51 Fat Chances is an intriguing little effect with the premise of a bet. The spectator is given ’51 chances’ to find a particular card in the deck. After a very fair set of cuts and deals the final card is, of course, the chosen one. It’s a clever way of using the Balducci Force in an unusual way since the ‘forced’ card is not actually chosen. This feels a bit more like a puzzle than a mystery, but with the right presentation could be powerful. I like the way the routining justifies the slightly odd Balducci procedure. And it can be done with a borrowed shuffled deck – with the spectator doing the all the work.

Leverage – this is a sort of ‘sucker’ prediction where you revise your prediction, apparently based on how the spectator cuts the cards, and the spectator is seen to behave completely as you predicted. This is really just a simple force and revelation, but the presentation lifts it well above this. Again – perform anywhere with any (shuffled) deck.

Tiny Contrary Killer – I love the typical Bannon weaving together of different principles and ideas here to make a really clever routine. A spectator cuts to a random card and a second spectator merely thinks of a card – with one or two surprising twists you demonstrate that you predicted both cards much earlier. I love the subtle thinking here and the magical effect is out of all proportion to the effort required. Wonderful.

Pedal to the Metal – this starts as a simple revelation of a chosen card but in the second phase after a really fair looking random procedure the spectator ‘builds’ a card which again you have earlier predicted. This uses a force I haven’t seen before (I need to complete my set of Semi-Automatic Card Tricks It think!) plus one you’ll be very familiar with on this DVD! This is a brilliant impromptu (ish – there is some set up but it is quite easy to do this on the fly) routine and the principle lends itself to all sorts of sneaky variations. Get your thinking caps on…

Matchismo – from a well-mixed deck the spectator selects three cards for you and for them. They are found to match – and then they make a number which you’ve already predicted in advance. This one doesn’t appeal to me as much as some of the others. It is an interesting effect, but the routine didn’t really do it for me. The shuffling procedure may well have other uses and is worth pondering, and as always the thinking behind it all is worth listening to. John also provides a few extra thoughts and variations.

Chronic – the spectator merely thinks of a card at a number known only to them. After various cuts and shuffles you manage to locate their card. It is a distant relative of the clock trick – though the link is more in the use of time as a theme than anything else. For me this was one of the weaker effects on the DVD but I think this was more about the presentation not grabbing me.

Bannon Triumph – this is quite an early Bannon creation so you may have come across it in other books /dvds. In effect, the spectator chooses a card, the rest of the deck is mixed up face up and face down and then instantly righting itself, leaving all the cards of the spectator’s chosen suit face up and everything else face down. Some set up required but a really lovely triumph which is easy to do and has a slightly quirky presentation.

Free Willy – this is a lovely 3 card prediction based on a well-known principle alluded to in the title! I love the presentation for this which somehow lifts a simple prediction into something much more engaging and entertaining.

Move Zero Moves

As on Volume 1, there is also a ‘trickbag’ teaching a number of useful moves. They are as follows:

Down Under Deal – this isn’t really a move, so it seems odd to have a section devoted to it. But Bannon makes a few helpful observations on the way.

Jay Ose False Cut – repeated from Volume 1 – but included in case you haven’t got it.

Probability Cull – this is a clever way of stacking your deck ‘on the fly’ almost imperceptibly. This is a really useful technique which will be of use in lots of routines including some on this DVD.

Gilbreath Second Principle – this is an ingenious principle which can be used to strengthen the appearance of many effects which use some kind of stack. Even if you don’t understand why it works it’s great to have it in your repertoire.

Key cards and crimps – some reflections on two useful weapons in your arsenal – enabling you to locate cards and sets of cards with ease. Don’t underestimate the power of these ‘basic’ techniques.

Remote Rosetta – this is a helpful technique which helps a spectator do a riffle shuffle when they can’t riffle shuffle! You can also use this to retain a small stock of cards.

Final thoughts

Interspersed throughout the tricks and moves are short interview segments with John Bannon. They are all interesting – though I particularly enjoyed the fascinating discussions of his creative process and philosophy of card tricks.

A number of these effects (like in Vol 1) have already been published in Bannon’s 2015 book Destination Zero – but for those of you who prefer to learn from a DVD this is another superb addition to the library. I will probably try to get hold of the book too. Although sometimes the second volume in a series is weaker – all the good stuff going into the first one, this manages to maintain the quality and is building into a great series – roll on volume 3…

Move Zero Volume 2 is released at the beginning of next month – you can pre-order now at the Merchant of Magic..

