[VIDEO] Kostya Kimlat fooled Penn & Teller...and he will fool the 52 Plus Joker!

[Lee Asher]

We've hired Kostya to perform his special brand of card magic at this year's 52 Plus Joker convention. If he can fool Penn & Teller, you bet he's going to fool everyone coming to the 52 Plus Joker convention. It's going to be an amazing time!

"I hate you. I hated the way you looked. I hated the way you cleanly handled the deck of cards. I hated that I should have known it." — Penn Jillette

Enjoy the magic of Kostya Kimlat!

EDIT: Remember to book your room NOW!  You only have until September 15th to book your room at the preferred Club rate.  Go to THIS PAGE on the 52+J website for details.

[Don Boyer]

Do my eyes deceive me, or when he does the half-up, half-down table riffle shuffle, does he execute a perfect, faro-style shuffle?

Is Kostya a member of the club as well?

[HankMan]

Do my eyes deceive me, or when he does the half-up, half-down table riffle shuffle, does he execute a perfect, faro-style shuffle?

Is Kostya a member of the club as well?

I watched it like 10 times and tried to copy him step by step... but even if he execute a perfect faro shuffle, I still couldn't get how he managed to control the cards after the  children/drunk guy shuffle... Maybe only maybe though he actually cull the cards perfectly.

[Lee Asher]

Is Kostya a member of the club as well?

Yes, he is a member of the 52.

[Mr.parangot]

what does i mean being member of the 52? to be able to do a consistent perfect table riffle shuffle?

[Don Boyer]

what does i mean being member of the 52? to be able to do a consistent perfect table riffle shuffle?

He's a member of 52 Plus Joker, the club that runs this forum...

[Cardini]

Do my eyes deceive me, or when he does the half-up, half-down table riffle shuffle, does he execute a perfect, faro-style shuffle?

Is Kostya a member of the club as well?

I watched it like 10 times and tried to copy him step by step... but even if he execute a perfect faro shuffle, I still couldn't get how he managed to control the cards after the  children/drunk guy shuffle... Maybe only maybe though he actually cull the cards perfectly.

You can see the key move. The camera actually gets a good look at it (as do Penn and Teller). I'd never be able to pull it off in a million years, especially with two of the most famous magicians in the world burning Chicago-fire-sized holes in my hands (despite the board moniker, I can't pull off anything more difficult than a glide without looking like an idiot).

The only advice I would give is to first figure out when it happened. This holds for any trick, I suppose, but with this one, with a couple viewings, you can clearly figure out logically when the key move musthave happened. Then figure out what must have happened. Only then can you figure out how (or at least that's how I clued into his method).

[Don Boyer]

Do my eyes deceive me, or when he does the half-up, half-down table riffle shuffle, does he execute a perfect, faro-style shuffle?

Is Kostya a member of the club as well?

I watched it like 10 times and tried to copy him step by step... but even if he execute a perfect faro shuffle, I still couldn't get how he managed to control the cards after the  children/drunk guy shuffle... Maybe only maybe though he actually cull the cards perfectly.

You can see the key move. The camera actually gets a good look at it (as do Penn and Teller). I'd never be able to pull it off in a million years, especially with two of the most famous magicians in the world burning Chicago-fire-sized holes in my hands (despite the board moniker, I can't pull off anything more difficult than a glide without looking like an idiot).

The only advice I would give is to first figure out when it happened. This holds for any trick, I suppose, but with this one, with a couple viewings, you can clearly figure out logically when the key move musthave happened. Then figure out what must have happened. Only then can you figure out how (or at least that's how I clued into his method).

I dunno.  I watched him do that trick live at the October convention - I'm not a pro magician, but there were other pro magicians around and no one mentioned that they spotted anything, just as I didn't.

[Cardini]

They didn't have a rewind button

[HankMan]

They didn't have a rewind button

I remember something about never show your trick twice... obviously with recording (certain) people can rewind the video and slowly work out the idea behind the trick.

[Don Boyer]

They didn't have a rewind button

Didn't need one.  He performed it more than once over the course of the convention.  Not as good as slow-motion, but what do you want for being closer and sharper with a wider field of view than any television image can possibly provide.

[Cardini]

Alas, I'm not a jerk, and am not going to drop hints to a working magician's signature trick. So I'll unfortunately have to carry on for the rest of my life with the tragic knowledge that someone, somewhere doesn't believe some anonymous rando from the internet figured out a particularly well-crafted trick.

Also, I'm totally going to start performing magic as The Anonymous Rando.

[Don Boyer]

Alas, I'm not a jerk, and am not going to drop hints to a working magician's signature trick. So I'll unfortunately have to carry on for the rest of my life with the tragic knowledge that someone, somewhere doesn't believe some anonymous rando from the internet figured out a particularly well-crafted trick.

Also, I'm totally going to start performing magic as The Anonymous Rando.

I would never expect you to give away the trick.  However, a convincing recreation of the performance would be a good way to convince me!  Shoot a video of you performing it and post it to YouTube, then put a link to it here!

[Cardini]

Unfortuantely, two points:

1) I know the principle, not the details of this particular variation
2) I suck.

(3, I could no longer lay claim to be The Anonymous Rando)

If I were Penn, I could probably come up with a way to reduce the audience to just those in the know, like a farmer slaughtering sheep to bring down the size of the herd. But unfortunately, I don't think I could break things down without being completely obvious about it, not with the little verbal flourishes he uses as cover.

So I think I'll just leave it for now, secure in my triumph (even if you don't believe me!)