"Savagely cultivate superior ambition!"

Well, the cards got made and have been shipped out, good for him.

Video Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmqOpSoUC_Y

Instagram hash tag: https://instagram.com/explore/tags/disturbreality/

Creator: Dani Daortiz
Publisher: Essential Magic Collection
MSRP: $150
Skill Level: all
DVD Run time: 10 hours

Type of effect: Full Course in Card Magic

Manufacturer's Write Up:

DANI DAORTIZ RETURNS WITH A NEW SELECTION OF ASTONISHING MAGIC!  Dani DaOrtiz reveals the real secrets of professional card magic. From self-working miracles to psychological mysteries. Dani's routines are renowned for their entertaining plots and ingenious methods. A true card star.  Dani DaOrtiz RELOADED is an Spanish language 4 DVDs Box Set, subtitled in English, Spanish, French and Japanese. Shot in HD at the Estúdio33 in Portugal by Luis de Matos Productions.

DISC 1 | 100% DAORTIZ
7 routines (performance in Spanish, explanations in English)

DISC 2 | FASCINATIONS
Extensive chapters and multiple routines on: HANDLING THE DOUBLE, TRIUMPH
MY STACKED DECK, C10 SYSTEM (pdf inclued) and GENERAL CARD magic.

DISC 3 | PSYCHOLOGY
Divided in four major parts: EXPECTATIONS, FAN FORCE, FISHING & the MAGICIAN'S CHOICE

DISC 4 | SEMI-AUTOMATIC
9 STUNNING SELF-WORKING CARD TRICKS & 7 NEW FAVOURITE ROUTINES. All self working tricks you never thought were possible.

How accurate is the ad copy?
Does not do it justice - you get all this and so much more.

What's in the box? 4 DVDs

Key points: 30 routines, new astonishing magic, real secrets, entertaining plots, ingenious methods,

How are the production values: Top notch. Multi camera angles in live performance and explanations. Dani even changes his shirt on each disc, so you always know which disc you're watching.  Explanation videos have spectators and even multi window shots. Well filmed, well microphoned.

Is it well taught: detailed multi camera explanations, four languages with interviews and fantastic extra content (including two massive PDF files for offline reading)

 My thoughts (what I personally liked/disliked):

 I went into this thinking that I would not be able to do a lot of the magic on the discs and while it is true that Dani's skill is far superior to most living humans, there is a lot here for all skill levels. In fact the very first card trick Dani does - is he shows you how to force a card onto 5 different people - and yet the card is literally not in the deck and all you have to do is riffle the edges of the deck!

 My favorite two discs were the "Psychology & Semi-Automatic" DVDs. In Psychology Dani explains magic theory which is the "why" behind his performance style. On this disc Dani explains so much of his posture, deck handling and even his patter which is so extremely helpful and I will be adopting much of this to my own routines.

 The Semi-Automatic DVD is one of the best self-working card magic discs I have ever seen and is worth the price of the entire set.

Overall score: 11/10

 + If you want to see my full review with even more of my opinions and ideas you can visit this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2qvxcHJZjs

video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clSbohI7254

Tally-Ho is the luxury brand of playing cards by USPCC (The United States Playing Card Company). It’s the deck of choice for cardists, flourishers, players, and magicians alike. These Tally-Ho playing cards are in the long line of cards that started printing in 1885. This is the latest iteration of Tally-Ho cards, of which there are only a few. This is the British Monarchy Tally-Ho deck, and you can get it right now.

