S.A.’s Richard Turner is world’s top card shark despite blindness..
SAN ANTONIO — Seeing is believing.
But for Richard Turner, a world-renowned card mechanic who is blind, and the wide range of audiences he performs for, that isn’t the case.
Turner, 59, lives in San Antonio and is regarded as one of the best-known card mechanics and up-close magicians in the world. He’s performed his astonishing sleights of hand for more than 40 years, and his movie-script-like life story, which goes far beyond his skills as a card shark, is the subject of a new feature-length documentary.
Turner’s magic touch, candid humor and sheer performance skills can awe just about anyone, from movie stars and Fortune 500 CEOs to friends, troubled teens and some of the best in the magic and gambling industry. His balance of finesse, control and power with a deck of cards is unbelievable, regardless of his lack of vision.
“Richard can do things with a deck of cards no other person on the planet can do,” said Bruce Samboy, former director of iNew York’s state division of gambling regulation. “Picking up a deck of cards in front of a guy like that is like going to the driving range with Tiger Woods… (thanks to Kolten Parker of MySA)