Paul Gordon's Card Startlers - My Review
Buy it: http://www.paulgordon.net/cardstartlers_card_magic_tricks_dvd.html
Price: About $60
Shipping: It took about 5 postal days for it to arrive at my door in Texas from the UK.
Demos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdmzQNzz358
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-Z9JpRyCac
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcVsyqcW_Jk
Also here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHMUa9r5x3c
- Diminishing? Not Likely!
- Twister
The DVD
This is a very basic DVD set featuring card effects from Paul Gordon, who's based out of the UK. You've probably heard of him somewhere in the past, cause this guy's pretty hardcore. He's published numerous books (available on Penguin) and other DVD's.
His latest creation is Card Startlers, a nice 3-DVD set which looks very homemade. The DVD's appear to be run through one of those home printing kits, and the explanations are done at a large table in what appears to be his living room with Judy. There's no fancy music, heavy After Effects post-video processing of any type. Just basic, hard hitting card magic. All card magic in fact.
The sound is mostly clear, performances are at varied locations, and the content is absolute gold. Beginner card magicians need not apply, this is intermediate material. 47 tricks and almost 5 hours worth, all with a normal deck of cards.
Enter Paul Gordon's Card Startlers ...
Disc 1: - One hour, 40 minutes
Introduction - 1 min
The usual welcoming speech, and thanks for purchasing.
Live Clip 2006 - 5 mins
Includes the following routines in performance only. Done outside at what appears to be a picnic or other outdoor event:
- World's Best Card Trick
- Ambitious Card Routine - "Write your name, and your phone number."
- Dr. Daley I Presume?
- Diminishing? Not Likely!
Also watch it on his YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zVB1lFYx_w&feature=related
Diminishing? Not Likely! Explanation - 6 mins
From: COOL CARD STUFF, CARDISTRY, PROTEAN CARD MAGIC
Great routine where the spectator selects any card, then you combine it with three others from the deck. With only that packet in hand, you display their card four times, then reveal it's vanished, replaced by the four aces.
Difficulty: 4/10 - only a couple of sleights, easy to learn
Rating: 10/10 - beautiful effect
Twister - 5 mins
From: THE UNPLANNED CARD BOOK, COOL CARD STUFF, NOCTURNAL CREATIONS, Apocolypse
Vernon's Twisting the Aces but using the Jacks (designed to be performed after Diminishing? Not Likely!). Once all cards are turned face down, they are revealed to be the Aces, and the Jacks are all shown to be back in the deck, reversed. This is shown in numerous live performances on the DVD, and gets huge reactions each time.
Difficulty: 5/10 - a lot of sleights, intermediate
Rating: 10/10 - turbo Twisting the Aces with a couple of kickers at the end
The Eight Of Diamonds Trick - 9 mins
From: EXPLORATIONS, Best of Friends vol 3
Spectator shuffles the deck, then picks a small packet of less than 15 cards off the top, counting them as you look away. Then they are combined in the deck, deck is cut in half and you count down to their card's location.
Difficulty: 1/10 - self-working, but does use counting (twice) and spelling
Rating: 7/10 - maybe I'd like it more if a fun tale was attached (eg: I Dream of Mind Reading on Joshua Jay's Lecture DVD and the blind guy). Still a good trick.
Perfect Prediction Premonition - 6 mins
From: CARD MARVELS
After the spectator shuffles, you remove 3 predictions from the deck. Then spec grabs a packet, counts a number of cards and notices the card in the deck with that position. Your cards on the table show the color, suit and number of their chosen card, and you reveal their actual card from their stack.
Difficulty: 3/10 - he does it with a perfect faro, however you can just manually place the required card in the required position using some other method
Rating: 10/10 - Love this one, combines elements from Eight of Diamonds and Diminishing? Not Likely! yet seems more streamlined
Totally Baffling Card Control - 6 mins
From: COOL CARD STUFF, PROTEAN CARD MAGIC
After the spectator shuffles, they remove the four jacks. You then place the jacks back into the spread, but they suddenly appear on top of the deck.