Each royalty card is comprised of monarchy from the long and distinguished history of Britain. The Kings and Queens depicted in each royalty card exude elegance and sophistication. The British Monarchy chosen for this deck include:

King of Spades: King Edward I "Longshanks"
Queen of Spades: Mary Queen of Scots
Jack of Spades: Cnut the Great
Ace of Spades: Royal Crown
King of Clubs: King James I
Queen of Clubs: Queen Anne
Jack of Clubs: King Richard I, The Lionheart
Ace of Clubs: Globus Cruciger
King of Diamonds: King Henry VIII
Queen of Diamonds: Queen Elizabeth I
Jack of Diamonds: King Alfred the Great
Ace of Diamonds: Knight’s Helmet
King of Hearts: William the Conqueror
Queen of Hearts: Queen Victoria
Jack of Hearts: King Henry V
Ace of Hearts: Royal Throne
Jokers: Anne Boleyn and Oliver Cromwell

You can always learn more at: http://www.luxplayingcards.com/

crowd funding link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/luxplayingcards/british-monarchy-tally-ho-playing-cards-printed-by

video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ktInrxdX98

Designed for the modern card player, this simple and elegant back design, featuring the Whispering Imps® famous "WI" logo, allows the player to focus on what's really important, the face cards.  Each card has been completely redesigned for any card player, in any game, at any table.

tock: Embossed Playing Card Stock

Finish: Premium Master Finish

Cut: Traditional
Quantity: 3450 (Red)  3450 (Black)
Print Date: May 2015
Manufactured by: The Expert Playing Card Company

Buy yours here: http://whisperingimps.com/collections/whispering-imps-playing-cards/products/gamesters

Creator: Mickael Chatelain
Publisher: Gimick Magic
MSRP: $ 30
Skill Level: all

Type of effect: card pass through card effect

Manufacturer's Write Up:

Spectators are more and more skeptical these days; they need to see in order to believe! With HOLE 2.0, your spectators will still not believe what they have just seen!

Take out your deck and spread the cards between your hands. Right in the middle of the deck you discover two cards that are a bit different. First, their backs are of a different color than the rest of the deck and they also have a quarter-sized hole in the middle.

Take out the two cards and allow them to be thoroughly examined. Your spectators will see that, apart from the holes, the cards are absolutely ordinary.

Next, take the top card of the deck and spread out the two examined cards.

With no false moves or manipulation, the card (the six of clubs) is slid between the two cards with holes. Everything happens under the nose of the spectators, inches away. Everything is clean, nothing suspicious to ruin the illusion.

Show that the six of clubs remains mostly visible from front and back.
Tell you spectators not to blink and to concentrate on the six of clubs.

Hold the three cards firmly between the thumb and forefinger of each hand.
Concentrate! Although absolutely impossible, the six of clubs passes through the lower card and lands on the table. Matter through matter in full view and under the very eyes of your spectators!

Immediately hand out all three cards to be examined at the leisure of your spectators.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, can be found. The three cards are perfectly normal! How is this possible?

How accurate is the ad copy? This description is 100% faithful to each step of the trick.

What's in the box? DVD and four cards

Key points:

The gimmick, and a gimmick there is, is truly diabolical! The cards are examined before and after the trick. Believe me, no one will find the method used. Easy to do, the "secret" takes care of everything! The card is genuinely sandwiched - no optical illusion, however it escapes as if by magic! DVD and gimmick included.

How are the production values: DVD comes in French and English, DVD shot in a white clean environment, but the audio feels a little echoy.

Is it well made: the gimmick is insane, never would have thought of it in a million years.

Is it well taught: Mickael does a good job teaching and he even offers solutions to handing out all of the cards for examination

My thoughts (what I personally liked/disliked):

Storage? Does it "pack flat?" Perfect Packet trick, only a few cards are used. However, if you want to be able to have the gimmicks examinable you will need to ring in fresh cards from a standard deck.

Does it "play big?" Terrific optical illusion, what the spectator sees is a straight forward impossibility

How practical is this in the real world? (can it really be done?) This trick is set up perfectly for walking around, strolling and street magic

Overall score: 9/10

+ If you want to see my full review with even more of my opinions and ideas you can visit this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Za9A8jv5QoE

Giving away a John Carey card magic DVD and a deck of Richard Turner Gold Standards - more information here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulF7Jp0LIAM

Review link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VzVMihPW-E

In honor of our glorious friend, Ask Alexander, CARC has collaborated with M. Stutzman, artist for David Blaine's wonderful playing cards and posters, to bring you the Ask Alexander deck. Featuring numerous diabolical properties and an elegant, cunning design. The Ask Alexander deck is printed on the finest casino paper and to the highest standards available at the United States Playing Card Company.