(Review copy kindly supplied by the good folk at BigBlindMedia)

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This is classic Cameron – it is easy to do (all but self-working – you will just need very basic card handling skills to pull this off), entertaining and packs a punch. The spectator will be genuinely baffled by how they ‘do the magic’ and the audience will be thoroughly entertained.

The DVD is shot to BBM’s usual high standards and includes a couple of live performances (including one from the Magic Castle, where Cameron used this to close his set each night) as well as a detailed explanation and some other fun stuff. If you look closely you’ll even find a discount code to save you money on other Cameron Francis titles. You also receive a special deck of Bicycle cards – all ready to use (without giving too much away, they’ve even done the pencil dots for you!).

Over the Top is a really strong routine which I think you will enjoy performing. It does require good audience management skills (especially the very first part), and to really sell it you will have to work hard at providing the necessary energy, but we all know that the secret of strong magic is in the presentation don’t we?

The deck is fairly obviously a one-trick pony and Cameron does include some basic thoughts on switching it in. It might have been nice to include a little more detail here – but there are plenty of resources you can go to for that information if you need any help (e.g. Giobbi’s masterful Art of Switching Decks – or Greg Wilson’s excellent Cold Case which we review here).

Re-set is very straightforward and can be done in front of the audience as you ‘clear up’ the final display – so this is very versatile. It really is hard to find anything to dislike. Except perhaps the name which I think is a bit Over the Top…

Available from Merchant of Magic for £27.50 (at the time of writing).
(With thanks to the gents at BBM who kindly provided the review copy)

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Bannon is a great magician and a clear teacher. He starts this first in a proposed series of DVDs with a definition of what self-working magic is. Throughout the DVD Bannon continues to explain his philosophy of what makes a strong ‘self-working’ trick. The concision of his explanations matches the concision of his effects and it is particularly interesting to hear about his personal favourites from all the effects he’s created over the years. But let’s take a look at the magic taught on this DVD.

Move Zero – The Tricks

Collusion
Two spectators place jokers at positions they choose themselves, and the cards at these positions are used to create a new card. This is then located by dealing down to the number made by adding the spectators’ two numbers. This is a lovely twist on the ‘Gemini’ principle which turns it into a pseudo-ACAAN. A lovely twist combined with a nice premise and, of course, dead easy to do with only minimal setup. He even explains a way to set up on the fly without too much effort.

Sort of Psychic
This is a lovely effect where under the premise of testing the spectator’s intuition they are able to locate their chosen card by simply cutting the deck. This is a beautiful example of how the presentation and framing of an effect can make an enormous difference. It takes a potentially dry procedural trick into an engaging effect. A great one to have up your sleeve when you’re asked to do a trick.

Ulterior
A spectator chooses a card which is lost in the deck. The magician then removes a few cards and the spectator manages to eliminate all but the chosen card. Although this is move-free, it does require some linguistic subtlety. Bannon covers this in some detail but it does require a little ‘jazzing’. For me this is not one of the strongest effects on the DVD, however the whole thing is really an ulterior motive for setting up a stack within a freely shuffled deck. In other words, having performed this effect you are then in a position to perform an even stronger effect which you’ve set up without the spectator noticing! Neat.

Prophet Motive
After an enormous amount of random shuffling and dealing on the part of the spectator they then manage to cut to a card which matches one you put aside before the whole thing began. This is another great ‘spur of the moment’ effect which is very easy to do but packs as they say a lot of ‘bang for your buck’. Bannon teaches a number of different tweaks to the presentation and takes you through some clever subtleties.

Ion Man
This is a quirky little prediction effect (based on a Max Maven trick) where the spectator chooses one of three imaginary coins, then chooses whether it is heads or tails up, and you demonstrate that you have predicted all their choices in advance. This is all about sleight of mouth – one of my favourite kinds of magic. An unusual little prediction and a neat idea.

Ban-nihilation
The spectator shuffles the deck and then cuts the deck somewhere between two ‘marker’ cards. The card at that location is found to be the card predicted on the back of the marker cards. A couple of little subtleties make this a super-convincing and super-easy effect to do – so it’s presentation all the way.

Four Sided Gemini
Three randomly selected cards match a fourth you have already set aside. This is really a slightly different presentation for the method used in Collusion. A clever routine with a nice presentation – you’ll do this often.

