Introduction - From Bill Abbott
"When I was in high school I was doing a lot of shows on the
weekends and most of those shows were mixed audiences of kids,
adults, teenagers and seniors. I needed an opener to get everyone’s
attention, hold their attention and keep their attention. The
problem with the standard six or five card repeat is there is a lack
of any real conclusion or finale to the effect. I wanted to have a
genuine eye-opener that took the audience by surprise. That's when I
began working on the Five Card Opener."
The Opener
"The "opener" of any act is a tough choice for any performer. How do
you get everyone's attention and hold their attention as well as
amaze and entertain them all at the same time. This is my solution
to this eternal question. The Five Card Opener gets the audience’s
attention. The Five Card Opener holds their attention. The Five Card
Opener amazes. The Five Card Opener entertains. In addition to all
this the Five Card Opener will work for any audience."
What is the Five Card Opener
"The Five card Opener has it's roots in the classic five/six card
repeat but it's similar only in method (slightly). The Five Card
Opener is a completely fresh approach with three sequences that
build with a definitive climax that is a big surprise. It has been
my "talking" opener for the past 20 years and l use it at all of my
magic shows. Corporate shows, family shows, college shows, etc. The
Five Card Opener can be a whole new way to make your show fun!"
The "Real" Secret
"The real secret behind the Five Card Opener is that it is an
audience response 'conditioner'. I have had corporate audiences
(almost asleep after a long banquet and two hours of awards and
speeches before my show) up and out of their seats at the beginning
of my show using The Five Card Opener. It sets the tone for how the
audience responds to the ending of each effect/routine because it
also acts as a call back. There is a verbal trigger that the
audience responds to every time you say it during the show, and they
will react however you expect/direct them to. The Five Card Opener
makes triggering applause throughout the show in all the right
places easy, natural and above all fun. For example you can have the
audience shout out a corporate slogan, perform a standing ovation, a
specific school cheer, a company name, etc."
Simple To Do & Gets Reactions
"I know in performing this off the top of the show, I will not have
any mediocre reactions to any of my effects because I'm giving them
an outlet to respond in a big way. And they do. Even the most jaded
ones. For the working performer you could literally 'drop' this into
your show the next day. It’s big and visual and takes up very little
room for a routine that plays to such large crowds. There are no
angle restrictions. No special lighting or staging considerations.
Work away from tables and out of your pockets, making an instant
connection with your audience. And the best part is that it’s so
easy to do. Basically, if you have opposable thumbs (which means
your not a monkey!) you can perform The Five Card Opener." - Bill
Abbott
Included Props
Handmade gimmicked Bicycle Playing Cards in poker-size with wallet.
Handmade gimmicked Jumbo Playing Cards for audiences from 100-1,000.
Portable/collapsible free-standing container to keep the cards in
pristine condition, to be sure your stage is clear and to really
sell the mysterious climax of the routine!
Instructional DVD Featuring:
A LIVE college performance of the routine.
A LIVE family performance of the routine.
A detailed routine handling of both the poker and jumbo-sized cards
The “real” secret of the Opener with all the psychological
subtleties to make this routine play as strongly for you as it does
for Bill.
Alternate Performance and Handling Ideas:
Breast Pocket Only
"Messy" Poker Presentation
Jumbo Cards and Table
Jumbo Cards and Pop-Up Basket
Full Performance Script in PDF exactly as Bill performs this at
every show. (Remember the script is a template to add to, subract
from and get creative with.)
And much more...
