Ultimate Card Sessions (Volume 2)
published by A-1 Magical Media

mjmmagic.com

Volume 2: Tricks, Tricks and More Tricks
1. Larry Jennings
- Lie Detector
2. Paul Harris
- Window of Opportunity
3. Darwin Ortiz
- Back-off
- Mindbender
- Psychotronic Card
- Blockbuster
- The Quick and the Dead
4. Allan Ackerman
- Marlo's Spade Routine
- The Twins
5. Martin Nash
- Vernash Aces
- Any Way You Want It
- featuring "Infinity"
6. Rich Marotta
- Comedy Card in Lemon
7. Lennart Green
- Rain Man
- Aronson's "Shuffle-Bored"
- Laser Deal
- (Snap Deal)
8. Michael Maxwell
- Future Deck
- Hummer's Little Stranger
- Match Game
- Thought-of Card
- Floating Match
- Swiss Movement
- from Paul Harris'
Art of Astonishment
9. Paul Wilson
- Wild with the Ladies
10. Ricky Smith Jr.
- Flick Trick
11. Chuck Fayne
- MacDonald's Aces
12. Guy Hollingworth
- Waving the Aces
- featuring "Oil & Water"
13. Paul Gertner
- Photocopy
14. Larry Becker
- A Case of Simple Logic
15. Lee Earle
- Quadravoque
16. Michael Close
- The Frog Prince
17. David Regal
- Heading North
18. Paul Green
- Tradeshow Transposition
19. Johnny Thompson
- Vernon's Variant
- ("Do As I Do")
20. John Bannon
- Shake Well Before Using
21. Bill Kalush
- The Fidgeting Card
22. Carl Cloutier
- Cards to Slimfast

Sounds good!

Just like Volume 1, Volume 2 is 6 hours long and has 36 items by a diverse group of performers. Although I didn’t like as much of the material on this volume as I did on volume 1, The material is still very strong

All of the material is taken from previous A-1 videos. There’s something on here for every skill level.
Again, self-working to knuckle busting. Most of the routines will require a surface to perform on. But, handful can be done in the hands and standing. A few of the routines require gaffed cards, a set-up or some other prop. And a few are not really card tricks at all.

Two of the routines, Chuck Fayne’s take on the McDonald Aces and Paul Greens Tradeshow Transposition were not explained. Also, I think it would be hard to learn Bill Kalush’s routine the Fidgeting Card from his explanation. A little short and incomplete. Too bad, it looked great.

Of the 20 plus routines I liked, my personal favorites are:
Back Off, Blockbuster & The Quick and the Dead (Darwin Ortiz); The Twins (Allan Ackerman); Laser Deal (Lennart Green); Waving the Aces (Guy Hollingworth); Photo Copy (Paul Gertner); Simple Case of Logic (Larry Becker) and The Fidgeting Card (Bill Kalush)

The material on this DVD came from the following A1 videos: A1-Allstars series; Convention at the Capital series; Secret Sessions series; Darwin Ortiz at the Card Table series; Darwin Ortiz Card Shark series; Darwin Ortiz Scams & Fantasies series; Allan Ackermans Advanced Card Control series; Allan Ackerman Las Vegas Card Magic; Award Winning Card Magic of Martin Nash series; Michael Maxwell’s Incredible Self-Working Card Tricks series; Michael Maxwell’s Learn to Levitate series; Michael Maxwell’s Incredible Magic at the Bar series; Mike Close signature Effects; Lennart Green Green Magic series; Chuck Fayne Live!; Rick Smiths How to Throw Playing Cards; Rich Marotta Comedy Magic series; Guy Balvi Bending Minds, Bending Metal series and Desert Brainstorm Mental Magic series.

When you consider your getting 4 DVDs worth of material, this is a great buy.

Why was some of the material not explained? I hate seeing material not explained and then having to go elsewhere searching for it. Was this an error or deliberate? I feel if you are not going to teach it, don't even show it. It is pointless.

The routines I mentioned were part of a lecture. In the case of Fayne's routine it may have been because McDonald's aces is a marketed trick. I'm not sure why the Paul Green effect wasn't throughly explained. But come on, this is only two routines out of 36 and McDonald's Aces is pretty well know.

How many other $35 dollar Magic DVDs do you know of that have 6 hours of material and 36 routines. I didn't think it was that big a deal.

Craig

It might not be that big of deal, but as I said it is simply a waste to include material you are not going to teach. Then if you like it and want to do it, you are screwed. I am not paying to watch "performances" I am paying to learn everything I see on the DVD, regardless of whether or not it was a good buy without it.

Actually, Paul Green explains his effect briefly (verbally though) and if you are familiar with a DL, then you can put everything together quite easily. As for what he teaches is the showmanship of the effect mostly via his performance.

As for Fayne's effect-- NO, he teaches none of the mechanics of the MacDonald's Aces effect. However, he spends quite amount of time teaching the showmanship, not just in the performance, but also nearly 10 minutes (maybe more) of a lecture about subtleties and other showmanship about the MacDonald's Aces effect.

There are many versions of the MacDonald's Aces effect out there (My personal favorite is a 3 phase routine in John Bannon's DEAR MR. FANTASY). You can apply Fayne's detailed insights with mostly ANY version.

Just know, there is some valuable material on this 6+ hour DVD (and also in the other Volume(s)) that maybe aren't just the mechanics, but the showmanship of the effects, which is equally (if not more) important.

Thanks all, I will eventually be getting these. Soon as the pile of "to do list" gets down to 10,000 feet.

I see volume four is labeled "Ultimate Sleights Addition." I would like to see a run down of all the 120 sleights taught, as I doubt there would be much that I do not already have, especially considering the fact that I have Daryl's set. However I will most likely get the set regardless, as I am sure there is something on there that the other sets don't have. Not to mention the seemingly great deal.

OK I just ordered Volumes 1 & 2 for now, and will get the other two next month maybe, looking forward to them!

Sirbrad,

You wont be disappointed.