talkmagic.co.uk

Ok guys, rather short review, and I know this isn't technically magic, but this book, Gambling Scams, is a fantastic place for any budding (or even seasoned) card mechanics to work from. Rather than teaching tricks it teaches methods such as palming, shuffle stacking, lifting, and many other tricks of the trade that you can use to implement into your routines. I always find things like this handy when I can find them because card tricks don't always go as planned and you need to be fluent in many various techniques you can use to turn the trick around and make some miracles. Darwin Ortiz is a professional card shark who travels the world teaching casinos how to spot cheats, and his card handling abilities are some of the most powerful in the world. He is getting on in years now, but I was lucky enough to attend a presentation of his back at the casino my father worked at. (Presently, he is - as far as I know - banned from playing at virtually every casino in the world)

Very much worth a read, guys, and it is very well written and easy to follow. A must-have for card magicians!

You can buy the book here:

http://www.amazon.com/Gambling-Scams-Detect-Protect-Yourself/dp/0818405295

And not a bad price, either actually. I got a signed copy off him when I saw him, but I expected to find it more expensive than this...