Crème de la crème

"Crème de la crème translates into English as "cream of the cream", in cooking terms meaning cream undergoing a deluxe treatment."

"The phrase also has a figurative meaning that it is most commonly known by, this being: the top, the best of the best or somewhat elite, also expressed as "the cream of the crop". Analogues can be drawn to the cooking term, meaning in some terms the same thing"

Oh what a treat you are in for today, lovely readers of this rather pretentious yet fantastic card artifice blog...

The name Tony Cabral came to my atention in 2013 when I was first begining a study on what is now my favorite routine to perform at the table. Those who know me will be aware that I am of course speaking about "Estimation Aces" by Edward Marlo. Furthermore, those of you who know Tony's work, probably a lot more than those who are familiar with mine, know that when researching the many versions of this fantastic principle, Tony is the man one must go to.

Notice my choice of wording earlier when I decided to call the Marlo item a principle rather than an effect, This was one of my first conclusions when I first set out to investigate the many variations lost within the magical literature. I noticed that those who "Thought outside of the box" method wise achieved a better effect than those who limited the performance of this miracle to doing the same thing four times in a row.

The individuals that really took the present principle from crayons to perfume are Andrew Wimhurst, Michael Vincent, Ricky Jay and Antonio Cabral. Let me briefly describe what I like about each of the three.

Andrew added the notion of a spectator cutting to the aces rather than the conjurer. This means that the effect stops being a demostration of skill in a way, which can be an excelent thing if that is what you are looking for. At first I was rather skeptical about letting the spectators steal the show but it was Tony who convinced me that after having performed it countless times behind the bar He found out that at the end of it all, the spectators still atribute the success of the routine to the performer.

On a rather personal piece of advice I may have to add the example of another one or two performers that have experimented with cutting the aces, the first of those being Jason England and the last being The Charming Cheat, Martin Nash.

Although Mr. England's rendition does not use the principle that we are discussing, his use of the Zarrow Shuffle allows him to let the spectators decide which ace is to be cut out each time. This is a powerful tool but one that I don't personally recommend you use for all four aces, use it wisely and in such a way that the spectators appriciate the fact that the ace is named. Funny enough, doing it only on the third ace may even convey that you can do it whenever you want, but that's something I rather keep to myself for now...

Mr. Nash also achieves the same thing through the use of equivoque. Before cutting to the third ace he allows the spectator to choose one of the two aces that remain and then he assings another spectator with the ace that the first spectator did not name. Once again, I do not want to expose much of the verbal ploy on a public forum but I guess those who read me know what I am talking about already

Michael's version is the one that really did it for me. It makes use of advanced card ruse and subterfuge in order to maximize the effect in a way that only the Vincent touch can. Without exposing too much, check the way he gets into the routine and what he uses to expand the effect on the final two aces. By the way, this is the routine I perform nowadays when the setting allows for the appreciation of such a wonderful miracle.

Ricky Jay's rendition is wonderful as well as artisticly stunning, you can find it on the 52 assistants videotape, if you can find it in the first place. This routine totally fooled me and I am still not sure about its inner workings.

Finally readers, thank you for making it this far! They say a picture is worth a thousand words, right? Then how much is a motion picture worth? Here's the Cabral version of "Estimation Aces" for you enjoyment and edification

Click here and prepare to have your minds destroyed my friends!

'There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.'

Sherlock Holmes