The Penultimate Shell Game by Doc Dixon

Successfully performing the shell game is NOT as easy as it looks. Yes, the basic moves are relatively easy. But like most magic, a successful performance goes way beyond the moves. So much of it comes down to solid execution of a smartly structured routine. And with the requirement there are … Shell Game Challenges ●Your execution must be bulletproof. It’s very binary. You flash at the wrong time and you are done. Game. Over. ●The blurry line between being a game and a trick has to be handled correctly. If you’re performing bill in lemon, the routine won’t be hurt by someone saying, “Once he picked up the lemon I knew my bill would be inside. I don’t know HOW he did it, but I had feeling it would be there.” ON THE OTHER HAND, in the shell game, the routine has to handle the thinking of “I don’t know you got it there, but I guessed right, so I WIN & YOU LOSE.” ●The ending should have a punch. Making it progressively more difficult and “cheat proof” (aka, coving the shell with a shot glass and cup) is great, but that doesn’t necessarily give the ending a definitive climax. These points (and several others) are what I overcame in creating the Penultimate Shells over ten years ago. pe·nul·ti·mate /p??n?lt?m?t/ adjective last but one in a series of things; second last, the next to last. ……………………….. My guess is a big share of the people that regularly read my Dixon Magic posts, and subscribe to my free newsletter for magicians, first heard of me and my magic in September 2019 on Penn & Teller: Fool Us where I won the FU Trophy with the shell game. Richard Kaufmann described it as “I could not help but be tremendously impressed by your pea and shells routine on Fool Us … I think it’s really the last word on the three shell game.” The Penultimate Shells – Is my other shell game routine. The one that I do most frequently – a true worker routine that’s been part of my shows for over a decade. In other words, the three shells, a pea, and I go way back. Reviews … “I just watched your shell game video I purchased and loved the tips and techniques you provided. After watching Pop Haydn and others do the shell game, yours was easy to follow and get fooled badly. Well done! The button on the end cinches the trick and makes it a solid performer. Thank you for your efforts. I always get a kick out of your performances.” – William Osburn “I’m telling you, it’s the most accessible shell game on the market. A working man’s shell game, from a worker.” – Michael Misko If you are new or a veteran to the shell game, here are a reasons you’ll want to learn this routine … ●The shell game is just that. It’s a game. It’s not just a trick you watch. It’s a game you play. People love to play. The Penultimate Shell Game leans into that. ●For you new to the shell game: The image of the three shells and peas on the table immediately tell passersby something FUN is going on. If you’re in a gig where you have to stop traffic – a trade show, many close-up gigs – you know the benefits and need to stop traffic. Bottom line: they don’t stop means you don’t look good. ●It’s easy to follow. The shell game is magic based on a con. It’s not juggling. The Penultimate Shell Game routine is easy for spectators to follow, and even easier to be fooled. ●It allows for plenty of playful interaction. The kidding. The gentle teasing. The guesses. It’s all part of the fun. ●And the challenges listed above — gotta be bulletproof, game vs magic, powerful climax — are all overcome in the Penultimate Shell Game. In the Penultimate Shell Game, unlike my FU performance, there are no peas signed or walnuts cracked, along with NONE of the accompanying reset & clean up needs. You’re ready to go again in seconds. The routine builds to a memorable ending that is both surprising and foreshadowed throughout the routine. The routine crushes the enthusiasm killing “I don’t know how you did it, but I KNEW it would be THERE.” And instead leaves the audience cleanly blown away.