All Tied Up is a single trick download, optimized to create a mood and tell a story. The ad copy reads:
“One of the most powerful tricks you’ll ever do with a pack of cards.”
– Steve Valentine (four-ti- e Magic Castle Award Winner)
All Tied Up begins as a psychological game, veers into an emotional exploration of your spectator, reveals itself as a card trick and then, in a powerful finale, becomes an act of empowerment that your spectator will remember for a long, long time.
The strength of the effect is all in its script, but Chris Philpott (with Steve Valentine) also go into details about the handling for both an impromptu version and one using a gimmicked deck (which you may already own). All the handlings are easy-to-do, so you can concentrate on performance.
Originally printed in Chris’s book, Intimate Mysteries (“A must buy!” – Mark Elsdon; “One of the best books I’ve EVER owned!” – Stephen Young; “A major contribution to our art!” – Neil Somerville), the effect in this video contains much more details on both handling and presentation.
“Of all the effects I’ve come up with, this is the one I do more than any other. I have fried a room full of knowledgeable magicians with it and done it for friends who became very emotional when it was performed for them. If I have time for just one effect, it’s All Tied Up.”
– Chris Philpott
My Thoughts…
The video features Chris Philpott and Steve Valentine, both teaching the intimate handling of All Tied Up.
This is NOT a complicated effect. In fact, you probably already perform it. ( I bet that got your attention..) I’ll say up front you’ll need a specific type deck to perform All Tied Up. Fortunately, almost all of us have one or two. It’s a magic standard. This is also NOT intended as a magician fooler.. they will recognize the deck… But I promise you your audience won’t. This isn’t just a ‘trick’.. it’s a personal experience.
The power of All Tied Up is in the presentation. It tells a powerful story that, according to Steve, even prompts some of his spectators to cry real tears. It’s a story your spectator will associate with personal feelings and psychological thresholds. Even so, it’s not worded to hurt someone’s feelings, but to free their feelings… so tears are a good thing.
It’s difficult to review All Tied Up without telling too much. Basically, it’s a series of questions that guide the spectator to a prediction. There are NO forces or manipulations on your part. Everything is geared to getting the spectator to select a card. They do not realize they’ve selected a card until you reveal their answers point to a specific card. That’s part of the complexity, as they realize their selection was totally free… and it was.
That’s when you use your special deck to show how you were somehow attune to their innermost feelings. Then, in an act of cathartic release, you give your spectator the opportunity to rid themselves of supressed feelings. I know.. it sounds a little far-fetched, but I can see this applying to certain folks – probably not a room full of crusty magicians, but definitely that cute, sensitive brunette behind the makup counter.
This is one of those effects that will leave a lasting impression on a segment of your spectators. It’s well worth the price because of its potential to really impress. Although created by Chris, Steve presents his own handling with a regular deck. Everything is explained in detail and the total length of the download is one hour and fifteen minutes. There is even a link to a special Facebook group devoted to All Tied Up, and you’ll have the opportunity to join a learn even more detailed handling and tips.
Welcome to issue #199 of the Magic Roadshow. This is our next to last issue. As I’ve mentioned before, it won’t be the end, just a change in direction. I’ve not decided for sure how I will continue to share magic with you guys… but I will.
I hope everyone had a great holiday season. Carolyn and I had to postpone our holidays until January.. but that was OK considering the challenges we faced during December. Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers..
Not much has happened to me, magic related. There were great conventions in other parts of the country, but work and family matters kept me planted in South Carolina. That actually gave me time to review some of the great items I had on hand, and watch a number of DVD’s I’ve put off watching for one excuse or another. ( Special Thanks to Murphy’s Magic for all the review material..)
I’ve got some great features for this issue. I’m blessed to have friends who are willing to share their work with me and give me the opportunity to share it with you. I’m not going to hold things up any longer… On with the (Road) Show…
Atavistic Matrix – A Coin Effect by Paul A. Lelekis
Triple Dice Routine – An Effect from Ed Marlo
Shoot The Works.. Complete copy.. by Trickshop.com
Custom Dice – Resource
Dogs Playing Poker: The Card Trick – By Christopher M. Reynolds
This Issues Free PDF – Full of Great Effects
Paul Wilson and Art of Magic – Free Video Tutorials
Paul Wilson’s Easy Aces – Video Tutorial on Youtube
PASSION – Bernard Bilis – A Review by R.Carruth
Guaranteed Win – Andy Smith – A Review by R.Carruth
Static Marker – Wonder Makers – A Review by Rick Carruth
Cutting Edge – David Jonathan – A Review by R.Carruth
Ben Ulin Magic Lecture – Video – 03-13-2017
Card at Random Number – Video Tutorial
The Amazing Allison Lectures on the Real Business of Mentalism
Perfect Mind-Reading Trick Explained – Video Tutorial
Rollover Card Control Tutorial – Video
Triple Knuckle Busting Card Tutorial (not for the weak of hand)
Want to ‘Break Your Own News’? – News Creator
Joe Bonamassa – Blues Deluxe – Live From The Borderline
Top Tracks – Joe Bonamassa – JoeBonamassaTV – 270 videos
Free Bonamassa Album (download)
Other Really Important Stuff…
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“Opportunity doesn’t always knock; sometimes it stands by, waiting to be recognized..” Unk.
“Give me a stock clerk with a goal, and I’ll give you someone who’ll make history. On the other hand, give me someone without a goal, and I’ll give you a stock clerk.” J. C. Penney
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ATAVISTIC MATRIX – A Coin Effect by Paul A. Lelekis
This is a nice two-part matrix routine with 4 coins and 2 cover cards.
EFFECT: The coins travel from their corners to the leader coin and then reverse back to their respective corners, one by one.
REQUIREMENTS: You will need five quarters or half dollars and two cover cards, such as two playing cards or two bills (covers), and a close-up mat.
SET-UP: If you are seated, have the 5 th coin on your lap. If standing have some kind of coin clip attached at the bottom right edge of your coat for easy retrieval of the 5 th coin with your right hand. The 5 th coin won’t be used until the Second Stage.
Place the four coins into a matrix position, one at each corner of the close-up mat and the two covers on top of each of the two right-most coins. Arrange the covers so that the short ends are towards and away from you.
WORKING & PRESENTATION: Begin by placing down the four coins, one at each corner of the mat. Then pick up hold the two covers by the long sides, one in each hand, thumbs on the bottom of each cover and fingers on top.
Begin by “demonstrating” how the two cards in your hands can only cover two
coins at any one time.
Cover various positions by placing each hand with its card and cover the outer
coins, the inner coins, the two coins on the left side and then the two coins on the right – but be sure that the right-hand cover is at the outer right corner and the left-hand cover is at the inner right corner.
“You can also cover only ONE coin with both covers!”
Place the left hand card on top of the right-hand card at the outer right position. As you do so, make sure your right thumb, beneath the card, grasps the coin at the outer right corner.
Slide the right-hand cover (with stolen coin) back to cover the coin at the inner right corner! The left-hand cover stays at the outer right corner so that no one can see that there is no coin beneath that cover.
Release both covers, and arrange them so that each of the long sides is
facing to your left and right. Leave the two covers on top of the right-most coins.
First Stage – Coins Gather
Step 1: Pick up the outer left coin with your right hand and perform a Retention of Vision coin pass into your left hand. The coin will actually remain in your right hand in fingertip rest position. Move the coin into finger palm.
Your left hand pretends to “squeeze” the nonexistent coin onto the cover at your inner right corner, which I will call “home base”…apparently the coin has vanished.
