Essential Learn Card Magic Boxset by Liam Montier
"If you’re just starting out in card magic, I would be hard-pushed to suggest a better place to start. Unreservedly recommended!" BICYCLECARDS.CO.UK REVIEW
* 8 Jam packed Discs with a running time of over 16 hours.
* Master the technique’s to make you a card legend
* Also includes 56 incredible tricks to perform
This monster collection features detailed, clear instructions on all the sleight of hand techniques you’ll need to become a card ninja. With over 16 hours of material across 8 discs, this is a fun and engaging course that starts with 11 of the world’s greatest self-working card tricks and ends with you being fully equipped to amaze, astonish and decimate audiences. The moves are taught in clear concise detail by your host Liam Montier, giving you true insight into the best ways to tackle each sleight. Don’t just learn how to perform moves – learn the best ways to practise, how to pick the perfect variation in any situation and how to make your magic look smooth and effortless.
‘The Essential Card Magic Toolbox’ isn’t just a dry, encyclopaedic list of thousands of minutely different variations – your host, Liam Montier, has selected only the most useful and workable options. And every disc features world class magic routines for you to practise your newly mastering skills… so you’ll be out there wowing audiences as you learn. Step into ‘The Essential Card Magic Toolbox’ and prepare to learn sleight of hand skills that will last a lifetime!
Ultimate Self Working Card Tricks – start your journey with 11 of the world’s greatest self-working tricks. Amaze and impress with NO SLEIGHT OF HAND!
The False Shuffles & Cuts Project – learn 33 ways to shuffle, cut & mix the deck whilst all the time you control the order of the cards.
The Double Lift Project – prepare to master 14 kinds of double lift – the essential art of handling 2 or more cards so they appear to be a single.
The Forces Project – make you spectator take the card you WANT THEM TO. 24 bulletproof forcing techniques, ranging from the beautifully self working to essential moves like the ‘Classic Force’.
The Controls Project – learn 26 devastating and deceptive techniques to control a selected card, ranging from the simple to the sophisticated. These skills will leave you armed to covertly move playing cards to literally ANY position in the pack you desire.
The Elmsley Count Project – learn the RIGHT way to perform the Elmsley Count (a move that unlocks a treasure trove of incredible magic!!). Then dive into 14 further false counts and 8 of the most powerful magic tricks ever invented.
Ultimate Impromptu Magic – Now you are armed with all the essential sleights, let Cameron Francis guide you through 14 exceptional routines all of which can be done when someone hands you their deck and says ‘show us a trick’!
DISC #1 - ULTIMATE SELF WORKING CARD TRICKS Contact Colors (Aldo Colombini) Impossible (Mike Austin) Shuffling Lesson (Chad Long) Henry Sugar (Liam Montier) Pre-Prefiguration (Larry Jennings / Mark Elsdon) Your Aces Are Marked (Terry Lagerould) Shufflebored (Simon Aronson) The 7/16 Club (Alex Elmsley) Impossible (Larry Jennings) 4,5,6 (Al Thatcher) Unbelievable (By Shields, F. Michael And Bascom Jones, Jr)
DISC #2 – THE FALSE SHUFFLES & CUTS PROJECT
FALSE SHUFFLES Overhand Shuffles Basic Overhand False Shuffles Blind Shuffle Ireland Shuffle Running Cut Shuffle Optical Shuffles Wiggle Woggle Shuffle Optical Shuffle Mike O’Dowd’s Slop Shuffle Stock Shuffles The Lift Shuffle The Jog Shuffle Swing Cut Shuffle Bottom Stock Shuffle Riffle Shuffles False Riffle Shuffles The Push Through The Triumph Shuffle General Shuffles Charlier False Shuffle Up The Ladder
FALSE CUTS Swing Cut Swivel Cut Charlier Cut Bobby Bernard Cut Jay Ose Cut Tarbell 3 Way Cut Royal Road Cut Erdnase Cut Frank Thompson Cut The Cut Owen Packard’s Crane Beak Cut John Bannon’s Flytrap Cut John Bannon’s Crocodile Cut Gary Ouellet Cut Lewis Jones Cut David Acer’s The Trinary Mini Sybil
THE TRICKS Think Of A Card (Paul Curry) Shock Treatment (John Bannon) Triumph (Dai Vernon) Weigh (Erdnase)
DISC #3 – THE DOUBLE LIFT PROJECT
THE GET READIES Holding The Deck The Lift Up The Gary Ouelett Get Ready The Push Over Break The Lift Get Ready The Thumb Count The Pinkie Count
THE TURNOVERS The Expert Card Technique Turnover The Book Turnover The Upjogged Turnover The Spin Double The Larry Jenning’s Snap Double The Pages Of Time The Triple Delight Turnover The Crook The Pushoff The Floop The LePaul Flipover The Centre Double Lifts The Forceps The Bro Hamman Packet Double Lifts