Perennial
Again, this is really a nice presentation for a principle you’ve seen elsewhere on the DVD. I like the presentation – where you predict a card which has been chosen via the random elements of an unknown date selected by the spectator. You can do this anywhere with any deck with no setup. Another fabulous little effect.

Move Zero – The Moves Taught

It is perhaps slightly paradoxical that a DVD called Move Zero teaches you a number of different ‘moves’ – but none of these can be described as ‘sleights’ but are useful tools for performing the tricks on the DVD and many others. Here they are:

Jay Ose False Cut – not really a move since if you can’t cut a deck of cards to the table you really shouldn’t be handling cards. But a very deceptive looking false cut. He also teaches a variation where the spectator does the work!

Cross Cut Force – another classic yet simple way of forcing a card. Bannon teaches you some of the psychology that will make this even more deceptive. Also a variation on this called the Deal & Cross Cut Force which adds a further apparent level of fairness.

Balducci/Cut Deeper Force – another ‘self-working’ force which is used in a number of the routines.

Rosetta Control – a nice way of helping a spectator who can’t riffle shuffle a deck to achieve the same effect – and also to control a card or cards in the process.

Remote Control – This is a clever away of allowing a spectator who can riffle shuffle do so whilst still keeping control of a particular card.

Equivoque – a powerful mentalism technique which is used in a number of different effects on the DVD. Bannon shares a few thoughts on this – but to be honest I felt like this section was a little light on detail given that he describes himself as a ‘student of equivoque.’ I think this is a bit of an omission since on a ‘self-working’ DVD, this is in many ways a sophisticated technique. True, it doesn’t require any ‘moves’ – but the mental and linguistic gymnastics involved in using equivoque well could arguably take this out of that category. I love equivoque and have read quite a bit around it myself and used many tricks utilising the technique over the years, so none of the effects proved problematic for me – but if you’re an out and out beginner you may need a little more help.

The Verdict?

Bring on Volume 2. Which is to say, we love it! The teaching is clear and it’s shot in a low-key understated way. There are some really strong, easy to do, and pretty much impromptu effects here. I will try to work a few of them into my memory banks so they are available at any request. This is a great DVD which you must buy!

Available from the Merchant of Magic for £25.50 at the time of writing. (Many thanks to Big Blind Media who kindly supplied the review copy.)

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Backs to the wall – based on Dai Vernon’s ‘All backs’ routine this is a nice effect where the cards appear to be printed with backs on both sides, but then become printed. The solid backs on the NOC playing cards look particularly good with this. You’ll need basic card handling skills (holding breaks, dribble force, etc.) which aren’t taught in any detail – but there is no tricky finger flinging here (unless you include the Erdnase colour change which is a little knacky – but an alternative is suggested). A solid (irony intended) routine building on the shoulders of others.

Bluff Cull/Ensemble – a great technique for culling cards which is hidden in plain sight, leading on to a ‘spectator cuts the aces’ routine. The culling is covered by some pattering which won’t suit everyone, but it seems like a nice solution to the challenge. The cutting the aces routine is really nice – using a variety of subtle techniques which are all easy to do. Nice.

Three Phase Daley – extends the classic two card transposition effect into something greater. Two aces and jokers repeatedly change places. I like this routine a lot. In the performance/explanation I found the similarity in design between the NOC Aces and Jokers rather confusing (the NOK joker is just a star in the middle of the card – so could easily be confused for an ace to my mind) – so I would perform this with more visually distinctive cards. But a great routine and easy to do.

Mental Sandwich – nb this is the first of three effects on the DVD for which there is no performance video so the DVD goes straight to the explanation (confusingly the performance is listed on the menu, but that also takes you to the explanation). The spectator merely thinks of a card from a packet of 5 taken from a shuffled deck. The 5 cards are then lost in the pack and the chosen card is instantly located between the 2 jokers.  Some nice thinking here – utilising subtleties old and new.  Not too tricky, though it does require a bit of culling.  There’s some extra teaching on the cull technique provided separately – which is handy since it is used in a few of the effects.

Sent and received – the performer telepathically sends a card to the spectator who is shown to be correct. A lovely homage to Dai Vernon using a sneaky and very easy technique – a good one to have in mind for a performance with a borrowed shuffled deck.

Top, Middle and Bottom – the spectator eliminates cards from the top, middle and bottom of the pack which is shuffled along the way, finally selecting a card. This card is fairly lost as the spectator shuffles and cuts the card away into the deck. You can then reveal the card they’re “merely thinking of” and, if you choose to, locate it in an instant. Another great little routine – nothing complicated here but an entertaining effect.