Now you lift the cover at home base using Paul Cummins’ Revolve Load, as follows:
The right hand, with coin at fingertip rest position, reaches to the outer short end of the cover (palm down, of course!) as the back of your left fingers “anchor” the cover down at the inner short end…the left hand is left open and palm up.
The right hand revolves the outer end of the cover counter-clockwise, (toward
your body) covering your stationary left hand.
However, as the cover goes past the vertical your relocate your right hand so that it also goes beneath the cover and on top of the coin in your, now, palm up right hand!
The cover will automatically hide the coin which still lies at your right fingertips.
The left hand moves away from under the cover and points to the coins which
now are seen at the inner right corner, or home base.
This “load” is actually quite easy to do since all eyes will be watching the spot
where the coin has just “appeared”.
Two coins will now be seen at home base! Move the two coins about ¾” to your left, placing one coin on top of the other so that they slightly overlap each other.
Place your right-hand cover down with its hidden coin, at the inner right corner, leaving the visible overlapping coins, partially exposed.
NOTE: Place the card down so that about ½ of the two overlapping coins can still be seen on the right, long side of the card. The third coin will remain hidden.
Step 2: Pick up the second exposed coin at the inner left corner and perform Marlo’s Spider Vanish as follows:
Hold the coin in your left hand fingertips as if performing the French Drop. Bring your right hand over to “take” the coin (same as with the French Drop) however, the coin is pushed up into right-hand Classic Palm with your left fingers and then your left hand closes in a way to make people think it dropped there.
Close up your right hand as if you hold the coin (you actually do!) and then
pretend to throw the coin at the “home base” card, with your palm facing the mat.
The coin stays in right-hand Classic Palm and remains hidden from view. All
eyes will turn back to your “suspicious-looking” left hand.
Both hands now move to “home base” and again, perform the Revolve Load.
The Revolve Load will differ here, only because the left hand opens as you place the back of your left fingers onto the inner short end!
All eyes will be focused on your suspicious-looking left hand because they think
that the coin is hidden there! They will be mildly surprised that the coin is not there!
As your palm-down right hand moves to the outer short end of the home base
cover, the classic palmed coin, drops into fingertip rest position just as your right fingers grasp the outer end of the cover.
Perform the Revolve Load as in Step 1 as you revolve the cover toward your
body, effectively covering the coin at your right fingertips! Don’t worry about the load passing by the spectators’ attention…it will!
Three coins will now be seen at home base! Your left hand then moves the
newly-arrived coin to your left so that it overlaps the other two coins.
Lay the cover in your right hand (and hidden coin!) back in place, again leaving about ½ of the three overlapping coins exposed.
Step 3: The 4 th coin is now hidden beneath the cover and will not “clink” with the other three coins.
For the last coin (remember – there is no coin is under the outer right cover!),
your left hand comes over and slightly lifts the edge of the cover at the outer right position.
Your right hand reaches under that outer right cover (make sure that no one can see under the card!) and pretends to take the “coin” from under the outer right cover as your left hand then lowers the cover back down into the same position. The above action should appear suspicious!
Next, pretend to place the coin into your left hand. Then “squeeze” your left hand over the home base cover and open it to show that the “coin” has vanished! Show both hands completely empty.
Perform the Revolve Load one more time to show all four coins have arrived at
home base! Lay both cover at the center of the matrix.
Now reach out to the outer right cover with your left hand and lift it up to show there is NO COIN! Drop that cover at the center with the other cover.
At the same time, secretly retrieve the 5 th coin (from your lap or from your coin clip) into right-hand finger palm.
Your actions subliminally “indicate” that the trick is over and everyone will relax.
Pick up both covers with your left hand and transfer them to your right hand, covering the 5 th coin hidden there.
Second Stage – The Reversal: Coins Disperse
With the hidden coin beneath the two covers in your right hand, bring your left hand over to take one of the covers – but also secretly take the hidden coin beneath that left-hand cover and then separate your hands with a cover in each hand.
The next set of sequences is to be performed quickly and without missing a beat. All four coins will apparently jump back to their respective corners.
Note: Hold the covers with your thumbs of each hand on the bottom of the cover and fingers on top. When you practice this sequence, you’ll see why this works more efficiently!
1) Place the left-hand cover and its hidden coin at the inner left corner and the right hand at the inner right corner (home base) – but DO NOT release the covers at any time during this sequence!
The left hand releases its coin and the right hand picks up one of the coins as both covers are lifted at the same time. Apparently a coin has jumped from the right corner to the left corner!
2) Immediately move the right hand and cover to the outer right corner and the left hand with its cover to inner right corner…again, home base. Both hands, again, lift up quickly! The left hand thumb takes a coin and the right hand leaves its coin. Another coin has jumped!
3) Immediately move your left hand (and hidden coin) to the outer left corner and the right hand back to home base. Always keep thumbs on the bottom of the covers.
The right hand thumb secretly picks up one of the two remaining coins and the left hand deposits its coin at the outer left corner.
Snap up the two covers, simultaneously, to show four coins, one at each corner of the matrix!
For the “clean up”, allow the hidden 5 th coin to fall into right-hand finger palm. Next, both hands pick up two coins each and then the left-hands coins are casually tossed into the right-hand with the three coins already there. Then all 5 coins are placed into your pocket – and you’re clean!
Paul’s magic has been featured in many periodicals and magic newsletters around the world. Paul has been honored with seven One-Man Parades in the Linking Ring magazine, 3 Mini-Parades, and he wrote and conducted a Ring Parade for ring 42 in Clearwater…and at the time, ring 42 was the third largest ring in the world with often 200 members in attendance. View all 50+ ebooks at:
Triple Dice Routine – An Effect from Ed Marlo
Republished From: Shoot The Works
This dice routine should be a welcome addition to any bar magician’s repertoire and at the same time it can be done close-up at a table. The effect in brief is that two dice are placed in the hand, a third is placed in the pocket, from where it appears in the hand.
This is the general effect, yet there are a series of surprises that will amuse and mystify those not in the know. The requirements are five white dice of average size and four small white dice, as obtained in novelty shops. Also a coin such as a half dollar, in the right trouser pocket.
Three white dice are displayed on the table. A fourth dice is palmed in the right hand. A fifth one has been secretly introduced into a spectator’s pocket. The dice of course are all of the same size.
Pick up one of the dice from the table and place in palm of left hand. Pick up second die and place it also in the left hand at the same time releasing the palmed dice. Immediately close the hand over the three dice. Pick up the last die off the table and place in the right coat pocket. Leave the die there with the four small dice.
Bring hand out empty and press left wrist with right forefinger. Open left hand and throw out the three dice.
Repeat by placing two dice in the left hand. This time really only two are in the left fist. Place the third one in the pocket and leave it there. Press the wrist as before, then toss out the dice. Naturally you are surprised when only two show up.
Turn to the spectator on whom you loaded the fifth die and accuse him of having it. While he is looking thru his pockets you palm out one of the small dice.
You will get a big laugh when spectator removes the fifth die from his person.
Pick up one at a time two of the large dice and place in the left fist, dropping in the small dice on the second throw.
Place the third die in the pocket and palm out another small die. Press the left writst as before and ask how many? No matter what they say, roll out the two large dice plus one small one.
Pick up a large die, place in the left hand. Place small die also in the left hand, same time releasing the palmed one. Place the large die in the pocket leaving it there, and then palm out a small die. Toss out two small dice and a large one from the left land.
Place the two small ones into the left hand, dropping in the concealed one as you place the second one in the left palm. Place the large die in the pocket, then palm out the fourth small die.
This time also roll out the dice. Then replace them into the left hand one at a time, displaying only three dice on the open palm of the left hand. Now apparently toss all three dice into the right hand but you palm one, releasing only two. However, when they join the one in the right hand it will look as if you had tossed three dice from the left hand into the right. This move is similar to the one used in “Dice Transposition”, a previous effect.
