The Unknown Card (Nick Trost)Fun and easy packet trick from Nick TrostNick Trost published routines for many ingenious packet tricks playable with standard cards, but he also published a number of "fun" effects with customized gaffs. "The Unknown Card" was one of these marketed effects. It was at one time published by L&L Publishing as part of a collection of 8 such Nick Trost packet tricks, all of which are fun and easy to do. See a demo of the Unknown Card effect here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ov2fE9aBa8EThe moment where the 10s and 4s are shown to have vanished creates a real strong reaction, and while the need to "pocket" the Unknown Card is an inherent weakness in the effect, the final reveal of The Unknown Card is an amusing kicker that generates some smiles. It's very easy to learn and perform, so you can put all the energy into making a good presentation. I've had good results and a lot of fun with this beauty.
Bigfoot (Nick Trost)Great packet trick from Nick Trost with a cute storyNick Trost is well renowned for his clever packet tricks, many of which rely more on subtleties than sleights. This effect is a fine example of his genius. It employs very limited sleight of hand, although you will need to be able to do a certain "Count", which is easily learned. Aside from that, all the handling is fairly straight forward, and the effectiveness of the trick relies on the cards themselves and the presentation. See a demo of the Bigfoot effect here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1HYsng_hrYIt took me a bit of practice to master all the moves correctly and in the right order (and with cards oriented correctly), but it's well worth the effort. The "Bigfoot" story lends itself to some nice story-telling, which will be very engaging for your audience. The artwork on the cards is very clever (and necessary for the effect to work), and really helps set this effect apart from "regular" card tricks. It is not quite as strong or surprising as Trost's "The Unknown Card", but the final kicker is still a good surprise, and can generate some reactions from spectators. Recommended.
These packet tricks are also available from your favourite Murphy's Magic retailer.The Unknown Card:
https://murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=37231Bigfoot:
https://murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=37526Nick Trost's Classic Packet Tricks:
https://murphysmagic.com/Search.aspx?q=nick+trost+classic+packet+tricks