B'WAVE BY MAX MAVEN REVIEW — A BRILLIANT PACKET TRICK, BUT IS IT WORTH THE PRICE?
Few packet tricks have earned the reputation that B'Wave has. It's simple, compact, easy to perform, and capable of producing reactions far bigger than four playing cards should reasonably be able to create. But after looking at the effect, the cards you receive, the teaching, and the current price, there is one question that has to be asked: is B'Wave actually worth the money?
WHAT IS B'WAVE?
B'Wave is a classic packet trick created by the legendary Max Maven. The entire effect uses only a tiny packet of cards, making it the sort of trick you can leave in your wallet or pocket and almost forget about until somebody asks you to show them something.
The basic presentation revolves around a spectator merely thinking of or naming a Queen. There is no full deck sitting on the table, no long sequence of shuffles, cuts, controls, or complicated moves. Instead, the performer introduces a small packet and asks the spectator to make a few apparently imaginary decisions.
Eventually, the cards are spread and the Queen they named is the only Queen face up. That would already be a respectable prediction. Then comes the second surprise: the selected Queen has a different-colored back. Finally, B'Wave hits them one more time by revealing that the other cards don't have normal faces at all.
It's a beautifully constructed sequence because every reveal seems to eliminate another possible explanation. The first reveal says, "I knew which card you would choose." The second says, "I really did know." The final reveal essentially tells the spectator, "There was never another possible outcome." That escalating structure is one of the main reasons B'Wave has survived for so long.
THE BEST THING ABOUT B'WAVE: IT PACKS RIDICULOUSLY SMALL
This is where B'Wave really shines. There are plenty of fantastic card tricks, but most require you to carry an entire deck. B'Wave gives you a complete multi-phase routine with only a few cards.
Put the packet in a small wallet and you have something ready to perform almost anywhere. Dinner? You're ready. Walking around an event? You're ready. Someone finds out you're a magician and immediately says, "Show me something"? You're ready.
That makes B'Wave an excellent everyday-carry effect. Looking through reviews from working magicians and hobbyists, one of the most common compliments is how often people keep B'Wave in their wallets and how consistently it generates strong reactions. Reviewers repeatedly describe it as an everyday-carry effect, an easy trick to perform, and something that hits spectators surprisingly hard considering how little physical material is involved.
That praise is deserved.
IT IS EASY — BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT PERFORMS ITSELF
Another major advantage is that B'Wave isn't technically demanding. You aren't buying this because you want to demonstrate difficult card handling. You're buying it because you want a strong piece of card mentalism that lets the presentation do most of the work.
That makes B'Wave extremely approachable for beginners. However, calling it "easy" can also be misleading. The mechanics may be simple, but the real secret to making B'Wave powerful is how you present the choices.
Your wording matters. Your timing matters. How casually you introduce the packet matters. How long you wait before revealing the prediction matters. Most importantly, you need to make the spectator feel as though every decision genuinely belonged to them.
This is where Max Maven's thinking becomes more valuable than the cards themselves. The Deluxe edition includes teaching on the routine, presentation, scripting concepts, and nuances surrounding the effect. A number of reviewers specifically point out that the instructional material is one of the best parts of the package.
SO WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?
The price.
This is where our opinion of B'Wave becomes a little less enthusiastic. Twenty dollars isn't an outrageous amount of money for a magic trick, and there are certainly far more expensive tricks. But when you physically open B'Wave and look at what you're actually carrying around, it's hard not to think: "I paid twenty dollars for this?"
That's the strange thing about magic. You aren't really paying for four pieces of cardboard. You're paying for Max Maven's creation, the routine, the thinking, the handling, the teaching, and the right to learn a classic effect. That absolutely has value.
But from a purely practical standpoint, once you already understand the routine and already own compatible Bicycle cards or the appropriate specialty cards, the physical packet itself can be replaced or assembled considerably more cheaply.
That becomes especially important for working performers. Packet tricks get dirty, cards bend, edges wear down, and they spend months inside wallets. Eventually you're going to want another set. If you already keep various Bicycle cards and specialty cards around for magic, sourcing the cards you need yourself can make maintaining a B'Wave-style packet considerably less expensive than repeatedly purchasing another complete retail package.
We're deliberately not exposing the construction of the effect here. If you purchase B'Wave, Max Maven's method and teaching deserve to be learned properly. But experienced card magicians will understand the point: the physical materials aren't what make this trick worth the money. The idea and presentation are.
WHAT DO OTHER MAGICIANS THINK?