Slow Motion Triumph – this is a packet version of the triumph effect where the cards gradually right themselves after they have been mixed face up and down – finally leaving only the spectator’s chosen card the right way round. On the way you’ll learn a lovely Justin Higham small packet false shuffle which is beautiful. You’ll need another technique which is taught in ore detail earlier on the DVD

Telekinetic – to a nice premise about ‘telekinesis’ cards repeatedly turn over within the pack, the final one being the spectator’s chosen card. There’s a small set up which then pretty much makes this one fly with very little effort on your part. Another goody!

Splistville – another one which has no performance video, only an explanation. Inspired by Paul Harris’s Las Vegas Split, this is quirky effect.  A face up four appears in the middle of the deck, and is then “split” into two ‘twos’ and then into four aces. This didn’t do too much for me – though it might have felt stronger if we’d seen the effect performed first.

Homage to Bannon – a ‘reverse sandwich’ effect where the two jokers appear and then the whole deck becomes sandwiched between jokers with the exception of the spectator’s card. John’s take on a Bannon effect – need I say more to assure you of the quality?

Whispers – the jokers ‘whisper’ the identity of 3 cards chosen by the spectator. As an added climax, the jokers turn into the first two chosen cards. Simple to perform, strong, effective. A number of effects on the DVD (including this one) rely on a sort of small packet ‘repeated ambitious card’ phase – so you might not to perform more than one of them in a set.

Assisted Ambitions – a spectator’s selection repeatedly jumps to the top of a small packet of cards, and then the three ‘indifferent’ cards instantly change to match the first selection. Influenced in lots of ways by the excellent John Bannon, this is another strong routine – though note my comments earlier about the ambitious sequence. I particularly like the penultimate phase of the routine where the chosen card rises through the packet though everything is held in their fingertips.

Invisible Interlude – a card effect with a coin, or a coin piece with a card? You decide. After a series of coin vanishes and reproductions, the coin vanishes and reappears on top of the spectator’s chosen card in the middle of the deck. This will require some basic coin handling skills but is a nice routine for involving your audience if you can manage it. John briefly teaches all the moves involves and gives references if you want to investigate them further.

Two’s company and? – this is the final one with no live performance section. It is a great sponge ball routine which has a different shape to the one you normally see magicians do! It’s got a few good moves and forms a pleasing little ensemble.

One card and one thought – the first spectator selects a card and then the second one creates one in their mind – and they miraculously match. Based on an Al Leech idea this is a very practical solution to the effect. There is a little bit of set up involved, but the set up enables a very clean looking effect which nicely involves your spectators.

Final thoughts

John has an easy teaching style which I appreciate. Explanations are at a good pace and are easy to follow – though not perhaps as detailed/deliberate as some DVDs. On screen titles – especially for the performance sections – would have been helpful to aid navigation – especially since some performance sections were missing.

Everything is well attributed and the explanations are peppered with little tips and ‘questions’ to consider. John’s something of a magical magpie – he’s widely read which means he’s unearthed some gems of moves and put them together into clever routines.

His magic is very efficient – achieving a lot of magic with minimal moves – in this respect he’s similar to John Bannon whom he obviously admires. None of the effects use gaff cards – and most can be done with a borrowed shuffled deck. I would think anyone would find a couple of routines that suit them here – and most will find several. Recommended.

Eclectica is available from Merchant of Magic for £24.99 (at the time of writing).

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

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Ultimate Self-Working Card Tricks – this is a super disk which we loved full of strong but more or less sleight-free effects.  Rather like the Card College Light concept, the idea is that you can gain some valuable performing confidence and skills with some effects which are easy to do, yet still pack a punch.

The False Shuffles & Cuts Project – being able to appear to mix the deck up whilst retaining its order is a valuable skill in its own right and adds extra conviction to many of the other routines you’ll learn.

The Double Lift Project – more or less the most useful sleight in the repertoire – this comprehensive treatment will teach even an old hand some new techniques. Some great techniques and some excellent effects.

The Forces Project – again an indispensable skill (how often have you read ‘force a card using your favourite method’?) and covering a wide variety of methods from the more or less self-working to the more skillful techniques like the classic force.

