"The C.A.N.N.A.B.I.S. Effect"
by Daniel Young and Lee Hathaway
Suggested Retail USD$40.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 8 Out of 10

"The C.A.N.N.A.B.I.S. Effect", an effect by Daniel Young and Lee Hathaway, is either going to please you or not but it will get some strong audience reactions, stronger sometimes than you could expect.

To get the effect, all you have to do is breakdown the acronym: "C.A.N.N.A.B.I.S." means "Card At Named Number Among Blanks Is Selected". Or, using more verbiage, a deck of cards is shown to be blank on both sides. The spectator names a card and is asked to visualize the card on a blank taken from the deck. This blank card is pushed into the deck. The spectator is now asked to name any number. They do so and you count down to that number. At that number is seen a card with a back printed on it. This card is turned over to reveal the face matches the card named by the spectator and is the only printed card in the deck.

I don't think anyone will have any problems with the effect. It's a good one, if a bit problematic in that the real audience reaction comes from the card being "printed" and not found at the selected number. When audiences see that card, they react and react strongly. But at this point you're talking about a few other methods and versions out there that accomplish the same thing a bit cleaner.

No, I think "The C.A.N.N.A.B.I.S Effect" will cause a bit of heartburn for some based on the method they chose and the handling needed to pull everything off. Some performers will watch the video and figure things out fairly quickly and dismiss this one. Others won't and will get this one to ask themselves the eternal question: "That's it?" Still others will buy it, open it up, and fry people with it.

I wouldn't be so quick to discount "The C.A.N.N.A.B.I.S. Effect". After all, it does play very well. Does it play better than other versions? Such comparisons are always hard to make except in the most extreme cases. I think it's enough that it draws forth a scream or two at most and heads shaking in disbelief at least. That would make it worth the purchase to some looking for something that plays a bit bigger than finding a selected card.

As for the method, the "that's it?" crowd might have a legitimate complaint. The problem is that method brings a few practicality issues to the table. The standard reset and set-up is time-consuming, although there is a version taught on the disc with an almost instant reset (for the trade-off of more handling). But that isn't the biggest issue. No, that title is reserved for having an obviously strange deck in play that can't be handled by the spectators or used for anything else without resorting to one of the usual ring-in/ring-out ploys.

For me, that is my problem with this one. I can get by the handling (misdirection cures all... or pretty much all). I can deal with the usual problems of set-up and reseting (that's what bathrooms are for, right?). But I don't like ringing in a deck and ringing it back out again to avoid suspicion. Why? It's a matter of practicality. To pull this one off, I have to carry the gaffed deck that can't be used for anything else. Fine, no problem. But to get away with it in a more, shall we say, inquisitive environment, I have to carry yet another deck in order to remove the gaffed one from play. Two decks is one deck too many.

Then the strange side of "The C.A.N.N.A.B.I.S. Effect": spectators get floored by the fact the card printed at all, not with where it is in the deck. If that's the case -- and I've yet to see it otherwise -- then there are any number of effects out there that are more practical, more real world, that have a selected card being found in an ungaffed blank deck. Granted, this is magic so trade-offs are the order of the day: you may trade an examinable deck for the spectator being able to name any card or the like.

Okay, I said all of that to say this: "The C.A.N.N.A.B.I.S. Effect" won't be replacing the version I do in my strolling set any time soon.

But there is that third group I mentioned, isn't there? The ones that will fry people with this one. I'm in that group as well. For those times when I've got a bit more freedom -- a more formal situation, or a more relaxed atmosphere -- "The C.A.N.N.A.B.I.S. Effect" pops their jaws open. The named card, the sudden appearance of it... all of the gets them where they live. And you can't ask for more than that.

Now, I have to applaud Young and Hathaway here. They did a superlative job with the instructions. Every version, every method, is taught extremely well. And the folks at Magic Cave get a big thumbs-up for one of the best-produced DVDs to accompany a trick I've yet to see. Also, they very thoughtfully included an instruction sheet, a "cheat sheet" of sorts, to remind you of the set-up and handling without your having to load up the DVD again. That's a great idea and most welcome. There is one caveat here and it's that, as I write this, the DVD is only available in PAL format. It will not work with North American TVs. You will likely have no problem running it on your computer, but it's a no-go for your home unit. Bear that one in mind when you get this.

When everything is said and done, my recommendation is this: don't dismiss "The C.A.N.N.A.B.I.S. Effect" out-of-hand. It's a powerful piece of work. Go into it, though, knowing that it probably is not the best choice for use while strolling around or table-hopping unless you are comfortable dealing with the issues that come up. If you are, then you can do worse than taking a look at this one and, perhaps, adding it to your act.

"The C.A.N.N.A.B.I.S. Effect" by Daniel Young and Lee Hathaway
In a Blink: 8 Out of 10

Practicality: 7
You've got a bit of a set-up that complicated reseting a bit (there is a version that provides for a quicker reset that might be satisfactory for you) and you'll be carrying a gaffed deck around that can't be used for anything else. Arguably, you could have angle problems (though I found this a minor thing to deal with). All in all, it's fairly practical if you don't mind losing pocket space and making a trip to the bathroom.

Workmanship: 10
The deck is printed on Bicycle stock, so you know how that goes...

Documentation: 10
A huge thumbs-up here, with a slight warning: the documentation is provided on a beautifully done DVD... in PAL format. Also, the creators went a step beyond by adding a "cheat sheet" of sorts, summing up the set-up and handling for you. That is a wonderful addition and I wish more creators would take the time to do that.

Effect: 7
This is a bit weird, really, in that I've yet to find an audience stunned by the card being at their selected number; the appearance of the card, printed among all those blanks, knocks them for a loop, though.

Presentation: 9
The presentation, a visualization kind of thing, works extremely well for this type of effect and gives it some punch. Until you come up with your own presentation, this one will serve you very well.

Shane

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