Michael Ammar’s Easy to Master Card Miracles, Vol. 5

Price: $30
Format: DVD
Publisher: L&L Publishing
Running time: 95 minutes
Difficulty: Beginner to Intermediate

Virginia City Shuffle (Lewis, Falanga, Luka) – This is another great packet trick that is completely examinable. It is not impropmtu, but is still a wonderful effect that I'm sure will find its way into many magicians' repertoires.

Another Quick Coincidence (Allan Ackerman) – I absolutely love Allan Ackerman's work, and this wonderful variation of Quick Coincidence is no exception. The magician predicts a card, the spectator chooses a card, and then the the spectator pushes their card into the deck. Believe it or not, the selected card, the predicted card, and the two cards in between which the spectator pushed his card, are four of a kind!

Henry Christ's Fabulous Four Ace Trick (Henry Christ) – Whenever somebody asks to see a magic trick, this is what I perform for them. It absolutely blows the pants off spectators, and is practically self-working. It has a very small setup that can be done right under the spectator's nose. I consider this effect the absolute best routine for finding the aces in a mixed deck.

Cards Into Card Box (Mark Lefler) – This quick trick is a wonderful opener that catches the spectators off-guard and gets a usual laugh.

The Gun Trick (Ken Krenzel) – As you load the "bullet" Ace of Spades into the card-gun, the suspense builds. You then thrust the bullet card into the deck, and out flies the spectator's chosen card. This effect is a great one that is "cute" in the spectator's mind.

Card on Ceiling (Michael Ammar) – As you pull a "variable tension gripper" from your box of "secrets," and then wrap the rubber band around the deck of cards, you direct the spectators' attention to the ceiling. You then thrust the deck upwards, and, as the banded cards fall, one card is left on the ceiling - the freely selected card. This trick will absolutely astonish your audience and can be performed almost anywhere!

Torn & Restored Card (J.C. Wagner) – This effect is a wonderful version of the classic plot, the torn and restored card. Not only is the trick itself magnificent and clearly well thought-out, the patter is very entertaining and funny.

Hofzinser All Backs (Harry Riser) – This near-impromptu mini-miracle is a brilliant demonstration of a magician's power to transform cards.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind (Dai Vernon) – This effect looks like pure mind reading and will make your audience jump out of their seat! Very easy, with a great effect.

Grasshopper (Paul Harris) – This quickie is a great effect that includes the CLEAN transportation of a selected card.

Overall: 8/10

I only use one trick from this video regularly, but I'm sure many of you will find tricks that suit your needs. All of the tricks are very good, but they just don't fit my style. If you like cards, I'm sure you'll find a trick or two on this video that you will immediately add to your act. Vol. 5, like the others in this series, is great and will not disappoint even professional cardicians!

Virginia City Shuffle is one of the best packet tricks out there and is worth the price of the tape.