Difficulty: 3/10 - fairly easy sleight, it appears spectator does most of the work
Rating: 9/10 - I like how hands off this is at the end, plus the subtle jack displays are an outstanding addition
Emulsion Cards - 6 mins
From: CARD MARVELS
Multi-phased ungimmicked 8-card oil and water routine using a buckle + elmsley count. I love the extra displays during the routine. Note: He uses some old style cards during the effect, that are available for separate purchase here:
http://www.penguinmagic.com/specialorderproduct.php?ID=11039
Difficulty: 2/10 - if you can elmsley, you got this down
Rating: 9/10 - really, really nice polished routine
Taser Aces - 8 mins
From: CARDISTRY
A quick display of the four aces onto the table.
Difficulty: 2/10 - the spinout move is easy
Rating: 7/10 - cool display, but nothing amazing
Illogical and Discrepant Count - 2 mins
Michael Vincent actually got permission to use this in his DVD series?
An ace is added to three other cards, then vanishes.
Difficulty: 2/10 - if you can elmsley, you're all set
Rating: 7/10 - cute utility move
No Pockets Ultimate Transposition - 8 mins
From: PROFESSIONAL CARD MAGIC MIRACLES
Requires a ton of misdirection, plus your spectators looking straight down at the cards. Inspired by Earnest Earrick. The aces are removed, and placed on top of the card case. Then the four jacks are gathered from inside the deck, and are placed randomly throughout the deck. As the aces are grabbed from the card case, a slap on top causes them to vanish and be replaced by all four jacks. The aces are then found upside down at the center of the deck.
Difficulty: 5/10 - requires a couple of weird sleights. Definitely need a lot of practice to pull this off.
Rating: 10/10 - great transposition, the visual slap gives it some UMPH!
Live Clip 2009 - 6 mins
From The Magic Circle Lecture 2009
- Diminishing? Not Likely!
- Shocked Aces
- Nomadic Aces
- Powerhouse
Four-Way False Cut and Control - 3 mins
A Frank Thompson three way false cut. He turned it into a card control inside CAUSE AND EFFECT. Spectator drops their card into the middle of the pack, then you false cut it onto the top, and it ends up on top once more.
Difficulty: 2/10 - simple, and easy to do. Looks fantastic.
Rating: 10/10 - gorgeous tabled card control, and great looking cut
Carbon Footprints - 8 mins
Similar to Aronson's Shuffleboard. Reprinted in COOL CARD STUFF. Spectator shuffles the deck, then removes 8 black cards, 8 red cards onto the table. You then make a prediction onto a piece of paper, and shuffle face up into face down. After the spectator chooses which cards should be turned over vs not, all the black cards appear face up, and red face down. Except for a prediction you made at the beginning.
Difficulty: 1/10 - virtually self working
Rating: 9/10 - cool mini-triumph type effect using a packet of cards the spectator chose
The Royal Marriages - 6 mins
From: CARD MARVELS
The kings and queens are removed from the deck into a packet of cards. No matter how the spectator chooses to shuffle them, the queen and king of each suit end up together. In CARD MARVELS, Paul spends a lot of time going over the variations and spelling choices you can make to end the effect.
Difficulty: 1/10 - self working, just requires an initial setup of the card order
Rating: 9/10 - wonderful, almost impossible trick where the spectator can cut all day and choose which pile goes where
The World's Best Card Trick - 7 mins
From: PROFESSIONAL CARD MAGIC MIRACLES
After a spectator shuffles the deck, they choose a card at random. Once it's placed back into the deck, you find it after a series of cuts.
Difficulty: 2/10 - very simple concept, requiring a double lift and double undercut
Rating: 8/10 - cute opener with simple sleights
ITHEC - 4 mins
From: CARD MARVELS
In The Hands Elmsley Count - a method of doing the elmsley using the spectator's fingers.
Difficulty: 3/10 - simple elmsley, but the receiving hand is the spectator's
Rating: 7/10 - interesting idea, not sure where I'd use it
Dr. Daley, I Presume? - 5 mins
From: CARD MAGIC COMPANION
The standard Daley routine where two black aces inside the spectator's hand transpose for the two red aces in your hand.
Difficulty: 2/10 - a double lift, and you're golden
Rating: 10/10 - a lot of variations for this all over, but ultimately a fantastic quick effect and a great opener
Strollers Delight - 7 mins
From: PROFESSIONAL CARD MAGIC MIRACLES
Requires two spectators, both of which select cards. The four aces are then removed and placed on the table. The first selected card appears reversed in the middle of the deck, and the second one has transposed with one of the aces.
