Reviews: Read What Others Are Saying: page 4
204 ★★★★★ reviews
144 ★★★★★ reviews
85 ★★★★★ reviews
131 ★★★★★ reviews
Fundamental Techniques
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 30 December, 2024)
It's Roberto Giobbi, the modern standard for instruction in card handling, providing 30 minutes of video teaching, and it's free on Lybrary.
What else do you need to know to give this five stars?
4 Most
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 30 December, 2024)
This short book provides four fun effects, three of which are basically self-working, and one that requires an intermediate level sleight.
The author provides the simplest handling and presentation required, but each trick could form the basis for a more elaborate routine.
Low Vision Marking System
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 30 December, 2024)
Don't let the title fool you; this is far more than just a system for those with limited vision. It provides several options for a coded marking system for a standard Bicycle Rider deck. The basic pattern provided allows marking more than just value and suit, with additional markings for one-way, and position and sequences for stacked decks.
At a basic level, the system proposed by the author substitutes some (simple) math for improved visibility of the marks. Of course, it won't be long before identifying the marks will become automatic and the math will become unnecessary.
Although you might be familiar with some of the approaches, it's likely that you will find some things that could spark your own marking system.
I would recommend it to anyone who wants ideas for creating a marked Bicycle deck (though it could even help with ideas for other decks).
Stone Cold Mental 3
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Evan Katz (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 29 December, 2024)
Excellent. Anxiously waiting for the next ones.
My Secret Coding for a Thought-of Card
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Musa Awais (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 26 December, 2024)
Some great ideas in here. While I won’t use the exact code as explained in here, I was immediately able to create a variant code (based off of Biagio’s code) that works for me. That I will be using. And I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I didn’t learn Biagio’s code first. Highly recommended.
Jinx
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Gregg Webb (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 19 December, 2024)
Probably whatever can be said has already been said about the Jinx. Ted Annemann was certainly ahead of his time. And so prolific. The ideas flow. A lot of mental effects with cards, effects with folded paper 'billets', trick envelopes, and more. Even some regular magic tricks with cigarettes and other items. Headline predictions, all kinds of mentalism in fact. I read this compilation of issues of the Jinx many years ago, when I knew next to nothing. Then again later on. This time I am going slowly through it and can absorb only a few articles per day. At this rate it will be a companion for quite some time. Don't expect this to be a quick read, but more like a post-graduate course in the art of deception. 4 years on this and you'll be an expert for sure.
One of Card Magic's Best Kept Secrets
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Maher Alhammad (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 19 December, 2024)
I am familiar with many methods of working with cards and locating a card, but when I watched the video describing the effects, I couldn't figure out how it was done. Then, one principle came to my mind that might be used, although I couldn't find a way to achieve the same result. I thought these effects were done using a specific principle (which is not well-known), but I was wrong.
The principle used is something I've never encountered before. You will see a full historical overview of this principle in the e-book. So, most of it covers this historical overview. The effects are easy to do with little practice, and they will probably fool many top card magicians and laypersons.
If you are looking for a magician fooler, buy this.
My rating: Effectiveness: 5/5 (especially if it's done to a magician) Easy to do: 4/5 (Not very hard, but not too easy. It'll require some practice) Creativity: 4/5 Secrecy: 5/5 Practicability: 3.5/5
When a Hat Drops
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by hal barlow (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 16 December, 2024)
The title would inply that these are impromptu tricks. They are certainly good tricks, but most need gaffs of some sort. Not something you could do "at the drop of a hat".
Practical Mental Effects
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Joel Brondos (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 15 December, 2024)
These effects are MENTAL! They blow peoples' minds. I really appreciate the fact that these have been made available to novices like myself.
Faromania
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Joel Brondos (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 15 December, 2024)
I have not found another book or DVD that covers this material. I appreciate the showmanship this work represents.
Card Mastery
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Joel Brondos (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 15 December, 2024)
Well-done - even a novice like myself can learn a great deal from this work.
The Exception
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by John Paul (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 14 December, 2024)
I purchased this effect after coming across discussions of it on a few magic forums. It really does live up to the hype. Often one will find themselves purchasing effects that don’t live up to the hype, or where the ad copy is misleading in some way. Neither of those things was the case here. I can totally see why this fooled many top-flight card guys. As someone who is a fairly knowledgeable card magician themselves, I didn’t have any proper ideas on how this was accomplished when I saw the trailer. The method really surprised me, in a good way.