The right hand now openly replaces two of the small dice into the left fist and leaves the third one in the pocket. The left hand is opened and three dice again displayed for the last time. We say for the last time because the surprise finish comes in now.
Pick up one of the dice and place it in the right trouser pocket where you have the half dollar. Palm it out. Pick up the second dice, seem to place it in the left hand. However, the fingers retain the die and only the coin is dropped into the left hand.. which closes immediately.
Pick up the remaining die off the table and place it in the pocket, together with the palmed one. Hand comes out empty as you ask spectators how many in the left hand. No matter what they answer you say: “Well, seeing we played with the dice so long, it is only natural we made some money”. And as you say the word money, toss out the coin.
You will find audiences will appreciate the kind of chicanery and will give you credit for great skill with the galloping dominoes.
In place of the coin you can have a bunch of small colored dice, the tiniest obtainable. Have them in a square of soft tissue in the pocket so they will ot rattle. introduce them as the surprise, rolling them out in a rainbow of colors and you will be delighted with the ohs! and ahs!
Editors note… Although all this sounds complicated.. it’s not. Most of the moves are logical and the number of dice in your hand or pocket helps keep you on track. The audience is amazed by the constantly changing number and type of dice. The ending provides you the opportunity to produce ANY small object from the right pants pocket. Be creative.. and be entertaining.. (If you can pick up a small turtle from a pet store.. you’re in luck! Remember, dice are sometimes made from tortoise shells. Changing or producing dice-to-turtles is the premise of an interesting story.. me think.. )
Dogs Playing Poker: The Card Trick – An Effect
By Christopher M. Reynolds
Dogs Playing Poker by C.M. Coolidge is arguably one of the most popular (and thereby most recognizable) American paintings ever, putting it in the same lofty company of these artistic masterpieces; Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks, Grant Woods American Gothic, and Andy Warhol’s Campbell Soup Cans.
This series of eighteen oil paintings (collectively known as Dogs Playing Poker), made from 1894-1910, are etched into the global collective unconscious (even of those indifferent towards art history), through their incessant reproduction on all manner of ephemera; calendars, t-shirts, coffee mugs, mouse pads, shot glasses, and so on.
High-brow art critics see the comically absurd pictures of bourgeoisie canines- drinking whiskey and gambling into the wee hours of the morning, as being inspired by the works of Michelangelo Merisi De Caravaggio, Georges de La Tour, and Paul Cezanne, who all have their own depictions of gambling at cards–albeit with humans as the subjects, as opposed to dogs. Low-brow types (which is anyone who isn’t an art critic), just enjoy the pictures because their utterly hilarious.
This simple trick pays homage to that masterpiece of kitsch Americana, and will give the illusion that you’re a slick fingered card manipulator when, after a ridiculous story about a poker playing dog, you deal yourself a Royal Flush.
The Trick
Beforehand you set the Ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of Diamonds on top of the deck of cards, but not in that order. When you first start the trick, you can shuffle the deck provided you don’t disturb the top five cards.
Magician: A man walks into a bar and notices a poker game at the far table.
Shuffle all but the top part of the deck and hand it to someone; instruct them to deal out five hands of poker.
Magician: Upon closer look he sees a dog sitting at the table. This peaks his curiosity and he walks closer and sees cards and chips in front of the dog.
When the spectator has finished, pick up the first hand, turn it face up, and describe its possibilities. Turn it face down and go on to the next four hands, one by one, discussing the possibilities of each, and then turn the hand face down again, always leaving the diamond in the fifth position at the bottom. When all the hands have been shown, gather them up in any order-but not mixing the cards-and drop them back on top of the deck.
Magician: Then the next hand is dealt. But, this time, the dog is dealing the cards…and he’s cheating! Then the dog acts in turn with all the other players; calling, raising, discarding,-everything the other human players were doing.
Deal out five poker hands. This time only pick up the first four hands dealt, one at a time, and show the possibilities of each.
Magician: However, none of the other players seem to pay the least bit of attention to the fact that they were being fleeced by a dog. They just treated him like any other player. The man couldn’t hold his tongue any longer. Between hands he quietly said to one of the players,
“Did you know that dog has been cheating you at cards? Why, he must be the smartest dog in the world!”
The player smiled and said, “He’s not that smart. He may be able to cheat, but every time he’s dealt a good hand he wags his tail.”
When you get to your hand, you’ll have a Royal Flush in Diamonds.
All that happened, of course, was that the Diamonds became the fifth card of each hand when the spectator deals the first round. On the round you deal you get every fifth card, so you wind up with a Royal Flush.
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This Issues Free PDF – Full of Great Effects
We’ve got almost 50 pages of effects from past issues. The Best of the Best, from some of the best magicians in the country.
The effects in this PDF are:
The Three Ace Trick
Double Vision – An Impromptu Effect
The Fantasy Jacks
Aldo Colombini’s ‘The Wichita Deal’
Out of This World
Rubber Band Quarantine
Presto-Chango Againo
Magical Chatback- The Chicago Opener
Eww… Boogers! A Nasty Little Effect
Beyond Belief
Gestalt – A Special Card Effect
The Lost Peek
Time After Time
Auto-Magic – A Principle in Search of an Effect
Double Flash Change
Paul Wilson and Art of Magic – Free Video Tutorials
Paul Wilson is one of my favorite magicians in the whole wide world. He is the pride of Glasgow, Scotland… the hometown of my Carruth clan, and an expert at cards, sleights, and anything having to do with scams, pickpocketing, and similar cons.
“Paul Wilson supplements a vast and diverse knowledge of card magic with a superlative technique and exceptional grasp and application of misdirection. He is from Scotland and has learned well from Roy Walton and also has an excellent grounding in the works of John Ramsay.”
“Mr. Wilson has had a number of video projects featuring his own work, and all are highly recommended, however, his work on the Royal Road to Card Magic is of exceptional value. He also has a number of lecture notes and contributions to books and magazines that are well worth searching for, and we all look forward to the day when he puts out a large book of his thoughts and material, if large books do indeed bother to exist anymore.”
Paul’s LEARN MAGIC page features a number of his best effects that are purchasable as instant downloads for a small fee. Of importance to us is that a number of effects can be purchased for $0.00.. That’s right.. they are free to magicians. All you need to do is signup with your email and click on the effects you want… Some are:
Big Box
Bottle Pusher
Bill Snatch
Bottle Opener
Coin Balance
Coin Hand
Coin on Bottle
… and 16 more…
I found this on YouTube. This is a great effect and I’m sure all of you will thoroughly enjoy this..
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PASSION – Bernard Bilis – A Review
Essential Magic Collection
To quote the Ad Copy:
BERNARD BILIS, France’s King of Cards, Teaches his Favorite Sleights, Techniques and Routines. 27 routines, including a full professional show, underground techniques and essential sleights. Top level magic from one of the World’s leading sleight of hand artists.
“Bernard is one of the best card men on the planet! A true highly skilled master and legend. You will love these DVDs!”
– BILL MALONE
“Bernard Bilis is one of the most creative, skillful, and entertaining card magicians in the world. I’m interested in anything he’s willing to share.”
– DARWIN ORTIZ
“A true master with the playing cards.”
– DAI VERNON
4 DVDs BOXED SET
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PASSION is a masterwork. It’s more than a masterclass, as there are things within you will take with you for the rest of your career. There are things in here you may not be able to perform, more likely because you are not willing to devote the same time and effort as Mr. Bilis. He has made a life of magic, learning from the very best in the world, and now, cheerfully passing on to anyone willing to spend a pittance, all those essential sleights and effects that could well take your magic to a new level. It won’t do it overnight.. but it has the innate power to do it one step at a time.