The Controls Project – this is the one disk on the project we seem to have missed out in our detailed reviews – but even sight unseen I would recommend this. A recurring theme of our other reviews is the quality of Liam’s teaching, so I have no doubt that this will cover all you need to know about controlling and moving selected cards around the deck.

The Elmsley Count Project – the wonderful method behind so many amazing packet tricks – this DVD teaches you not only the basic count, but many variations and other counts, to say nothing of some awesome effects using them all.

Ultimate Impromptu Magic – this is another cracking disk in which you’ll learn some astonishing routines you can perform at the drop of a hat. Being able to perform some stunning magic when someone hands you a deck and asks you to show them a trick is an essential skill for any would-be card magician and you’ll learn some brilliant material here.

Ever since these disks started appearing individually (back in 2012 I think) I’ve had the sense that they would be worthwhile gathering together, and I’m so glad they finally have done. If you’re just starting out in card magic, I would be hard-pushed to suggest a better place to start. The quality of the teaching is excellent and the routines have been hand-picked to be both strong, but (mainly) relatively easy to do. If you devote yourself to mastering the 16+ hours of material on these disks you will be well on the road to being a card magic pro. And you’ll probably find some deals which will make this an even better value investment than buying them individually.

Unreservedly recommended. Available direct from Merchant of Magic – currently at the bargain price of £64.99.

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Before I make a few more general comments, let’s get in to the review of the effects.

Get Into It

This is a nice effect where spectator apparently reads another spectator’s mind – managing to stop dealing at a card that the other spectator has only thought of. It looks very fair but for me involved quite a drawn out process – which suits his laid back style but might not suit yours. The explanation is slightly disjointed, but part of the method does require a bit of ‘jazzing’ so I suppose some of us will need some help with understanding that. Very clever multiple methods going on here. It doesn’t require advanced card handling but it does really need a table. He teaches both a set up and an impromptu version. Worth a look.

Finnell’s Finders

A very clever ‘finders’ routine where 3 chosen cards are located in a squeaky clean way despite having been lost in freely shuffled and cut sections of the deck. This is one of the routines which requires a perfect faro and is enough to encourage you to learn it – it’s a very subtle and clever piece of magic and the presentation works well.

A.C.A.NTeloupe

I’ll admit it – this fooled me badly when I watched it the first time. It is a very clean and fair looking ACAAN routine based on an ingenious Alex Elmsley principle. It’s not quite a pure ACAAN – one spectator removes an unknown quantity of cards and then a card chosen by another spectator and shuffled into the deck is found at that number. This is probably technically a ‘mathematical’ card trick – but it doesn’t have that feel at all and is brilliantly constructed. And this trick alone would be enough to encourage me to learn my perfect Faro. I really like this. And the genius thing is you don’t even know what the card or the number is before the climax! A minor variation is taught which makes you even more ‘hands off’ but also reduces the success rate!

12 Degrees of Empathy

Building on ideas of Leipzig, Rusdeck and Bannon this is a lovely matching cards/do as I do routine. The strongest element of this, for me, is the beautiful presentational hook which really turns this into a meaningful piece of magic rather than just a trick. Some setup is required and, you guessed it, a perfect faro. But a pleasing little effect.

Sleights

A bonus section of almost an hour teaching some useful sleights and controls. The sleights are well explained and some extra wrinkles taught too. I’ll just outline briefly what they achieve.

Dropshift – 1 handed control from centre to bottom in action of spreading cards on the table. A useful, sneaky and not too difficult move.
Shovel Control – this time you control a card as you’re dribbling the pack to the table (an in the hands variation is also taught).
Center Shift – shifting a card from the centre of the deck to the top as it is apparently pushed in to the middle. Quite tricky!
Parifax Change – a variation on the Erdnase colour change.
Mechanical Popout – based on an Ed Marlo move, enables you to pop a chosen card out of the deck one-handed.

The verdict

Hudson Taylor comes across as a very nice guy and is very thoughtful about what he does and how he does it. He is very articulate and is excellent at crediting sources which I always appreciate. It is very apparent that he uses these routines himself and has thought carefully about why he does what he does and how to connect and communicate with it.

Explanations are thorough – in some cases I almost felt like there was too much detail. None of the routines require anything other than an ordinary deck of cards, and most are impromptu. The sleights he teaches would have many applications and are worth studying.

In short, if you like your cards and are prepared to put in some practise then I would highly recommend Implausibilities. The routines are extremely powerful – and once you’ve mastered the techniques, not too difficult to do.