Difficulty: 2/10 - easy sleights
Rating: 7/10 - another "here's your card, PLUS a transposition"
Buy it: http://www.paulgordon.net/cardstartlers_card_magic_tricks_dvd.html
Price: About $60
Shipping: It took about 5 postal days for it to arrive at my door in Texas from the UK.
Demos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdmzQNzz358
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-Z9JpRyCac
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcVsyqcW_Jk
Also here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHMUa9r5x3c
- Diminishing? Not Likely!
- Twister
The DVD
This is a very basic DVD set featuring card effects from Paul Gordon, who's based out of the UK. You've probably heard of him somewhere in the past, cause this guy's pretty hardcore. He's published numerous books (available on Penguin) and other DVD's.
His latest creation is Card Startlers, a nice 3-DVD set which looks very homemade. The DVD's appear to be run through one of those home printing kits, and the explanations are done at a large table in what appears to be his living room with Judy. There's no fancy music, heavy After Effects post-video processing of any type. Just basic, hard hitting card magic. All card magic in fact.
The sound is mostly clear, performances are at varied locations, and the content is absolute gold. Beginner card magicians need not apply, this is intermediate material. 47 tricks and almost 5 hours worth, all with a normal deck of cards.
Enter Paul Gordon's Card Startlers ...
Disc 1: - One hour, 40 minutes
Introduction - 1 min
The usual welcoming speech, and thanks for purchasing.
Live Clip 2006 - 5 mins
Includes the following routines in performance only. Done outside at what appears to be a picnic or other outdoor event:
- World's Best Card Trick
- Ambitious Card Routine - "Write your name, and your phone number."
- Dr. Daley I Presume?
- Diminishing? Not Likely!
Also watch it on his YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zVB1lFYx_w&feature=related
Diminishing? Not Likely! Explanation - 6 mins
From: COOL CARD STUFF, CARDISTRY, PROTEAN CARD MAGIC
Great routine where the spectator selects any card, then you combine it with three others from the deck. With only that packet in hand, you display their card four times, then reveal it's vanished, replaced by the four aces.
Difficulty: 4/10 - only a couple of sleights, easy to learn
Rating: 10/10 - beautiful effect
Twister - 5 mins
From: THE UNPLANNED CARD BOOK, COOL CARD STUFF, NOCTURNAL CREATIONS, Apocolypse
Vernon's Twisting the Aces but using the Jacks (designed to be performed after Diminishing? Not Likely!). Once all cards are turned face down, they are revealed to be the Aces, and the Jacks are all shown to be back in the deck, reversed. This is shown in numerous live performances on the DVD, and gets huge reactions each time.
Difficulty: 5/10 - a lot of sleights, intermediate
Rating: 10/10 - turbo Twisting the Aces with a couple of kickers at the end
The Eight Of Diamonds Trick - 9 mins
From: EXPLORATIONS, Best of Friends vol 3
Spectator shuffles the deck, then picks a small packet of less than 15 cards off the top, counting them as you look away. Then they are combined in the deck, deck is cut in half and you count down to their card's location.
Difficulty: 1/10 - self-working, but does use counting (twice) and spelling
Rating: 7/10 - maybe I'd like it more if a fun tale was attached (eg: I Dream of Mind Reading on Joshua Jay's Lecture DVD and the blind guy). Still a good trick.
Perfect Prediction Premonition - 6 mins
From: CARD MARVELS
After the spectator shuffles, you remove 3 predictions from the deck. Then spec grabs a packet, counts a number of cards and notices the card in the deck with that position. Your cards on the table show the color, suit and number of their chosen card, and you reveal their actual card from their stack.
Difficulty: 3/10 - he does it with a perfect faro, however you can just manually place the required card in the required position using some other method
Rating: 10/10 - Love this one, combines elements from Eight of Diamonds and Diminishing? Not Likely! yet seems more streamlined
Totally Baffling Card Control - 6 mins
From: COOL CARD STUFF, PROTEAN CARD MAGIC
After the spectator shuffles, they remove the four jacks. You then place the jacks back into the spread, but they suddenly appear on top of the deck.
