A blog about the journey of becoming a great magician with a focus on the classic routines in magic; card magic, coin magic, cups and balls, mentalism, manipulations and other classic forms of magic.
You'll find essays on magic and very detailed reviews of magic DVDs and effects.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
The Kras Change (eBook)
The Kras Change manuscript details a very cool color change of one playing card into another with a mere snap of the card. Michael Kras asked me to review his Kras Change manuscript that he has recently released to the public on emagicsupply.com. I don't know Michael personally but I am honored he allowed me to post my honest review on the Magic Yeti Blog!
Let's face it. There are a lot of really good color changes for cardicians to choose from. What makes this change so good is that the card seems to change before your eyes making it one of the most visual changes you'll ever see.
In my analysis, there are 3 kinds of color changes:
A change where the card is completely out of view (think Erdnase)
Super slow visual change (V2F is a great example)
Super fast change (Snap Change or that snappy change that Greg Wilson does)
The Kras Change fits into the Super Fast category. Watch the demo! It looks killer.
Marketing Fluff
The Kras Change is AN OPEN AIR, 100% VISUAL change of a card.
Magicians call it a color change. But in truth, the whole darn card changes!
Michal Kras has created a color change where an isolated card, with barely a flick, visually changes to a completely different card!
Check out the amazing demo...
Looks like trick photography!
Of course it's NOT trick photography!
WHAT IT IS
The Kras Chance IS as visual and practical as it gets!
It IS exactly what your audience REALLY wants to see!
It IS 100% impromptu. It uses no gimmicks of any kind.
The Kras Change will take your card magic to a completely new level.
VISUALLY, and IMPACT-WISE!
If you're familiar with Michael's previous release Destiny, then you know he's a great teacher. His detailed manuscript includes plenty of photos to ensure that you will be performing this right away, regardless of your skill level.
Degree of Difficulty
Knacky, Knacky, Knacky. This is not impossibly difficult but I found it very challenging and I've no way perfected it yet. When you nail it, the Kras Change looks AMAZING! Full disclosure here...I'm not very good with knacky moves. My first 30 minutes of practice was completely futile. Be prepared to spend a little quality time with this move.
Teaching
The quality of the eBook is top notch. Kras' style of writing is easy to understand and fun to read. The manuscript has plenty of pictures to illustrate the move and hand positioning. Kras covers any slight angle issues and clean-ups quite well. I had no problem learning what I needed to do.
Value
The eBook sells for $10. If you like the look of the Kras Change in the video demo and you have a place for it in your A+ material, then I think its a good value.
Overall 7/10
Michael Kras has constructed a move that can really enhance your card routines with a lightening fast, yet powerful display of magic. I'm a big believer in beating the spectator up with a lot of magical moments and the Kras Change might just snap your spectator upside the head with a kick-ass, visual change.
Overall I gave the Kras Change a 7 which is a pretty good rating on my scale. If I can perfect the move, I may even revisit this review and re-score it higher (which I do from time to time). The Kras Change lost a point for destroying cards. I found the move to be very hard on cards. The change works best on a fresh deck of cards but as you learn, you will have a tendency to bend the crap out of the deck in no time. I would compare this in difficulty to learning a card fold...its going to take some time to get is smooth and you're going to punish a few cards in the process.
If you're a magician who has never see or heard of a monte routine, you must be living under a rock. Garrett Thomas has created a fabulous version of the 3 card monte that is going to be a work horse routine for thousands of magicians for years to come. Its many strengths are visual card magic, fun audience interaction and extreme practicality making it a joy to practice and perform.
Before I go too much further into the review I will point out that Garrett Thomas has 2 versions of this effect for sale. There is a booklet version that sells for $15 and a DVD version that sells for $30. More on each version later.
Marketing Fluff
So here's the marketing fluffy stuff...
In The Hands Wildcard Effect that makes sense to real-world audiences. Garrett Thomas' Stand Up Monte includes eight or more transpositions or transformations.
Draw them in with an intriguing story about games, gambling, scams, hustlers and cons.
Then add the strength of magic that happens in the spectators hands, combined with the visual power of the classic Wildcard effect.
This easy to do routine happens All In The Hands, yours and the spectators, No Table Required. Best of all, it automatically resets.
Truly Audience Tested
This routine has been used professionally by Garrett for the last 15 years with over 15,000 performances! This effect has been an underground favorite with many of the top working magicians today.
All Necessary Tools Provided
So does it live up to the marketing hype. Sure enuff! My one minor criticism is that this is NOT a wildcard effect; its yet another 3 card monte effect in a market place that is full of monte effects. The good news is that this effect is probably the new King of All Montes!
Degree of Difficulty
Don't be afraid of this effect. Like Skinner's Monte, there are no knuckle busting moves because it uses gaffed cards to do the dirty work (not the same gaff as Skinners though). However, the routine is long and complex from a routine and patter standpoint. If you work on this for several hours over the course of a week or two you'll be ready to perform for live people in no time. As always, don't perform this beauty before you can do each phase without thinking or stumbling through the patter.
Teaching
There are two versions of the Stand Up Monte available for purchases. I decided to go with the $30 DVD version. I read that the $15 booklet version is hard to follow and requires extra time to digest what is going on. So the decision on which version to buy boils down to how fast you wish to learn the effect. I recommend the DVD because this is an effect you are going to use for years to come. $30 is cheap for an effect that packs in so much magic. You'll probably want to order the $15 version to replace the gaffed cards as yours wear out over time.
The teaching on the DVD is very good. Thomas takes you through two performances that just kill the audiences. I usually rate DVDs higher if there are real world performances for real people in real performance locations. First Garret Thomas teaches you the two moves. If you have been around cards for a while, you probably know both moves already. Then he sits down and works though each phase. You are repeating a move over and over again that really makes no sense. Therefore, he walks you through the timing, subtleties and pschology to help you avoid any suspicion. There are over the shoulder teaching and performances to enhance your education.
One minor quibble. I didn't see where he explains his "step" move that he uses in the finale. It was easy to see what he was doing but I think he shoudl have explained. Maybe he does in the over-the-shoulder sections that I didn't watch.
Quantity of Effects
This is a one-trick pony...well, its more like a one-trick stallion. No points lost for lack of material. You get a routine that can easily eat up 5 minutes of performance time.
Quality of Effects
Stand Up Monte is a "worker" in every sense. Its visual. It is engaging. It is instantly reset and takes very little pocket space. Its "in-the-spectators-hand." It is easy to place your own style on this trick. As Thomas explains, this can be routined as a magic trick or a gambling demonstration. If you perform walkaround style venues then this is a perfect trick to add to your inventory.
Stand Up Monte comes with 6 cards. Really, only two cards are gaffed cards and the rest are duplicates that are used in the routine. The cards are high quality bicycle stock. Actually, the are mandolin backed instead of the standard bicycle backed cards. I don't think that is going to be a problem since you are not taking these cards from a deck and they look nearly identical to bikes anyway. I practice with my cards from 2 weeks before I even noticed the mandolin design.
Production Quality
The production quality is good. The video is clear, the lighting is great and the sound levels are fine. The editing is great. As Garrett explains each phase, the live performance of the phase is replayed so that you immediately see what the phase should look like.
Overall: 10/10
Stand Up Monte is a dynamite effect. This trick is so much fun that I enjoy practicing it as well as performing it. The changes are super visual. This effect is easy to adapt to your personal style. I actually enjoy performing this on a close up mat and not in the hands of the spectator. I added my own touches including the Olram Subtlety and the Rhumba Count to add some convincing displays that hide the gaffed cards. I've also started using a new finale that another friend suggested which is a super visual change of all of the black cards to the red cards. Have fun with this baby!
V2F is very visual vanish or transformation of a signed card followed by a card to impossible location. What you are buying are two "moves" and a few routines and ideas built around these two moves. The two moves are the vanish and a clever method for a card fold (I don't think I'm giving anything away because the demo clearly shows a card folded in quarters). The vanish is simply stunning and the card fold is very deceptive.
Marketing Fluff
"MELT any card with just a wave of your hand. Any deck. Anytime. Anywhere.
Imagine you are caught up to perform something in unexpected situation, and your friend hand you a beat up deck from a bar... Simply have a spectator sign a card, you visually vanish the card, and make the card reappear in your OR EVEN SPECTATOR'S WALLET!!
Visually vanish a signed card and make the card reappear in your OR EVEN SPECTATOR'S WALLET!!
1. Use borrowed deck 2. No Gimmick/Impromptu 3. Perform Surrounded 4. It's a card to any wallet effect without expensive wallet! "
Is the marketing fluff farce or fact? I'm pleased to say it does just about everything it claims to do.
Degree of Difficulty
Moderate to difficult. Easy to do poorly. Hard to perform it effortlessly. First, prepare to burn a few decks of cards perfecting the V2F move. Every time you execute the move you will destroy a card - should be fairly obvious from the demo video. It is rare that I write a review without having performed the effect for real people but I will admit that I haven't perfected this yet. I plan to practice this move until it is perfect before performing for a real audience and I hope you will too.