Available direct from Merchant of Magic for £22.99 (at the time of writing).

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

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But I don’t think it is just the fact that I have gorged myself on sandwich effects, that leads to my general lack of enthusiasm about this release.
The DVD teaches, and I quote, “5 Powerful Sandwhich Routines”. Without even mentioning the unnecessary capitalisation in that claim, I would still have to dispute that claim. They are all sandwich routines. But I’m not sure I would call them all powerful. Let me try to describe them.

Quick Sandwich is just that – a card is selected and returned to the pack and found between two jokers. This is the classic sandwich effect.

Duo Sandwich takes this idea and makes it unnecessarily complicated! First the Jokers vanish, one by one, then they appear in the deck with a large chunk of cards between them, then they move to the top to make a true sandwich of the chosen card.

Escape Sandwich – two cards are chosen and the two kings are placed in the card box. Then the other two kings are placed in the deck and capture two cards between them. These turn out to be the other kings – and the original selections are found to be in the card box.

Costume Sandwich – this is essentially the same as the Escape Sandwich but with your pocket being the mystery location, rather than the card box.

Deluxe Sandwich – 2 mystery c ards go in your pocket. 2 jokers are removed. 2 cards are chosen then lost in the pack. The 2 jokers find one of the selections, then another. Then it turns out it is the cheeky kings who have captured the selections. No wait a minute, they’ve actually captured the pesky jokers – and the selections are now in your pocket. Are you confused yet?

My descriptions contain the essence of each effect, but to my mind in the actual performances there are many superfluous moves – displaying and re-displaying cards – dealing and re-dealing – etc. I just don’t think this is very elegant routining.

There probably needs to be a caveat – I first watched the performances with English subtitles, ironically enough whilst eating a sandwich. So this may not have been the best way to follow the action. But to write the descriptions above I re-watched the ‘studio’ performances with no distractions – and I still found them confusing – though this time there was no explanation (English or otherwise).

The live performances are a bit noisy and with subtitles. The studio performances and explanations have no spoken dialogue or explanation simply an increasingly annoying piano riff on endless loop.

The explanations mean I could only really recommend this release to a reasonably competent card magician, since not only do the routines require some moderate sleight of hand skills (side steals, breaks, palming, etc.) there is literally no verbal explanation of any of these – you simply have to try and follow the action in his hands. This can be a bit confusing since he switches between showing you the moves and showing you the current position – but of course with no verbal cues it is hard to tell which is part of which.

Most of the routines make use of what he calls the ‘Sliding Door Change’ – a way of switching one face down card for another between two face up cards. Again, the explanation is a little hard to follow without verbal explanation (though not impossible) – and to me the whole move is a bit convoluted.

You probably haven’t picked up on this, but I’m not a big fan of this release. I think there are other simpler and clearer sandwich effects available. The most positive thing I can say is that it only runs for an hour so it’s only 60 minutes I’ll never get back.

If you’re a die-hard sandwich trick collector, don’t let me out you off though..

BH Sandwich is available from MagicShop.co.uk for only £22.99

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

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Taking the rough with the smooth

So, what’s it all about? The first thing you see when you play the DVD is a warning. BBM and Lawrence have been very safety conscious in this DVD and there are multiple warnings about suitable precautions when using roughing spray products in particular. You might want to bear that potential risk in mind before buying this DVD for a minor. Though there’s no risk if you use the products sensibly.

The DVD looks at the different options available for roughing your decks – notably roughing sticks and roughing sprays. And it explains the pros and cons of both and the technique needed for using both. After explaining the basic options and principles of roughing playing cards (and various different methods of applying the roughness to achieve different results are explored) there are then explanations of a number of different gaffed decks utilising this method.

There are all the usual suspects (Invisible Deck, Brainwave Deck, Nudist or Mental Photography Deck, Pop-eyed Popper Deck) and also clever variations on a theme.  We love the way he combines different principles to extend the ‘functionality’ of a deck.  So there’s an ID on steroids which you can fan, dribble and it has a ‘brainwave’ feature. There’s a really clever variation called the KKID (with a nod in the direction of Kenton Knepper’s classic Kolossal Killer) which allows you to show the backs of the ID.

Tips, tips, tips

There are also lots of tips, different ways of setting up the deck, ideas for making a forcing deck (including for non-card forces) – you name it, it’s probably there. If you love doing all these XCM flourishes which involve cutting decks into silly numbers of packets, there’s even a deck which might help you – the DNF (=Does Not Fan) deck – so if you drop cards in practise they won’t go everywhere!