CARC link: http://shop.conjuringarts.org/store/pc/Ask-Alexander-Cards-c3.htm

Buy yours from D&D: http://shop.dananddave.com/playing-cards/ask-alexander.html

Go head... http://askalexander.org/

Review link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b84CQ3IauiM.

The Artifice deck took Ellusionist to the smoky back rooms of hole-in-the-wall gambling dens, where cunning and exceptional skill are the tools you need to escape not only with your winnings, but your knee-caps.

The jacquard design on the card backs are reminiscent of the high-roller rooms in the world's finest casinos, whereas the metallic linework conjures up images of the platinum credit cards littering the wallets of the gentlemen who frequent such rooms.

Exclusive Performance Coating provides exceptional handling
True-metallic silver line art
Prime casino-grade stock for control and durability
Stylized border, maintaining the aesthetics of the original design
Built-in reveal on jokers
Consulted with a dozen card pros including Asher, Fisher and Madison
Designed by top Ellusionist designers, Jason Brumbalow, Lee McKenzii and Carlos Batlló
Printed at the US Playing Card Company, with the highest quality control available

"These are now my only weapons of choice. " - Daniel Madison, Advocate of the Deceptive Arts

"Hands down my favorite deck of all time." - Eric Jones, Top Pro

Cobalt Edition: http://www.ellusionist.com/artifice-second-edition.html.

Emerald Edition: http://www.ellusionist.com/artifice-second-edition-emerald.html

Uncut sheets: http://www.ellusionist.com/artifice-uncut-sheets.html.

The Gaff System: http://www.ellusionist.com/gaff-system-madison-morelli-jones.html

Angle Z Refills: http://www.ellusionist.com/angle-z-refills.html.

No.17 Playing Cards - Stockholm 17 - Deck Review

review link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrBgslRkHSw

"No.17 Playing Cards" is a custom designed deck of playing cards (poker size), printed by United States Playing Card Company (USPCC), Bicycle® branded.

There is no specific theme in this deck, it´s quite eclectic, Lorenzo let his fantasy run when he illustrated the courts. The diamonds have clearly an Egyptian resemblance, but overall they belong to a parallel world. There is a thing that connects all the court cards: the text circling the background is a part of the Aeneid, a Latin epic poem written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans.

Learn more here: www.stockholm17.com

130 Anniversary - Bicycle Playing Cards - Deck Review

review link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RicjoT5_QCc

From 1885 - 2015. Celebrating 130 Years of Playing Cards.

The Wheel No. 1 card back design was originally introduced in 1887. This was one of the first few designs used under the Bicycle brand name. This design was available in red, blue, green, and brown. It remained in print until 1907, when the three-pronged symbol in the center was replaced with a 4-pronged symbol that made the card symmetrical.

Every Bicycle playing card deck is specially crafted so that you can trust Bicycle cards performance hand after hand. Great for all card games. Great for all players.

Retailers visit here:

Blue deck: http://www.murphysmagic.com/Product.aspx?id=55241

Red deck: http://www.murphysmagic.com/Product.aspx?id=55242

Creator: Peter Woerde           
Publisher: Vanishing Inc
MSRP: $30
Skill Level: Intermediate
DVD Run time: 9 minutes

Type of effect: Gambling routine

Manufacturer's Write Up: With this routine, you are the master of the card table. You can cut to four-of-a-kind, change the hand, and then transform it into a Royal Flush in Spades.

This elegant routine has a beginning, middle, and fantastic ending, and within three minutes, you prove to your audience that you can do anything with a pack of cards. Few routines have the potency and impact of "Gambler vs. Gambler," and this special package comes complete with everything you need to perform, as well as an in-depth explanation video starring Joshua Jay.