My thoughts on this 4 DVD set are summed up in the first sentence. Everything I write, from here on, comes from this perspective. I’m going to try to explain the basics of each effect to give you a better idea of what you’re getting for your money.
Bernard has performed on TV in France for the past 19 years running. The son of a Russian actor and a mother who’s family are restaurateurs, Bernard began magic in his teens, quickly forming a lifelong friendship with another aspiring young magician.. Juan Tamarez. As you’ll learn throughout the DVD’s, he has also friended some of the most important names in the history of magic.
Disc 1
A portion of the first two DVD’s are of Bernard performing for a live audience at the Duecitanea Hotel in Penela, Portugal. You get to see each of the effects performed live before the explanation portion begins. This section is complete with subtitles, which isn’t a problem since all the explanations are taught by Bernard in English. Subtitles are available in English, French and Spanish.
Effects:
Cut Card – Mike Caveney effect. First, create a gimmick. Everything is taught. Force a card with a second deal, This signed card is cut into in front of the spectator. The card is then restored..
Four Jokers – Three red Jokers and one blue Joker are used, along with one red and blue back gaff. Red Jokers change to blue. then red and blue, then all blue, then all red. Lastly, the spectator chooses one of the Jokers and it alone changes to blue. Very visual. also teaches a convincer move.
Rising Sun move.. A card is shown, inserted into the middle of the deck, and then reappears on top of the deck. If you can do a tenkai palm .. you can do this.
Go To See If I’m There… Quick effect. A chosen signed card changes places with a card on the table using the rising sun move.
Escapology Three chosen cards escape from a silk in an increasingly more difficult manner. uses a double facer, a black silk, and a tad of black art. Nice effect usually reserved for coin work converted to card magic. One of the more technical effects that utilizes signed cards and classic magic from the past in a modern presentation.
Visiting Card.. Uses a very slick gimmick to give the illusion a card has been torn. This is actually a prediction effect that uses very detailed thinking and even more detailed explanations.
Invisible Palm.. Inspired by Larry Jennings. Very beautiful effect with four Aces. Classic effect. Technically the most challenging but perhaps the most rewarding. Uses a couple of Marlo moves, well explained.
Impossible Center Deal.. A gambling demonstration for the lay audience.
Boxed Center Deal… Uses another slick gimmick to perform a quick visual. Well taught. A card placed in the center of the deck and then boxed is snatched out of the boxed deck.
Interview… Bernard is interviewed at the end of each DVD by the executive producer, Luis De Mateos. This interview covers his start in magic and early influences. All interviews are approx. 20 minutes and well worth a listen.
Disc 2
Spectator Cuts The Aces – Several fairly simple cuts brings the spectator to the four Aces. One of my favorite effects.
General Card – Ascanio inspired effect. Good follow-up to Spectator Cuts The Aces. Four Aces change to four Kings… and back to four Aces. One of the more simple methods I’ve found to perform this change.
Gangster Aces – Based on a Henry Christ effect. Again, the four Aces are used in one of the more complex effects on this DVD. They are ‘captured’ one at a time and ‘locked up’ in the box. Thanks to Larry Jennings, they manage to escape and leave the Inspector in the ‘jail’
Billy The Kids – Thought-of cards and thought-of numbers coincide in this magical story of famous outlaw Billy The Kid. Bernard also teaches the psychology behind some of the moves.
Ambitious Card – A Ambitious Card routine with a blank deck and a blanked signed card. The climax is totally unexpected, as the blank signed card transforms into a regular playing card inside a glass jar… complete with the spectator’s signature on the face. Very original.
Sponge Ball Routine – Bernard combines classic sponge ball moves into an original routine resembling real magic… in the hand of the spectator. You don’t need a hundred sponge balls to do this one.. only three lemon size balls and one grapefruit size ball.
Interview… Part Two covers many different questions, about his effects and influences, conducted by Luis de Mateos.
Disc 3 Fundamentals.
Palming – Not just demonstrations, but teaches how to palm properly, even if you are not comfortable with the basics. Tenkai palm, side steals, top steals, replacing palmed cards in or on the deck. Also teaches a cool effect featuring a palm, and moves involving a pass that allow you to segue into some really nice magic.
Pass – Bernard demonstrates in great detail all the moves necessary for a successful pass. For those of you who feel the pass is essential, this section is a must-see, full of the small details that make the larger ones work. This is my least favorite sleight in all of card magic… Way too much for the audience to see. Bernard teaches the Larry Jenning Pass too, which is, in my opinion, considerably better than the classic pass. Same for the Charlie Miller Pass, which is a pleasure to watch in the hands of Bernard. Watching a demonstration of a Marlo sleight helps the average magician understand the awesome skill level of Mr. Bilis.
Double Lift – This section if full of small wonders, including the “double lift from the center with one hand” and the “pirouette” move he and Tamarez learned as youth.
Strip Out – This is a double screen teaching of the Strip Out Shuffle. It uses a half-deck strip out combined with a convincing false shuffle. Nice.
Vernon Transfer – Very versatile move, as many advanced magicians already know. Bernard teaches the basics and variations, then uses the VT to perform the Ace Monte, a killer effect. I only wish in my dreams of dreams I could do this… He also performs the Poker Deal using the VT and demonstrates its power again. I am sooo jealous.
Bilis Switch – Imagine John Bannon’s Paint It Blank, except using a sleight. Same impact.. but can be done with a borrowed deck. This is exactly what Bernard says it is… a switch of one card for another right under the spectator’s eyes. Very good tutorial, plus the Envelope Switch prediction effect, which is a straightforward switch of any chosen card for a duplicate card of the card in the envelope. Red Black Aces switches different colored Aces in a quick ditty of a trick.
Every effect on this DVD is well-suited for an audience as well as fellow magicians… You’ll fool ’em all.
In the Disc 3 lecture, Bernard talks about magicians like Fred Kaps and Dai Vernon, and how they influenced him. What he doesn’t talk about is how he influenced them, which he obviously did. He admits to being very influenced by Marlo and Larry Jennings, and has interesting personal observations to tell.
Disc 4
Open Prediction – A predicted card can’t be found by the spectator.. then it’s found upside down in the deck. Classic Bilis, using a strip out, palm, and a fancy-do (but easy) add on to make everything work.
Voodoo – Slick.. Slick. A card named by the spectator is removed from the deck. Its mate is found to be upside down in the deck. The corner is torn on the selected card. Its mate in the deck is found to be missing its corner. Lastly, the selection is burnt.. and the card in the deck is found to be burnt in the same manner. One of the rare Bilis effects that requires a prepared deck… but worth it.
Triumph Spell – A spelling prediction effect with a Triumph theme. A little of this.. a little of that, and ultimately one upside down card in the deck reveals the location of a selected card. Great effect if you like Triumph with a kicker.
Acetimation – Based on a Marlo idea, I’m STILL not sure this effect actually works. Well.. I know it does, because Bernard makes it work, but the idea seems improbable.. if not impossible. Bernard calls this ‘luck’. I call it true magic. The four Aces are found in a highly unlikely manner, one at a time, with a kicker ending. Bernard provides an ‘extra’ video in case you need convincing…
Running Gag Aces – This is just plain showing out. Three cards selected by the audience are placed in different parts of the deck. One by one, each of the four Aces are revealed to be face up in the deck – and then lost in the deck. The three selected cards are then found face up, and together, in the deck. Lastly, the three selected cards are found individually between each of the Aces.. with an additional flourish or two for good measure.
