"Odd Ball" by Marc Oberon
Suggested Retail USD$30.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 5 Out of 10

"Odd Ball", the latest from Marc Oberon, presents an old idea but, unfortunately, without providing a remedy for its shortcomings.

The plot of "Odd Ball" is familiar, of course. A number of white balls and a single black ball are shown and dropped into a cloth bag which is shaken by a spectator or two to ensure they are mixed. One at a time, spectators remove a ball from the bag, keeping it hidden. Still, the performer is able to indicate which spectator has the single black ball. No guessing, no forcing, no switching... you know and you reveal, just that cleanly.

This plot has been played with over the years by a number of performers, each with their own solution to the problem. This solution was one used by Barrie Richardson and others and, to be honest, it never appealed to me. On the face of it, it just appears to be too transparent unless everything is extremely well-crafted and even then the risk of a spectator touching or grabbing more than a single ball in bag, which could tip the whole thing, is just too great.

Unfortunately, Oberon fails to address those issues. First, the craftsmanship is way off. In fact, what you see in the dealer ads is not what you get: the white balls are quite noticeably different from the single black one. While this visual discrepancy has little to do with the actual working of things, it can lead spectators to the solution fairly quickly. Second, the problems that could arise with the spectators during and after the selection process are ignored, leaving you to your own devices to plot out solutions.

Looking at the meager instructions, that isn't all you're going to be working out for yourself. True, this effect is better left to skilled, experienced performers, but presentational ideas, thoughts on handling, and the like would have been welcome, if for no other reason than to smooth over the method's rough spots.

So where do I stand with "Odd Ball"? If you're an experienced performer, and if you know how to handle spectators properly, and if you have an idea for a neat presentation of this, then by all means get it: you can probably make it work wonders for you. If you're honestly lacking in those three things, pass this one by; you'll either get busted or end up with a weak routine for your trouble.

Me? I've got all three of those things and I think I'll stick to "Kurotsuke".

"Odd Ball" by Marc Oberon
In a Blink: 5 Out of 10

Practicality: 5
It packs small, doesn't require a set-up or a reset, there are no gimmicks to worry about, and all the selections are free. The problem is that you really need to do this with the most spectators possible for this to have its full effect and audience management skills are at a premium. Even then, the risk of being busted is fairly large.

Workmanship: 3
What you see in the ads is not what you get. The white balls are quite visibly different from the black ball and can lead a sharp spectator to the solution.

Documentation: 4
The documentation is extremely sparse: you get a repeat of the ad copy plus a description of the working. Everything else -- ideas, routines, presentations -- is up to you. That makes this definitely an item for the expert performer.

Effect: 8
This type of effect, no matter the workings, can play quite big when routined with other effects or presented well.

Presentation: 5
It's all about being clean here, and "Odd Ball" is that, to a point. With a few glitches in construction and no advice on overcoming issues that may arise, "Odd Ball" suffers a bit here.


Shane