Teaching
The teaching is good but not great. The teaching segments are silent except for the music and with subtitles to explain the details over the move. You do get some good over the shoulder angles to learn from. G is pretty clear in these segments however I wish there was more detail on the subtleties of the V2F move. It's hard to explain without exposing the method but I found it a bit difficult to find where the selected card is in relation to my right hand when beginning the move and how to hold the deck during the vanish.
Quantity of Effects
I've seen a couple reviews that knock the DVD for lack of material and being overpriced. I don't agree or disagree. I think this depends on why you purchased the V2F. If you are looking for a killer ambitious card sequence, a nice, no-palm card to impossible location or you are struggling to learn the Mercury card fold, V2F may be pure gold. I fall into that category.
It's not a long DVD but I think there is reasonably good value. Here's what you get:
Card to Shoe routine - this is the basic effect and it's very good. Perhaps not a complete routine but makes a great climax for any number of routines.
Ambitious Card phase - G shows you a pretty standard ACR sequence using Marlo's tilt move. Then applies V2F for the climax
Card Under Wallet routine - this is the full length V2F routine. This is a multi-phase routine where the signed, selected card vanishes and re-appears under your wallet. The next phase is where the entire deck disappears except for the selected card. The deck reappears under the wallet. The climax is V2F Card to Shoe. A very nice routine.
Bonus applications:
G quickly teaches several other applications (not full routines) of the V2F move including a torn and restored card, a color change with or without a DF card and finally an "invisible" deck. This is not THE invisible deck that you're thinking of - it is using the V2F move with an Omni Deck (a clear, arcylic deck) to turn a deck of cards invisible.
G Coin Matrix
G throws in an impromptu coin matrix routine. I haven't tried it but it looks pretty good. Four coins instantly assemble under one hand. Like many other coin matrices, this probably requires a pliable, quiet surface to perform on.
Quality of Effects
V2F is pretty impressive. The simplicity of the move is rather genius. It is hard to believe that no-one thought of this before G. Perhaps they had and it just never became a popular move.
The reason I purchased V2F is because I immediately recognized the application of the moves. I've been working on a card-to-ring box effect (ala Tommy Wonder) and V2F has enormous potential in an ACR climax sequence. I think V2F would fry people in conjuction with John Kennedy's Mystery Box prop.
Production Quality
Excellent. Music is tasteful and not too repetitive. Video is clear and the angles are good.
Overall: 7/10
If you're looking for a super visual card effect, a nice impromptu card-to-impossible location, or an alternative card fold method then V2F is for you. I knocked off a couple points for G's lack of explanation on the finer points of the move and the brevity of the DVD. It is perhaps a bit overpriced for the average amateur mage (like me). Then again, if I can weave V2F into my ultimate ACR it will have been worth several times what I paid for it. Only time will tell if this is a keeper or a sleeper.
Note: The card box color change is not taught. It should be obvious how it is done after watching the DVD. The problem is that you'll need to destroy a card case each time you perform the effect or have custom cards printed that look like a card case.
I'm a packet trick junkie. After a long hiatus from magic, I returned to packet tricks with a vengence. As my interest in false counts and displays began when I started to create my own own false counts and packet tricks. I sought more resources and began to discover that some of "my" creations had already been published long ago. Independently creating a count has it's advantages though - like developing subtleties, twists and new uses for these counts. Because I was accumulating so many false counts I was starting to forget some of the ones I had learned. I began to record my counts in journal so that I could easily locate and refresh my memory on each count.
Through all of this research on false counts, I came to learn about the two popular books on false counts. The first was Counts, Cuts, Moves and Subtlety by Jerry Menzter. Menzter's book is a small but useful reference on packet trick sleights. The second book was by Jon Racherbaumer called Counthesaurus. Somewhere along the way I also discovered Denis Behr's web-based database of magic (http://archive.denisbehr.de) as a resource to credit and locate published card sleights. I finally broke down and purchased Counthesaurus as a Christmas present to myself. I've spent some quality time with this fine book over the last year.
Racherbaumer states that this is not a book that you will just work through but a resource to look up a count or refresh your knowledge of a count as needed. Of course, being a false count nerd, I've worked through most of the book. Racherbaumer's byline for the books is "An Abecedarian Handbook of False Counts and Displays" which apparently refers to the alphabetical listing of the things taught in the book. The book is spiral bound printed mainly in black and white although there are some color photographs at the end of the book. Although I perfer a hardcover book, the spiral binding is of great benefit when laying open during a heavy study session.
First and foremost, this is an excellent resource that is a great addition to any card magic library. I can recommend this wholeheartedly. You will not find tricks in this book (well not quite). Racherbaumer meant this project as a reference book to be used like a dictionary when needed. Racherbaumer teaches over 80 sleights across over 200 pages with over 200 pictures. He provides some very interesting history and credits liberally along the way. This only left me wanting more detail!
I do have some very minor nitpicking. The teaching is rather sparse in some places. The sleights are described in a vacuum so that you don't always have context to how they might be used. However, Racherbaumer does claim that this is a look-up type reference book so I guess he is assuming that you already have an effect in mind when you reach for his book. Although there is some variations listed, most sleights are just breifly described with no extraneous details. Having studied false counts for a few years now, the are an endless number of variations to each sleight. Some of the counts were taught differently than from other sources I had learned the sleight from.
Overall, the teaching is good and we're lucky to have someone of Jon's caliber to capture the special subject area of false counts and displays in Counthesaurus. This is by no means an exhaustive collection of all false counts and packet trick sleights - not even close. However, it is probably the best single resource published at this time (perhaps I can change that). Racherbaumer covers many popular displays and therefore a good resource for packet trick consumers and creators. Highly recommended.
I've had people ask me what is my favorite trick to perform. There are a lot of great tricks but if I had to pick one card trick it would be Twisted Sisters by John Bannon. The reason is that the trick has not one, but three incredible climaxes. It consistently gets jaws to drop in disbelief. So when my local magic shop got a copy of Bannon's The Royal Scam, I was quick to grab a copy. I paid $20 but you can get it for under $15 on-line.
The Royal Scam is a packet trick and a damn good one. If you are a packet nut - this should be in your collection. The trick comes with a DVD as well as the cards required for the trick.
Marketing Fluff
The magician displays several Aces of Spades with the same back design. Explaining how he practices with all the same card, he shows that adding a face-up card can cause the whole pack to turn face up, and vice-versa.
While moves are nice, he shows that while moves misdirect you, he took the opportunity to switch in several cards with various back designs. Of course, in order to win money, several other cards change to a Royal Flush in spades. Ends absolutely clean and examinable!
Bannon's brilliant handling is explained fully on the enclosed DVD, which includes a downloadable e-book in PDF format. Gaffed cards included.
I'm not sure why the fluff states that you get "gaffed" cards because the cards are completely normal - although some have different back designs. The trick is completely examinable at the end.
Degree of Difficulty
Intermediate to Advanced. I had this down in one night and performed it the next day to the amazement of my normally skeptical family. So why would I rate the difficulty intermediate to advanced? Because, I am a false count freak so these counts were fairly easy to learn. If you're Elmsley Count is weak you may have some difficulty. Bannon does teach the Elmsley Count in the "More" section of the DVD. Lastly, the routine is fairly involved although once you get the repetitions figured out, it's not too bad.
Teaching
The instructional material is top notch. John Bannon is a very good teacher. He runs through the Elmsley Count fast but it is covered in great detail in the "More" section. In fact, he does a great job teaching the Elmsley and the covers some sublety that students of false counts will appreciate. Bannon credits liberally along the way and there is even a "Credits" section on the DVD that provides the creator, the move, the year and the source or publisher.
Provided on the DVD is an e-Book (PDF file) that provides even more detail into the credits, the packet set-up is deatiled and the complete patter is provided.
Quantity of Effects
Well, you're buying a packet trick so you get a packet trick. But wait, there's more! Bannon throws in a nifty trick called Living Is Easy. So here's what you'll learn:
The Royal Scam Hamman Count Elmsley Count (aka Ghost Count) Takagi Count OPEC (Out of Position Elmsley Count) Glide (as an alternative to the Hamman Count)
Living Is Easy Marlo Switch as a control (very cool!) Slip Shuffle Tilt move
Quality of Effects
The Royal Scam is an immediate addition to your repertoire. It is easy to perform (assuming your counts are good) and has an astounding ending. It is one of those trick like the Color Monte where the spectator just doesn't see it coming. The climaxes are going to fry people's minds.
I'm sure Bannon has been called a genius with packet tricks. He may be, but what I see is a lot of hard work and experimentation to perfect this little masterpiece. I can't imagine not using this as much as Twisted Sisters.
The quality of the e-Book is top notch. It is well written, the pictures are clear and the patter is excellent.
The quality of the card stock is standard Bicycle stock and the odd-backed cards are beautiful and colorful.
Production Quality
Most packet tricks do not come with a DVD. The production is solid. The menus are clear and easy to use. The quality of the video is good excellent.
My one complaint...the music is insufferable! The DVD constantly loops this depressing, morose theme. My daughter walked in as I watch and asked "why does that guy look so unhappy?" I don't think Bannon was unhappy! The music sounded like someone just died. And why play it so loud during the instructional material? Why play any music during the instructional material?
