The Unfair Advantage

Experience the Secret of Card Cheating

7:00pm 16 February – 19 March 2018
Shows every night except: Monday 19 February, Monday 26 February and Monday 5 February

Watch closely … are you playing attention? Prepare to be completely amazed as Australia's leading sleight of hand specialist lifts the veil on the illicit world of card cheating.
 
Part performance, part tutorial, The Unfair Advantage is a unique and unprecedented hour-long theatrical event that is different to anything you've seen. Already a highly lauded magician, Harry is taking another step to reveal the secrets behind the skill that saw him embroiled in the underworld, jailed and ultimately become a security weapon for the world's top casinos.
 
Appearing in backstage and backroom locations from 16 February – 19 March, the world premiere of The Unfair Advantage is now on sale via adelaidefringe.com.au.
 
Master card handler, pick pocket and mentalist, Harry Milas, will take audiences on a journey of deception, into a world that very few have experienced and even fewer talk about. It will be a rare and intimate experience, with audiences of just 10 people.
 
"Audience members will join me around a small table, as I reveal - step by step - how magicians, card cheaters and mentalists fool the world," says Harry.
 
"Over an hour I will expose many of the best tricks and illusions I know. I begin with some that are easier to follow but as the show goes on, greater displays of card play unfold and exciting secrets are uncovered…it becomes a bit magical."
 
In addition to exposing these illusions, Harry tells incredible tales about his own experiences with card cheating and also reveals some of history's perfect card cheating crimes.
 
One of Australia's best kept secrets, Harry began learning how to cheat at cards when he was just 12 years old. By the age of 16 his skills were so sophisticated that he was noticed by the wrong people and was used as a rigged dealer in backroom casinos. Harry quickly found himself pulled into crime and deceit and it wasn't long before he was found out and arrested.
 
"In the early aftermath of being caught, my time card cheating was a huge source of shame. It felt like such a bad mistake at such a young age. But everything came full circle, I continued learning and eventually I was able to help prevent it."
 
Harry's extensive experience resulted in him ultimately being hired by the world's leading casinos to train security in fraud detection.
 

No stranger to the stage, Harry's alluring magic show, Why Magic Is, has completed sold out seasons to rave reviews. As an in-demand mentalist, he has read the minds of the top executives from Qantas, Westpac and many other top Australian companies. Harry also brings a touch of comedic flair to his magic and card sleuth performances, with a background in comedy improvisation.
 
Harry is thrilled to be bringing his stories of the mysterious realm of card sleuthing to audiences for the first time at Adelaide Fringe 2018.
 
"This is a really mysterious world – many people may have heard the myths and legends, but they never get to hear or see things first hand. I've wanted to perform this for many years but truthfully I never tried because I thought it would be illegal," says Harry.
 
Fortunately for Harry and for audiences, it is not illegal.
 
Attendees will be notified with instructions for entry 24 hours prior to arrival. Before participating in this experience you'll be asked to sign a legal contract of confidentiality. Please bear this in mind when electing to take part. 
 
What: The Unfair Advantage, a guide to cheating and fraud at Adelaide Fringe Festival 2018
Where: PlaySpace at Gluttony, Rymill Park / Murlawirrapurka, Cnr East Tce & Rundle Rd, Adelaide, 5000, SA
When: 7:30pm, 16 February - 19 March 2018 (Daily, except Monday 19 February, Monday 26 February and Monday 5 February)
 Tickets: Adult $55, Concession or Children $50, Group 6+ $50. All tickets available from www.adelaidefringe.com.au