Four of a Kind – The four Aces are put in the deck at four different locations. The deck is spread to show the four Aces have vanished. A number is named and the four cards matching the number are removed, shown, and placed on the table. Somehow, through sheer slick handling, Bernard makes the Aces replace the number cards.. and the number cards reappear inside the card box lying on the table. This is magic beyond my dreams. Absolutely NO hyperbole.
Three Card Monte – A Martin Lewis effect. Bernard performs this in front of an audience.. using jumbo gaffed cards in the hand. Since these are jumbo cards, and the effect is performed at a distance, I think you can create your own gaffs. A great effect for street performers.
Rope Routine – Something to show Mr. Bilis is not all about pasteboards. Performed again in front of an audience, this is a very well-taught routine that includes a linking ring type move that will even fool some magicians. Camera angles from above show all the essential stuff.
The last of the four lectures is a 45-minute talk about what should be important to you, how you should learn and the benefits of a teacher. All the lectures are in-depth thoughts from a master magician, and you should not EVEN consider skipping through the lectures to get to the next effect. Don’t just strive to understand the magic… strive to understand the man behind the magic. This lecture ends with Bernard and Luis doing something that’s very special to the Bilis family.. something that is magical beyond the magic we understand..
PASSION is deep stuff. This is NOT something you’ll breeze through, learn a move or two and maybe three or four effects.. and dutifully skip on to the next hot DVD. This is heady magic. This is magic beyond our present understanding, but not beyond our ability to learn. When discussing the Pass, Bernard casually mentions you will work about six months to develop a good one. Much of his magic follows the same premise. There is nothing ‘self-working’ here. Only magic from one of the very best magicians in the world.
This DVD set has my highest recommendation. It doesn’t get any better…
Production of these DVD’s is first class in every way. Essential Magic Collection always exceeds industry standards, in part because Luis De Matos is executive producer and David Britland is the magic consultant.. There are multiple camera angles, overhead cameras, and split screens. Total running time is over 8 hours.
Price: $150.00 Available from dealers carrying the Murphy’s Magic line..
Guaranteed Win is a visual packet effect with a really cool gambling theme.
IMPACT MOMENT ONE!
Four Jokers (The Wild Cards) transform to match a selected card!
IMPACT MOMENT TWO!
The duplicate cards visually change in to a Royal Flush in SPADES!
Andy has created the perfect multi-phase transformation effect that is not only easy to do and easy to follow, but has an instant performance hook and quick reset. With its gambling theme and the awesome visual changes, this will be a GUARANTEED winner in your close-up set.
Comes complete with:
Custom printed gimmicked card on Bicycle stock
Training DVD
*Just add your own ungimmicked cards
My Take…
Brought to you by Alakazam Magic and Andy Smith, GUARANTEED WIN is a multi-phase packet trick that results in a guaranteed win poker hand, despite what your eyes tell you.
After a brief introduction, the magi shows a packet of four cards he’s holding to be all Jokers. The spectator is given one of the Jokers to examine as the magi gathers the other cards. The spectator is asked to select a card from the deck, assisted by the magi of course, and the selected card, a Ten of Spades, is added to the packet held by the magi. Despite having shown the packet as four Jokers.. the magi now shows the packet to consist of four Tens.
The magi places one of the Tens on the table, introduces a Guaranteed Joker and explains its significance to the spectator, and adds it to the three remaining cards in his hand. With no apparent handling, the magi shows the four cards in his hand have changed to the Jack of Spades, Queen of Spades, King of Spades, and Ace of Spades… all of which are placed with the Ten of Spades on the table to create a Royal Flush… A Guaranteed Win.
I encourage you to go to Murphy’s site, at the below link, and watch the video. You get a better idea of the visuals of this effect watching Andy perform it..
You’re supplied with a gaffed card that makes the magic possible.. that and good handling instructions by the creator. You honestly wouldn’t think the range of visual changes were possible with only one gaffed card. It is…
There are a couple of fairly unique handling ideas that took Andy several years of experimentation to perfect. He didn’t want the magi to hold a hand full of cards. He finally settled on a method that enables the performer to hold, at most, five cards at any moment. But, the fifth card is never visible thanks to the gimmicked card.
The only point where I might have a very minor disagreement is saying the effect is ‘easy to do and easy to follow’. It is NOT difficult, but it will take a little practice to remember the proper orientation of the cards. Remember though.. we’re only talking four or five cards here.. The total running time of the DVD is just over twenty minutes, and you’ll learn everything you need to know in that short a time.. so it can’t be very hard, now can it? All I’m saying is.. you’ll have a short time of watching the DVD with cards in hand as you learn the handling. It’s not self-working.. but it’s definitely not more than 30-40 minutes of work.
You’ll be taught a very basic flustration count and a simple card force. That, along with the gaff card, is all you need to perform Guaranteed Win. This effect WILL fool your audience. It’s well-suited for table hopping and walk around.. as long as you have a small surface on which to place a couple of cards. I recommend it to my friends and readers… Well worth the cost.
$19.99 at dealers who carry the Murphy’s Magic line of products..
Static Marker, by Wonder Makers, is an interesting addition to the magic market. It’s original, creative thinking, that opens a plethora of possibilities for any magician willing to use his head for something other than a hat rack. The ad copy reads as:
“Every magician dreams about owning a magic device that will be always in their pocket, ready to amaze people without any preparation. Do you really want to shock people? – This is Static Marker.
You will use this marker every day. We will teach you 7 incredible magic effects!
Effects:
1. Shock: With this marker, your spectator will feel an electric shock, even though there are no electronics in the marker.
2. Balance: You can balance your marker in impossible way, defying gravity!
3. Card Ninja: With static electricity and your marker, you will find spectator’s card. The card itself flies out from the pack directly into your hand.
4. Freezing Time: You can stop time at any moment, and a ring will not fall from the marker.
5. Telekinesis: Using telekinesis, you can knock off different small objects from your marker at any time.
6. Mental Prediction: You will learn how to read your spectator’s mind. You will know, for certain, which city they will choose.
7. Magnetic: You can magnetize different small objects, enabling them to stick to your marker.
Instant reload. Your marker is always ready for your show. Easy to do. Even if you are a beginner, you will able to shock your audience immediately after our tutorial.
Video tutorial. You will receive a 30-minute video tutorial with many ideas in two languages: English and Russian. Shock your spectator with Static Marker by Wonder Makers NOW! ”
My thoughts….
First, although the descriptions are descriptively correct.. not all are physically correct. I suppose what I’m saying is… you cannot physically perform some of the implied effects. You cannot physically ‘shock’ your spectator, but your spectator will ‘perceive; being shock, they will jump as being shocked, and they will go away believing they were shocked… although they weren’t.
Imagine touching an unlit match to a spectator’s hand. Imagine what they would feel if you somehow substituted a small piece of dry ice at the last moment. They would feel the unlit match somehow ‘burn’ them. It doesn’t.. but they will certainly believe they were.
Now, Static Marker doesn’t actually ‘shock’ anyone.. but they have devised a simple method to produce that illusion. Static Marker doesn’t ‘stop time’.. but it stops motion, thus appearing to stop time. You can use Static Marker as a utility device to assist with a mental prediction. The spectator will ‘assume’ the marker performed the magic.. although we can really give more credit to the magician. And, Static Marker is not actually ‘telekinetic’ or ‘magnetic’, but it does give the appearance of both.
Static Marker produces ‘illusions’ in much the same way black art produces illusions. Black art doesn’t vanish a single object, but in the right hands you’d swear it does. There’s no black art involved with Static Marker.. I’m just making a point.
