Mr. Glenn, if youre point was not to brag, then why bring up a completely irrelevant story? Im sorry but this is pretty cheesy advertisement in what, in my frank opinion is a very unskilled DVD you produced. A friend of mine allowed me to see it, and honestly the culls and the shuffles would not fool my 2 year old son. the way you performed them would not be viable for magic, much more less a real card table game. Perhaps a more skilled performer might get away with them at a game, but if you have been working on this for decades, then I cannot see how you have been able to get away with it and no one question your pauses and other shady movements in your overhand shuffle. I know at my cardtable you would be escorted out, at least. In a magic performance, you would be eaten alive.

you have great 3 shell game, but I'm sorry to say this your cardwork is not as impressive.

cardshark

Mr. Glenn, if youre point was not to brag, then why bring up a completely irrelevant story? Im sorry but this is pretty cheesy advertisement in what, in my frank opinion is a very unskilled DVD you produced. A friend of mine allowed me to see it, and honestly the culls and the shuffles would not fool my 2 year old son. the way you performed them would not be viable for magic, much more less a real card table game. Perhaps a more skilled performer might get away with them at a game, but if you have been working on this for decades, then I cannot see how you have been able to get away with it and no one question your pauses and other shady movements in your overhand shuffle. I know at my cardtable you would be escorted out, at least. In a magic performance, you would be eaten alive.

you have great 3 shell game, but I'm sorry to say this your cardwork is not as impressive.

cardshark

Because I can, and I talk about things that happen and I feel that are personal in what I have learned in life. I find Zen has a lot to do with magic and the way students of magic learn as it does with human nature.

Well we all have an opinion but just to bring you up to speed the DVD sold around 100 and is now off the market and I have no plans to bring it back on the market at this time.

I am sorry I do not do card shark magic for 2 year olds but I can do a show with the die box and the hippity hop rabbits. But I think 2 year olds are not old enough for even that kind of magic. I suggest PBS programming in the afternoon for the amusement of your 2 year old.

Well lets just say when doing magic it looks different if it is done in front of an audience and during a real show and is less boring than watching someone shuffle cards with spot on camera work burning the hands. Should I remind you that if a real card sharp would use any jog shuffle cull that they would only cull or stack 2 to three cards. Less shuffles but I stack 4 of a kind because it gives the opportunity for the student to pick up the idea faster.


Sorry son I don't play cards anymore. I find card playing boring. But I like to watch Texas Holdem if the players are good players. I find that entertaining.

Sorry again son - still alive and kicking. I have also used this technique for quite a few years in magic shows and made a living doing so and I have fooled magicians and some people that play cards seem to think the information on my DVD is quite useful. But hey enough talk about me - when are you card shark going to come up with something and let others have a look at your work?

If you ever do I will be glad to look at it and give an honest opinion.

I was the one that allowed cardshark to see your dvd. He is quite an accomplished cardworker, with all respect Mr. Glenn more so than what you are. Its his expertise, cards. don't ask him to do a 3 shell game or do mentalism, that's not his strong point. But I can vouch for his acomplishments with cards. maybe hes a bit too heavy handed when it comes to getting his ideas across.

There are a lot of people that are better than I am with cards, Bill Malone, Tony Picasso, Rich Cowley, Steven Youell, Paul Chosse, Jimmy Cards Molinari, Steve Draun, Alan Ackerman, Richard Turner, Sal, Doc, Darwin Ortiz and I could go on and on.

Cards is only one of many interests I have in magic. I never claimed to be the best at cards I only claim to have taken a tool that is used by card sharps and took it in a different direction. Some like the idea and USE IT. Others do not.

According to a post here in the Café people like DOC liked the idea. But a person of Doc's skill will change it to fit HIS NEEDS.

When Ed Marlo came out with the book Marlo in spades and that had punch work in it. It was a book that had some of his pet performing effects and secrets in it. What could be considered as the "real work" of the day. Magicians did not like it, they did not understand it. In fact they called it "The Dream Book". Like the ideas - Ed Marlo's pet effects were a pipe dream.

Only when it was republished did it become popular because if found a new audience years later - that understood it. When I read the book Marlo in spades like I read Erdnase I do it for inspiration and to get ideas that I can use. Then I twist the ideas to work for me.

I stand by what I wrote above. I have been using the ideas for years. They work for me. And a lot of people that know the punch and know about culling like the ideas. And will most likely use them to inspire ideas that will work for them.

That in my book is how to do magic. Magic ideas come from having a set of principles that work and then the having an inspiration of ideas from a book or a DVD.

Most likely the cheats would've salted the area with fronts that matched their weight.

