Ten Uses for Blankrupt
By Vanishing Inc. - Friday, March 29, 2019
We just released Josh Janousky's Blankrupt routine. When magic shops release items like this, they tend to refer to it as a "versatile gimmick" and use phrases such as "it's only limited by your imagination." While those things are both true, we thought we'd do some of the work for you and use our imaginations. The Vanishing Inc. team got together and came up with ten of our own ideas (mixed in with a couple of Josh's too). Therefore, here are our ten uses for Blankrupt:
- Use it as part of a credit card to wallet routine. Borrow someone's bank card, turn it clear, and then produce the real one from your wallet (for example, using a Real Man's Wallet). Josh teaches a clever method with an ungimmicked wallet on the explanation.
- Perform it for a cashier with your own card. Pay for your coffee, and then as you take out your card from the credit card machine, switch it for the clear one and ask them what the machine did to your card! It's a fun idea, but two important points: this works better when you're a regular at a shop so that they know you're not a jerk, and secondly, only do it when there's nobody else in line. The idea is to add to someone's day; not make things more difficult for them!
- If you're a cashier, use it on a regular customer! Simple — take their card, switch it, and give them a moment of magic while you're taking a payment!
- During an Omni Deck routine. Do a trick with someone's credit card, then place it aside ... do Omni Deck (or better still Phantom Deck), then turn their card clear as an afterthought. Or even better, use a misdirection switch so that when they look back at their tabled card, that has gone clear too.
- Use it at the start of a credit card routine. If you're performing a routine with a credit card, add Blankrupt in as a quick visual moment.
- Post it on Instagram! It's a perfect visual magic moment, perfect for video. Just be sure to cover up your credit card number.
- Become a distracted artist. If you read The Jerx, this needs no further explanation. If you don't, then go read The Jerx's blog and all will become clear!
- Add it to a Pickpocket routine. Perhaps you could steal someone's credit card and switch it for the clear one in their wallet. Or maybe you can steal their credit card, then steal the ink from it!
- Use it as a gag. This is cheesy - but maybe you could "drain someone's account!" Or perhaps show that it's an anti-fraud device to remove all the numbers from someone's card so that nobody else can see it.
- Use it as a quick moment when you borrow a bill for a trick. When someone opens their wallet to take out a bill for a trick, ask if you can quickly take a look at their credit card. Then do Blankrupt!
These ideas took us a few minutes to come up with. Grab your notebook and come up with some of your own - we'd love to hear them! Maybe we can collect them into a blog post.
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