How accurate is the ad copy? This is exactly what happens, however to perform the effect as demonstrated in the video you will have to make some sleight changes to a standard deck of cards (also covered in the teaching)

What's in the box? Includes DVD and specially printed Bicycle playing cards (add them to any color "standard deck").

Key points: Quick, direct and puts the power of a solid gambling routine into your hands

How are the production values: Well shot and edited, lots of angles, HD camera and nice location. (no live performances)

Is it well made: This could not be made any better

Is it well taught: Joshua Jay goes over everything you need to know, he even spends extra time covering the sleights involved. The DVD is about 9 minutes long.

My thoughts (what I personally liked/disliked): I loved the idea that armed with only 5 cards and the knowledge of a few sleights, you could produce 3 different changes.

Storage? Does it "pack flat?" Perfect packet trick or can be used in conjunction with a standard deck of cards

Does it "play big?" Audiences love gambling routines

How practical is this in the real world? (can it really be done?) Absolutely, this is a real worker, all you need to know how to do is the Ascanio spread.

Overall score: 9/10

+ If you want to see my full review with even more of my opinions and ideas you can visit this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHaTt2hav6k

Creator: Anton James
Publisher: Magic Estate
MSRP: $ 30
Skill Level: Intermediate
DVD Run time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Type of effect: Deck of cards for performing mentalism

Manufacturer's Write Up: MSP is a new tool for the world of mentalism! Crafted to make it easy for you to perform a plethora of powerful mental effects. This special pack handles like a deck of cards and features custom artwork specifically created for mentalism.

How accurate is the ad copy? Spot on!

What's in the box? Deck  of cards which consists of 26 cards and 26 extras, duplicates and gaffs. You also receive a paper pamphlet that contains a URL to the instructional teaching.

Key points:

Straight Forward mind reading.
drawing duplications.
impossible predictions.
Memorization routines, Readings and More.
KILLER applications for stand up and close up.
26 symbol cards.
26 additional cards and gaffs for even more effects.
 
How are the production values: All of the videos are shot with a camera on a tripod, shot against a curtain backdrop. There are no extra angles or views. The music is kind of a "haunting piano" sound, but it's not distracting.

Is it well made: the deck is a special synthetic polymer manufactured from a "secret" deck maker that Anton is not revealing. However, the deck is water proof and virtually indestructible.

Is it well taught: Anton is a very articulate teacher and is enjoyable to watch

My thoughts (what I personally liked/disliked): I love that this is putting mentalism into the hands of a card performer and that you can take what you already know about cards and turn it into a working mentalism routine.

Storage? Does it "pack flat?" Absolutely, all you need is your packet of cards

Does it "play big?" Mentalism is so hot right now and so I think anytime you can "read someone's mind, it will always play big.

How practical is this in the real world? (can it really be done?) Absolutely, these are all "working" real world effects for both the parlor, walk around and even stage environments.

How original is this idea? Mentalists have always used pictures and or cards, but this deck is a wonderful marriage of both.

Overall score: 10/10

+ If you want to see my full review with even more of my opinions and ideas you can visit this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D04VnJSTVVk

This post needs some pics 





Artistic playing cards illustrated by Jackson Robinson in collaboration with inXile Ent. inspired by the video game Wasteland 2.

Vimeo Video:

About wasteland 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasteland_2

inXile Entertainment: http://www.inxile-entertainment.com/

Over a year ago Brian Fargo of inXile Entertainment and Jackson Robinson of Kings Wild Project, starred in the feature-length documentary about crowdfunding entitled Capital C. The film followed the journey of three unique crowdfunded campaigns, including Brian Fargo's Wasteland 2 project and Jackson's project Federal 52.

Brian and Jackson hit it off great at the film’s premier and during the night's conversation they had the idea of continuing the story by doing a project together....This is the idea: