Woody (or his translators) write well in a very conversational style which makes the book a joy to read. He is a real enthusiast and that enthusiasm is infectious as a reader. However, don’t expect to sit down and read this book in a sitting. This is a book which will repay careful study over time.

I am increasingly convinced that mem deck magic is amongst the most fooling that you can perform – and there is also some satisfaction in the brute achievement of having memorized a whole deck! But beware. Although a few routines in this book will work without having put in the hard work of memorization, this is a serious work for serious magicians who are prepared to invest time and effort for their art.

Before I forget

Woody is very well read and I really appreciate the way he carefully attributes inspirations and techniques in the different routines. In any field of magic we are all standing on the shoulders of giants, but nowhere is this more true than for the mem deck. Juan Tamariz is clearly a huge influence on Woody Aragon and Woody himself encourages you to buy and familiarise yourself with Juan’s magnum opus – Mnemonica – if you really want to appreciate some of the subtleties and techniques which really make mem deck work fly. He also refers to Simon Aronson’s collection Bound to Please as another invaluable resource.

The first thing the book covers is the development of Woody’s stack. A LOT of thought has gone into this. The book is the result of years of study, experimentation and performance. And this is very reassuring – if you’re going to make the investment of time to learn the stack you want the reassurance that the material actually works!

As well as being a joy to read, throughout the book amusing illustrations help you to learn the stack pictorially – although they do not (if I have counted correctly) cover all of them. Perhaps they will be finished in the project volume 2! Plenty of other line and photographic illustrations make sure everything you need to understand is very clear.

Another early chapter describes the method (he calls it a game!) he uses to teach the stack to classes. If you’re familiar with memory techniques, there’s probably nothing new here – but it is a helpful summary nonetheless. He also gives some tips to help revise stack etc.

A plethora of effects

He starts by teaching tricks which don’t require the stack to be memorized – simply to be in order – as a way to help you learn the stack. He then moves on to the idea of the half stack – an incredibly powerful idea. It is easier to learn than the full stack – and the first half of Aragon’s stack has all sorts of clever attributes which open up many strong effects. These include spelling effects, gambling effects, weighing the cards, matching the cards etc.

There are then plenty more effects using the full stack – including more poker effects, some very clever prediction and ‘fishing techniques’ and other more original ideas.

He has a section on effects which aren’t dependent on the stack you use – so even if you already use a different stack there are ideas here for you. And in another chapter he specifically explores how to move between the Memorandum stack and the Tamariz or Aronson stacks. Unless you are a very competent handler of cards (and audiences) I would suggest this might be overkill – though if you have a particular favourite tricks you perform with different stacks I can see why you might want to do this.

For me, one of the most brilliant and exciting concepts in the book is the Siamese deck. I don’t want to give away the details here – but to my mind it opens up some amazing possibilities. I would like to devote some time thinking this principle through in relation to non-memorized deck work too since I think there is a lot of scope with this idea.

In addition to teaching the effects he also teaches how to reset the deck (and some intriguing rules about ‘undoing’ the effect of dealing various hands of poker etc.) – there is something verging on the fanatical in the depth of understanding he has of the mechanics of both his deck and the effect of various shuffles and combinations on a deck order.

There is also a chapter covering some false shuffles and cuts and the explanation of a clever little device you can make yourself with fairly simple craft skills which will help you to switch half a deck for another.

So who is this book for?

Potentially several different people. If you are already a user of mem deck material, then this book is well worth a look. Even if you don’t want to learn a new stack, there are ideas for routines and techniques which you may be able to develop or add to your existing stack and effects.

If you’ve not yet memorised a deck then Woody’s stack would be well worth the investment of time. You may wish to consult some of the other standard works referenced above in order to gain more ideas and techniques, but the Memorandum stack itself is a very powerful tool all on its own. And the book covers all you need to know to get started.

You may never want to memorise a deck but simply (like me) enjoy reading widely in magic to broaden your repertoire of techniques and influences. If that’s you, there is much to commend about this book. As I have mentioned, it has opened up a load of ideas and possibilities in my mind – if I ever get round to spending some more time on them. (To that end, it would also be worth looking at this book in relation to the Marksman Deck we reviewed recently.)

In fact, Memorandum would be well worth a read for anyone who shares my passion for good quality card magic. Don’t bother if you’re a hobbyist who just wants to perform tricks which require no effort, but if you’re prepared to make an investment in your art, then this comes highly recommended.

