Magic Tricks

All of the material here is great, but what you're really paying for is his Speakeasy Magick set. I have never been to Speakeasy Magick, but I have two layperson friends who separately saw the show, and they both said that Mark was their favorite out of the 6 or 7 incredible magicians they saw that night. I was excited to learn what material he included in his set.

I knew that he presented himself as a card cheat, so I was expecting riffle stacking, center deals, and dealing a lot of cards. However, there isn't anything more difficult than a second deal, and the set is very fast paced, with effects happening constantly. The audience never needs to know any rules to card games, and yet Mark gives the idea that what he is doing is cheating at cards. Unlike most gambling themed sets, there's tons of audience interaction and by-play. The set has a strong build to it and a memorable climax.

I saw that some reviewers don't like Mark's persona. It's true that Mark goes for an adversarial, confrontational approach with his audience. But I'd disagree when people say he has an ego. Performers like Jason Ladanye and David Malek really turn me off with their egos. But Mark makes fun of himself ("This is why you shouldn't play cards with someone with a face tattoo," and other jokes along these lines) just as much as he makes fun of his audience. While a lot of cardshark performers will use lines about how the moves they are doing are incredibly difficult, or about how smart and clever their cons are, Mark does nothing of the sort. Maybe others are offended by the language, as Mark curses a lot. But can you imagine how weird it would be if this magician with face tattoos at a speakeasy had a squeaky clean act?

The only complaint I'd have with the other tricks is that some of them require extra purchases. If you want to do the passcode trick, you'll need to know one of the methods out there for gaining a passcode, whether it's with an app, a calculator method, or even just a billet peek. Mark explains the method he uses, but you'll need to purchase that product. However, he shows multiple applications for the original sleight in this routine, so you can perform a similar effect without a passcode reveal.

Similarly, the last trick uses a well known gimmick. There are many versions on the market, and if you're crafty, you could make one yourself, but the one Mark uses costs over $200. I only point these two things out because these are two very strong tricks, and you should know what parts of the routine you're getting with this lecture and what you'll need to purchase separately.

Overall, I think this is a great lecture, and you'll learn a lot about routining from Mark. And unlike some previous penguin lives with Erik as the host, Erik asked insightful questions without interrupting the flow of the lecture.

Highly recommended.