Like its predecessor this is a big and in depth project. The move is split up into its constituent elements and each one is explored in minute detail. First up is

The Get Ready

This starts at the very beginning – how you hold the deck and what a break is. Then six different methods for getting there are described: The Lift Up, Gary Ouellet Get Ready, Push Over Break, The Lift, The Thumb Count and The Pinkie Count.

The Turnovers

The meat of the move is the actual turnover itself. There are – can you believe it – 14 different ways of turning the double taught (although some are fairly small variations on each other). I’m not going to list them all here – you can check out any advert for the details. Some are very flashy, others very casual – there really is something for everyone.

There are helpful comments and tips on when different variations might be appropriate. In addition to the normal top of the deck lift, there are a couple of variations from the centre of the deck. One or two of the moves feel like they are there for completeness but have little application – but I suppose you never know…

As if all these variations on the DL were not enough, this wouldn’t be a BBM DVD without including some great tricks utilising the move.

The Tricks

The Chicago Opener/Red Hot Mamma

is probably familiar to anyone who has been in magic more than 5 minutes, but remains a great trick.

The Fingerprint Trick (David Solomon)

A technically easy trick with a nice premise and a strong kicker for a lay audience.

Two Card Transpo (Peter Duffie)

We’re big fans of Peter Duffie and this neat little effect doesn’t disappoint. There is nice ‘staging’ for this transposition of two cards which adds to its visual appeal – and dead easy to do.

Leapfrog (Dave Campbell)

Another nice visual transposition effect – this time of aces sandwiched between cards of the same colour.

Double Swap Sandwich (George McBride)

This is a variation of an Alex Elmsley trick which is a great starting point. Using a pair of Kings as ‘tweezers’ two cards are selected and returned to the pack. The other pair of Kings are used to find them – but in fact locate the original pair of kings – which have now magically turned into the selections whilst sitting on the table. This utilises one of the special double lifts taught earlier and is a really clever routine – as long as your spectator can remember two cards! Elmsley’s original version is also taught.

Mona Lisa Trick (Mike Skinner)

The lovely premise of this trick means that it carries much more weight than its simple mechanics would suggest. A freely selected card is lost by the spectator in the middle of the deck. Then a ‘Mona Lisa card’ visually transforms into the selection in a dramatic way.

Final Thoughts

As well as providing very clear explanations of the actual mechanics, there is a lot of wisdom about finesses and contexts for using different moves and techniques. As we’ve written before, Liam is a great teacher with a knack for explaining things clearly.

The main question left in our minds was, given all the existing literature/DVDs covering the DL was another disk necessary? If you’ve already got a DL you use then this may not be an obvious purchase. But there is value in having different options in your tool bag – and you could still pick up some useful tips and grow in confidence in your handling of the move. This would certainly be a brilliant resource for someone just starting out – clear teaching combined with some great effects…

Available from MoM – £22.99 at time of writing. With thanks to BBM for supplying the review copy.

The post The Double Lift Project – Review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

We’ve been sitting on this 2 disk DVD set for a while – but it was well worth waiting for. Though it hurts us to say this on bicycle-cards.co.uk, I should warn you at the outset, that Liam uses Aviator cards all the way through! And whilst we’re on full disclosure he has a slightly unsightly plaster on his left hand thumb nail which I found slightly distracting as I watched. But don’t let these things put you off!

The Elmsley Count is undoubtedly an important move in card magic. But Liam argues that as a group, we magicians have often done it without thinking carefully about it. So he has researched lots of the literature on the move, and tried to bring together lots of tips and his own experiences to explain the move exhaustively.

So after a short history of the move, he moves on to teach it. The count is taught in painstaking detail – with each tiny step explained and analysed. Every beat of the count has its own menu entry so it is easy to come back to the details. There is a helpful discussion of the movement of your hands, rhythm (which is usually the ONLY thing talked about), and the use of the count with larger and smaller packets.

The next section looks at a number of variations on the count. Each one is first demonstrated, and then explained carefully.

Ed Marlo’s Opec Count is a kind of ‘out of position’ Elmsely.

Jack Parker’s Outjogged Elmsley – I’d not seen this one before and it is a very fair looking variation.

Pinch Grip – this is the version I first learned in my first trick with the count – Walton’s classic Rainbow Cascade. On a slightly geeky magic note, Liam says this was originally a Jack Avis handling with jumbo cards – but I first saw it in Ed Victor’s EYE trick – which I think might have predated, and possibly been part of the inspiration for the Elmsley count. But either way, Liam clearly doesn’t like it!

Snap Count – this is an Elmsley with sound effects! Particularly useful when you are emphasising the number of cards.

Dai Vernon’s Twist Grip – to avoid some of the problems of repositioning cards between different count grips. [If you listen carefully on this explanation you can hear someone’s kids in the background!]

Underground Elmsley – leaves packet in original position. (good for practising)

Vertical Elmsley – a variation for use when seated at a table – I’ve also used it with jumbo cards when standing up.

The next section includes some Other Counts

Jordan – this classic goes with the Elmsley like horse and carriage.

Spirit – this is more related to the Jordan count and shows 2 as 4.

Discrepancy City Display (Bannon) is used in one of my favourite impromptu tricks (which is explained later on the disk).

Siva Count (Jack Avis) sort of a combination of the Elmsley and Jordan counts.

Bullet Party Display (Bannon) – this displays 1 odd card and 3 duplicates whilst actually concealing 2 faces.

In all this is a really useful set of counts and variations. Time for a quick bit of nostalgia by way of approving of this disc. One of my earliest and most treasured books was the classic counts, cuts, moves & subtleties. It was about 20 years ago I first laid my hands on that and it was a fantastic way to learn some of the most useful moves in card magic. If I was starting all over again, this section of the DVD would be a really serious alternative – especially for those that don’t like books so much.

Disk 2

After a brief tutorial on making multiple lifts in a small packet (using a Bro John Hammon technique) we get into some really strong tricks which utilise the count.

Four Card Trick – Alex Elmsley’s classic. If I am honest, I didn’t really enjoy Liam’s presentation of this. But it remains a great trick with a kicker ending and ends clean. You can also enjoy the sound of sheep bleating in the background of this and many of the following effects!

Twisting the Aces – Dai Vernon’s classic. A wonderful economical effect. Hard to know what to say, except everyone should know this routine.

The Odd Man Out – Liam Montier – I’d not seen this before. But it is a nice engaging presentation with lots of magic. And it ends clean. Great stuff.

One Too Many – George McBride – close up version of classic 6 card repeat. This is a whole pack trick not a packet one and can therefore be performed anywhere. It’s a great routine – and in Liam’s version has no need for palming. A real worker.

Que Sera Sera – John Bannon – this is one of my favourite impromptu effects. A really cheeky (in method!) prediction effect which is strong in performance and easy to do. I can’t remember where or when I learnt this – but the presentation on this disk works better than the one I had remembered from before!

Jacks in the Box – David Solomon – here’s a clever sandwich and transposition effect which all takes place in the card box! Some clever routining enables a lot of magic to take place with very little work on your part.

Whisperstition – Liam Montier – this is another clever bit of routining, which shows you the power of the Elmsley count in the context of a whole deck routine. You get 2 revelations of selected cards plus a clever transposition in this conjoining of a number of different effects.

Jazz Aces – Peter Kane – another classic routine – the aces transpose with 4 indifferent cards in the cleanest possible way. A variant handling is also included.

In Conclusion

I have always loved packet tricks. This set has got me to revisit the wonderful world. Although I often think of the Elmsley count as something to use with a special set of gaff cards, some of these really strong and impromptu effects show how versatile this count is.

The explanations are very clear, and a pdf is supplied with all the credits for the routines (though it does reference one trick ‘The Montinator’ which does seem to have made it to the final cut of the DVD!).

Whilst this would be a brilliant set for someone just starting out in card magic and wanting to learn the move, I think even experienced magicians would pick up some useful tips, or learn a couple of strong routines from this. So it comes highly recommended.

Available from MagicShop.co.uk for £22.99 (at the time of writing). Many thanks to BBM who suppplied the review copy.

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