The guys that run (or used to run) crooked gambling joints could always tell when a sucker or magician was buying loaded dice. Those guys always buy a set of gaffed and a set of fronts to match.

The real hustlers would buy a set of gaffs and 2 dozen sets of fronts, so they could salt them all over town.

I think your friend got it backwards Glenn, but yeah, it used to happen.

Jason

I have never seen a private dice game over here in the UK. I have only ever seen it in the USA in films. It is not clear to me from watching Guys and Dolls what the rules are. How is it played in these street games in the USA without a table layout it seems chaotic to me. How do you know who has bet on what and I am not too sure what they are betting on. I don’t play dice in the casino but I have an understanding how it works in there.

To each their own Mr glenn. Just because one makes a dvd doesn't mean they have what it takes . Im not a teacher, I'm a performer, so I'm afraid will not be releasing any products. But if I were then they would be of better quality and content than of what I saw.

and also, Im not your son. Please let us abstain from bringing each others families into this conversation. But anyways, congratulations on selling 100 dvds. quite a feat when 1000s of copies of a single one can sell just as fast.

if you are interested in constructive criticism, I invite you to the cardshark online forums. We comented on some of your moves. We all respect you, but seems you do not take comments easily. Oh well

That's really not a discussion board for magic, nor is it for magicians.

CC

No offence but easier said than done. You have to know the moves. Be able to do the moves and then be able to get it on camera. Getting it on camera in a clear way so the student can learn it is harder that it looks. Then edit it down to fit the content in the required time length. Even the big magic corporations have a hard time doing that. I buy DVD's and video's and often they are not clear instruction. It is shooting and re-shooting video and it is harder than most magicians think.

Plus explaining the moves and doing it while the camera is rolling - if you have not experienced this - well then if you do it I wish you to have my best wishes and my sympathy. Because it is the hardest part of doing video.

Because doing moves and teaching moves have different skill needs.

Seeing is that I am going to hit 50 this year and you sound young - there it is. But I will not call you son if that is what you want. I could sell more DVD's if I wanted to but there are seasons I have to devote time to my other business interests. The magic DVD's I sell are just a hobby. And for what they are they do OK.

Sorry I take comments fine if I know the person making the comments. I have no problem if you or anyone doesn't like my stuff or me. I use it and it works for me and what I do. People pay me to do shows. They have done so for years. I am not the best but I make a living.

As I said above there are lots and lots of magicians that do magic with cards better than I do. There are also lots and lots of magicians that are funny and have funny lines. I respect people like Bill Malone and Ricky Jay and Rich Cowley because they have great skill with cards AND THEY ARE FUNNY AND ENTERTAINING AT THE SAME TIME.

For me I HAVE to HAVE an audience and I toss lines back to them like I am having a conversation with them. If there is no audience there is no entertainment to what I do. It is just raw technique and magicians and card sharps are people that like to judge technique. I do not care if magicians and card sharps don’t like what I do.

The audience will talk to me and I throw lines back. Sometimes I get a quiet audience and the show is different because I don't get much to work with. In other words all the shows I do are a happening at the time and each show is different and I work without a net.

But when I watch another magician I do not judge the technique as good or bad. I saw a tape of Darwin Ortiz and he does a lot of hand mucking. I do not do any hand mucking and have no use for it right now. But even though I have no use for it I do not judge the technique as good or bad. I just sit back and enjoy the show. Same with everyone I watch on a DVD or a live show. I have seen some questionable card work over the years from both card sharps and magicians and they still get the money.

But for me to judge any technique or any magician or card sharp as good or bad is not worth my time. Sometimes what some would call bad technique still gets the money. Because often what WILL work for me WON’T work for others and what others do WON’T work for me.

But just because someone’s technique won’t work for me or I think it is a strange technique - or a different technique - that doesn’t make it a bad technique. Because if he is out there USING it - good for HIM if it works for him. There are some magicians that did not like Paul Harris stuff when it came out. Magicians said the plots were great but the methods and technique were bad. The Paul Harris booked at conventions and wowed magicians with that same technique that some said was bad. Then it suddenly became good.

So if you or others say I am a bad entertainer or have bad technique or my DVD sucks I just think OK and then go off and do another show. Because the only judge that matters to me is the clients and the audience. Plus the stuff I do on DVD's is TEACH IN. There is NO SHOW and NO ENTERTAINMENT. Just magic IDEAS that I use. But if you did not like it. I have no problem with that.

That is all I have to say.

Glenn Bishop
The magician you say performs bad entertainment and bad technique saying goodbye!

After sleeping on this I realized that perhaps you and your friend do not understand the concept of the DVD Punch Deck Pro. I will try to explain it to you. Then If you like I will gladly refund your investment when you return the set of 4 DVD's.

