Magic Tricks

OVERVIEW: This DVD from Magic Makers is a good starting point for those relatively new to magic, because it teaches a variety of magic tricks that are easy to learn, master, perform and amaze. In the video, Rob Stiff goes through some different magic tricks using a variety of different items, including some card tricks, coin tricks, match tricks and a lot more. With almost two hours of material in total, this DVD will give the beginner what is needed to start learning magic. The main part of the video teaches you how to perform 12 different tricks, as well as a bonus levitation trick, some one-handed fancy moves that you can do with a deck of cards, and card forces.

CONTENTS: There's a ton of material on here, and that's because this is effectively four videos in one.

1. Do You Want To Learn Magic (46 minutes)
This is the main part of the video, and this section includes teaching you how to perform a few card tricks, how to vanish and make a coin reappear, some other magic with money, how to make a match jump from pile to pile, how to cut and magically restore a rope, how to penetrate a rubber band through another one, how to read the mind of someone using an ordinary book, and more.

2. Do You Want to Levitate (4 minutes)
This is a simple introduction to the well-known Balducci Levitation.

3. One Handed & Other Moves (20 minutes)
This material covers some basic one-handed moves, but also has bonus material explaining the slip force & double lift.

4. Card Forces (36 minutes)
This section features teaching by Gerry Griffin, and covers 10 different forces, including the classic force, 10-20 force, riffle force, and more.

TEACHING: Aside from the final section on card forces, Rob Stiff does the teaching for all the tricks, and he goes through them very well, first showing a performance of the trick and then explaining how to do the trick yourself. All of the tricks that have been chosen in the video are, as the back of the DVD says, “easy to perform and are designed to fool everyone.”, and that's an accurate description. Rob's teaching makes it easy to follow along with him and learn what to do, and these tricks also astound the audience, as can be seen by how they react.

BEGINNERS: This DVD is definitely for beginners who wish to start learning magic. The tricks are easy to learn so you can go out there and start performing quite quickly. There are a variety of different types of tricks, so not just card tricks, but tricks using money, books, rope and more can also be learnt, so you will be able to show your audience an entire range of different styles of tricks. But it's also good for the person who already has some experience as a beginner, and is looking to learn some basic sleight of hand (e.g. double lift) and forces, to take their card magic to the next level.

INTERMEDIATES: But it's not only beginner material here, and there's some real gold that even the intermediate magician will appreciate. Take for example the Rubberband Penetration (commonly called the Crazy Man's Handcuffs). This effect can be killer, and although it requires practice to master, it's well worth the effort. There's certainly some very good material here that can help you amaze.

RECOMMENDATION: This DVD is a wonderful place to start to learn how to perform magic, so would make a gift to any starting magician, whether they be young or older. If you are interested in learning magic, this is definitely a great DVD to begin your journey into the amazing world of magic, where you can learn to astound and baffle your audience with some great magic tricks! But even if you have some experience with magic, you'll also find some good material here to use as well. For around 2 hours of material, and a price that's usually around $5-$10, it's excellent value. - BoardGameGeek reviewer EndersGame