed even handle the cards!"

Hold it. So doing this routine as a gambling demonstration of some sort will give me a reputation as a card-sharp, even though I didn't shuffle or handle the cards? How could I have shown any skill in card-sharpery if I never did anything? Isn't the spectator the one showing the skill, then? Everybody knows about dealing from the bottom of the deck, and a bit fewer know about other mechanics of cheating, so if I'm not touching the deck, how am I pulling off any thing a card-sharp, in common parlance and by common perception, would?

It's a serious question. Played strictly hands off, you're working a magical miracle, not an exercise in being a mechanic. What else could all of that have been, all those correct guesses, other than magic. Add a little bit of your own participation (and I do mean a little), and now you're moving into gambling demo/reputation making territory.

Ah, but that's the magic's philosophers to decide. I did this as a gambling theme and it played big, but getting a rep as a mechanic? Not going to happen. So, because I love the method so much, I now have two ways of doing it: purely hands-off version of the "Probability Pack" for magic and more serious moments; a little bit of involvement and "Up the Ante" to make it look like I've got skill with a capital-S.

Your mileage may vary.

The other thing I wasn't crazy about here was the lack of addressing a common problem with tricks of this type: it relies on a spectator doing a riffle shuffle. Now, thankfully, the shuffle can be the absolute worst shuffle you've ever seen -- as long as the cards stay together and on the table, the shuffle will work. The problem is that few people actually know how to do a riffle anymore. That basic card skill is quickly going the way of the dodo. It would have been nice to see Smith to address this, but he didn't, so you'll want to figure something out for those times when your spectators stare at you with confused looks when you ask if someone can riffle shuffle.

Practicality comes into play elsewhere as well. You're going to need a table as you're going to be dealing packets small and large all over the table. Also, resets are a killer. Definitely count on a trip to the bathroom for a repeat and be prepared to spend some time there. As you can probably guess by that, you'll also be carrying an extra deck around so you'll lose some pocket real estate in the bargain.

At the end of the day, "Up the Ante" is a good routine, if a bit derivative, but with an interesting presentational hook that can leave 'em shell-shocked. Make a couple of decisions on the performance angle and you've got a solid winner that you'll love performing.

"Up The Ante" book by Martyn Smith
In a Blink: 8 Out of 10

Material: 8
It's a gambling plot that's a little unique (it's been approached by others), with a fun premise and some nicely built tension. Done well, this thing plays huge and really hits 'em where they live.

Quality: 8
Smith's writing style is excellent as he goes into such thorough detail on his handling and his presentation, only letting down in a couple of areas. All in all, you'll have no problem learning his routine from his booklet.

Illustrations: n/a
No illustrations provided and none necessary given the nature of the material.

Presentation: 9
This is where "review" focuses on "opinion"; some folks are going to love the totally hands-off approach, some will want to be a bit more involved in the proceedings (you can put me into the latter bunch of coconuts). Still, the presentation Smith gives is an excellent one and, even if it is eschewed, it's definitely worth the look.


Shane