Overall: 10/10
Yes, a rare 10 out of 10. A great trick that you WILL use for years to come. High quality cards and solid teaching. The DVD is a bonus and the e-Book is a double bonus. Bannon throws is an additional trick...all for under $20 bucks. Life is good!
"I consider no man to be a magician until he can adequately perform the cups and balls." Harry Houdini.
There is probably no other routine in magic that exercises more of the classic effects as the cups and balls. Even if one never performs the cups and balls, to practice it will improve your understanding of magic and hone many skills.
I love the cups and balls as a spectator. I don't believe I've ever performed it for others but I remains one of my favorite routines to practice. The reason I don't perform it is because I haven't yet came up with a routine that I can call my own. I'm still looking for the right routine, the right sequences and the right theme or motivation.
As a big fan of the World's Greatest Magic DVDs, I could never understand why L&L Publishing didn't have a Secrets of the Cups & Balls DVD. Such a DVD is exactly what I'm looking for. I alreadty have an encyclodepic DVD set with over 70 moves and sleights. But what I need now is an resource of routines by the best C&B handlers. I need some inspiration!
L&L Publishing has finally come to my rescue with three DVDs of Cups & Balls taken from their vast catalog of magic. I've watched Volume 1 many times and my wrists are sore from flinging those cups and little balls for hours and hours. Here's my review... Marketing Fluff
Here is the marketing fluff from L&L's DVD case...
"What can one say about the Cups and Balls? It's an iconic trick and has become almost as synonymous with the conjurer's art as the proverbial rabbit from hat. It's certainly one of magic's oldest tricks. But why has this trick endured the centuries? For one thing, a Cups and Balls routine can incorporate many different effects – there can be vanishes, appearances, transpositions and productions. For another, it's always been regarded within the magic world as a kind of measuring stick of a performer's ability."
"The other notable thing about the Cups and Balls is the amount of individuality that magicians can bring to their interpretation of the effect and you'll find no better example of that than the seven performers you'll meet on this DVD. Tommy Wonder begins our journey with his wonderfully self-contained routine with just two cups and two surprise productions and all with no pocket loads! Frank Garcia offers a wide variety of various moves and bits of business with the Cups and Balls, ready to add to your favorite routine, while Dan Fleshman demonstrates his famous sequence with the Cups and Balls, including his amazing five-ball "Fleshman Flash" final load. Aldo Colombini is up next, demonstrating an elegant silent routine that he used to win a prize at FISM followed by the Professor himself, Dai Vernon, along with Michael Ammar, Gary Ouellet and Steve Freeman, discussing and dissecting perhaps the most popular Cups and Balls routine in magic, the Dai Vernon Cups and Balls. Alex Elmsley is next with a great routine that climaxes with a production you have to see to believe while Ross Bertram presents a multi-phase routine with many original sequences that will fool even seasoned Cups and Balls workers."
"The Cups and Balls should be studied, if not performed, by every magician and this DVD is an excellent starting point for new students and a wonderful reference tool even for those who have some experience with this foundational effect."
Degree of Difficulty
Moderate to difficult. Althought the basic Vernon routine is taught in detail, this is not the DVD to learn the cups and balls from. There are better introductory texts such as Mark Wlison's Complete Course in Magic. There are also DVDs available such as Michael Ammar's The Complete Cups and Balls or Eddy Ray's Complete Course in Magic with Cups & Balls. These resources will start with the basics, the props, the vanishes, the palms, and all of the classic sequences and final load techniques.
However, if you're a beginner, I would still whole heartedly recommend getting this DVD just for the sheer entertainment and wisdom you get.
Teaching
You must remember that this is a compilation DVD so you get the benefit of multiple teachers. These guys are all great teachers. Plus you get to hear the Professor, Dai Vernon, pass along his vast expertise with the cups and balls.
Remember the cups and balls are a great teaching vehicle. You'll learn misdirection, vanishes, productions, appearances, transpostions, and almost every effect in magic except levitations!
Quantity of Effects
There is over two hours of cups and balls nirvana from at least eight master magicians. Either Tommy Wonder's or Colombini's routine is worth the price of the admission alone.
Quality of Effects
Let's take a look at each routine on the DVD:
Two Cup Routine – Tommy Wonder
So many people consider Wonder's routine the pinnacle of the Cups & Balls. Tommy solved the problem of dealing with final loads without requiring a coat, deep pockets, a servant or your lap. He solved the problem by using the cups bag and an attached pom-pom tie as the final loads. The final loads are on the table at all times in full view. Wonder is a master of misdirection. Even when you know what he is going to do it is still very hard to catch him because the misdirection is so strong and his audience management is so nuanced.
This routine has a high degree of difficulty, at least to execute it to the perfection of Wonder. You'll also need to acquire a specialty bag and poms.
Cups and Balls – Frank Garcia
Garcia doesn't really show a routine but demonstrates a series of cups and balls sequences. After he demonstrates the sequences he goes into a teaching segment. The moves are rather strong.
Cups and Balls – Dan Fleshman
Fleshman does a seated routine with mini baseballs. The final loads are five baseballs.
Award Winning Cups and Balls – Aldo Colombini
I didn't think I would ever find a Cups and Balls routine I like more that the Wonder routine. Perhaps this is it. This is a beautiful routine that Colombini does without patter. His Can-Can move is worth the price of the DVD.
Classic Cups and Balls Explanation – Dai Vernon
Vernon's routine is the gold standard of the cups and balls. In this vintage footage, Vernon doesn't perform the routine as he no longer has the required dexterity. However, Dai was able to demonstrate many of his signiture moves including his wand spins and vanishes. At first, I got a little bored as I know a lot of his moves. However, as I took the time to listen, you really pick up a lot of wisdom and great advice on these moves.
There is no demonstration of Vernon's routine. This is purely a teaching segment. Micheal Ammar teaches Vernon's sequences as Vernon narrates and expands the basic instruction that Ammar provides. This is a master class on cups and balls.
The Cups and Balls – Alex Elmsley
As big of a fan of Alex Elmsley that I am, I have to say that this is the weakest routine on the disk. His moves are sometimes smooth and sometimes rough and unpolished. For example, his cup through cup move is really rough. Vernon, even in his advanced age did it flawlessly.
This final sequence is what makes Elmsley's routine different. He produces a stream of salt from the final stack of cups - which he pours on a newspaper. He picks up the newspaper and pours the salt back into the cups; filling all three cups. The problem with this is that the initial pour of salt takes so long that it created an ackward moment with the audience. Although this is the weakest routine, I still love Elmsley's creativity!
Egyptian Cups and Balls – Ross Bertram
Great ending to a strong DVD. I'm guessing that this old film footage is from an old television show. The film opens with a little Egyptian magic history reminiscent of an old Disney travelogue. Once the magic starts, you get a close up of Bertram's copper cups - even in this old footage you can tell these are really beautiful cups. His wand is a carved wooden snake. He rhythmically moves the wand to animate the snake as he works his routine. Really a wonderful touch that captures the Egyptian theme better than any routine I've ever seen.
The routine is set to middle-eastern music with no patter. The black balls are quite small and I'm guessing made out of wood. His production of each ball from the tip of the snake's head was a move I've never seen. The same with some of his wand vanishes - very creative and just a bit different.
He appears to classic palm these little balls in a few sequences for some stunning effects. He seems to use the classic palm to drop a ball onto the cup as he waves his hand over the cups. This isn't a misdirection move - he smoothly executes the drop with the heat on the cup and hand. You never really see Bertram's face until the very end of the routine. It's a lengthy routine but one that lovers of the cups and balls will appreciate. Sadly, there is no teaching segment for the Bertram segment.
Production Quality
A wide range of tape quality. Most of the footage is very good. Even the old film of Bertram is not bad considering the age of the film.
The rest is standard L&L Publishing menuing and production. In other words, pretty good.
Overall: 9/10
This is not the DVD to learn the cups and balls from. I learned a plethora of great cups and ball sequences from the encyclopedic Eddy Ray DVD set and the Ammar DVD set appears to be a favorite of magicians far and wide. Once you've worked with the cups and balls you'll find this is a valuable resource to examine different styles and learn some unique moves. Or if you just want to sit back and enjoy some great magic you'll find it a great way to spend an evening.
I love packet tricks. So I must preface my review by admitting that I am a packet trick addict. So I decided to check out Aldo Columbini's Packet Trick Picks DVD. This may be the best $10 bucks I've ever spent - well, actually only $9.30 from Penguin Magic.
In fact, all of the tricks and DVDs from the Colombini's are $10. Wow! Their web site has a ton of great looking material that I'm sure to order from in the future.
Marketing Fluff
There is very little marketing fluff to speak of. I learned of Colombini's "everything for $10" deals from the Magic Cafe.
Degree of Difficulty
Easy to intermediate. Several of these tricks are almost self-working but quite a few require false counts and displays which are taught on the DVD.
Teaching
Very good. You'll need to know the Elmsley Count; a false count that appears to show four cards while hiding the face or back of one card. Colombini does teach the Elmsley count at the beginning of the DVD. Aldo does an adequate job teaching the Elmsley and you'll manage to learn it - however there are better places to learn the Elmsley Count. He starts out teaching the Elmsley with a 5 card packet counting into his right hand - probably not the most standard Elmsley you'll ever see. I'm guessing most intermediate card slingers already have a version of the Elmsley that they are comfortable with.
