Price$80.00
Media TypeDVD
CategoryClose Up, Gambling
Date AddedMar 14, 2008
Fast Company
Damian Nieman
(Based on 1 review)
View Clip"Fast Company" is a 2 disk DVD set that teaches artifice, ruse, and subterfuge at the card table. This is much more than just a demo of gambling sleights. This is a comprehensive instructional resource that explains these moves using slow motion, multiple angels, extreme close ups, over the should shots and P.O.V. These DVDs deliver excellent study of some of the finest card artifice to date presented by one of the best pair of hands in the art, Damian Nieman.
DISC ONE consists of "The Tools of the Trade". These are the sleights and techniques of the advantage player and a look at how they can be used in performance of gambling related routines. A few of the topics covered are:
-How to Shuffle on the square
-Table cascade flourish
-Card control
-Slug controls
-A myriad of false cuts
-False Strips and running cuts
-Various push through shuffles
-Strip out shuffle
-Crossroader strip out shuffle
-Work on the Zarrow shuffle
-Hustler's in the hands false shuffle
-Table faro and applications
-Hops, shifts and other dodges (including work on the Miller shift)
-Shuffle chops
-Single and multiple card palms and cops
*Detailed work on false deals*
-The Second deal - strike, push off, stud and many others
-The Bottom deal - strike, squeeze out, Jennings T&T and more
For the first time, a true in depth look and detailed teaching of these notorious false deals including many techniques and subtleties that have never been taught before.
DISC TWO consists of gambling related routines and effects that should be in the repertoire of every performer. These are in depth looks at some of these classic plots and routines that seem to be discussed all the time. These are Damian's own versions of these classics including:
Ace cutting routines
-Scarne's aces
-Unique lead in to McDonalds Aces
-Damian's tips on Marlo's estimation aces (Miracles ace cutting)
-"Steven's shuffle" ace cutting routine
Thoughts on Triumph
Multiple versions and tips with many different shuffles and how they are used to perform The Professor's classic:
-Push through with block transfer
-Zarrow
-Free cut ace principle
-Sky shuffle
3 Card Monte
Step by step instruction on everything from the moves to the psychology of the routine. Everything you need to know to make this a powerful cornerstone of any performance.
Invisible Palm Aces (a.k.a. Open Travelers)
Larry Jenning's classic effect is one of the most powerful things you can do with a deck of cards. Damian teaches every aspect of this classic with previously unreleased moves and tips that were learned from Larry himself along with Damian's own touches.
Disc One Running Time Approximately 67min
Disc Two Running Time Approximately 69min
Reviews
(Top ▲)
It started fun and even a bit mysterious. Then . . . Well . . . It died.
Disk one is basically nothing more than a "look how clever I am" and "look at all the moves I know" and "even though I'm exposing it, it still looks amazing."
Don't get me wrong Damian Nieman is clearly an expert and an amazing card handler, but this DVD claims to be a place to learn the "tools of the trade." Nope . . . it's merely you observing someone else who can use the tools. Imagine that in a 5 minute period you get this lesson:
"Just flip this switch here; pull that lever there; turn this knob over here; then push that button, that button and twist that dial. Then just pull back here and push down here, and that . . . my friend is how you fly an airplane."
That's pretty much what you get with this DVD.
In the first five minutes of the "teaching" section, you "learn" the following:
- How to Shuffle
- Attitude
- Retaining a Stock
- Gambler's Cut
- Stripping the Deck
- Deck Script Control
- False Strip 1
- False Strip 2
- Vernon False Cut
I'm not exaggerating. All of those topics are "taught" in 5 minutes. No . . . not 5 minutes each . . . 5 minutes total for all 9 techniques. Really . . . 5 minutes. That's an average of 55 seconds per concept. Seriously. How can you teach "attitude" in 55 seconds? How can you teach anything - let alone something as complex as card manipulation - in 55 seconds?
Throughout many of the segments, you hear a tone of "I'm bored with this . . . can we go home now" in Mr. Nieman's voice.
He takes on the attitude of "you guys already know this stuff," and he even says as much in the first segment "How to shuffle."
As far as production quality, it's top notch; good lighting, good angles, nice close up shots of Nieman's hands, etc. But the material is pretty much a bust. There is a Jennings technique taught that's worth checking out. However, all of this stuff is worth learning or "checking out," but the problem is that this DVD doesn't "teach" anything.
It really is just an expose of the basic techniques, and it's done so fast that even rewinding isn't helpful.
Sorry folks, but disk one is absolute rubble. 1/2 star, if that.
I will say, however, that if you just want to watch someone who's really good at all of these moves, but you're not interested in learning them, then you may enjoy this set.
This DVD is Called "Tools of The Trade." The concept, as Nieman puts it, is that he's going to give you and teach you the tools of the trade so that when you move on to disk 2, you'll be ready to learn the tricks.
Basically, he took someone who has never seen a mechanic's tool box and said, "ok, this is a wrench, and this is a hammer, and this one over here is a screw driver, and this is an socket wrench . . ."
That's not useful info folks. Show me how the hammer works. Take a minute to show me how to hold it to get the best leverage from it.
On to disk two . . . just as bad people. Because he feels as though he's given you the foundation - he hasn't - then he can just blaze through the effects and the so-called teaching segments.
You "learn" some ace cutting routines, a "lead in" to MacDonald's Aces, multiple shuffles you can use when doing Vernon's Triumph, Jennings's Open Travelers, the Gene Finell's Free Cut Principle, some work on three card monte and a few other things.
There are some excellent moves on here, but it's darn near impossible to learn from this DVD. I consider myself to be a well read card man. I'm no Vernon or Cervon or Ortiz, but I know my way around a deck of cards, and I've studied the main classics and I've been a student of advanced card techniques (student - not performer) for many years, and I had a hard time keeping up with him on some of this stuff.
He showed two really cool Skinner moves that I'd never seen before, and he spent about 20 seconds "teaching" them. He flew right past them. I felt as a performer - we see a few excerpts from a live show - he's way too fast paced and his patter is a bit long and rushed. The section on Triumph was blazed through to such a point that if you are even at a mid-level stage in your magic you will be completely lost in this section. Even an advanced card person would find this section rushed and would likely need to rewind multiple times.
Basically, if you understood what he was talking about and could follow him, it's because you already knew the material, and likely would have even done a better job teaching it.
Though even with all of the criticism I've offered in this review, the one thing I emphatically cannot criticize is he near-flawless technical skills. They guy is a stud and decks of cards fear him, no doubt. And as I mentioned before, if you want to watch a really smart, friendly and nice guy do - not teach - a bunch of moves and ideas that he is really good at then you may enjoy this set of DVDs.
The only other thing I found of value for myself personally is that it has motivated me to go dig out some old Skinner works and study his work more. For $80 bucks you'd be better of buying 10 copies of Erdnase and giving them out on street corners as you preach from the words written therein.
Sorry folks but this one gets 1 star with a Stone rating of rubble.