In the right hands, you can lead your audience down a rabbit hole. It’s ideal for performing several quick effects simultaneously, confounding a small group. Although a setup is required, the necessary setup can be performed with a moment’s notice and right under their eyes.
Wonder Makers, assuming by the accents and second language option, are Russian. The video production is quite good, sound is good, camera work is good, and their English is good. There is nothing lacking. Actually, their packaging is first class, with the Marker coming in a magnetic hard case. You are provided a link to the tutorial and can learn all the effects in either English or Russian.
Static Marker is ready to use out the package. There is also a little ‘something’ provided to greatly extend the life of the marker, and several minutes of the video are devoted to making sure you have ‘full use’ of your marker for a long time.
Because Static Marker looks identical to a normal marker, and writes like a normal marker, you can replace your current marker and no one will know. Handling the marker will NOT reveal its secrets. You can give it out, allow a spectator to cap or uncap it, and they will be convinced Static Marker is the real deal.
Like many magic tools and props, those who benefit most from Static Marker are those who are enthusiastic about its possibilities. I recommend Static Markers to those who regularly use markers and those who like the security of a tool that provides them with several possibilities on a moments notice.
$29.95 .. At magic dealers who carry the Murphy’s Magic line of products..
David Jonathan, known for popular effects like Wrong Turn and Arbitrium, among others.. is the creator of Cutting Edge. Cutting Edge isn’t really an effect… it is three different effects, similar to an extent, but each with methodology different enough to give the performer a choice of difficulty. Each has a slightly different ending, varying in its level of impossibility.
I have published David’s ad copy below as a reference point. I’ve found I can tell much about a creator and his effects by his ad copy and its truthfulness…
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DESTINED – Predict a freely isolated card with a stunning revelation!
The Jokers are taken out of a deck and a spectator is invited to select a card. Their selection is shuffled back into the deck, then the cards are spread face down. The spectator is now asked to freely insert the Jokers face up around any card, isolating it from the others. This mystery card is now turned over to reveal that, incredibly, the spectator has found their selected card! If the effect ended right here, it would already be great… but in a jaw-dropping finale, the Jokers are then turned over to show the spectator’s card was predicted on the backs of the Jokers, proving everything was inevitable!
A CUT ABOVE – The spectator stabs a cut card into the pack directly above their selection, with a twist!
A selected card is shuffled and lost into the deck. A casino cut card is now introduced and handed to the spectator to insert anywhere in the pack. Incredibly, the spectator’s card is found directly below the cut card! For a kicker climax, the cut card is then turned over to reveal a secret written prediction of the spectator’s card! This is the most logical and direct effect to use a casino cut card.
THE FINAL CUT – The spectator cuts to their signed card from a deck they shuffled under test conditions!
The spectator points to any card, signs it, and it is lost in the deck. A casino cut card (double blank card) is now introduced and set aside. The deck is spread on the table and given a wash shuffle (as fair and genuine as they do in casinos) – the spectator can even help mix the cards. The cards are gathered and then ribbon spread across the table. The spectator now inserts the cut card anywhere they like into the spread. With no funny moves, the deck is cut directly where the cut card was inserted. The card right below the cut card is now turned over and, amazingly, it is the spectator’s signed card!
Key Points: Both non-gimmicked and gaffed versions are taught on Cutting Edge. Multiple handlings are also included that are suitable for any skill level. All the effects can be performed In-The-Hands (no table required) and you can easily change the outcomes for each performance.
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I spent a fair amount of time watching David’s videos. All three arrived in an email along with two PDF files. One was an overview of the three effects with a brief step-by-step of each of the moves – great to follow as you’re remembering the videos. And the second PDF contained the links to the Vimeo vids of each of the three effects. Although you can watch them online.. I downloaded the three videos to store them in the folder with the PDF’s and not have to revisit Vimeo to clarify a point.
The first effect, Destined, plays out exactly as described by David. The video quality is very good and the attention to details is all I would hope for.. No complaints at all.
This is the more difficult of the three effects, but the most rewarding. You’ll spend more time learning the timing of the moves, but most are basic. There is a point where a pass of one form or another is needed, but David has simplified the handling as much as possible. This isn’t a deal breaker.
Overall, Destined is a real fooler.. and one you can perform for both a lay audience and fellow magicians with equal aplomb. You will need to do a slight bit of simple artwork.. but it only requires a marker and two Jokers. Video length is 35 minutes.
A Cut Above is slightly easier version of Destined and uses a ‘cut card’ instead of two Jokers. ( Don’t have a cut card? Glue two cards face to face and you’ll have a cut card..) The effect ends with the spectator’s selected card directly below the cut card.. inserted into the deck by the spectator.. instead of between the two Jokers as in the previous effect. The handling is noticeably easier, but it still carries an impressive impact. Perform it for audiences -and- magic friends.
The Final Cut is the easiest of the three effects and, although similar in style to A Cut Above, uses a signed card as the locator card.
These two videos run 17 minutes and 16 minutes respectively…
I appreciate the time and effort David invested into this trilogy of effects. They work… and the end result is more than worth the effort. All three are very creditable methods of revealing a spectator’s chosen card. I’m convinced you’ll find a favorite and add it to your repertoire… maybe a couple even.
These effects are meticulously designed by a magician, for magicians, and I’m convinced you’ll appreciate CUTTING EDGE. It has my recommendation. ….. Price: $16.95
Rich Ferguson teaches an easy-to-do effect that has a freely selected card placed in one pile.. and a freely selected card in a second pile predicts the location of the first card. No sleight of hand required, and you’ll be performing this in minutes.
The Amazing Allison Lectures on the Real Business of Mentalism
Nice, informative lecture on the business of performing mentalism for commercial customers. Allison performs for corporate clients, and shares her experience. I do wish the sound was a tad better.. lots of echo.. but watchable. About 30 minutes.
Perfect Mind-Reading Trick Explained – Video Tutorial
One of my favorite Chris Ramsay effects.
————o0o————
Rollover Card Control Tutorial – Video
Xavior Spade
This is not a really easy sleight.. but it’s not nearly as difficult as it looks. I like it.. and I think you will too -if- you’ll take a couple of minutes and watch Xavior perform.
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Triple Knuckle Busting Card Tutorial (not for the weak of hand)
Xavior Spade
A challenging card control from Xavior. I’ve worked on the Jerry Andrus move for some time.. and I respect anyone who can make it look easy…
“Another day another video. What’s up everyone I promised you guys a knuckle busting card magic tutorial and here it is. Just a warning this video is a bit more serious than the others but for good reason. I decided to give you more than just one explanation, much more. So as a thank you, you’re getting three tutorials.
1. The Panoramic Shift by Jerry Andrus
2. The Fan Steal by John Cornelius
3. Spin Clip Control by me =0)
These playing controls are not easy and will take practice and patience, but I decided to do it for you because of all the support you’ve given me so far. It means more than you can imagine.”
———-o0o—————
Want to ‘Break Your Own News’? – News Creator
Check this out… It lets you create your own official looling news screen. Easy to do and free. All you have to download is the finished product. Have a look at:
Joe Bonamassa – Blues Deluxe – Live From The Borderline
The song was taken from “Tour de Force – Live in London. Probably the best solo performance on a Stratocaster in the history of music. And my buddy, Anton, on drums. You can’t ask for more. I don’t have a Strat autographed by Joe… but I have a set of sticks autographed by Anton (Figg) ..! (Just me bragging..)
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Top Tracks – Joe Bonamassa – JoeBonamassaTV – 270 videos
You read that correctly.. 270 videos of Joe on one site. Every important song he’s recorded, in many different formats. This is Youtube… nothing to download, unless you want to….
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Free Bonamassa Album (download).