You can pick up a copy of Memorandum from magicshop.co.uk for £46.50 (at the time of writing)

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

Woody Aragon – Memorandum – review

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The post Woody Aragon – Memorandum – review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

Disc 3 – Close Up Miracles

This third DVD explores two areas of close up magic. Some lovely coin magic routines – including Rubiales’ work on the coin box – and a load of ideas using the kind of mini plunger made popular by Jon Armstrong’s Tiny Plunger release of some years ago. These are all studio performances rather than ‘live’.

Chinese Hole – a really nice little routine with 3 half dollar coins and a Chinese coin. The Chinese coin travels through the pile of coins one by one. You’ll need to practise the handling to get this one down, but when you do it is a lovely routine with ungaffed coins.

Coin prediction – successfully predict the outcome of tossing a range of coins of different values. Uses a principle often used with gaff coins and applies it to normal coins to make this a more or less self-working wonder.

Crazy sides – a fun ‘prediction’ effect where te prediction is revealed written on a coin you are holding from the outset. Comedy comes from repeatedly turning the coin over to apparently show multiple sides until the actual chosen card is revealed. (Not really taught in detail)

Flip Change – very visible coin change where the value of a coin changes as it is ‘flipped’ with a playing card.

Oil and Water – the classic card effect now with coins. 2 silver and 2 copper coins are fairly shown and interleaved and instantly separate out into silver and copper. Coins clearly shown on both sides. First done at fingertips. Second done under a coin box. Third phase also in box but done by spectator. Beautiful and fooling routine. Constructed so that the most powerful phase is also in many ways the cleanest.

This is a coin trick – this is a really entertaining presentation where the spectator appears to ‘guess’ four cards the performer selects from the deck – and then four coins appear underneath the cards. So baldly explained it sounds unimpressive, but in fact with some presentation skill it is highly entertaining. Not too difficult to perform.

The Fountain – a lovely instant transformation of four silver coins into four copper coins in a small metal box, after all have been examined. Having enjoyed Oil and Water my mind was already racing about ideas utilising the clever subtlety in the final phase and this is an excellent use of the same principle.

Transposition in silk – as the name suggests – a copper and silver coin swap places while held in handkerchiefs by two spectators. Another good example of thoughtful routining using a move which reminds me of an old Bob Ostin idea

Multiple Travelers – four copper and four silver coins change place in the blink of an eye. You will need a couple of extra things for this, but you’ve probably already got them. Great instantaneous visual magic.

Coin Detective – with the help of a mini plunger a coin is pushed through the deck landing on top of a card chosen by the spectator. Visual and very easy to do. Great effect.

Two Coin Transposition – a coin in the spectator’s fist changes place with one resting on top with, you guessed it, the push of a plunger.

Chink-a-chink – the classic assembly routine but with four coins and two mini plungers. All the coins travel to one location.

Plunger card location – to the amusing premise of the performer not touching the cards (with his hands – using only two plungers!) the spectator manages to find their card using only a plunger.

The Ambitious Card – again, as its name suggests, this just applies the plunger prop to the classic ambitious card routine. The nice feature here is that the spectator does the magic.

The spinning card – here the plunger is used with a nice visual effect to ‘correct’ the magician’s mistake when he locates the wrong card. As the plunged card is spun it visually changes into the correct card. Nice!

Extras

Kids Race – an fun idea using full size plungers and giant cards – taking the tiny plunger to the stage!

It is worth noting that several of the routines on this DVD require either Boston or Okito coin boxes – which are well worth investing in anyway if you have an interest in coin magic. I really like his thinking with these boxes – in fact the whole DVD is a great example of applying some lateral thinking to common routines.

One small drawback is that much of the material on this DVD requires a ‘formal’ close-up setting where the performer is seated at the table – so it is not all suitable for the more common walkaround scenario. Again, however, I would suggest there are ideas that can be incorporated into other routines you already perform, or that will stimulate new ideas for your own work.

Disc 4 – Classic Plots

Like Disc 3, these performances are all studio performances.

The General Card – an entertaining routine that is hard to describe briefly. But a series of spectators choose cards and they are all revealed in an amusing way. A detailed explanation is given and also another section of afterthoughts – this is clearly a routine he has performed a lot.

Tribute to l’homme masque – after successfully revealing the spectator’s chosen card, you then show the whole deck is made up of that card, and then just as quickly the deck reverts to a normal deck – but with their card missing. This didn’t do much for me as a routine, but does have a lot of interesting subtleties in the way it has been put together.

Travelers – four of a kind travel one at a time from a packet into the deck and then another four of a kind appear. Part of the Jacks routine from DVD1.

Vanishing Aces – the performer shows 4 aces and three of them vanish very cleanly one by one. I don’t want to give anything away, but you will need to be seated for this one…

Impossible Matrix – this is a really fun twist on the classic matrix effect. In the first phase the ‘covers’ disappear one by one. In the second, the coins travel one by one to appear underneath a card. And then in the climax all the coins travel at once. This really suits Rubiales’ quirky sense of humour and the theme he uses often of ‘the magician messes up’.