While I won’t be using this often, simply because I don’t perform for magicians often, this would make for a great performance piece to show your magician friends. It’s meaningless to perform it for lay spectators because they won’t be able to appreciate the impossibility of it, at least not in a way that a magician would be able to.
Even if you don’t ever perform the trick, it’s worth purchasing just to learn the method, which, with some thought, has other uses as well. It’s a powerful and deceptive tool to add to your knowledge.
Reverse Rings Mystique: Magic More Series
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 14 December, 2024)
This routine reverses the normal linking ring plot of sequentially linking the rings, instead focusing on the unlinking process (or "breaking the chain") and introducing several unique ring handling techniques. It is written in a somewhat scientific tone.
It includes not only the mechanics but also the rationale for the choices made in designing the routine.
Another Sampler: Werner Miller
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 14 December, 2024)
This short ebook contains more well-written and -illustrated samples of mathematical effects from Werner Miller.
It contains over 15 tricks using a variety of different props.
Abraca-Poof August 2017
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 14 December, 2024)
The author discusses three types of magician personalities he has encountered.
He also includes tips for building a backdrop, instructions for making a rip-open change bag, as well as other useful articles.
Abraca-Poof August 2016
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 14 December, 2024)
This issue contains an interesting article on magicians who "steal" bookings by undercutting the prices of other magicians.
It also provides advice on marketing your services as an investment, on non-verbal communication, and on the rewards of planting seeds of kindness.
Abraca-Poof April 2017
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 14 December, 2024)
This issue contains another article on invoicing for charity shows.
It also includes an entertaining article on music licensing, among others.
Blistr
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Gregg Webb (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 14 December, 2024)
I didn't want the kind you stick to your fingers, which may be good if you are a real gambler. No, I wanted one that you use in private to mark cards for magic or mental magic. This is exactly what I was looking for. I use it all the time and I love it. Great for a key-card. It is a tactile instead of a visual clue.
Scripted #15: cut and restored ribbon
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 14 December, 2024)
The "cut and restored ribbon" (originally done on a smaller scale with a straw and string) is a standard beginner magic trick. The author extends the handling with some new approaches to deal with the larger tube, and provides a full script to provide cover for the idiosyncrasies in the inherent handling of the effect and the his specific approach.
One of the most interesting things in this "Scripted" series is the author's detailed explanation of the thinking behind the creation of the script. His clever solution wraps the performance around the story of the classic "sawing a lady in half" trick.
This is another excellent release in this consistently excellent series.
Multiplying Golf Balls
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 14 December, 2024)
My professional set of billiard balls was destroyed when my workshop collapsed, so I decided to look at a DIY alternative. This product was a perfect fit. It provides solutions for some of the challenges I faced in my own designs.
Keep Calm and Do It Yourself
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 13 December, 2024)
A handful of DIY projects.
The most tempting to me was a Magic Painting routine.
Tricks Without Names
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 13 December, 2024)
Subtitled "A Mathemagical Medley of Semi-Automatic Tricks," this collection contains effects designed for both regular and ESP cards.
Not all of the tricks are entirely self-working and may require some sleight of hand.
Generally, they are structured like other similar mathematical tricks, and the explanations are very well written.
The Exception
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Tom Vella-Lott (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 13 December, 2024)
I've been a hobbyist magician for nearly 20 years. I've read a lot of books, watched a lot of lectures and tutorials and purchased a lot of products. This has got to be one of my biggest regrets of all time. If it wasn't for the fact some random dude messaged me on reddit asking him if I knew how it was done, I'd have never found this trick. I watched the live performance twice and was intrigued by how fair it seemed so I bought it, I read the PDF and I am actually angry. This is not 100% reliable. There are at least 3 factors that could easily go wrong. The method is impractical and convoluted. I can't say more without hinting at the method but do yourself a favour and don't spend your money on this; Just do Vernon's Emotional Reaction (from Dai Vernon's Inner Secrets of Card Magic) and don't worry about trying to fool magicians. Even if you pulled this off, the effect is so mediocre they'll forget about it in two minutes.
Victory Cartons
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 13 December, 2024)
Unfortunately, this minimal ebook doesn't add anything to all of the other easily available literature on this classic effect.
Exhale
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 13 December, 2024)
Exhale is a shuffle force using a gimmicked card. It is designed to allow locating the force card by both touch and sight.
The product includes directions for building the gimmick, as well as handlings for various situations. It then follows up with some example performance uses.