In exchange for giving Joe your email, he’ll give you a link to download a free 12 track album… and this is some of his best songs.. not outtakes.
Remember.. signing up for the Magic Roadshow Journal of Magic is Totally FREE. There is NO obligation and your email is 100% safe. (I don’t even share it with my closes fellow magicians..) You will be notified periodically as new material publishes to the Magic Roadshow site and you can unsubscribe with one click.
That does it for this issue. I hope you found something to help your magic along. Remember, if you have something you would like to see published on the Magic Roadshow site.. send it to: TheMagicRoadshow@gmail.com
PASSION – Bernard Bilis – A Review
Essential Magic Collection
To quote the Ad Copy:
—————
BERNARD BILIS, France’s King of Cards, Teaches his Favorite Sleights, Techniques and Routines. 27 routines, including a full professional show, underground techniques and essential sleights. Top level magic from one of the World’s leading sleight of hand artists.
“Bernard is one of the best card men on the planet! A true highly skilled master and legend. You will love these DVDs!”
– BILL MALONE
“Bernard Bilis is one of the most creative, skillful, and entertaining card magicians in the world. I’m interested in anything he’s willing to share.”
– DARWIN ORTIZ
“A true master with the playing cards.”
– DAI VERNON
4 DVDs BOXED SET
————–
PASSION is a masterwork. It’s more than a masterclass, as there are things within you will take with you for the rest of your career. There are things in here you may not be able to perform, more likely because you are not willing to devote the time and effort Mr. Bilis has. He has made a life with magic, learning from the very best in the world, and now, gleefully passing on to anyone willing to spend a pittance, all those essential sleights and effects that could well take your magic to a whole new level. It won’t do it overnight.. but it has the innate power to do it one step at a time.
My thoughts on this 4 DVD set are summed up in the first sentence. Everything I write, from here on, comes from this perspective. I’m going to try to explain the basics of each effect to give you a better idea of what you’re getting for your money.
Bernard has performed on TV in France for the past 19 years running. The son of a Russian actor and a mother who’s family are restaurateurs, Bernard began magic in his teens, quickly forming a lifelong friendship with another aspiring young magician.. Juan Tamarez. As you’ll learn throughout the DVD’s, he has also friended some of the most important names in the history of magic.
Disc 1
A portion of the first two DVD’s are of Bernard performing for a live audience at the Duecitanea Hotel in Penela, Portugal. You get to see each of the effects performed live before the explanation portion begins. This section is complete with subtitles, which isn’t a problem since all the explanations are taught by Bernard in English. Subtitles are available in English, French and Spanish.
Effects:
Cut Card – Mike Caveney effect. First, create a gimmick. Everything is taught. Force a card with a second deal, This signed card is cut into in front of the spectator. The card is then restored..
Four Jokers – Three red Jokers and one blue Joker are used, along with one red and blue back gaff. Red Jokers change to blue. then red and blue, then all blue, then all red. Lastly, the spectator chooses one of the Jokers and it alone changes to blue. Very visual. also teaches a convincer move.
Rising Sun move.. A card is shown, inserted into the middle of the deck, and then reappears on top of the deck. If you can do a tenkai palm .. you can do this.
Go To See If I’m There… Quick effect. A chosen signed card changes places with a card on the table using the rising sun move.
Escapology Three chosen cards escape from a silk in an increasingly more difficult manner. uses a double facer, a black silk, and a tad of black art. Nice effect usually reserved for coin work converted to card magic. One of the more technical effects that utilizes signed cards and classic magic from the past in a modern presentation.
Visiting Card.. Uses a very slick gimmick to give the illusion a card has been torn. This is actually a prediction effect that uses very detailed thinking and even more detailed explanations.
Invisible Palm.. Inspired by Larry Jennings. Very beautiful effect with four Aces. Classic effect. Technically the most challenging but perhaps the most rewarding. Uses a couple of Marlo moves, well explained.
Impossible Center Deal.. A gambling demonstration for the lay audience.
Boxed Center Deal… Uses another slick gimmick to perform a quick visual. Well taught. A card placed in the center of the deck and then boxed is snatched out of the boxed deck.
Interview… Bernard is interviewed at the end of each DVD by the executive producer, Luis De Mateos. This interview covers his start in magic and early influences. All interviews are approx. 20 minutes and well worth a listen.
Disc 2
Spectator Cuts The Aces – Several fairly simple cuts brings the spectator to the four Aces. One of my favorite effects.
General Card – Ascanio inspired effect. Good follow-up to Spectator Cuts The Aces. Four Aces change to four Kings… and back to four Aces. One of the more simple methods I’ve found to perform this change.
Gangster Aces – Based on a Henry Christ effect. Again, the four Aces are used in one of the more complex effects on this DVD. They are ‘captured’ one at a time and ‘locked up’ in the box. Thanks to Larry Jennings, they manage to escape and leave the Inspector in the ‘jail’
Billy The Kids – Thought-of cards and thought-of numbers coincide in this magical story of famous outlaw Billy The Kid. Bernard also teaches the psychology behind some of the moves.
Ambitious Card – A Ambitious Card routine with a blank deck and a blanked signed card. The climax is totally unexpected, as the blank signed card transforms into a regular playing card inside a glass jar… complete with the spectator’s signature on the face. Very original.
Sponge Ball Routine – Bernard combines classic sponge ball moves into an original routine resembling real magic… in the hand of the spectator. You don’t need a hundred sponge balls to do this one.. only three lemon size balls and one grapefruit size ball.
Interview… Part Two covers many different questions, about his effects and influences, conducted by Luis de Mateos.
Disc 3 Fundamentals.
Palming – Not just demonstrations, but teaches how to palm properly, even if you are not comfortable with the basics. Tenkai palm, side steals, top steals, replacing palmed cards in or on the deck. Also teaches a cool effect featuring a palm, and moves involving a pass that allow you to segue into some really nice magic.
Pass – Bernard demonstrates in great detail all the moves necessary for a successful pass. For those of you who feel the pass is essential, this section is a must-see, full of the small details that make the larger ones work. This is my least favorite sleight in all of card magic… Way too much for the audience to see. Bernard teaches the Larry Jenning Pass too, which is, in my opinion, considerably better than the classic pass. Same for the Charlie Miller Pass, which is a pleasure to watch in the hands of Bernard. Watching a demonstration of a Marlo sleight helps the average magician understand the awesome skill level of Mr. Bilis.
Double Lift – This section if full of small wonders, including the “double lift from the center with one hand” and the “pirouette” move he and Tamarez learned as youth.
Strip Out – This is a double screen teaching of the Strip Out Shuffle. It uses a half-deck strip out combined with a convincing false shuffle. Nice.
Vernon Transfer – Very versatile move, as many advanced magicians already know. Bernard teaches the basics and variations, then uses the VT to perform the Ace Monte, a killer effect. I only wish in my dreams of dreams I could do this… He also performs the Poker Deal using the VT and demonstrates its power again. I am sooo jealous.
Bilis Switch – Imagine John Bannon’s Paint It Blank, except using a sleight. Same impact.. but can be done with a borrowed deck. This is exactly what Bernard says it is… a switch of one card for another right under the spectator’s eyes. Very good tutorial, plus the Envelope Switch prediction effect, which is a straightforward switch of any chosen card for a duplicate card of the card in the envelope. Red Black Aces switches different colored Aces in a quick ditty of a trick.
Every effect on this DVD is well-suited for an audience as well as fellow magicians… You’ll fool ’em all.
In the Disc 3 lecture, Bernard talks about magicians like Fred Kaps and Dai Vernon, and how they influenced him. What he doesn’t talk about is how he influenced them, which he obviously did. He admits to being very influenced by Marlo and Larry Jennings, and has interesting personal observations to tell.