There’s more detailed explanation of the technique for spraying cards and a tutorial on the whole process of making an ID – including tips to make pairing it up easier. During this (and various other) explanations, they make good use of speeding up the process to an amusing backing – classic BBM humour!

You even get an FAQ section – covering some really useful questions about all aspects of preparing and handling roughed cards. Sensible advice from someone who knows what he’s talking about! In addition to the DVD you get a sample roughing stick to get you started – it really is quite an easy process.

What do we think?

This is a hard disk to score. It is a quality product – filmed nicely and covering all you need. I really appreciate Lawrence’s straightforward and down to earth explanations – he says all that is necessary but very succinctly – no wasted words. The ‘performances’ aren’t really performances – but then that’s not really the point of the project. This is more about technique and manufacture than performance.

And that’s the rub really. Would you actually want to make your own gaff decks? Well, maybe. You might save a pound or two by making them yourself – though probably only if you were committing to making quite a few since you’d have to buy your spray or whatever you were going to use.

On the other hand, if you want to make up your own packet tricks utilising this principle, or you want to make up a special deck in a non-standard back design, or for a special trick of your own design, then this DVD will really tell you all you need to know to be able to get right on and do that. So if you’re a creative sort – or if you like working with a particular brand of cards that don’t currently come in the various gaffed flavours – then this is definitely for you.

Rough and smooth is a powerful principle – and there were a few twists or new ideas to me on here and I’ve been in magic for 30+ years. So if that sounds like you’re sort of thing, we’d definitely recommend it. And remember that buying a roughing stick on its own would cost you around £19 (though NB you are not supplied with a FULL stick with this DVD).

Available direct from MoM for £28.99 (at time of writing). (With thanks to BBM who kindly supplied the review copy)

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The Thick Card Basics

First Liam talks you through how to make your thick card (dead easy) and a few thoughts on your choice of card for thick card. Then he covers the basic controls – cutting it to the top and bottom and using it to control a chosen card.

As with all the DVDs in this series Liam goes into plenty of detail on the little touches which finesse these moves. I don’t recall seeing the overhand shuffle technique before (though I’m sure it’s not new) – and there were a couple of useful variations on this.

The Force is strong with you

After a good variety of controls, the DVD turns its attention to using the thick card to force a card. There are a surprising number of variations here – including riffles, dibbles, and more psychological forces. There’s a clever ‘improvement’ of the classic cross cut force and even a peek style force which allows for very clean handling. Liam also offers some general thoughts on handling and working with the thick card.

Doubles, triples and beyond

Liam demonstrates how a judiciously placed thick card can make for a really easy double or multiple lift – even making a tabled double lift very straight forward. This could have application in lots of routines. In the next of the periodic advice slots Liam gives an almost evangelistic defence of the versatility and superiority of the thick card over various other locator cards. (But also reminds you that other locator cards are available (!) and many of the techniques taught on this disk could work with them.)

Let’s take a peek

As if controls and forces weren’t enough, the thick card also facilitates some nifty peeks. Technically speaking the top and bottom peek techniques taught don’t really rely on the thick card – instead Liam is demonstrating how to use the thick card to control the selection into a position where you can use a ‘standard’ peek. The ‘middle peek’ does rely a little more on the use of the thick card, as does the (slightly dated?!) ‘wind up gag’ peek.

The routines

We’re not going to do a detailed breakdown of all the routines as we sometimes do, but just make a few comments over all. Liam has returned to some classic books and some classic effects and in many cases simplified their handling by the use of a thick card. Worthy of mention are Allerton’s classic ‘Surprise Speller’ and two other classics – the Biddle Trick and Dai Vernon’s Emotional Reaction. There are also a few Rovi routines which make me want to go and dig out my copy of Rovi Reveals again! All the routines are workable and some very strong – and they will no doubt stimulate you to think about how you can utilise a thick card in other routines you already perform.  Essentially anywhere you might normally have to hold a break, a thick card allows you to do this without any sleight of hand and with even cleaner handling.

I have to confess – when I first saw this DVD on the review pile, I wasn’t really excited about watching it – but watching it has definitely inspired me to re-visit this old tool. There is no doubt that it enables an incredibly clean-looking handling and allows you to perform some stunning magic. If it’s good enough for Alan Shaxon then it’s good enough for me. Well worth taking a look.

Available direct from MoM (with thanks to Big Blind Media who kindly provided the review copy).  £21.99 (at time of writing).

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We’ll jump straight into the tricks first of all before making some more general comments.

Your thoughts are mine – John Carey
You reveal a spectator’s thought of card which then magically turns face up in the deck and turns out to be from a different pack. There are some nice touches here but for me it was one of the less striking effects on the disk – which makes it a shame that it is most likely the first one you’ll see.

Compatability – Wayne Dobson
Here’s a clever effect with a nice premise – testing your compatibility with the spectator. Despite an incredibly fair looking procedure you and the spectator end up having signed the same card without knowing it. Can be done with a borrowed shuffled deck. There’s a little bit of mental maths to do – but with a bit of practise you’ll be baffling your audiences.

Wayne Man – Wayne Dobson
This is a fantastic pseudo-memorised deck presentation which is incredibly easy to do – but if you can sell it you will absolutely knock their socks off. I love the simplicity of this and directness – and it can be done with a borrowed shuffled deck. This probably won’t fool magicians but is a brilliant application of an under-used principle.

Future Deck – Jack Vosburgh
From a classic book (Scarne on Card Tricks) this is an effective prediction trick where a freely chosen card matches one you previously set aside in the card box. It requires a bit of set up (and will be a one trick deck) but all this preparation makes it incredibly easy to do.

Automatic Ace Triumph – Kuniyasu Fujiwara
This is an unusual effect (originally published in the well named Japanese Ingenious) in which having mixed the aces up in amongst a larger packet of cards, some face up and some face down, in the fairest possible way the cards instantly right themselves leaving only the Aces face up. Now I know how it works, I still don’t know how it works! It’s a little bit ‘procedural’ but in the right context it could work. You’ve got to try it out!

Emotional Reaction – Dai Vernon
A subtle little routine, as you’d expect from Vernon, using a very well known technique but in a very well hidden way. This enables you to locate a card the spectator has peeked and lost in the fairest (looking!) possible way. Reveal it in your favourite way. Again this can be done with a borrowed and shuffled deck.

Power of Thought – Paul Curry
This is a very powerful coincidence effect with two decks of cards. The spectator thinks of a card from the first deck – and it turns out to be the only one which matches with the second deck as they are dealt out together. This fooled me first time – which is quite rare – and the method is so simple yet devious you’ll love it. Some set up required but re-sets quite easily for subsequent performances. (Paul Curry is clearly a genius – if you liked this, check out Worlds Beyond, the book it comes from – full of more Curry magic)

What a Turn Up – Kaymar Magic
A small packet ‘do as I do’ – where you and the spectator both turn over a single card in a packet behind your back and they are found to match. Not a massive puzzler – but easy to do and a nice kicker at the end when all the other cards are seen to be jokers. It has the benefit of slipping in your pocket or wallet when you need a no-pressure trick to perform.

Route 1 – Dave Forrest
This is a very clever and fair looking ACAAN effect utilising two decks of cards. I love the sneaky and subtle method here – a great example of Dave Forrest’s lateral thinking. You will need to do a bit of work to set this up but it is well worth the effort. A few variations are suggested too.

Double Salto – William B Gibson
You and the spectator have half the deck each, then each choose a card and return it in the other person’s half. In an instant both cards reverse themselves in the re-assembled deck. Super simple to do – but with a strong impact on your spectator. You can do this any time with a one second setup. This is a classic effect.

Further than that – Stewart James
You read the spectator’s mind, spell to their card, produce the aces and a straight royal flush. Quite a lot of magic for almost no effort! There’s a setup (of course) but otherwise self-working – though a false cut or shuffle will significantly improve the impact of this. A great little trick.

So is it really awesome?

Yes – I think it is. The list of contributors alone should be enough to tell you that! The DVD is as usual very well produced. It has been shot in a variety of locations with a range of performers and the usual good-looking ladies to assist! Explanations are all clear and concise and for the most part the effects really are self working – in the sense of requiring no sleight of hand.

I keep wondering when they will run out of material for these kinds of disks, but I have to say that this feels like one of the strongest releases yet. They seem to have plumbed a few of the more classic routines which many newer magicians may have missed and made them more accessible by making a DVD of them. So I’m highly impressed by the collection – although one or two effects feel less strong I could see me using almost all of them in the right setting.

Highly recommended – and available direct from Merchant of Magic – £23.99

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