Talkmagic.co.uk

LeftEye

Tops, Seconds and Bottoms available from here.

The Effect
Not really an effect but a DVD teaching how to deal the top card, the second card and the bottom card from the same grip (Mechanics).

Cost
£12

Difficulty 3/4 me thinks
(1=easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)

Review
Well I had been searching for the bottom deal for a long time and had all the known books and whatever for teaching the bottom deal but they just weren't good enough as they had dodgy grips.

Being able to bottom deal from the Mechanics Grip is a great way to make all dealing look natural. I think if any magician or even card dealer would pick up a deck of cards, they would automatically put it into the Mecahnics Grip.

Top Card Dealing
I think every person, including laypeople, know how to deal the top card. But Ian teaches it to make it look the same as a Second deal and a Bottom deal. I didn't learn anything new from this part except throwing the card to the person you are dealing it to. The throw is a little different from what I did but as before, makes it looks exactly like a second.

Second Card Dealing
Again, I already knew how to second deal. Ian teaches the Strike Second in glorious detail, all the way from how far you push the top card off, where to put what finger where, how much pressure you need, taking the card, and throwing it. Looks more like a Top deal than a Top deal Surprised

Bottom Card Dealing
The main part of the DVD for moi. It is taught from the Mechanics Grip as are the other deals and was created by Ian. It is hard to get down, I havn't completely got it yet, but I know that it is worth learning because if you can't deal a top, second and bottom from the same grip then there is little use in learning it IMHO.

Prepare to put quite a bit of practice into learning the bottom deal. Just watching the TV and doing it helps a lot, like other sleights. Also, as suggested by Ian, is using a Monotone. A series of beeps thats is set out and you must deal accordingly to each pile.

Again, Ian tells you where to put what finger and how much pressure to use, where do all the bits go when you've taken the card, and how to cover it.

Overall
Very good for people trying to learn bottom deal. I have found a much easier way dealing from the bottom but uses a different grip, which I was not happy about.

Practice - 9/10
Money - 8.5/10
Teaching - 9.5/10

OVERALL - 9/10

kitaristi0 · Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 6:43 pm Post subject:

Signing up to Ian's site was without doubt one of the top 2 magic investments I ever made (James Brown's DVD is the other). In my mind his teaching ability is unparalleled in the magic community. I haven't watched the Tops, Seconds, and Bottoms videos yet because I haven't gotten around to learning the second and bottom deal, but when I do Ian's videos will be the first place I look.

LeftEye · Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 6:47 pm Post subject:

You have signed up for the virtual sessions? I'm thinking very hard about doing so, so you would recommend it?

kevsashark · Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 5:30 pm Post subject: Thanks and Question

LeftEye,

I am also a huge fan of gambling moves/techniques and searching for the best ones, and thanks to your review, I will definitely check this one out. Razz

Have you seen Richard Turner's "Best of the Bottoms"? I like that one a great deal, as he spends an enormous amount of time teaching this move and the nuances and subtleties of it, and IMHO, he has some of the best hands in the card world. Thoughts?