The interesting thing is that reviews of B'Wave are overwhelmingly positive when people talk about the effect. Magicians praise its simplicity, how little space it occupies, the reactions, and the fact that it doesn't depend on difficult sleight of hand.
Many performers say they've carried and performed it for years. Some describe it as a worker, a wallet trick, a beginner-friendly routine, and an effect capable of making spectators believe they've witnessed genuine mind reading.
But the criticism is worth paying attention to as well. Some reviewers have specifically questioned the price, saying the trick is effective and easy but overpriced for the small packet of cards you actually receive.
And that's pretty close to where we land.
B'Wave is an excellent trick. B'Wave is also expensive for what is physically sitting in your hand.
Both things can be true.
OUR BIGGEST ADVICE: DON'T RUSH THE REVEALS
If you buy B'Wave, don't make the mistake of treating it like a 30-second novelty packet trick. The cards aren't the star. The spectator's decision is the star.
You want them to become invested in the process before anything is revealed. Make the prediction feel impossible before proving that it was correct. Then let the first revelation register. Pause. Reveal the different back. Pause again. Then deliver the final kicker.
If you throw all three revelations at someone within five seconds, you've taken a beautifully structured routine and turned it into somebody rapidly flipping over playing cards.
B'Wave is powerful because it builds. Let it build.
IS B'WAVE GOOD FOR BEGINNERS?
Absolutely. In fact, we think it's one of the better types of tricks for a beginner to study because it teaches something far more important than another complicated card move: presentation can be stronger than technique.
A magician could spend months learning an impressive sleight and receive a smaller reaction than B'Wave can generate with a handful of cards and good scripting. That's an important lesson.
You also don't have to worry about carrying a full deck or executing a difficult move while somebody is staring directly at your hands. The tradeoff is that you cannot hide behind technical skill. If your presentation is flat, B'Wave can feel flat. If your presentation is confident and engaging, it can feel impossible.
A CHEAPER VANISHIO ALTERNATIVE
We also have our own take on this style of packet prediction in the Vanishio shop.
Vanishio Prediction Packet
Our packet uses genuine Bicycle playing cards, but we use our own custom printing rather than trying to duplicate the exact B'Wave card design. The basic experience is intentionally very similar: a tiny packet, a thought-of Queen, a prediction, and additional visual surprises that make the prediction increasingly impossible.
It was created for the same reason we like B'Wave so much in the first place: small packet, big reaction.
The Vanishio Prediction Packet is designed to be something you can throw into your wallet and always have available without needing to carry an entire deck. It is another option for performers who like this style of magic but don't necessarily want to spend as much on B'Wave.
View the Vanishio Prediction Packet here →
SO... SHOULD YOU BUY B'WAVE?
Yes — with an asterisk.
If you've never owned B'Wave and you've never properly studied Max Maven's original routine, we think it deserves to be experienced. It is a classic for a reason.
The structure is excellent. The effect is easy to understand. The packet takes virtually no room in your wallet. The method doesn't demand advanced sleight of hand. It works for close-up, walk-around, and can be presented as either magic or mentalism.
Most importantly, audiences respond to it.
As a trick, B'Wave is fantastic.
Where we have trouble recommending it without hesitation is the value. You need to remember that a good portion of what you're paying for is Max Maven's teaching, scripting, theory, and the concept itself — not simply the physical packet.
If you're a beginner, that education may easily justify the cost. If you're an experienced magician who already understands this type of routine and has access to your own cards, the price becomes much harder to justify.
That is ultimately why we can't give it a perfect score.
VANISHIO RATING
Effect: 9.5/10
Portability: 10/10
Difficulty: 9.5/10
Audience Reaction: 9/10
Teaching: 9.5/10
Value for Money: 6.5/10
OVERALL SCORE: 8.5/10
B'Wave remains one of the strongest examples of what packet magic can be. It's compact, clever, memorable, and ridiculously practical.
We love the trick. We just don't love the price.
If you have never learned B'Wave, there is real value in purchasing the original and learning Max Maven's thinking behind it. But if your main goal is simply to have a powerful prediction-style packet trick sitting in your wallet, there are cheaper ways to accomplish that — whether you're sourcing replacement cards yourself or looking at alternatives such as our Vanishio Prediction Packet.
FINAL VERDICT: 8.5/10 — A GREAT TRICK THAT DESERVES ITS CLASSIC STATUS, BUT THE PRICE IS HARDER TO JUSTIFY THAN THE EFFECT ITSELF.
-Vanishio
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