From contacts, I hear thata guy called Steve Ehlers is bringing out a new DVD.....don't know a lot about this guy.....is he good?

I met him once at The Covention at the Captial in Sacremento about five or six years ago. He is fantastic! He did Pegasus Aces from "The Complete Works of Derek Dingle" for me and it was beautiful! I will be in line for his DVD.

Sean

Hello everyone, well after 19 months my DVD finally arrived. I thought I would tell you what's on the DVD and make a few comments. Contents:
Motor Ace Production: Introducing the Steveorino 5000 (substitute your own name) automatic voice activated card finder. The magician shuffles the pack and without squaring the deck, starts moving packets against each other. He calls out "aces" and a card pivots out of the packets face down. When the card is turned face up it is one of the "eightses". The magician presses on and finds the other eightses and eventually changes them into the aces in a very visual and surprising manner.
Dream Catcher: A collector effect where the magician finds three selections between the aces. I think the patter for this trick is one of the best presentations for a collector effect.
Melvin the Mind Reading Frog: A very entertaining card to wallet effect using an ungimmicked wallet. This is based on Harry Lorayne's trick The Pecking Bird from Reputation Makers.
Card in the Mouth: My card fold.
The Mysterious Kid: A great story and some changes to Larry Jennings Gambler's Aces.
Intuition Monty: I know it's suppose to be "monte" but what can I say? The magician mixes the jack through the ace of spades and asks the spectator to use his women's intuition to find the queen then the ace. At the end of the routine the cards change into the aces. An updated version of the my trick which was published in Penumbra. Updated with a previously unpublished Jack Carpenter card switch.
Stacking: A nice ending for those who do riffle stacking.
Pseudo Muck: The magician shows it is possible to cheat at blackjack.
Travelers Under Pressure: A travelers where signed cards travel to your pockets and the deck disappears.
Almost Johnson: The magician tells the story of the legendary "Almost Johnson" a famous gambler. This trick will get you applause and laughter. I give you two methods, one easy and one more challenging, to allow you to perform this fantastic trick.
Third Times the Charm: A handling with the Mullica Wallet.
Three Card Location: Three spectators each cut a third of the deck. The magician names all three cards without any fishing. An updated version of my trick from Alan Ackerman's Las Vegas Kardma.

Comments: There is advanced sleight of hand on this DVD. Many routines involve palming, riffle shuffle work, etc., so there is some challenging material on this DVD. There are no self-working tricks on this DVD. I realize there are a lot of relatively new or inexperienced magicians on this board and while I hate cutting sales, realize for this DVD you will have to put in some work. If you do gambling routines then you will be interested in many of the routines. If you want some entertaining and powerful routines you will find those also.

The DVD is $35 for people in the U.S. and $40 overseas, I'll pay postage. For those individuals overseas I only have NTSC versions of the tape. I think I have the PayPal system figured out. So if you are interested send me an email at secardman@aol.com or you can contact me through my website: http://www.azcardexpert.com

Steve

I would like to say that I believe Steve is a great underground card magician. While I was growing up he was the best card man in Sacramento and was hugely influential in helping me understand what card magic should look like. Steve was one of those guys who could show you how even the most difficult move was supposed to look when it was done effortlessly under fire.

His version of Gambler's Aces, what he calls "The Mysterious Kid" is one of the greatest ace cutting routines I've ever seen. Why? Because he sets it up with drama and conflict that create interest, follows it up with a baffling display of extraordinary skill and ends with a denouement that is both logical and emotionally powerful. This takes a certain type of performer and a lot of us won't have the technical chops or the acting abilities to perform it but, in his hands, it's brilliant.

I haven't seen this DVD and I haven't seen Steve perform in several years but back when I last saw him his material was always extremely "clean". His moves were so covered through expert technique and clever presentational ploys that one had no clue when he did anything, much less how he did it.

I'm not a DVD person, I prefer to own books, but I think this is one I'll be picking up. Since Steve moved to Arizona I haven't had the opportunity to watch him so I'm looking forward to seeing him again, even if it's only on DVD.

Dave

I knew Mr. Ehlers while I lived in Tucson and everything David Nelson said about him is spot on. I have witnessed his card work first hand and even had the pleasure of working a close-up job with him once (it was difficult to work in the presence of greatness). Mr. Ehlers is truly on a different level when it comes to his card work; anyone who doesn't get this video is missing out on one the west coast's best kept secrets.

Sincerely,

Jered S.

I received the DVD; it was everything I expected it to be and more. Fantastic, I am already working on effects to add to my repetoire.

Jered S.

I've been using Steve's 3 Card Location for the past five years selfish in the knowledge that is not a well known routine. Alas, all good things must come to an end. This routine, as well as the others on this DVD, (if you'll excuse the hyperbole) will put you in a class above most.
Ed

Hey Jered!

I have ordered this from a uk dealer, I live in the UK, I assume the dvd I am going to get will play in this country

Steve is aBadass with a deck of cards... his shift is worth the dvd assuming that it is included...if it isn't, I'm sure the rest of the material is worth it and more..

Are the sleights/controls explained in any great detail or is it presumed the viewer knows them or can learn them elsewhere? Also, following the last post, is the shift taught?

Hi NeoMagic,
In general the sleights are explained in pretty good detail; however in some cases, like the Cascade Control, the editor used a bad angle in which to see the sleight. Regarding the shift I explained it during the taping and it is seen on the DVD but the editor, for what ever reason, did not include the explanation on the DVD. Maybe someone else who has the DVD will expand on this from their point of view or you could wait for the reviews from the various magic magazines that will be coming out.

Regards, Steve

Thank you. That's most helpful. I think I'll get this in the next couple of weeks. I'll post some comments if and when.

I have this and it is awesome, the mysterious kid, Dream Catcher, intuition monty, three card location are amoung my favourites, have been practising those all day, they are great, and also the two women in the dvd shoot look very nice also.

cheers
Daren

Hey Ed!

Anyone who has been looking for a killer MD routine, the three card location is it.

Jered S.

Hi Jared, I agree and I've gotten a lot of favorable comments from a lot of different magicians and mentalist about this trick.

Steve

The camera work on the cascade control is as Steve says terrible I defy anyone not familiar with this move to learn it from here,which is a shame as Steve performs it very well.As for not even giving us the chance to learn the one handed shift which is the move that Steve is known for,well I would like to know why it was edited out surely the camera angle could not be that bad or was the editor afraid that we might actually learn it!!!

I missed the shift...which trick is it performed in?

Best,

Sean Macfarlane

steve ehlers said; "In general the sleights are explained in pretty good detail; however in some cases, like the Cascade Control, the editor used a bad angle in which to see the sleight. Regarding the shift I explained it during the taping and it is seen on the DVD but the editor, for what ever reason, did not include the explanation on the DVD"

fasr eddie said; "The camera work on the cascade control is as Steve says terrible I defy anyone not familiar with this move to learn it from here,which is a shame as Steve performs it very well.As for not even giving us the chance to learn the one handed shift which is the move that Steve is known for,well I would like to know why it was edited out surely the camera angle could not be that bad or was the editor afraid that we might actually learn it!!!"

That is a real shame says I. I have seen Steve work and he is very good at what he does. It is very unfortunate that this DVD falls short and what I would expect from Steve, though this is obviously NOT Steve's fault. I blame the producer and the editor for such a blunder. Mistakes like those noted above should NEVER happen - period. There is NO excuse. This is, after all a teaching DVD. As such, explanations are a given here I would think.

However, it does prove a point that I have tried to tell folks many times. Just because you have all the toys (e.g, high tech camera's, lights, etc), it does NOT mean you know how to use them. Shooting and editing a DVD is an art (just like magic) and it takes great skill and a keen eye to produce something that is both entertaining and useful to the end-user. Perhaps Rob Stiff and Magic Makers should pursue a different field, or at the very least hire folks that know what they are doing? Not trying to be negative here, just calling it like I see it. Here's hoping Steve's next project will be done in such a way as to give Mr. Ehlers the justice he deserves.

I thought this DVD was fantastic in terms of Steve's material, card handling and cool performance. There's so much on the DVD that it hardly matters if you don't get to learn the two moves mentioned. I mean, come on guys: he teaches the Hurricane change!

I also liked the brunette.

Sean, the shift was performed on the second part of "Stacking."

I have to agree with Andrew. Overall this DVD was incredible. Yes, the angle for the Cascade control was not favorable, but true students will learn this move (as well as the shift) from other published sources. In fact, Steve did not have to include the Miller Control on this DVD, but was gracious enough to try.

All of the routines presented by Steve are "workers," and were completed with excellent technical ability. I am just excited that a "sleeper" like Steve is finally getting "out there" to the masses. Anyone interested in strong, close-up card work should definitely get this DVD.

Not to stray too far from this topic, but since it was brought up by Mr. Brooks, I would like to talk about the editing. Yes, I agree with you Mr. Brooks that Magic Makers is the not the "Speilberg" of the DVD instructional world. In fact, I do not like Magic Makers at all, and have had a long discussion with Mr. Elhers about this. But I must ask...

On the "Rat Pack" DVD, I was disappointed that the performance of the routine was not re-shot. I love the actual routine, and am a HUGE fan of Curtis, but when the trap does not go off in the "live" performance, why wasn't it re-shot? Would you consider this a "blunder" as well? Obviously, in a "live" performance anywhere else, Curtis would be S.O.L. But, when you are shooting a DVD, and you have the opportunity to "get it right," why not take advantage of that luxury and re-shot at least the final part of the performance?

S.Segal