Difficulty: 3/10 - fairly easy sleight, it appears spectator does most of the work
Rating: 9/10 - I like how hands off this is at the end, plus the subtle jack displays are an outstanding addition
Emulsion Cards - 6 mins
From: CARD MARVELS
Multi-phased ungimmicked 8-card oil and water routine using a buckle + elmsley count. I love the extra displays during the routine. Note: He uses some old style cards during the effect, that are available for separate purchase here:
http://www.penguinmagic.com/specialorderproduct.php?ID=11039
Difficulty: 2/10 - if you can elmsley, you got this down
Rating: 9/10 - really, really nice polished routine
Taser Aces - 8 mins
From: CARDISTRY
A quick display of the four aces onto the table.
Difficulty: 2/10 - the spinout move is easy
Rating: 7/10 - cool display, but nothing amazing
Illogical and Discrepant Count - 2 mins
Michael Vincent actually got permission to use this in his DVD series?
An ace is added to three other cards, then vanishes.
Difficulty: 2/10 - if you can elmsley, you're all set
Rating: 7/10 - cute utility move
No Pockets Ultimate Transposition - 8 mins
From: PROFESSIONAL CARD MAGIC MIRACLES
Requires a ton of misdirection, plus your spectators looking straight down at the cards. Inspired by Earnest Earrick. The aces are removed, and placed on top of the card case. Then the four jacks are gathered from inside the deck, and are placed randomly throughout the deck. As the aces are grabbed from the card case, a slap on top causes them to vanish and be replaced by all four jacks. The aces are then found upside down at the center of the deck.
Difficulty: 5/10 - requires a couple of weird sleights. Definitely need a lot of practice to pull this off.
Rating: 10/10 - great transposition, the visual slap gives it some UMPH!
Live Clip 2009 - 6 mins
From The Magic Circle Lecture 2009
- Diminishing? Not Likely!
- Shocked Aces
- Nomadic Aces
- Powerhouse
Four-Way False Cut and Control - 3 mins
A Frank Thompson three way false cut. He turned it into a card control inside CAUSE AND EFFECT. Spectator drops their card into the middle of the pack, then you false cut it onto the top, and it ends up on top once more.
Difficulty: 2/10 - simple, and easy to do. Looks fantastic.
Rating: 10/10 - gorgeous tabled card control, and great looking cut
Carbon Footprints - 8 mins
Similar to Aronson's Shuffleboard. Reprinted in COOL CARD STUFF. Spectator shuffles the deck, then removes 8 black cards, 8 red cards onto the table. You then make a prediction onto a piece of paper, and shuffle face up into face down. After the spectator chooses which cards should be turned over vs not, all the black cards appear face up, and red face down. Except for a prediction you made at the beginning.
Difficulty: 1/10 - virtually self working
Rating: 9/10 - cool mini-triumph type effect using a packet of cards the spectator chose
The Royal Marriages - 6 mins
From: CARD MARVELS
The kings and queens are removed from the deck into a packet of cards. No matter how the spectator chooses to shuffle them, the queen and king of each suit end up together. In CARD MARVELS, Paul spends a lot of time going over the variations and spelling choices you can make to end the effect.
Difficulty: 1/10 - self working, just requires an initial setup of the card order
Rating: 9/10 - wonderful, almost impossible trick where the spectator can cut all day and choose which pile goes where
The World's Best Card Trick - 7 mins
From: PROFESSIONAL CARD MAGIC MIRACLES
After a spectator shuffles the deck, they choose a card at random. Once it's placed back into the deck, you find it after a series of cuts.
Difficulty: 2/10 - very simple concept, requiring a double lift and double undercut
Rating: 8/10 - cute opener with simple sleights
ITHEC - 4 mins
From: CARD MARVELS
In The Hands Elmsley Count - a method of doing the elmsley using the spectator's fingers.
Difficulty: 3/10 - simple elmsley, but the receiving hand is the spectator's
Rating: 7/10 - interesting idea, not sure where I'd use it
Dr. Daley, I Presume? - 5 mins
From: CARD MAGIC COMPANION
The standard Daley routine where two black aces inside the spectator's hand transpose for the two red aces in your hand.
Difficulty: 2/10 - a double lift, and you're golden
Rating: 10/10 - a lot of variations for this all over, but ultimately a fantastic quick effect and a great opener
Strollers Delight - 7 mins
From: PROFESSIONAL CARD MAGIC MIRACLES
Requires two spectators, both of which select cards. The four aces are then removed and placed on the table. The first selected card appears reversed in the middle of the deck, and the second one has transposed with one of the aces.
Difficulty: 2/10 - easy sleights
Rating: 7/10 - another "here's your card, PLUS a transposition"