Reviews: Read What Others Are Saying: page 42
204 ★★★★★ reviews
144 ★★★★★ reviews
85 ★★★★★ reviews
131 ★★★★★ reviews
Slam - and other pet peeves about the Chop Cup
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Tom Yates (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 30 August, 2019)
I am sorry to say that this was a disappointment for the money. I don't mind paying for a magician's notes when they offer something substantive about his spin on an effect. I was rather hopeful that the "pet peeves" here would be instructive, but they don't offer much that anyone who has performed the Chop Cup has wondered about--and perhaps already changed himself. The routine the author performs is presented in good detail, but there isn't much new about it. A major disappointment in the routine he offers is the initial premise of the chop cup process being a "con". I already do the Three Shell Game; I have a con routine. The Chop Cup needs to get away from the contest/challenge idea, even when the challenge is benign, as in John Mendoza's famous routine.
I also find it slightly ironic that the author dislikes the "slam", and yet uses a Don Alan cup. Don was the master of the loud slam, especially at the end of his routine with the final loads--not to take away from the quality production of the cup itself, of course.
Note: the 28-page pdf contains a number of inserted blank pages.
Forget Your Mom
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Michael Cook (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 18 August, 2019)
This is a terrible effect. It's a kids party trick. The description is very misleading. Avoid at all costs.
Heads, I Win. Tails, You Lose!
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Phillip Dennis (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 17 August, 2019)
I prefer this to Max Maven's version. I've used this many times as an impromptu effect in bars and restaurants. All you need is to either be prepared for the reveal, or just carry or borrow a sharpie.
Samuel Cox Hooker and his Rising Cards
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Anthony Couch (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 11 August, 2019)
I bought this book a long time ago as soon as it was released. I still love it and come back to it time to time. In fact this is one of those times. Looking for more information and came back to this 1 book to find some answers.
Mindreading Supreme
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Dave Arch (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 23 July, 2019)
Thank you for saving this Orville Meyer routine from extinction. I had never read it before but found it to be as genius as some of the other works of his that I have read. Very practical and workable.
ESP Cards with Bicycle Back Marked
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Phillip Dennis (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 22 July, 2019)
These are excellent Zener cards for mentalism. Bought these since the Bicycle rider backs are perfect for use with readily available rider back gaff cards. If you have Larry Becker's World of Super-mentalism II then with these and rider back gaffs you are set to perform ESPitome described there in. Of course many other ESP card effects will use these. The markings are also very easy to read (I have progressive lenses) making ESPitome a breeze. I bought two sets (needed for ESPitome). Probably should have bought three! Best $10 I've spent in a while.
Anything You Say
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Craig Plain (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 12 July, 2019)
I have to disagree with previous review. I think the method is quite obvious to the audience, and I was highly disappointed by the lack of script or patter lines or any consistent structure. In description an ‘Orrible Murder is used, implying a British theme. Yet that’s it...other then the recommended deerstalker hat, there’s nothing more British mentioned. You’re left to your own when developing the “hilarious” routine. I thought this might have been a fun interactive routine and so I shelled out $10. But it was not worth it.
Anything You Say
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Dave Arch (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 09 July, 2019)
I love the Murder Mystery premise. It can become a short playlet on stage with much fun and audience participation. And it doesn't get more simple in method than this (without too much pace slowing procedure). However, the method will fly by most audience members with ease due to some great subtleties built into the routining. And the artwork is fun and first class too. I'm going to make this up. Thanks Chris for finding it and preserving it.
My Best
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Larry Brodahl (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 08 July, 2019)
A great book. One that I donated to the local club years ago, and just repurchased because there was material in here I wanted to see. J.G. Thompson is one of my favorite authors, since he writes clearly and plainly.
Add in the wide mix of talent that donated to this book, and you've got a winner.
Shared Secrets
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Martin Hart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 04 July, 2019)
A superb collection of two strong 'info-gathering' methods and a number force. As a creator of methods for mentalism on television, I use many 'info-gathering' cheats, of which some carry an element of 'chance'. In 'Shared Secrets' Devin Knight clearly explains three stress-free sure-fire ways of making everything go the mentalist's way. Recommended for all those seeking that 'impossible' feel to their routines.
Magnetic Money
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Michael Cook (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 24 June, 2019)
This effect will never work. It’s impossible to pull off. Spend your money elsewhere. I’m not a fan of writing negative reviews but this is the worst.
