'Expert Card Techniques' Really All That?

[Karo-K54]

I'm between the beginner-intermediate phase, and people have recommended me to read Expert Card Technique. But I went through a small sample of the book, and the sleights seem a bit dated.
For example, the get-ready of the DL is to press on the outer and inner edges until the desired number of cards pop up. But riffling the back is much easier and more efficient, and the pinky count is much more efficient and secretive once mastered.
And the double loft itself is rather flourishy, and the Derek Dingle double lift is much better if you want a flourishy lift. Or even the push-off double lift that 52Kards teach in YouTube from Stars of Magic is better (by much).

So before buying this product, I wanted to check whether the book was truly worth it to buy, since the moves it teaches that I've read are now by far obsolete.

 

[ChrisJGJ]

You'll find this trick in there under Bird's of a Feather

There are a lot of cool things in the book that I'll let you find out about.

 

[RealityOne]

The basic double turn over is taught in Royal Road as are a bunch of other basic sleights. Expert Card Technique builds on those sleights by presenting alternative methods. There have been many variations and improvements of the sleights taught in that book. That is one of the reasons I recommend Card College instead -- Roberto Giobbi presents what he thinks is the best handling of the various sleights.

That said, there is a lot of very good material in Expert Card Technique.

 

[Daniel Montoya]

I got "Expert Card Technique" as my first magic book. Was this a good choice?

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

It's a bit more advanced than most people will be able to effectively start with. Better to begin with Royal Road to Card Magic and then go to Expert Card Technique.

Side note - I still use the push off technique taught in Expert Card Technique to this day.

 

[Al e Cat Dabra]

I do not consider Expert Card Technique to be the right book for beginner-intermediate, as Christopher pointed out; it's probably more appropriate for advanced intermediate and up. There are so many ways, based on many different sources, to do a double lift or turnover. IMO what is best is what will feel, and even more importantly look, natural for each particular individual. Chances are if it feels awkward to you, it will look awkward to them. There are many reputed "card men" who do an obvious "get ready" prior to doing a double lift or turnover. This is noticeable to laymen, and arouses suspicion, even if they don't say anything, and it can diminish or even destroy the illusion of magic. As great a book as the Royal Road to Card Magic is overall, to me, the DL that is taught in there is atrocious. I personally like the strike double because there is no get ready. If you bevel the top cards of the deck slightly to the right, it makes it pretty easy after a while to catch two cards by feel. But it may not be for everyone. I think that a really good way to gauge what will look really natural and good is to see how you would ordinarily pick up or turn over a single card and then try to get your double to look as close to that as possible.