Backpalm Reversal – as its name suggests this is more of a move than a routine. It is a clever way of using a classic move in a different way. The result is that controlled card ends up reversed in the deck. I’m sure you can find a use for this.

Call to the colours – the classic effect where a series of cards constantly re-arrange themselves in patterns – alternating red and black, two red, two black, etc. In the final phase the spectator does all the handling and shuffling, but the whole deck separates into red and black. For me, this is not one of the more exciting routines on the set. And it will also require some pretty good card handling skills.

Prediction – this is an incredibly fair looking prediction effect. A prediction is made at the beginning of the trick. Then the spectator shuffles the deck several times, the deck is split into several piles, the spectator chooses any pile and stops dealing at any point. And the prediction matches. I was completely fooled by this the first time I watched it – it uses a clever technique which flies by. (One small quibble, he uses but doesn’t explain a psychological force.)

Card to pocket – does what it says on the tin. The second routine using the clever technique alluded to before.

NPI – this is essentially a spectator cutting the aces using the technique described. Looks beautifully clean. I love the sneaky thinking.

Extras

The extras on this DVD are a series couple of coin magic PDFs – a silver/copper/Chinese routine and a routine based on a Tamariz card idea applied to coins and called Bad Accounting. A second pdf has four pages of notes on some classic coin moves (Han Ping Chien, Click Pass, Italian Palm/Thumb Clip). They are useful extras.

Concluding Thoughts

Rubiales is clearly a very gifted and creative magician. He has a Very deliberate style which initially wound me up a little – but grew on me. It is a great example of using your performance style to accent the magic. But in fact it is his own infectious joy in the magic which draws you in. One challenge of his own strong personality is that it is sometimes hard to imagine what a presentation would look like by a different character – i.e. you!

On occasion it is slightly difficult to understand his English. But you get used to it, and in some instances the subtitles can help. I would have loved to see some more ‘live’ performances. The chamber magic was performed in a venue which seemed to lack a little atmosphere, though the signature routines on Disc 2 show off his ease with an audience more clearly. But Discs 3 and 4 were all studio performances which therefore lack a little something.

The explanations are generally very clear, though one or two are a trifle on the brief side. If you’ve been around in magic for any length of time this shouldn’t be a problem – but the absolute beginner might be left scratching their head occasionally.

On the positive side, like all of this series, the DVD is beautifully shot with high production values. The menu system is clear and easy to navigate. Rubiales is an enthusiast – and careful thought is evident in the way so many of these routines have been put together. There is therefore much to learn – even from the structuring of the magic – even if you don’t end up performing all the routines. So Ole is well worth the investment of some time and money to learn from this Spanish master.

Olé is available from the Merchant of Magic for £146.99 (at the time of writing).

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

The post Juan Luis Rubiales – Olé – review (part 2) appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

You receive some specially gimmicked cards and a link to an online teaching video (47 mins long). (You might be forgiven for expecting a DVD – it is that kind of packaging – but there is no DVD!)

Apparently the routine started off as a challenge from Juan Tamariz – and in some ways I think that shows in the method. It is designed to achieve a particular outcome (a very clean display before an instantaneous ‘solve’) – but the solution creates its own ‘problems’. The gimmicks will take quite a bit of handling practise to get really convincing – at which point you might just as well have learnt the original pure sleight of hand version. Nonetheless, I enjoyed hearing about the evolution and development of the effect – Engblom is certainly a creative guy.

A variation is taught with a borrowed deck – but since at heart it is the same method, you actually just create extra steps as you have to get the gimmicks in and out of position. I’m not sure that the benefit of using an extra deck is worth the extra effort. Certainly the original method looks so fair and clean (and ends examinable) so there’s not going to be much heat on the deck.

The other small disadvantage of this method is that it really needs to be performed seated. Whilst you probably could find a different way to ‘clean up’ from the one taught, I’m not sure how easy that would be. To be fair, most Triumph effects do work better in a seated setting.

The teaching is clear with good, if slightly steady, explanation. It’s all shot from a single camera angle but this isn’t really a limitation.  A few extra ideas are suggested using the same gimmicks. For example they can be used to make a peek deck or to perform a chaos to order type effect where a mixed deck returns to new deck order. I don’t think any of the extra ideas were that practical/useful in the real world – so you’re really primarily buying this for the triumph effect.

So we’re a bit on the fence with this one. Pieces is a nice addition to the genre, but I don’t think it will be finding its way into my set. If you want to put a little work in to fool people badly then this is certainly a clever idea. And if you’re just an avid collector of Triumph variations, then what are you waiting for?!

Pieces is available direct from Merchant of Magic for £27.99 (at the time of writing).

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

The post Christian Engblom – Pieces – review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

In case you’re not familiar with the effect, it plays a bit like this. Performer introduces a deck of cards with the word ‘shuffled’ written on the side of it. Spectator chooses a card which is then lost in the pack. During a series of perfect shuffles, the word on the edge of the pack keeps changing, finally changing into the name of the chosen card. The extra kicker comes when all the cards (which have been very freely shown throughout the routine) turn into the same card as the chosen card.

It’s a great twist on a solid routine. The deck is cleverly gimmicked to mean that the final change requires no slight of hand (this is not a new concept, but has been used in various decks in the past). With any change there is a payoff. This obviously adds a strong extra climax, but also slightly reduces the freedom with which you can handle the deck on the way. At the same time it does make the force (sorry – you did realise there must be one of them) in many ways much cleaner – so there are pluses and minuses to this.

Can you shuffle?

The main part of the routine is largely unchanged from the original – and it will require you to do a perfect faro shuffle. This is not a trivial thing to get right every time, so that will put some people off. But if you’re prepared to put the work in you will have a very powerful effect in your hands.

The legend that is Juan Tamariz has come up with an alternative handling which doesn’t require a perfect faro shuffle – instead relying on a number of manual ‘interleaving’ processes. This obviously opens the effect up to a wider range of performers, however in my view the routine is made much less strong – it is a slower and clunkier handling. It also requires an extra card you’ll have to make up or buy. Although I like Morillo’s attempt to justify this with an engaging patter idea, it just doesn’t do it for me.

Teaching is provided via a link to an online video. The way you set up your deck is very clearly explained – and you will need to mark the sides of the deck yourself – you only get one chance to get that right! The teaching of the routine itself is slightly harder to understand due to Morillo’s quite thick Spanish accent – but to be honest, if you can do the perfect faro then the routine is more or less self-working. The deck itself is printed by USPCC – some people find these decks harder to do a perfect faro with but once you’ve broken the deck in a bit it should be perfectly possible.

Pros and cons

Two minor downsides would be that the continual faroing of the deck will reduce it’s life – so I hope they will make cheap replacement decks available – since historically decks gaffed in this way have been a tad on the pricey side. The routine is also really primarily suited for a seated formal setting since it is really necessary to use a table. Nick Einhorn has apparently come up with an in-the-hands handling, but I haven’t seen that so can’t comment.

So Reshuffled is a difficult one to give a verdict on. The effect is certainly astonishing and will get great audience reactions. However, you really need to put in the work on a perfect faro if you’re going to perform this – so enter with your eyes wide open! I like the extra climax this deck enables, but one could argue that it is almost ‘too perfect’ and so flags up the earlier force. If you took that view you might prefer to buy Gertner’s DVD and learn the original (which you could make up with any deck) and get some extra routines to boot.

The decision, as they say, is yours. Available direct from MagicShop.co.uk for only £21.99 (at the time of writing)

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

The post Pedro Morillo – Reshuffled – Review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

If you’re going on holiday, you really should take some reading matter with you, and our first recommendation is this new reprint of the long admired book by Juan Tamariz – The Magic Way This new edition has been revised and updated and is full of some brilliant magic, and some deep wisdom on the performance of magic. £30.99
If you like thinking about the impact of your magic on spectators, then 793.8 by Jeff Stone is also worth a look (and is on my wishlist!).

We haven’t highlighted any new decks for a while, but here’s one that caught our eye. The Pagan Deck is now available in the UK – we love the elegant borderless back design, beautifully illustrated court cards and luxurious tuck case. Great for collectors or performers £15.49

We’re a fan of all kinds of close up magic here at bicycle-cards.co.uk and this new effect from Kreis Magic looks incredibly visual (well worth watching the video). In Cointum Tunneling, you remove a coin from a see-through container, replace the lid on it, and then visually ‘hit’ it through the container – and the spectator can remove the coin themselves. If you can get over the terrible pun in the name this could be worth a look. £22.50

And finally – if you would like to be able to do an easy and visual torn and restored card, you may be interested to know that Chris Webb’s RE is currently available at slight less than HALF PRICE – only £12. This version uses a gimmick so reduces the amount of sleight of hand.

That’s all for now. We’ve got reviews of two great new decks of cards coming up and OUR BIGGEST EVER COMPETITION with some AMAZING prizes… So keep checking back.

The post Trick of the month – August 2014 appeared first on Bicycle Cards.