Aldo also teaches the Hamman Count, the Jordan Count and his Laughing Count (which is a cool alternative to the Hamman Count).
The teaching of the tricks are superb. He credits the creator of each routine.
Quantity of Effects
Count 'em, 10 tricks! That's a buck a piece for some really strong magic.
A card is freely selected from a deck of cards and placed on top of the deck. The mage displays four blank cards with four different card predictions written on the blank faces of the cards. One of the hand written cards has predicted the selected card. But now all of the hand written cards have the same card written on the face. Even stranger, the selected card is no longer on the top of the deck but it the middle of the packet of hand written cards. It sounds odd but it's a pretty strong effect.
Boxing Aces (Columbini) An ungimmicked ace assembly routine. Not my favorite assembly either but a nice routine nonetheless. The aces assemble in an empty card box or breast pocket.
A Trick for Jack Parker (Paul Gordon) Two 5 card packets are displayed. The spectator selects on packet and the other is set to the side. Spectator mentally selects a card from the remaining packet. After a few strange shuffles, the spectators card appears, reversed in the middle of the packet. The packet that was not selected is a royal flush.
Klondyke Cato (Richard Vollmer) This is a nifty, self working, impromtu prediction effect. You remove 10 cards in a random fashion from the deck. Mix up the 10 cards by dealing them face up or face down at the spectator's direction. This mixing procedure can be repeated as often as the spectator likes. The mentalist reveals 2 written predictions - the exact number of reversed cards and the exact count of the reversed card. I predict you'll use this effect!
This is the star of the DVD. It is a beautiful assembly routine with four queens. Each queen is placed in a packet of three blank cards (front and backs are blank). The queens disappear from the blanks...very magical looking. The four queens reappear under a placard that has been sitting on the table in full view of the audience.
Oils Well That Ends Well (Stephen Tucker) Oil & water type routine. Packet of black and red cards are show. The black cards assemble together and four queens appear in place of the reds. Nice indeed.
Update - This continues to be a real gem. I've been playing with this for a few months and it is worth the price of the DVD alone.
Trifle (Columbini) Man, the killer tricks just keep coming! Two packets are shown - four kings from a red deck and four kings from a blue deck. Spectator is asked to name a suit...say the hearts. The two kings of hearts are turned over to show that they are the only red-backed king in the blue packet and the only blue-backed king in the red packet. The cards are returned to their like-colored packets. With a magic word, the two kings of heart reappear back in their original location. This clever trick is hard to describe but very effective looking. This is likely to be one I use frequently.
Red Blues (Karl Fulves) Another great packet trick that will test your Elmsley and Jordan counts. Spectator is asked to name any suit. The magician shows a packet of four cards where the named suit is the only suit that is face up. Any it is the only card that is the blue backed card. Furthermore, it is the only card Ace and the rest are Kings! No gaffed cards like in a gimmicked B'Wave or Twisted Sisters packet routine. Brilliant!
The Whitechapel Solution (Ryan Matney) Yet another simple, self-working trick that by it self is rather dull. However, the provided Jack The Ripper patter makes this an interesting routine.
Minds In Session (Arthur Carter) Starting with seven cards, the spectator selected cards to be turned over. All cards are blue-backed...until the last card remaining. It is turned over revealing a red-backed card as the last remaining card. Dirt simple...you probably already know how it's done!
Quality of Effects
The quality of these effects are really strong. Because many of the packet tricks are not gimmicked, you'll add at least a couple of these gems into you working repertoire.
Production Quality
It's a fairly low-budget affair as you might expect from a $10 DVD but the video quality is crisp and clear. The menu structure is very simple. For some reason, I can't skip ahead to the next track (trick). You have to go back to the menu to advance to the next trick. The audio quality is fine except that the goofy musical track that plays during the menu is three times as loud as the narration which is annoying when you have to go back to the menu to advance.
Overall: 8/10
This DVD scores very high on value. At $10, you'll find some really good material to infuse into your walk around sets. The only down side is that you'll need to invest in some blanks and blank-backed cards in order to perform all of the effects on this DVD. I'm sure to order more from the Colombini $10 store in the future. Bravo Aldo!
DVD Review: World's Greatest Magic - Matrix/Coin Assemblies
L&L Publishing has produced some of the world's best magic instructional DVDs in a series called the World's Greatest Magic by the World's Greatest Magicians. I'm a big fan of the series because each DVD focuses on a specific routine or prop that has become a classic in the history of legerdemain. These DVDs show some of the greatest living (and past) magicians performing and teaching their versions of the classic routine.
This time we look at the World's Greatest Magic Matrix/Coin Assemblies DVD. The DVD starts with the creator of the Matrix effect, Al Schneider, demonstrating and teaching the routine in his own words. The basic matrix routine is simple, yet striking. The magician positions four coins in a matrix (square) pattern. The magician then covers the four coins with four cards. One at a time, the coins magically gather under a single card.
Degree of Difficulty
Moderate to Expert. This really is a powerful effect that even a beginner can pull off with some practice. You really need a soft surface to work with though. I would suggest purchasing a close-up pad from a magic shop or on-line magic retailer for under $20. The pickup move that is required for all matrix routines is assisted by a little give in the surface. I have done the Johnny Thompson version using a dish towel so you could do that in a pinch or an impromptu setting.
Teaching
The teaching is fabulous - especially the classic Al Schneider routine as taught by Al Schneider.
Quantity of Effects
Al Schneider created this trick when he was just 17 years old showing that even a young mage can dream up magic that will stand the test of time. Schneider teaches the basic routine including the basic pick-up maneuver in great detail. Al covers some subtleties that he believes makes the effect more powerful. After a thorough explanation of his routine he covers some of his personal history of how it evolved. Then he goes on to show other pick-up maneuvers that have been magicians have came up with over the years. The DVD could end here and it would be worth twice what I paid ($18). Great stuff!
But wait, there's more!
Bill Malone's version J.C. Wagner's Poor Man's Matrix Harry Allen's Matrix Aldo Colombini's Chink-a-Chink Michael Ammar's Matrix Johnny Thompson's Coin Assembly Dan Fleshman's Matrix Dan Harlan's Horror Matrix Derek Dingle presents the Bertram Coin Assembly Ross Bertram presents the Bertram Coin Assembly
Is that enough?
Quality of Effects
Every matrix offers some new angle on the routine. I'm not going to cover each matrix but I'll hit my favorites.
A coin matrix was one of the first coin tricks I learned. My version used a cloth towel or napkin and 2 dollar bills instead of 4 cards. This is a great impromptu/dinner table version of the matrix. The coin's are slide underneath the towel and penetrate through the towel. It has proven very effective for me. Johnny Thompson teaches a similar version with a handkerchief and cards.
Wagner's Poor Man's Matrix uses pennies - hence the "poor man's matrix." However he ends with the production of a jumbo penny under the stack of discarded cards. Then produces an even bigger jumbo penny.
Aldo Colombini's version is very clever. He really takes the one-ahead principle to a new level. He employs a clever gaff to execute a 3/4 of a matrix routine only to find that all coins have reversed back to the starting matrix position. Clever indeed!
Dan Fleshman starts with the Schneider matrix then follows up with a reverse matrix. The four coins literally appear back in their original position in a wink of the eye. Simply jaw dropping!
I love a good storytelling routine and Dan Harlan delivers a bloody good version called Horror Matrix. This is the story of 4 teenagers camping in the woods. Little do they know but a homicidal maniac has escaped from the local mental hospital. It's a great little version set to a horror theme perfect for adults and at Halloween time.
My favorite matrix is by Bill Malone. He delivers a two phase matrix that is filled with funny lines and blazing, fast magic. The first phase is the basic matrix. Malone's premise for the second phase is that he is going to expose the secret. Bill's explanation is hilarious and, of course, complete nonsense. The coins pop back and forth creating some magical mayhem before finally assembling under one card.
Dingle and Bertram's versions featured some sleight of hand vanishes and some tricky moves. However I thought they looked fishy in comparison to the more straight-forward handling of the steals and pick-ups.
Production Quality
The production is good. The DVD menus very straight-forward. The video quality is a mixed bag - mostly good but some of the video footage is very old - but that is to be expected when you are hitting the video archives to find versions from some of the older masters of the craft.
Overall: 9/10
So do you really need to learn 11 versions of the same routine? Of course not. However you'll find a cornucopia of matrix ideas and moves. If you watch closely, you will also discover dozens of moves and ideas that you could incorporate in other non-matrix coin & card tricks. For example, even though I really didn't like Ammar's version of the matrix, he teaches the Marlo Spider Vanish and some nice timing and misdirection elements. A much better version of the spider vanish that I had learned.
As with all L&L Publishing DVDs that I have purchased, this is an outstanding value and resource.
John opened the evening's magic with a Cigarette version of the Miser's dream. John used some clever devices to produce a stream of cigarettes to which he flung into the air for his assistant, Tammy, to catch in a stainless steel bowl. It would have been fun to see this routine back when you could do it with lit cigarettes but then I guess that is one of those magic items like thimbles that will eventually be relegated to the history books.