THE TRICKS Chicago Opener/Red Hot Mama Fingerprint Trick (David Solomon) Two Card Transpo (Peter Duffie) Leapfrog (Dave Campbell) Double Swap Sandwich (George McBride) Double Swap (Alex Elmsley) The Mona Lisa Card Trick (Mike Skinner)
DISC #4 – THE FORCES PROJECT
GETTING STARTED Riffle Force World’s Easiest Riffle Force Dribble Force Psychological Stop Force -Advice - Uniformity of Action Cross Cut Force Cross Cut Crimp Cut Force Cut Deeper Force -Advice - Confidence Jedi Force Clock Force Count Force Double Deal Force -Advice - Language Prophecy Move Touch Force Impossible Force 10 - 20 Force -Advice - Context Spread Force Swindle Force Hindu Shuffle Force Back Slip Force -Advice - Contingencies Lift Shuffle Force Bottom Slip Force Classic Force Topper Move
THE TRICKS The Triple Prediction (Maurice Fogel) Analogue Poker (Jack Tighe) Par Optic Vision (Ted Annemann) Decipher (Simon Aronson) Blendo (Liam Montier) Clock Trick (Liam Montier)
DISC #5 – THE CONTROLS PROJECT
Introduction Holding A Break Double Undercut Double Undercut Variation Double Undercut To Table Dominique Duvivier Double Undercut Double Undercut Advice Other Double Undercut Ideas Overhand Shuffle Control The Injog Shuffle Natural Jog Control Delaying The Control Hindu Shuffle Control Swivel Cut Dribble Toss Control How to Practise The Tipover Control Ovette Master Move Ovette Master Move Misdirection Advice Casual vs Formal Pants Leg Reverse Simplicity Control Tilt Illusion Uniformity Of Action Spread Cull Control Convincing Control Flexible Switchout Illogical Double Lift Bluff Pass Fixing A Mistake Side Steal Side Steal To Bottom Multiple Shift Introduction Dai Vernon's Multiple Shift Carmen D'Amico's Multiple Shift
THE TRICKS Blind Lemon Aces (Jack Carpenter) Deep Thrust (Larry Jenning) Psychic Pickpocket (Liam Montier) The Powerful Queen (Rovi) WWBD (Liam Montier)
DISC #6 – THE ELMSLEY COUNT PROJECT #I
LEARNING THE ELMSLEY COUNT Start Position Count Of One Count Of Two Count Of Three & Four Recap Emphasising The Packet Hiding More Cards
VARIATIONS Opec Count Outjogged Elmsley Pinch Grip Snap Count Split Elmsley Twist Grip Underground Elmsley Vertical Elmsley
OTHER COUNTS Jordon Count Spirit Count Discrepancy City Display (Bannon) Siva Count Bullet Party Display (Bannon)
DISC #7 – THE ELMSLEY COUNT PROJECT #II
THE TRICKS The Four Card Trick (Alex Elmsley) Twisting The Aces (Dai Vernon) The Odd Man Out (Liam Montier) One Too Many (George McBride) Que Sera Sera (John Bannon) Jacks In The Box (David Solomon) Whisperstition (Liam Montier) Jazz Aces (Peter Kane)
DISC #8 – ULTIMATE IMPROMPTU CARD MAGIC (with Cameron Francis)
Ace Thang Sly Cheese A.N. Other Thang Interchangeling Hofwich Zombieland Instinct Killer Trifecta Elevation Wilder Uppers The P***ing Contest Getting Even Selected Assembly
READ THIS INCREDIBLE REVIEW FROM A SATISFIED CUSTOMER:
"ESSENTIAL CARD MAGIC TOOLBOX BOXSET Review by J Lebowitz
PROS
Excellent instruction
Well paced
Never boring
Comprehensive and foundational
Shows how the sleights taught are actually used to create a magic trick
Great production values
Incredible bang for the buck
CONS
No instruction on the Pass in the Controls DVD. I wish I had bought this when I started with card magic about a year ago (Okay. Not really a con, but I had to say this)
If you are just getting into card magic or even intermediate and at all serious about learning sleight of hand: Stop! Go no further and just buy this. Seriously.
This may be an odd way to start a review, but--yes--Liam Montier's Essential Card Magic Toolbox is just that good. My only disappointment about purchasing this set was that I hadn't bought it about a year ago. Liam really teaches you the basis of sleight of hand card magic.
As with most budding card-magic hobbyists today, I started out with YouTube. I looked for advice on exactly what to buy and purchased Hugard and Braue's Royal Road to Card Magic and Expert Card Technique. These books are definitely essentials, but they are not the easiest books to interpret. The thing is, sleight of hand is a physical thing and it's not always so easy to figure out a move from a description in a book. Undaunted, I started collecting the volumes of Card College. CC is more up to date and the illustrations are clearer, but it's still a rough go for a newbie.