Disc 4
Open Prediction – A predicted card can’t be found by the spectator.. then it’s found upside down in the deck. Classic Bilis, using a strip out, palm, and a fancy-do (but easy) add on to make everything work.
Voodoo – Slick.. Slick. A card named by the spectator is removed from the deck. Its mate is found to be upside down in the deck. The corner is torn on the selected card. Its mate in the deck is found to be missing its corner. Lastly, the selection is burnt.. and the card in the deck is found to be burnt in the same manner. One of the rare Bilis effects that requires a prepared deck… but worth it.
Triumph Spell – A spelling prediction effect with a Triumph theme. A little of this.. a little of that, and ultimately one upside down card in the deck reveals the location of a selected card. Great effect if you like Triumph with a kicker.
Acetimation – Based on a Marlo idea, I’m STILL not sure this effect actually works. Well.. I know it does, because Bernard makes it work, but the idea seems improbable.. if not impossible. Bernard calls this ‘luck’. I call it true magic. The four Aces are found in a highly unlikely manner, one at a time, with a kicker ending. Bernard provides an ‘extra’ video in case you need convincing…
Running Gag Aces – This is just plain showing out. Three cards selected by the audience are placed in different parts of the deck. One by one, each of the four Aces are revealed to be face up in the deck – and then lost in the deck. The three selected cards are then found face up, and together, in the deck. Lastly, the three selected cards are found individually between each of the Aces.. with an additional flourish or two for good measure.
Four of a Kind – The four Aces are put in the deck at four different locations. The deck is spread to show the four Aces have vanished. A number is named and the four cards matching the number are removed, shown, and placed on the table. Somehow, through sheer slick handling, Bernard makes the Aces replace the number cards.. and the number cards reappear inside the card box lying on the table. This is magic beyond my dreams. Absolutely NO hyperbole.
Three Card Monte – A Martin Lewis effect. Bernard performs this in front of an audience.. using jumbo gaffed cards in the hand. Since these are jumbo cards, and the effect is performed at a distance, I think you can create your own gaffs. A great effect for street performers.
Rope Routine – Something to show Mr. Bilis is not all about pasteboards. Performed again in front of an audience, this is a very well-taught routine that includes a linking ring type move that will even fool some magicians. Camera angles from above show all the essential stuff.
The last of the four lectures is a 45-minute talk about what should be important to you, how you should learn and the benefits of a teacher. All the lectures are in-depth thoughts from a master magician, and you should not EVEN consider skipping through the lectures to get to the next effect. Don’t just strive to understand the magic… strive to understand the man behind the magic. This lecture ends with Bernard and Luis doing something that’s very special to the Bilis family.. something that is magical beyond the magic we understand..
PASSION is deep stuff. This is NOT something you’ll breeze through, learn a move or two and maybe three or four effects.. and dutifully skip on to the next hot DVD. This is heady magic. This is magic beyond our present understanding, but not beyond our ability to learn. When discussing the Pass, Bernard casually mentions you will work about six months to develop a good one. Much of his magic follows the same premise. There is nothing ‘self-working’ here. Only magic from one of the very best magicians in the world.
This DVD set has my highest recommendation. It doesn’t get any better…
Production of these DVD’s is first class in every way. Essential Magic Collection always exceeds industry standards, in part because Luis De Matos is executive producer and David Britland is the magic consultant.. There are multiple camera angles, overhead cameras, and split screens. Total running time is over 8 hours.
Price: $150.00 Available from dealers carrying the Murphy’s Magic line..
Static Marker, by Wonder Makers, is an interesting addition to the magic market. It’s original, creative thinking, that opens a plethora of possibilities for any magician willing to use his head for something other than a hat rack. The ad copy reads as:
“Every magician dreams about owning a magic device that will be always in their pocket, ready to amaze people without any preparation. Do you really want to shock people? – This is Static Marker.
You will use this marker every day. We will teach you 7 incredible magic effects!
Effects:
1. Shock: With this marker, your spectator will feel an electric shock, even though there are no electronics in the marker.
2. Balance: You can balance your marker in impossible way, defying gravity!
3. Card Ninja: With static electricity and your marker, you will find spectator’s card. The card itself flies out from the pack directly into your hand.
4. Freezing Time: You can stop time at any moment, and a ring will not fall from the marker.
5. Telekinesis: Using telekinesis, you can knock off different small objects from your marker at any time.
6. Mental Prediction: You will learn how to read your spectator’s mind. You will know, for certain, which city they will choose.
7. Magnetic: You can magnetize different small objects, enabling them to stick to your marker.
Instant reload. Your marker is always ready for your show. Easy to do. Even if you are a beginner, you will able to shock your audience immediately after our tutorial.
Video tutorial. You will receive a 30-minute video tutorial with many ideas in two languages: English and Russian. Shock your spectator with Static Marker by Wonder Makers NOW! ”
My thoughts….
First, although the descriptions are descriptively correct.. not all are physically correct. I suppose what I’m saying is… you cannot physically perform some of the implied effects. You cannot physically ‘shock’ your spectator, but your spectator will ‘perceive; being shock, they will jump as being shocked, and they will go away believing they were shocked… although they weren’t.
Imagine touching an unlit match to a spectator’s hand. Imagine what they would feel if you somehow substituted a small piece of dry ice at the last moment. They would feel the unlit match somehow ‘burn’ them. It doesn’t.. but they will certainly believe they were.
Now, Static Marker doesn’t actually ‘shock’ anyone.. but they have devised a simple method to produce that illusion. Static Marker doesn’t ‘stop time’.. but it stops motion, thus appearing to stop time. You can use Static Marker as a utility device to assist with a mental prediction. The spectator will ‘assume’ the marker performed the magic.. although we can really give more credit to the magician. And, Static Marker is not actually ‘telekinetic’ or ‘magnetic’, but it does give the appearance of both.
Static Marker produces ‘illusions’ in much the same way black art produces illusions. Black art doesn’t vanish a single object, but in the right hands you’d swear it does. There’s no black art involved with Static Marker.. I’m just making a point.
In the right hands, you can lead your audience down a rabbit hole. It’s ideal for performing several quick effects simultaneously, confounding a small group. Although a setup is required, the necessary setup can be performed with a moment’s notice and right under their eyes.
Wonder Makers, assuming by the accents and second language option, are Russian. The video production is quite good, sound is good, camera work is good, and their English is good. There is nothing lacking. Actually, their packaging is first class, with the Marker coming in a magnetic hard case. You are provided a link to the tutorial and can learn all the effects in either English or Russian.
Static Marker is ready to use out the package. There is also a little ‘something’ provided to greatly extend the life of the marker, and several minutes of the video are devoted to making sure you have ‘full use’ of your marker for a long time.
Because Static Marker looks identical to a normal marker, and writes like a normal marker, you can replace your current marker and no one will know. Handling the marker will NOT reveal its secrets. You can give it out, allow a spectator to cap or uncap it, and they will be convinced Static Marker is the real deal.
Like many magic tools and props, those who benefit most from Static Marker are those who are enthusiastic about its possibilities. I recommend Static Markers to those who regularly use markers and those who like the security of a tool that provides them with several possibilities on a moments notice.
$29.95 .. At magic dealers who carry the Murphy’s Magic line of products..
All Tied Up is a single trick download, optimized to create a mood and tell a story. The ad copy reads:
I’ve not decided for sure how I will continue to share magic with you guys… but I will.
underground techniques and essential sleights. Top level magic from one of the World’s leading sleight of hand artists.
possibilities for any magician willing to use his head for something other than a hat rack. The ad copy reads as: