The Expert at the Card Table

[HenryMagician]

ITS A CLASSIC!  This is a book mainly geared towards gamblers, as it teaches techniques for cheating, but it works for magicians too, just look at Dai Vernon.(It was his bible as a child.)

I got this from amazon.  it was for cheap and got here the next day so Im happy.
This is basically a great way for you to learn sleights.  It teaches variations of the pass (called the shift).  It teaches the bottom deal, second deal, and false shuffles.  Actually, Ill just give you the list of chapters
Blind Shuffles (false shuffles)
Retaining top stock, bottom stock, complete stock, fancy blind cuts, a fancy onehanded true cut.  To indicate the location for the cut (By crimp or jog)

Bottom Dealing

Top and bottom dealing with one hand
second dealing
stocking
stock shuffle
erdnase system of stock shuffling
erdnase system of cull shuffling
erdnase system of palming
to maintain the bottom palm while dealing
to hold the location of cut while dealing
three variations of the shift including a onehanded shift
to ascertain the top cards while riffling and reserve them at bottom
mode of holding the hand
skinning the hand
the player without an ally
three card monte
shifts
the blind shuffle for securing selected card
forcing
palming
changes
transformations two hands
transformations one hand
(I believe these are color changes, Ill check them out later)
COMPLETE FALSE SHUFFLES
methods for determining a card thought of
to get sight of selected card
the slide
favorite sleights for terminating tricks
finally, all our favorite

                                       CARD TRICKS
Includes tricks with stacked deck


I changed some things for how we know the name

Stocks are stacks

wow thats a lot of info, not a book you read in one sitting, which brings me to my next point.

ITS HARD TO READ.

the teaching style is not great and I cant get over the fact that Erdnase is 1 PERSON!!  He speaks like royalty.  He teaches things in confusing ways, not hard to get a grip of, but while looking through it today, the material looks pretty cool.

Pros:  Its good stuff
Cons: geared towards gamblers who want to cheat.  Teaching style not too good.

But Im not too good at magic either.

this has some stuff for beginners, some for intermediate, some for advance.  Good for everyone I guess.

I would recommend this if you like how people talked in 1902.  Only about 9 bucks from amazon.  A Dover book now.


Dai Vernon has an adapted version called Revelations  if anyone has that, Id like to see a review of it.


anyway,  BYEBYE!