Three Blank Monte

Ben

The monte often comes across as a "gotcha" kind of effect. Jon Armstrong has completely taken the sting out of the effect. Three Blank Monte is fun, entertaining, and best of all, commercial!

Shane

Brilliant trick and very well explained.
Just sorry we don't seem to get a deck of blank cards with it to practice and perform.
Otherwise, 10 thumbs up :-)

Allan

That is a great routine. Not only a great version of Three Card Monte, but also a routine where the card to wallet makes total sense. The moment I saw it I felt it would be something I would like to perform. Jon explains everything in detail, even the reason why it makes perfect sense to use blank cards for this routine.

Samuel

I am a huge fan of Jon Armstrong. This is for a variety of reasons: one, his explanations are full of small but important things that one gains only from lots of experience; two, his effects are not pipe dreams, they are things that Jon has done thousands of times; three, he is a genuinely nice guy. I once was having a problem with a move he had taught in a lecture. I wrote him about it and he called me to help me work through it! Would Criss Angel to that?

As to this effect, it is fantastic. Monte routines can be tricky, particularly when the magician is always the winner. Jon has thought this through carefully and deals with it both in the performance and the explanation.

One of the problems with some Monte routines is that if a Bicycle deck is in play, the cards cannot come from that deck (because of the border). It is always a small issue as to why the cards need to be changed for this trick. Jon solves this in a magnificent way. These are not just cards from another deck, they are not “playing cards” at all.

As to the routine, there are things that can be done with the double blanks that make the trick look like real magic. Even if you never do this routine, the instruction is still worth it.

Matthew

Excellent routine and instruction. Highly recommended.

Leon

Absolutely brilliant! I was looking for something to perform that isn’t cards or coins so thought I’d give this a try, even better than I was expecting! The teaching is excellent, a lot of valuable subtleties taught as well. Highly recommend!

Seung

Amazing. I'll be adding this to my set immediately. I've used the Stand Up Monte, Color Monte, Ultimate 3 Card Monte, and studied the Monte con itself, but this one combines both the Monte and the magical elements. Presenting the Monte as a magical effect is challenging because the Monte premise is based on a con. The moves of the operator aren't as important as the operation itself. When the Monte is presented as a magic trick, the trick is to make each flip (or guess) as easy to follow but still leading to the transposition of the Monte card. No actual Monte operator would perform how magicians demonstrate the Monte. In an actual Monte, the cards are tossed the same time every time (or that's what it looks like). The double blank cards are a brilliant idea because it leads to multiple presentations, ease of handling, and makes it look more original and impressive. Instead of using blank cards, I use billets. Oh, BTW a CTW prop is used for this routine but it's not absolutely needed for a finish (watch the trailer).

I will be using this in conjunction with Micheal Skinner's Ultimate 3 Card Monte in my own unique opener. The U3 Monte is a classic and straightforward magic presentation and this blank monte includes more elements of how an actual monte game would look like (except with blank cards). Overall, one of the cleanest, most direct, and original Monte ideals I've seen in a long time. Also with some great subtle tips. A well deserved 5 out of 5.

Filip

Amazing, kept repeating till I finally got it. Well taught.

Ben

A very well-explained tutorial for a great spin on the street hustle classic. A great multi-phase routine with strong kicker. I'm excited to incorporate it into other billet / blank routines. One note, however, you will need to c-to-wallet to present the trick as shown in the performance.

Herman

Colin

Very Good

Claudio

A great idea. It uses some moves from authentic tcm as it is used in the streets but also has a twist in the way that it uses blank cards (intriguing objects). You always use cards that has no borders. From a logistic stand point it is a winner too because you can buy and use your cards from a double blank cards deck - ideal for the worker.