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Group Session

Daryl

Fooler Doolers

(Based on 1 review)

Imagine having control over your audience! You, as the magician, cause your audience to magically locate cards, which have been merely THOUGHT OF, from a thoroughly shuffled deck! Absolutely astounding.

Up to five spectators think of cards from a shuffled deck - immediately all five cards are revealed and the deck can be examined! Includes 3 bonus routines in which the spectators locate their own mentally selected cards! This uses an excellent principal and it's surprisingly easy to do.

Includes instructional DVD - featuring live and studio performances by Daryl -The Magician's Magician.

Reviews

Gordon Meyer

Official Reviewer

Jul 30, 2005

Group Session is a deceptively light package; it consists of a couple of gimmicked cards, a one-sheet quick reference, and a DVD, all enclosed in one of the nicest packages to ever hit a magic shop's shelf. On first blush, it is easy to dismiss, but there's actually a lot of depth to this little sucker.

The two gimmicked cards, nicely produced in red-back Bicycle poker stock, are based on Richard Bartram, Jr's idea from his book Trephine - A Collection of Magic. Basically they allow you to determine which cards your spectators will mentally select when you show them a spread of cards. It's ingenious, really, and you'll get the hang of it quickly with a little mirror rehearsal. Now, what you do with this magical weapon, is up to you.

And that's really where this package shines. The core presentation is that you reveal the spectator's selection using a locator card and spell-down. I thought that was an OK trick, but it's really just the beginning, once you grasp how versatile the method really is. I lost count of how many variations and tips are covered in the 55 minute DVD, each presented breathlessly in succession, and appropriately building on what has already been discussed. Although it can be overwhelming, I recommend viewing the entire DVD straight through once, just to sample the smorgasbord of what Daryl offers. There are presentations for a close-up, stage, a single spectator, and large groups. Surely something here will fit your typical working environment.

Don't let my discussion of the gimmick lead you to believe this is self-working, you'll need some basic card sleights, which are cogently covered when they come up in the explanations. You'll learn the Double Undercut and Braue Reversal, among others. (He even covers one of my favorites, a utility stab placement by Bill Simon.)

In another nice touch, there are credits sprinkled throughout the disc and reference page. They're not always specific, but Daryl has appropriately left breadcrumbs you can follow back to the originators and other sources of inspiration. All in all, this is one of the best values in magic that I've seen in a while -- you get a handy and clever utility, variations to explore, and well-filmed tutelage from one of the best.
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