I know I say this a bit but, where to begin? This effect is not bad at all and it really does look magical from an audience perspective, but it is hardly anything new.

Let me get the usual stuff out of the way: What you get with this are three normal poker chips and two that are not normal. They are not mechanical in anyway so in that sense they could be handled by a spectator with very careful audience control/management, but they cannot be examined by any means. The chips are very well made and they do feel like real casino chips, however the design is not typical of real ones. If you have ever dabbled in coin magic with common gaffed coins, you know what these are. The chips come in a velveteen drawstring bag and you also receive a card with a link to the instructional video and the password.

The instructional video is a streaming video with the option to download it too. The video and lighting quality are okay but the audio could have been given a bit of a boost. I had to turn my speakers with headphones in almost all the way up to get a clear sound.

The ad copy for what it is, is 100% honest but I have a slight problem with the statement that you "show fronts and backs" of the chips. I would not call this necessarily dishonest because to the audience you give them the perception that they see both sides, but you are not really showing both sides of all three chips after the production phase. I just wanted to point that out for clarity here. The ad trailer also is 100% honest - what you see is exactly what you get. I will point out that at one point, Rajan shows and performs the routine with poker chips with his name, 'Rajan' on them. You do NOT get poker chips with his name on them, but you do receive chips that are shown later in the trailer, of the same design and quality, with a 10, 20 and 50 on them.

Okay, now on to the meat of this review: If you were to take a step back and look at both the ad copy and the ad trailer, they sound like they are promoting some hot, new effect from deep underground which was kept secret for years, like it was something revolutionary. Again, this is not the case here. There is really nothing difficult as far as the moves are concerned and in my opinion, a well-practiced beginning/intermediate coin magician will have used just about every move that is used in this routine. Almost, but not quite. The first of the two moves they might not be familiar with already (unless they get into Three Fly-type effects) is the Changeover Move of one chip to the other hand and the second is a move-less subtlety that apparently shows both sides of a chip (which you would not do in normal Three Fly effects anyhow).

None of the moves used in this routine are new and have been around for years. All this entire project is is a collection of common coin moves that have been around for ages combined with taking a common coin gaff and applying it to a poker chip. Now, the concept of three differently-colored poker chips flying from one hand to the other one at a time is not new (it has been done with coins), it is not often seen being performed. There is nothing new about this and it is certainly nothing revolutionary, but to the credit of Rajan and World Magic Shop, they do not claim this to be either of those.

The video shows you a silent performance which is then followed by another performance, this one accompanied by a script in front of a live audience. You are then shown what you get with your package and how to set them up for performance. Rajan then goes on to teach you the first phase of the routine, which is the production sequence. He breaks down each move enough that even a beginner could follow it. After each part of the production sequence is taught, you see a quick video of what the audience sees in real time. He then goes on to teach the Coins Across sequence in the same manner. You are then shown a silent run-through of the whole routine from your perspective in an over-the-shoulder shot. At the end, Rajan shows you a way to clean up if you wish to hand the chips out for examination or to leave them on the table for later. He mentions that he often puts the chips on the table for later after doing the clean-up, then returns to them at some point to do something else with them, such as a Poker Chip Through Table type of effect*. All in all the entire instructional video runs around 32.5 minutes. What I was greatly disappointed by is the lack of crediting as far as mentioning a book (like the J.B. Bobo Modern Coin Magic) or other resources for the moves used in the routine, or even the names of some of them. This is not a huge hit to the rating because they are not claiming anything new, but if you are using old methods and moves, which they are, it would be nice to have seen those references for those viewers who might have benefitted from them.

One small aside: At one point he mentions that all of the chips have a black border, the reason for which "he will get to later". He never mentions it again. Suffice it to say that they play no role in the method itself, why point it out? I am pretty sure I know why, but again, it has nothing to do with the method necessarily.

As another aside: What I think about the routine itself does not matter, but what does matter is whether or not you like the routine. I will say, however, that the Three Fly purists out there will not particularly care for the handling of this particular sequence, but that is subjective. One thing that is nice about it is that if you have your own handling of Three Fly that you like, you can adapt that handling to these poker chips, which will probably take some trial and error. As it is taught here, there are quite a few back-and-forth motions with the chips, but that does not mean it is bad.

*As I was watching the video and I heard him mention doing Poker Chips Through Table with the regular poker chips, I thought to myself, "Hmm. It would be awesome if there is a bonus section where he teaches that effect (or anything else for that matter) to use these chips for". Nope. No bonus section. In fact almost as soon as I completed that thought in my head, he plugged his next product being released through WMS, which was [gasp], Poker Chips Through Table, and one other mystery product. Now, being a well-read and practiced coin-magician (in my humble opinion) I can think of plenty of ways to do that effect (and others) with the poker chips all on my own, but not everyone would be able to do that.

Overall this is a good product and if you like what you see in the trailer or the ad copy, you will not get any nasty surprises. If you have a need or use for this product it will certainly not disappoint because the props are very nice quality and should last forever if you do not drop them on cement regularly or put them in your back pocket and sit on them. I do think though that the price point of $65/USD is high for what you are getting. If you were to buy the equivalent coin gaffs and the regular coins needed to do this routine you would only spend about $45/USD, supposing you are not buying silver gaffs.

PROS

This is one of the most beautiful and astounding 3 fly routines ever devised!

Here is the amazing audience perspective: It starts with the performer showing both hands empty and then producing three different colored poker chips one at a time. The chips are shown on both sides. The chips then travel, one by one, from one hand to the other, one color at a time. So, a white chip disappears from one hand and appears in the other hand, a red chip disappears from one hand and appears in the other hand, and a blue chip disappears from one hand and appears in the other. The three chips can then be handed out for examination.

The explanation is simply awesome! Rajan is very skilled and that is obvious. You are not going to get this out of the box and perform in 15 minutes, but if you are willing to put in the practice, the instruction is excellent!

The prop quality is top notch. These are ceramic chips, just like regular casino chips that should last you a lifetime. These are not cheap chips that will wear out.

The effect has some angle limitations, but with your audience primarily in front of you, you are good. I would say that it is no more angle sensitive than most three fly routines.

The routine is true to the ad copy. As the ad says, it is “Perfect for Stand Up, Parlour, Formal Close Up, and Around The Tables.”

CONS

Not much to cover here except the obvious. You will need to put in some serious practice to make this look the way Rajan does. This is not the easiest 3 fly routine to perform. It is totally doable for anyone with moderate coin skills or moderate hand coordination. The moves are very doable, but they will require practice.

AT A GLANCE

Skill level required: 4 of 5.
Audience management skill required: 2 of 5.
Performance angles: 180 degrees
The reset time required: 5 seconds. You could reset in front of your audience.
The DIY time involved in advance: 5 seconds. Everything simply goes into your pocket.

VERDICT

Awesome three fly routine, if you are willing to put in the practice, perhaps the best ever created!