Win all of these!
Drawing on April 1st, 2024
Details

An Evening with Jack: The Seattle Sessions

Jack Carpenter

(Based on 1 review)

What would you want to see
if you had just
one more chance
to join the session of a lifetime?

That's the question we asked after the first Seattle Session, and the one thing everyone wanted was more. So here you are, the session continues on Night Two with more than two hours of more new moves, more improvements on classic techniques, more gambling demos, more magic and yes, one more version of Jack's "Gilligan Trick".

Carpenter & Company (Jack, Steve Mayhew, Steve Dobson, Will Conine and Tobias Pasha) deliver exactly what you asked for, and more, including the real secret to undetectable false deals, two new passes, killer applications for familiar passes, a strip out shuffle that "changes the moment" and even a better ending to three card monte. In more detail:

The Passes: Night Two includes Tobias Pasha's new and invisible PS pass, demonstrated by Tobias and Will; Steve Dobson's work on the Le Paul spread pass and his own "Herrmann with a Twist"; and Steve Mahyew on the dribble pass, including his "Dubble Dribble" a two-card selection, return and revelation where the only move is the dribble pass. Finally, Jack adds his Open Turnover Pass, a new method for making the action of the Herrmann pass invisible, and Will Conine demonstrates a quick visual stunner using the Open Turnover Pass as a switch.

The Deals: Jack tips his work on the second deal, the punch deal, and the bottom deal, including a little-known secret that makes all your deals virtually undetectable. He performs and explains a stunning bridge deal from a truly shuffled deck, and as a capper, gets Steve Mayhew to perform the Mayhew Poker Deal, an easy-peasy demonstration of your ability to deal cards from any position in the deck--third, seventeenth, thirty fifth, wherever--as easily as you deal the second.

The Magic:

Carpenter Fixes A Bent Corner: Here, Jack improves on the classic Three Card Monte sequence by asking the questions only a master asks. His solution cuts out half of the explaining you usually have to do, and is not only more effective and entertaining than the standard bent corner sequence, it's easier.

Underhanded Aces: Jack's uniquely visual transposition of four aces held by the spectator. The aces transpose with spot cards one at a time, and of course, there's a kicker at the end. Elegant, commercial, and far too easy compared to the effect you get.

The Gilligan Trick v6.0: You can't session with Jack and not see his latest version of this trick. Too much happens to be explained here, but all you need to know is that it's great magic with built-in laughs, and this version features Jack's twist on a Paul Harris idea that allows you to vanish a playing card while someone is holding it. Learn this sequence now, and you'll use it whenever you vanish a card.

The Ambitious Card: Jack tips two weird and wonderful sequences for this classic, and then coaxes Tobias to perform his full routine, and then to reveal the thinking behind it. It's a rare look at the inner workings of effective routine construction from a working pro.

And More: Interested in a full-deck false shuffle that will fool the experts? Jack's Delayed Stripout Shuffle is what you're looking for. Taking a cue from Erdnase, Jack changes the moment of the stripout, leaving the fast company nothing to see. And if that's not enough, there's still Jack's popout move, an exclusive interview with the man himself, outtakes, and the usual load of gags, bull, and insults.

Running time: Approx 2 Hours 14 Mins.

Reviews

Bryce Kuhlman

Official Reviewer

Feb 10, 2010

Maybe it's the wine I had with dinner talking, but I really like this DVD. I even enjoyed the unnecessary video montage and 3D animation sequence at the beginning. Instead of getting frustrated, as I do with so many of these gratuitous shows of editing skill, I found myself being pulled into the setting.

The setting is something any "card guy" (or gal) dreams of: sitting around a table with a small group of incredibly talented magicians, swapping techniques. In this case, the cast of characters includes Jack Carpenter (the star of the show), Steve Mayhew, Steven Dobson, Will Conine and Tobias Pasha. Don't worry if you haven't heard of some of these guys. Their contributions to the material speak for themselves.

Even though I gave this an almost perfect score, it comes with a caveat. This material is advanced — very advanced. If you've never practiced a second deal, this DVD is not for you.

Speaking of second deals, Jack's tips and techniques for seconds and bottoms is priceless. He dispels a lot of the myths that have been propagated through years of magical literature. And it's not just Jack talking. He speaks with the wisdom of past masters: Vernon, Miller, Marlo, etc.

I have one gripe about the DVD: there are no close-up or slow-motion shots. In fact, if this production could use one thing, it would be another camera. That would have allowed for the close-ups as well as a performer's view.

If you're looking to up your technique with cards, this is definitely the DVD for you. Just be ready to practice... a lot!
(Top ▲)