I am all for books and do not regret the purchases. Books definitely give you a lot of bang for the buck. For less than $10 you can pick up a used copy of Expert Card Technique and have the descriptions of 100s of sleights and a more card tricks than you'd ever get on a DVD.
The thing is, if you can actually SEE a move done it takes less time to get it down. Once you have the basic sleights down, it's much easier to understand the complicated stuff and all of a sudden the books make a lot more sense.
And that's where this set comes in. By learning false shuffles and cuts, perfecting your double lift, learning forces, and mastering card controls, your magic will grow synergistically. These moves are the basis for most card magic. Once you've got these down, you can move on to the Elmsley Count Project and do some incredible packet tricks.
Liam Montier did a simply incredible job of putting this all together. If you are just starting, do not fear--each DVD begins at the very beginning. I didn't think, for instance, that I needed to needed to learn how to hold a break or do a double undercut--this was basic stuff that I already knew. But when I put in the Controls DVD, I just hit play and, what do you know, I learned some tips to make my break better and make my double undercut truly deceptive. Even if you think you know what you are doing, Liam can help you brush up even the most basic of sleights.
Liam has also selected sleights that will be useful to you. There numerous sleights he could have chosen, what you get here, though, is a curated selection that will serve as a strong foundation for your magic. So this is not meant to teach you everything. It's meant to be foundational and it works.
The quality of the instruction is simply unparalleled. Liam has a patient way of teaching that is neither too slow or too fast. He goes over the move, concentrates on technique, hand position, and then goes over common pitfalls that keep a sleight from being invisible. His pacing is perfect. I often pause the DVD to try something over again but have not had to rewind because I missed something. Liam's teaching style is calm, precise, and patient. That said, he is never boring. He may have a reserved demeanor, but you clearly pick up on his endless sense of wonder and love for card magic. This is perfect instruction. (Even in the promotional video--and magic DVD promotions have more overblown hyperbole than TV infomercials--he just can't over-hype the product. Even when he says 'ultimate.' He just doesn't have it in him.)
There are some excellent teachers on YouTube to be sure, but you will not get the consistency and clarity of instruction for every sleight the way you will get it here. So if you are wondering why you might bother to purchase something that you can 'get for free' online, the reason is that you will NOT be able to find all the sleights seen here on line or find the same consistency of instruction that you will get from Liam.
Moreover, this set is competitively priced. You get 8 DVDs for $75. That's less than $10 a DVD (or less than you'd pay for a movie on DVD that you find in the bargain bin at Target.)
As an added bonus, each instructional DVD has a group of tricks at the end so you can apply the sleights that you learned to create real magic. What's more is that these tricks are for real--these are not throw aways.
To make the package even better, there are two DVDs of tricks alone: Ultimate Self Working Card Tricks and Ultimate Impromptu Magic. The first DVD has 11 self-working tricks that don't require any sleight of hand. In spite of what you might think, these tricks are not only deceptive but usable. They are well taught. As Liam teaches you, with sleightless magic you really need to hone your presentation and know the procedures cold so that they work. The final DVD, with Liam and Cameron Francis, shows you how the sleights you just learned can be combined for some amazing, impromptu magic.
There are at least 3 ways to buy this set: 1) you can buy the entire toolbox of 8 DVDs; 2) you can buy 3 DVDs in the 'Learn Sleights Box Set' which only includes False Shuffles, Double Lifts, and the Elmsley Project; 3) you can buy the DVDs separately.
My advice: buy the entire 8 DVD set. The 3 DVD set is okay, but you will absolutely want the Forces and Controls DVDs and (should you ever see them) you will kick yourself if you passed up on the Ultimate Self Working Card Tricks and Ultimate Impromptu Card Magic DVDs. As to buying the DVDs separately, you will save a boatload of cash if you just buy the 8 DVD set.
Anything major missing? Just one thing--there is no instruction on the Classic Pass or its variations on the Controls DVD. Although, you will learn a number of controls that can sub in for the pass, I would be grateful if Liam would come out with a Pass instructional DVD at some point to round out the set.
Again, you must realize that no DVD set could teach you everything. There are unlimited numbers of sleights and techniques in card magic as well as variations of those sleights and techniques. However, this DVD set is not just foundational. It teaches the basics but goes beyond the basics. Better than that, it really teaches you how to do the sleights correctly and how they are integrated to create a magic trick. Realize as well that learning and refining the sleights requires more than just watching a DVD; it will take a lot of work and effort.
I am not exaggerating when I say that this has been the most useful and important purchase I have made in learning card magic. This modest DVD package lives up the magic-store, best-ever hype without ever having been hyped this way. I am certain that my book purchases will serve me well way down the road but this DVD set has been the key to unlock their usefulness. And that's real magic."