Mr. Calvert did two watch steals at different times during the performance and provided insights on how to divert the victim's attention through physical and shocking verbal cues. He did borrow a watch for a comedy routine that included him smashing the spectators watch with a hammer. The watch ended up inside of about eight nested boxes.
Tammy does a wonderful job of misdirecting the action throughout the watch routine. You can see that Tammy is as skilled at her job as John is at his. Not to mention that Tammy looks absolutely great! John did pass along his secrets to longitivity including good clean living and thinking like a young man.
One of Calvert's signiture acts is his comedy Spirit Cabinet. You may remember that the Davenport brothers popularized the Spirit Cabinet during the 1800's Spiritualism movement. The two brothers where bound and seated in a large wooden cabinet with a small window in the middle. Musical instruments strange noises could be heard and seen playing through the small window. Once the cabinet doors were thrown open, the Davenport boys were still tightly bound to their seats.
John turned the Spirit Cabinet into a hilarious routine. He invited Ricky Rowray, an accomplished deaf magician in our Ring, to assist him inside of the cabinet. Calvert was bound with ropes in a straight jacket like configuration. A square curtain formed the spirit cabinet and was lifted by assistants to completely surround the two inside. Immediately, pie tins and tamborines flew out from the cabinet. Next came Ricky's shirt, shoes and an oversized bra! The curtain was lowered to find Calvert with his criss-crossed arms tightly bound and Ricky sitting calmly; half undressed!
John's lecture wove together illusions, escapes, stories, methodologies and wisdom. He talked about the French Drop not looking realistic. Nobody takes a coin in that fashion. John simply used realistic movements and misdirection to pull off perfect coin vanishes. When he brought volunteers up to teach his technique he corrected the student by saying "no, now you're starting to do magic!" Implying, that we magicians too often look we are doing magic instead of doing normal things where magic just happens along the way. Sage advice indeed.
I have to admit that I didn't remember who John Calvert was when I saw his picture on the cover of the August 2008 issue of The Linking Ring magazine. I was fascinated by the cover story about this world famous magician. A quick review of my Illustrated History of Magic featured Mr. Calvert prominently in the later chapters. At 97 years young, John Calvert is a living legend in magic. When our IBM Ring heard that John and his lovely wife/assistant were passing through the Midwest on his way to an engagement at the Magic Castle, we were able to get him to swing into town to do a little magic and lecture.
Where does one even start to describe John Calvert? Gracious, funny, skilled, inspiring just to name a few adjectives. Calvert is a man who has been a world-famous magician who has performed in every corner of the globe. He began a career in movies decades before I born where he had been a movie star, a screenplay writer, a screen double, and director. John is a life long pilot, a stunt pilot and still flies acrobatically on occassion. He's been the owner operator of yachts and planes. He even displayed some skills in the chiropratic arts!
Out of the magic and wisdom John shared throughout the evening, his tales of his encounters with historical figures were the most fascinating to hear. Calvert is a man who has met and been friends with a huge list of famous actors, actresses and magicians. John described performing at a Hollywood party for stars like Danny Kaye and even using Gary Grant and Clark Gable as stooges during an impromptu magic show. His list of magician friends and acquitances included Blackstone, Cardini, Malini, Page, Kapps, Vernon and even saw Harlan Tarbell as a boy and became friends with Bess Houdini after Harry's death. Calvert has fratrenized with dozens of A-list performers from the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s through today.
At 97, one might think that Mr. Calvert would feebly meander through simple tricks from his glory days. Hardly. This is a man who might been a step slower than in his youth but more than capable of dazzling a crowd. In fact, he challenged me and another strapping lad from the audience to a feat of strength (kind of like the traditional Festivus celebration for you Seinfeld fans). Try as we may, John was able to knock both of us off balance. At 97, this dude is strong!
Calvert started the evening by telling us that this is going to be the BEST show he has ever done. That is a winning attitude! John quipped that you never know, there might be a Hollywood agent in the crowd so always give your best performance. Later in the evening, John brought these comments full circle.
When Calvert happened to arrive in southern California to start his film career he happened to be at a magician friend's home (Jack Gwynne I believe) when a casting call came in for his friend. His friend was out of town doing series of magic shows on a west coast circuit so Calvert offered up his own name.
When he arrived at the audition, he found out that every other magician in the area had also been called. Yet the studio executive, without auditioning any of the magicians, told John he had the job. John naturally asked why he was being picked when no one had yet auditioned. The studio exec exclaimed that he had seen John already perform, in Kansas City several months earlier. It pays to perform your BEST show every night because you just never know who is in the audience!
One of the most beguiling effects in magic is "card to an impossible location;" card to shoe, card to pocket, card through window, card on ceiling just to name a few. One of the most stunning of the card-to effects would be the card to wallet (CTW). This DVD is a treasure trove of CTW effects by some of the best magi in the world.
This DVD is yet another fine release in the World's Greatest Magic by the World's Greatest Magicians (WGMBTWGM) series. This is the third DVD that I have purchased in this series and it won't be the last. L&L Publishing have taken the best routines from their catalog and created a themed set of DVDs. Each DVD focuses on a particular form of magic; linking rings, ambitious card, zombie ball, stand-up magic, etc. Incredibly, these DVDs are typically priced at $16-$18 per DVD!
Tim's Tip: If you don't already have a wallet, buy this DVD first and then decide which style of wallet is going to work for you. Each magician uses a different style wallet so you may end up needing 2 or 3 different wallets to pull off each routine. Realistically, you're only going to be able to do one CTW in your show. So watch the DVD a few times, pick the routine that fits your style the closest and purchase a wallet that works for that routine. I like the hip pocket, Fred Kaps style wallet the best and the Dan Fleshman routine.
Degree of Difficulty
Intermediate to Advanced. The sleights are not super, knuckle-busters but you'll need a lot of practice to polish these routines.
Teaching
Good to Great. I really enjoyed wathcing Alex Elmsley as he is a legendary figure in card magic. Eddie Tullock is perhaps the hardest to follow simply because of his age; but he's still very sharp and Micheal Ammar interviews Eddie on the finer points of his routine. Micheal Ammar also has his own routine on this DVD and appears or is mentioned is several other routines on the DVD.
Quality of Effects
Average to excellent. A couple average routines but they are a couple killer routines as well.
Quantity of Effects
Realistically, you're only going to use one of the seven CTW routines but you've got some great material to choose from.
Jon Mendoza starts the fun with the Bendix Bombshell. This trick relies on a himber style of which John doesn't really explain the mechanics because it is a marketed item. Even though this is a good routine, I think it is the weakest since there doesn't seem to be any motivation for the trick. It starts with two signed cards. Two other cards are in play and they make up a very basic two card transposition effect. Then the routine abruptly ends with the two signed cards revealed from a zippered compartment in the wallet.
Alexander De Cova presents his Professional Card to Wallet routine. DeCova does demo this for a studio audience so you get a condensed demo presentation of his effect. He gets a signed card from the spectator. De Cova explains that he has a (large) wallet with an enveloped letter from his friend. DeCova opens the wallet, opens the envelop and remove a letter and some varied, casino playing cards that his friend has sent. The signed card is the last card in the small stack of cards. It's a novel effect and the most elaborate set-up of the seven routines.
Micheal Ammar presents his Card in Wallet routine that is really a torn and restored card effect where the almost restored card appears in his un-gimmicked wallet. A spectator is asked to tear their selected card into eigths. The spectator is given a piece of the card as a reciept. Ammar paperclips the pieces together. A wave of the hand and the paperclips turn into a credit card. Hmmm....if the credit card is here then the card must be in my wallet. Cleanly and in full view, Ammar removes his wallet and produces the card. The card is restored except for the corner that the spectator is holding. As you would expect from Ammar, this is a very entertaining routine.
I'm not familiar with Eddie Tullock but apparently he specializes in tradeshow magic. This is a good routine but not my favorite. The specatator scans a quickly spread deck of cards and is asked think of any one card they see. Eddie guesses wrong the first time which gives him an oppurtunity to patter a bit and set up the climax. He then asks the spectator what their card really was. Eddie opens his wallet and removes their thought of card. I think this could be a winnner with a creative presentation. The wallet is un-gimmicked.
Dan Fleshman's Momma In My Wallet is my personal favorite routine on this disk because it is accessible (not too difficult) and has two nice effects. The trick is basically the Chicago Opener that ends with a CTW. The Chicago opener is a two phase routine. One minor problem, the card selected in the first phase has transformed into the second card. What happened to the first card? Fleshman attempts to tie up that loose end by revealing the card from a zippered compartment in his wallet. He has taken a classic trick in card magic and made it one phase better!
Alex Elmsley presents an ultra-fast signed CTW routine that looks pretty impossible. This is probably the most technically challenging routine but it te pay-off will be worth the effort.
Eric DeCamps presents the final routine which looks to have been filmed in the early 1980s. Obviously DeCamps is extremely talented but I felt like I was watching Dean Martin do magic. Of course, this is obviously a very old video tape so perhaps his style played well back in the 80s. DeCamps instruction is very good though and he provides some great CTW tips and psychology. He has 3 spectators select cards with one of the specs signing the card. After shots the first two cards spinning into the air, he follows a great full deck vanish. This motivates the question; where is the third card? In the wallet of course. Old video and style aside, this is a well taught routine.
Production
Well the minor downside to a "greatest hits" format is that L&L Publishing is pulling material from many different productions from different time periods. Most of the clips are of good quality however the Eric DeCamps is very dated looking. You'll feel like humming the theme to VH-1's I Love The 80s.
The menu system is simple and very functional. L&L provides extensive previews from their product offerings.
Overall: 9/10
Yet another great addition to the WGMBTWGM series by L&L Publishing. The low price on these DVDs make them a great buy. Collect 'em all!
Counts Cuts Moves and Subtlety A Book of Basic Card Techniques By Jerry Mentzer
Cost: under $8 at Penguin
If I had a nickel for every time I see someone complaining about how hard the Elmsley Count is I would be rich...well maybe not rich but enough money to buy a new Cups and Balls set! These Elmsley-challenged folk need this little gem of a book to get them up and over the learning curve.
One of my favorite tricks is Twisted Sisters by John Bannon. It's a brilliant little packet trick that has 3 mind-blowing revelations. Sadly, I've seen some people state that they skip the Elmsley Count (EC) portion of the trick. Arrggg! The EC is what sells the trick, it takes a simple trick and turns it into a mind-melting, mental miracle of magic.
When using the EC in Twisted Sisters, the spectator sees 4 red-backed cards and 4 blue-backed cards. By the time the trick ends, two cards turn face up and also transposition colors. Without the Elmsley, the trick is boring.
For some, false counts come naturally. For others, they try and move on. False counts are a staple move in packet tricks and every cardician should know the basic counts. Counts can be quite challenging but with enough practice and this book, you'll handle any count; easy breezy!
Counts Cuts Moves and Subtlety by Jerry Mentzer is a reference guide. Copyright in 1977, this small book is on it's 14th printing. Although I don't own anything else by Jerry, he appears to be a prolific author on magical topics including the book on Card To Wallet.
You'll find no tricks in this book. However, learn the moves in this book and I'll bet you could create some great, original packet tricks in no time. Combine these moves with an assortment of specialty gaffed cards and you're creative juices will be flowing. Here is a little video review to go along with this blog review.
Degree of Difficulty
Intermediate to expert. Some people think learning the Elmsey is easy and some think it is hard. I think it's kind of in the middle. Easy to learn, hard to perfect. I learned the Elmsley Count in a couple days but it took countless evenings in front of the TV, doing hundreds of Elmsley/Jordan sequences, to execute these counts with confidence under pressure.
Quantity of Effects
There is a ton of good material in this book. Here is what you'll learn:
Undercuts and Reversals
Double Undercut - controlling a card to the top of the deck Braue reversal - this is an awesome move. It appears to be a flourishy cut but it keeps the deck in order and yet reverses one or more cards in the deck. Concealed Reversal - Yet another reversal
Counts Cuts and Subtlety
The Biddle Move - Secretly steal away a card from a count. Hamman Count - Swapping two packets of cards during a count Veeser Cont - Another way to do an Elmsley Count Another Count - Starting position is identical to the Jordan Count but you end up in the starting position Flustration Move - Show the front and backs of all cards in a packet but really only show the back (or front) of one card. Haback Count - Combines the Hamman and Flustration Olram Subtlety - Display several cards while one or more are hidden Downs Change - I guess T. Nelson Downs occasionally picked up a deck of cards! I've seen this executed differently as a one card or even a two-card color change. This book shows the move as a way of tabling a card from a packet but changing it for a different card during the motion of tabling the card. True or False - Yet another false count that disguises the number of cards you really have.
Elmsley, Jordan, Etc.
The Elmsley Count - the "Ghost Count" as Alex Elmsley made famous using the finger-tip method. The Elmsley Count Comment - the author makes the point that you can using the EC "push/shuttle" of cards between the hands to count 3 cards as 4, or 4 cards as 5. The Jordan Count - Older than the EC, the Jordan accomplishes the same as the EC but starting with the card on 4th position and ending int EC starting position. The Siva Count - show 4 face-up cards while hiding a 5th card. Open Count - a "fair" way to accomplish an Elmsley Count Smile Count - Apparently 4 cards are shown on both sides - but you've concealed 3 sides. Pairs Count - variation on the Smile Count Spirit Count - using ESP cards. 4 cards appear identical when in fact you have 2 like cards and another 2 like cards.
Spreads
The Simple Spread - instead of counting cards, you are spreading a small packet while concealing a card. The bottom card is hiding the extra cards The Back Spread - the top card is hiding the extra cards Buckle Count - Spread using a buckle move Ascanio Count - The Ascanio Count hides the third card in a packet of five. This is a brilliant move that all card slingers should learn at some point in their careers.
Production
The book is has excellent written instructions on the moves and ample photos of the key hand positions during the move. Mentzer does a good job of crediting each move to it's creator and sometimes the trick in which the move was first made popular.
My Parting Thoughts...
This book is a reference guide but not the definitive guide. There are some things missing, in particular, variations on the same move. For example, I purchased this book because I created a count and didn't know what the name of the count was. I was sure it had previously been invented as it seemed to be useful counterpart to the Elmsley Count.
It turns out the the count I came up with was called the Jordan Count. I'd heard of the Jordan Count but didn't know what it was used for. I determined I needed such a count to get the third (hidden) card back into the starting position for the Elmsley Count. I didn't like how some tricks required you to place the last counted card in the EC back to the bottom - that just looks unnatural. Additionally, I had someone ask me to count the cards again - if you don't know the Jordan you're going to be stuck.
Turns out that my Jordan Count is executed differently than the one in the book. My goal was to make the Elmsley and the Jordan indistinguishable to lay people. It would be nice to see an updated version of this book with more variations of the counts and more cuts. There is another book called Counthesaurus by Jon Racherbaumer which appears to be a more complete treatise on the subject of counts. However, it is more expense so it may be a while before I feel the love for that book.
Overall: 7/10
If you're into packet tricks or looking for some material to get the creative process going this is a no-brainer purchase.
I was on a mission. To find the fire wallet that I saw demo'ed at an Orlando magic shop. After much research on the Magic Cafe and magic retail web sites, I determined that the fire wallet was most likely the Jardonnet wallet. After reading a lengthy forum thread on fire accidents and liability, I decided to forego the "fire" part of the wallet for now. After narrowing my choices to the best candidates AND to the wallets that were not back ordered, I selected Anthony Miller's Hip Shot Wallet manufactured by Murphy's Magic Supply and purchased for under $35 from Penguin's Magic.
Marketing Fluff
"You love card to wallet... but you don`t wear a jacket that often? Then you should try shooting from the hip. Introducing the Hip Shot! A bi-fold hip pocket wallet made of high quality calf-skin, built from the ground up to function as your everyday wallet. Contains two zippered compartments that can produce your selected cards... One of which can produce a whole deck! A Word From The Pros..."
"A classy prop! The kind of wallet you`d be proud to own and use." - Rafael Benetar
"It`s easy to use... Is well made and looks great. If you`ve been looking for a wallet of this type, be sure to check it out. Recommended." - Mike Close
"Tony`s wallets are just like Frosted Flakes... They`re Great! Being a professional magician, I of course have almost no extra money, but I did actually shell out my own dough for one of these wallets! It`s nice enough that even if you don`t do the card in the wallet trick, you`ll be proud to carry it around." - Mac King
Quantity of Prop
Anthony Miller's wallets seem to have an excellent reputation on the magic forums for high quality and solid design. I was not disappointed. The wallet is made of soft, fine, high-quality leather. This wallet is definitely comparable in quality to any fine leather wallet in a department store. It has become my every day wallet.
I will warn you it is a bit larger than I expected. It seems to fit in my Dockers and Lee jean's pockets without sticking out; but just barely fits completely into the rear pocket. Perhaps in a smaller jean style it might be tight.
Features
There are slots for at least 14 credit cards or a bunch of packet tricks!
Large zippered bill compartment
Small zippered compartment big enough for cards and coins
Two loading mechanisms
Here's a look at the inside:
The documentation indicates that the larger of the loading mechanism can handle a full deck of cards. That doesn't seem practical but it does appear possible and I found some forum posts where magicians were doing full deck to wallet routines. You can use a credit card as a guide into the smaller chamber (a very nice feature) and it also comes with two large, black plastic guides.
The zippers certainly add to the mystery of how the card got into the wallet.
I've been working on the card-to-wallet routine that is supplied with the wallet. The routine is a climax sequence for an Ambitious Card Routine. I'm not quite comfortable with the routine yet but it looks like a killer method of ending the ACR.
I am using it for Kenton Knepper's Kollasal Killer (KK) routine. KK is essentially an invisible deck routine without the invisible deck. There are better wallets for this routine but I did make it work with a little ingenuity. You can use any wallet for the KK effect but the size of the wallet and the zippered compartments really make the KK effect strong.
I performed KK today in a corporate leadership training session and it drew audible gasps. I set the wallet on the table, went through the patter about predicting events and that I have a prediction in the wallet. I opened the wallet to show a normal wallet. I ask a student to visualize ANY card. Showing empty hands and without any hesitation, I picked up the wallet, unzipped a compartment and pulled out the predicted card. Truly killer.
Documentation
There is no excuse for this crappy, pages out-of-order photocopy. Why offer such a quality wallet and provide such a poor quality document? Sorry Murphy's but there is NO excuse for this garbage photocopy.
Paper quality aside, the documentation describes an excellent routine for a no-palm card-to-wallet. The suggested patter is excellent and the card handling is described in detail.
Overall: 7/10
This is my first wallet review so I'm going to rate this a bit low to leave room for other wallet reviews. The Hip Shot lost 1 point for poor quality documentation. Otherwise, this is an outstanding quality prop that I hope will hold up for a couple years. I am kind of hard on wallets so we'll see if it can hold up to my abuse!
I'm setting magic aside for a few moments to record my recollections of the Flood of 2008. You see, I live in the heart of the midwestern United States about 1 hour away from the Mississippi River in a small city called Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Many towns across in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri have been washed away by prolific flooding.
Cedar Rapids is located on the Cedar River but I've never thought of it as a "river town." Those "river towns" are typically towns that line the Mississippi that seem to flood every few years. This year that perception changed in a blink of the eye.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
We were on our way home from a vacation in Orlando when We had heard of the flooding of Waterloo Iowa on CNN and Fox News. Waterloo is another small city north of Cedar Rapids. Because of the emerging disaster in Waterloo, Barak Obama canceled plans to fly into Cedar Rapids for a campaign stop. That seemed to be pretty big news for our little town of 125,000.
Flying into Cedar Rapids, you could see that little streams that meandered through farmer's fields looked like churning, raging rivers. A week of intense spring rains, combined with a winter of record snowfalls had saturated the rich, black farmland and swollen the creeks and rivers.
We quickly learned that of the five bridges spanning the Cedar River, only one remained open. The bridge of Interstate 380 was the sole link between the east and west sides of an Iowa county that held a quarter of a million people. Water was threatening to engulf the remaining bridges. Two railroad bridges were parked with boxcars loaded with rocks in hopes that the added weight would hold the bridges in place. One bridge finally collapsed under the pressure of the raging river.
Traffic was backed up for miles in all directions as the transportation matrix of the city was funneled down to three lanes in both directions. All other bridges were completely submerged. The sight was staggering to behold as we slowly crawled across town on I-380.
Cedar Rapids and Paris, France have something in common; they are the only cities in the world to have their municipal government located on an island in the middle of a river. Driving through Cedar Rapids and seeing the island that contains the city government, county court house and city jail under water was shocking. This is a sight that is unlikely to occur again in my or my children's children's lifetime.
We learned that the previous record high waters crested at around 22 feet. The river would finally crest at 32 feet; smashing the old record. 20,000 people were evacuated. Unlike during Katrina, residents had a little more time to clear out of their homes although many didn't flee immediately because few believe the river would leave it's banks and breach it's levees. By the time the water hit 32 feet, over 420 city blocks would be flooded.
Three of the four city wells were flooded with murky flood water. The city's water supply was in danger of running dry. A water emergency was declared. You could only use water to drink. No showers, no hand washing, no running dishwashers, no washing machines and no flushing toilets. We collected rain water from the brief but intense rain showers that still threatened the area. We could flush the toilets with a couple gallons of rainwater.
Still, the city official angrily denounced any non-essential use of water. Reports of people washing their cars had shown that some people did not fully comprehend the gravity of the disaster. We had stocked the home with bottled water and Diet Coke so we were in good shape for several days. It was quite an adventure for the kids and I think they learned a little about the scarcity of resources and what conservation was all about.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
By Saturday evening, we wanted a brake from the non-stop flood coverage on the television. We decides to see if our favorite Mexican, Villa's Patio, restaurant was open. Sure enough. The restaurant really adapted to the emergency. All food was served on disposable plates and with plastic utensils. Soda pop was served from cans instead of from the fountain dispensers. Hand sanitizer replaced hand washing.
By Sunday morning, the water emergency was slightly downgraded. Homes with even house numbers could use water for limited purposes on even days. And odd homes on odd days.
As the water slowly receded, the depth and breadth of the damage was starting to become clear. Hundreds of families were in shelters. Hundreds of homes were feared destroyed. Hundreds of business were shutdown. The entire downtown area without power. River water containing, sand, silt, fish, dead animals, bacteria, farm chemicals and raw sewage covered hundreds of city blocks.
Living in a smaller Midwestern city, my opportunities to visit a brick and mortar magic shop is few and far between. Currently, I'm on vacation in Florida, visiting the mouse mecca known as Disney World. So I had to locate any magic shops close to our resort. Luckily, I found at least two shops with a few miles.
One shop is in Downtown Disney under a giant top hat called Magic Masters. Wow what an enormous disappointment. This is an absolutely beautiful magic shop that sells almost nothing. Perhaps 20-30 generic, overpriced magic items with such imaginative names such as "cups and balls." Magic Masters is clearly oriented towards selling tricks to tourists and not people interested in the art of magic.
The second shop was Magic Max in what's know as Old Town or the Fun Spot. This was also a bit of a disappointment however they did have a reasonable inventory of magic and novelty items (gags). The sales dude was a young but capable magician. He rattled off a dozen tricks and gags within the first few minutes in the store. After sizing me up by quizzing me on a few magical topics, he pointed me to a DVD called Ultimate Aces by Magic Makers. I really wasn't all that interested but it was pouring rain outside so I was stuck in the shop, and finally, the $25 slipped out of my billfold.
Here is an example of a trick learned from this DVD:
Marketing Fluff
Amaze people with seven stunning card tricks! These are all tricks with Aces. As Kings become Aces, Aces become Jokers, and Jokers vanish, it is no wonder why this small collection generates big impact. Each trick is performed and explained, plus a bonus section includes three spectator performances. Special cards needed are included with this DVD.
Degree of Difficulty
Intermediate. You could probably take these on with a little experience in the basics. Ben Salinas teaches all of the sleights so you could attempt all of these tricks with no experience. However, if you are a beginner I would look elsewhere for some instruction in the basics first.
It is a great intermediate DVD though. You'll get an opportunity to work on your TLs and Elmsley Counts. Plus you'll learn the Ascanio Spread which is a brilliant and fun move.
Teaching
Ultimate Aces is my first encounter with Ben Salinas. Ben is a smooth magician and a reasonably good instructor. He appears to be left handed which is a bit confusing on his Elmsley Count explanation. If you have not learned the Elmsley Count you may want to reference additional instructional DVDs on this often used sleight such as the Born To Perform Card Magic DVD.
His patter is good and provides some little jokes to add a humorous flair. The only downside is that his pace is a little fast and he only shows you the moves once so be prepared to rewind a lot. Ben credits the creators of most of the sleights and the routines themselves.
The downside is that the performance videos are just for the studio camera. I'm getting used to the real, on-the-street or in-the-Castle demos on other DVDs. I would rather see real performances for real people as you get a sense of the reactions and how that affects the patter and timing during a routine.
There is also a "bonus" section on the DVD that has Salinas performing three of the tricks for "Ashley" in the studio. Ashley doesn't provide much reaction so this is not all too useful.
Quantity of Effects
Pretty good considering I paid well over retail price, I'm still satisfied with my purchase due to the number of good tricks on the DVD. I've learned a few new sleights including the wonderful Ascanio Spread. All in all, there are seven great tricks on this DVD and you can easily find it for $15 on the internet. That's a pretty good buy if you don't already have these seven dandy tricks.
Plus you get a packet of cards including one gaffed card. The cards are blue-backed Bicycles.
There is also a good variety of effects on here. Half of the routines are pure sleight of hand. The other half employs gimmicks or gaffs.
Quality of Effects
Solid, solid, solid. I've mastered two great tricks in just a couple days (I already am comfortable with the Elmsley Count so your mileage may vary).
Ultimate Ace Assembly (Mc Donalds Aces) - the aces vanish from three piles of cards only to join the ace of spades in a four pile of cards. This is a very visual trick in that one moment the aces is amoung three cards and the next second it is gone. I already have a version of the Ultimate Ace Assembly I purchased as an instant download from Penguin Magic. This is a killer trick but one that requires a good deal of set-up and a dedicated deck of cards, just for this trick. This version is a little different that the Oz Perlman version. Oz adds a few more magical moves in his version but Salinas' version is pretty good as well.
Mo Money Monte - yet another "follow the ace" routine. A good routine, but we'll have to see if it is good enough to replace my Color Monte.
Impossible (gimmicked) - Four Jokers are shown. One at a time the jokers turn face down. The four face down cards are turned to reveal that they were never jokers but the four aces. Really a brilliant trick but it does require some set-up and it is not instantly resettable.
Impossible (ungimmicked) - Virtually the same trick except that it is completely ungimmicked, the handling is a bit different and Salinas uses kings instead of jokers. This might be a great impromptu effect but it is a bit more risky to pull off as you might imagine.