This Punch Deck DVD is a first ever DVD. It teaches a CONCEPT on the punch deal. Tommy and others got it and he talks about it in the review. The concept is using a cull with the punch. That concept has never been done in magic or card cheating.

There are three good ways to use this concept.

Culling punched cards to the bottom of the deck for a bottom or center deal - lets say demonstration.

Culling punched cards and stacking them for a poker hand. In the practice drills on the DVD I use the MB Shuffle to do this. With the 28 - 29 principal that can also be done with Marlo's ten card nail gage to speed things up. So you do not have to run shuffle as long.

I also use a short card but a crimp would work as used in Marlo's lessen out stacking system.

The last concept is to use the punched cards as key cards and this is a very good idea that works very well in magic.

Those are the concepts. The routines (Except 2) on the DVD are really PRACTICE DRILLS. They are included because some people like them and it is a good idea to look and learn them to help fully understand how to do the MB Shuffle in lots of ways. When people learn new principals or concepts it is a good idea to include ways of practicing along with it. Having a practice drill with a plot SHOULD MAKE IT more fun and less boring when it is PRACTICE TIME!

When teaching the second deal you learn the second deal and then do practice drills to work it out so you can throw a second. You deal them on a table in a pile. You deal seconds every other card. That is a top a second a top a second. Deal them out in hands. The same with a bottom deal.

Card sharp techniques REQUIRE practice drills.

I was going to produce a second DVD on the Punch but I have decided not to. As I move on to other projects and take care of my other business needs. As I said I will gladly refund your investment after you return the DVD set.

Mr. Bishop, just because I allowed him to see the DVD doesn't mean that we share the same opinion. If I didn't like the DVD, then would have demanded a refund as soon as the dvd was done playing. I liked the punch things, and use them quite often now.

if they are any arguments, then its between you and cardshark. I was just trying to mend his earlier comments. Hes a bit heavyhanded.

Art

I do not think it is right for you to have shown anyone the DVD. And it is not right for The Cardshark to tell the guys over at the Cardshark place the principle taught on the DVD regardless of if you or he liked it or not. Frankly I think Cardhark has a neck complaining about something he got for free and apparently then exposed. Even if you both thought the DVD was great it does not sound right to me to give the info away to others without permission. Glen says every everyone is entitled to an opinion but I am not sure if I agree in such cases. You haveing bought it are entitled to an opinion on it but I can't see how The Cardshark is. What do you think?

Tommy

Thank you Art I am glad that you are using the ideas and will be inspired to think and use new ideas from the concepts. My only concern was that because you invested your money - you got something you could use.

Thanks Tommy this is one of magic's biggest problems and it is changing the way magic teaches. It explains why sales of this DVD were great in the first month and then went to nothing in the second month.

Why buy information you can get for free.

In my case this is the reason there will not be a second punch DVD for sale. If I make and produce one I only give it away to a handful of people. Why take great trouble in producing products only to have them insulted and ripped off by people that are in this to be the know it all. And have a need to hurt and damage others.

Nuff Said!

Well almost Nuff Said.

I would like to add that Art the magic guy is a stand up guy. I don't think that when a person shows others magic secrets that they really can take responsibility for what others do with the secrets.

I remember the stuff that happened around the book Expert card Technique. In the 4th book of the Vernon Chronicles Dai Vernon wrote - and this is not an exact quote - something like. He showed Charlie Miller secrets - Charlie Miller showed Fred Braue and associates the secrets and then they turned around and published them in Expert card technique.

The problem or the gossip is that Fred Braue got a lot of the concepts and secrets wrong when he wrote them up.

Vernon did not hold a grudge against Miller and they were close friends.

I consider Art the magic guy a friend and a stand up guy. As he has what it takes to stand up for his friends and tell the world something that - in a group like this would jump all over his ethics. And I do not think he should be blamed and take any heat for what others do. Sharing secrets is part of magic and helps magic grow.

I look at this as something that just happens in magic every day. Part of magic is showing and sharing magic to others. I really don't mind at all and I am quite pleased that Art is using the ideas.

I consider the matter over.

By the way Tommy is right and also a true friend that also is standing up for his friend. Lets not have another long drawn out thread about ethics and just end it right here.

Now - Nuff Said!

By allowing him ot see it : he sat down with me and we both watched it together once. After that he went his own way, and I continued to replay it and put the ideas to use. don't thnk that's a grand crime, for I think is just the same as if a group of magicians get together and show each other a trick or 2. they get to see whats the method, but they don't really absorb all of what makes the effect tick. for that one needs .....PRACTICE.

I agree Art and I am glad you liked the ideas and hope you find them useful and inspire more ideas.

Best ahead

Glenn Bishop