Even Stephen
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Dave Arch (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 20 June, 2019)
Thank you Chris for salvaging this collection of prop bets with cards where the odds aren't anywhere near what they seem. Many were new to me, and I sure had never seen them routined together like Ken did here.
Palm Reading for Magicians
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Dan Dent
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 18 June, 2019)
This DVD is single-handedly responsible for setting me on the path towards a new career as an ‘events’ palm reader, which I have been doing now for the last four years. It teaches enough for anybody to give insightful, engaging ‘character analysis’ type readings, and serves perfectly as a solid grounding for further study of the oracle.
I can recommend it wholeheartedly.
Gone
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Steven Hofstein
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 12 June, 2019)
Very clever! A great addition to any string magic repertoire!
The Fly
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Michael Cook (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 06 June, 2019)
This is an excellent effect. All the dirty work is done before the trick even begins. I had to change the handling on some parts to suit my needs because the original handling looked very unnatural. Overall a great trick. Definitely worth buying.
Psychic Envelope Divination
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Sarin Suriyakoon (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 06 June, 2019)
The problem is I read this after reading Robert Nelson's ebook on the same method and system. I felt the blurb should have mentioned the original because only one improvement is made.
Perfection Mindreading Act
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Sarin Suriyakoon (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 06 June, 2019)
This is overpriced. First of all, there are a lot of old flaws and drawbacks here. Even the main explanation and Devin's preference for handling leave a huge illogical explanation. It's not what you expect from $10. The blurb is definitely overhyped.
You should also know that this method is not designed for one man. You will know immediately after reading this, it's not for one-man or close-up and probably require that audiences don't talk afterwards and they don't know each other.
The World's Best Psychic Book Tests
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Christian Fisanick (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 04 June, 2019)
Excellent. Although this is an old book, the methods are superb and timeless. I especially like the ones that combine another classic concept of mentalism to force a page. You will definitely find a test--or two or three--that you will love and use. Who says that you need to spend big $$$ on gaffed books? I having been collecting book tests for a while now and consider myself somewhat of an expert. This is well worth the money. For a pittance, you will like this.
Transcendental Book Test
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Christian Fisanick (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 04 June, 2019)
Old, but still exceptionally good, book test. This is worth a few times more than a tenner. Buy it, download it, and you don't even need to print it out in book form. Keep it as a PDF on your phone. (There is nothing unusual about having books on phones any more.) And this is not an app but a regular PDF file with the dirty work built in. It takes about a paragraph to explain the method, which is great and quite deceptive. You will love this and use it in impromptu situations. I know that I will.
Thought Transcribed
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Michael Cook (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 26 May, 2019)
This is really good! So simple, so devious. Definitely worth the price. Worth more than the price.
Magisches Spezialthema Nr. 6: Phantom Würfel
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Georg Walter
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 25 April, 2019)
Die Requisiten zu diesem Spezialthema konnte ich günstig erwerben und da ich so ziemlich alles aus der Zauberbutike sammle, passt das Angebot hier für die Beschreibung wunderbar. Wer mit Würfeln zaubert, sollte sich auch heute noch mit diesem Spezialthema beschäftigen. Es ist keineswegs veraltet und antiquiert. Für den Close-Up Bereich auf jeden Fall interessant.
The Whispering Spirit
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Phil Reda
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 24 April, 2019)
If you like a very boring card trick with long laborious procedure for your spectators with a low payoff for the effect then this is it. If you want to Collect Hummer material then this might be worth the purchase. But to most this would be a waste of time and money.
An Evening With Charlie Miller
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Anonymous
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 24 April, 2019)
Hats are back in fashion... Mugs and Hats inspired the great Bob Read; and yet is totally different from Read’s work - and an absolute blast. If you know Read, there’s no need to add anything; if you do not know Read, you are in for a treat.
Top Secret
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Dave Arch (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 23 April, 2019)
A most excellent method(s) for the headline prediction. I have used the method(s) described to great effect but never knew of their origination. My preference is the USA Today for it's colorful appearance, its brand, and the fact that it's daily. Those who read this will understand the benefits of all three of those qualities. Highly recommended.
The Guarantee Card
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Michael Cook (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 21 April, 2019)
It’s not what the description says. You have to do a card switch in plain view of your spectator. It’s not even explained good. The description on how to do the “move” is terrible.