Dai Vernon's Twisting the Aces - I've seen other magicians do this trick but I've never learned it myself. Show four aces and turn them face down. One by one, each ace turns face-up in the packet. Brilliant piece of ungimmicked card magic.
Easy Aces - Taking the 4 Aces from the deck, you give a magical twist and spread the aces in a fancy flourish. One of the aces has turned face down. Each time the move is repeated, a different aces appears face down. This trick teaches you the pretty Ascanio Spread created by Arturo de Ascanio.
Spectator Cuts to the Aces - This is a straight forward, yet completely beguiling trick where the spectator is asked to cut the deck into 4 piles. Taking the top card from each pile, the spectator has unwittingly cut to the four aces. There are other versions of this trick - this is a very good version using a gimmick. I hadn't seen this simple gimmick before and I'll be using it for other situations. I'm still inclined to use the version of Spectator Cuts to the Aces I learned from Greg Wilson's Pyrotechnic Pasteboards DVD.
Production Quality
The overall production is good. The video quality is very good. There is very little editing as each segment is taken in one shot. The menus are sparse but functional. The sound track is okay but a little overly dramatic and repetitive.
Overall: 7/10
This isn't going to tear up the magic community but it is a nice collection of ace tricks. The false counts and Ascanio Spread are great additions to your toolbox if you do not already have them. Plus you get a packet of cards including a nice gaff. A solid value for $15 that will give you some classic effects to add to you repertoire.
The Double Lift (DL) is arguably the most widely used sleight in all of card magic. Poorly executed, you'll look like a complete dufus. Perfectly executed and you look like a wizard. Seemingly a simple move, the DL is a tough move to polish to perfection and difficult to nail 100% of the time. For century's, the classic pass was thought to be the most indispensable move but move over pass; the DL is now the king of cards.
Here's a little sample of me performing the Knock-Out DL. Not that I perform it perfectly but it's the one that works best for me. I can hit the double 100% of the time and then handle the double as a single with confidence.
This DVD is a timeless masterpiece.
Marketing Fluff
Gregory Wilson's Double Take puts the world's greatest double lifts at your fingertips. ..even if you're all thumbs. This step-by-step instructional video is packed with more than 90 minutes of dynamic material you can perform anytime, anywhere, with any deck.For nearly two decades Gregory has been teaching his unique style of magic, as well as performing for many Fortune 500 companies. And as your personal coach, Gregory will teach you the nuances of more than 25 different double lifts ~ choose your favorites: from the top of the deck, from the bottom, from the middle, from a fan, from the table, to the table, and even doubles that flip through the air from hand-to-hand!If you're a beginner, or have never even picked up a deck of cards, you can easily perform miracles in minutes with Greg's Quick Start-Up Section. The more advanced will enjoy studying the techniques of the masters, including Dai Vernon, Ed Mario, Martin Nash, and many others.
Degree of Difficulty
Beginner to Expert. Wilson puts puts things in order. He assumes you don't even know what a "mechanics grip" is. He ties the introductory material up with a "quick start" segment providing three easy to learn miracles. The material gets harder from here on out. You'll find that some moves and routines have an steep learning curve.
The cool thing is, I really think a beginner could get this DVD as a starting point. There is no more important move than the DL in card magic. This will give the beginner an arsenal of hard hitting close-up magic. Then, as the novice advances, they can work on the more advanced material. Literally, this DVD will take you a long, long time to learn and perfect all of the material.
And the advanced card mage will love the Brittanica-like index of DL knowledge as well.
Teaching
Greg Wilson is like a tenured Harvard professor - only a lot more fun and a lot less boring! Each routine is performed in front of a small audience of attractive ladies donned in vintage 80s attire. He is constantly cracking jokes and flirting with the pretty ladies in his audience. During the instructional sections, Gregory moves slowly through all moves, usually several times in both slow-mo and in tempo.
Wilson has a gift for teaching. He really speaks to the physics of each move; where the pressure is applied, what direction the pressure is taking, what are the opposing pressure points, where the pivot points are located, what the sound of a card should sound like.
Wilson is also good at crediting the creators of the moves. He gives a little lecture on reading books. He downplays his own video as "supplemental" to the real material; the classic books of magic. I actually disagree with him on this one. I think magic DVDs have surpassed books as the primary source of magical instruction with books now as the supplemental resources. But that's a debate for another time and place. Wilson is obviously a very gracious and humble man - sometimes a seemingly rare trait in today's world.
Quantity of Effects
Wow! Like Wilson's Ring Leader DVD is to "ring and string" magic, this is THE encyclopedia of the Double Lift. As if the sleights weren't enough, there are a bunch of great tricks in this gem. It took me well over an hour to document the sleights and tricks that contained with this vast grimoire. So here they are:
Introduction - Greg telling you what he's about to teach you.
Basic DL - Greg does a good job explaining basic DL beginning with the mechanics of the mechanics grip and the thumb count from the biddle grip. It's a littler different from the basic DL I learned. Strike DL - a very popular DL because of the natural moption and no get ready. Personally, I don't like it because I occasionally get a triple (Yeah, I know...lack of practice!) Grip Strike DL - enhanced version of the Strike that adds a push over move. Knock-Out DL - Greg's favorite and my fav as well. A litle flashy and always works for me. The Basic Replacement - perhaps I wasn't giving this part of the DL enough attention! Quick Start-up - three tricks to get your feet wet. These are really good tricks so don't overlook them. Includes a very nice in-the-spectators-hand transposition.
Simple Location Trick
Simple Reverse Trick
Simple Switch Trick
More replacements... Maintaining a break after the replacement Bernard Bilis Replacement - a flourishy replacement. Revolve Replacement - flourishy & emphasizes the singularity of of the double (that's an oxymoron!) Juan Tameriz Replacement - cool out jogged replacement. Racherbaumer Replacement - another cool out jogged replacement. Vernon Offset Replacement - Yet another reason why Vernon was a genius. Pick up a double and display it away from the deck in the air for the crowd. Table it and place the cardbox on top of the tabled card. Guess what? It's already back in the deck!
Get Readys...
No Brainer DL Auto DL Pinky Count DL Thumb Count DL
More doubles...
Double from a Fan DL from a Dribble Dai Vernon's DL Color Changes DL without a Pack Tabled DLs
Tricks...
Phoenix Aces - pluck 4 Aces from the air, one at a time. This is not a back palm production. It uses some sleights that I was not familiar with.
Weighted Aces - Wilson's version of Doc Daley's Last Trick. Using 4 aces, demonstrate your ability to tell which ace is which by weight alone. Follow up with some amazing"in the spectator's hand" transpositions. Very good trick I use all the time.
Two Wrongs Make A Right - Starts out as a pick a card trick. Only problem is that you guess wrong twice. Take the two wrong cards place face up on the deck. Snap your fingers over the deck and the correct card appears from thin air, face up on the top of the deck.
Jumping Gemini (Darwin Ortiz) - Reminds me of the Color Monte on steroids. This is a difficult trick to master. Not because of the sleights but because there are so many sequences to remember. Miss one sequence and you're fricked. As a little bonus, Wilson does a great job teaching the Elmsley count.
Ambitious Card Routine
Greg performs his ACR but does provide the explanation. It's a pretty good routine that ends in a card to card box. If you don't know the ACR I would recommend the Worlds Greatest Magic by the Worlds Greatest Magicians: The Ambitious Card DVD from L&L Publishing.
Bonus Tricks...
Bizarre Twist (Paul Harris) - I loved this trick. You start with 3 red backed cards. You slide a black seven face down between two face down red aces. Twist the cards apart and the seven is now face up. Do the sequence again and this time when you flip the seven over it is a blue backed card.
Stop Trick - Drop a face down on the table. To the side, deal the remaining cards onto the table and ask the spectator to say stop. Drop the stop card onto the first tabled card. Flip them over and they are both red aces.
Double Monte - Two red aces and a black queen. You show the black queen and table it face down. You then show that you have two red aces in your hand. A quick spin and the two red aces become one black queen. You flip the tabled card over and it is the two red aces.
Quality of Effects
Even the simple introductory tricks are keepers. The people in the audience audibly gasp in each and every trick.
Production Quality
This is the only weak point in my review. This is Wilson's first video back from the days of VHS tapes and when Wilson had more hair! This DVD was obviously recorded from tape and it shows. That being said, the tape quality is pretty good throughout most of the DVD. The sub titles and transitions are were pretty good for it's time. I've seen much worse on DVDs produced in the last couple years.
The DVD menus are pretty complete. Not all of the break points are in the menu but most are and can can skip through to the ones that are not given menu selections.
Overall: 9.5/10
My highest rating so far. This is a resource that you will use for years to come. The tricks alone would make a solid DVD. If you need a resource to determine the best DL for you, this is going to fit the bill. Sure, there may be some lessor known DLs that are not covered here but there is sure to be a few that you'll come to cherish.
Penguin Magic sells this DVD for a paltry $26. That's what you call a no-brainer purchase.
The video above was a collaborative video project by magic geeks hanging out at the Penguin Magic Forums. The rules of the project were simple; grab the 7 of diamonds from the left, do something magical and pass the card to the right. I'm the (old) guy who levitates the missing 7 from his breast pocket. Thanks to TimurY for a great job as the producer/editor.
