Lee Asher Six for $50.00 Booklet deal.

Price $50.00
Available here: http://www.leeasher.com/store/books/all6_le_asher.html

Admittedly I’m a big Lee Asher fan. (Anyone who has purchased from his site will likely know why) With that in mind I will still try to give an honest review of this bundle of booklets. As an overview of the material I will say this is definitely “bang for your buck material.” Contained within this bundle are 31 sleights, effects, and routines and one recipe for pudding. The quality of the booklets is about what you would expect from any magic booklet, anywhere from 12 – 24 pages of material stapled together with thick paper for a cover. The only color photograph in the set is on the cover of the Pulp Friction booklet. The writing is direct and to the point with tidbits of Lee’s sense of humor interjected throughout. Overall there is nothing terrible fancy or detailed about the instructions but I think between the writing and the photographs most of the material should be easily understood. The best part about these booklets are all the hidden gems you will find within. Many of those have gone on to be sold as individual PDF downloads, like the Diving Board Double, Instructional DVDs like Witness, but best of all are the ones that have yet to be mass marketed. With these opening thoughts in mind lets dive into the booklets shall we.

What follows is a list of the booklets with an overall grade for the booklet and each effect found within. I, like many others, am not big on assigning “grades” to tricks since there is a lot of subjectivity in that, but I chose to do it on this review so you can see what I found to be the highlights and then jump to that specific review. Hopefully this will save you a bit of time sifting through all this.

Booklets Included:
Sex Sells
Yo: C
Tray Sheik: B
BS Control: A
Various Ideas: C
Old Gambler vs The Young Card Punk: B
Overall: B+


Thinking Out Loud
The Ripper: B
Asheresque: B
Joking Around: C
Deuce Bag: A++
Tres Pas: C
Overall Grade: A

Lee Asher French Tour ‘99
You Bet Your Asher: B
Magic Finger Box Of Death: B
Diving Board Double: B (but the move itself is an A++, I recommend getting the pdf download dedicated to this move)
Making Ripples: B
Overall Grade: B

Pulp Friction
New Addition to the Thunderbird: C
Pulp Friction: B
Multi Peek Control With No Change to Bottom Card: B
Red Black Separation: A
Touche’…is What You Say? A++
Overall Grade: A

Hand Jobs
Third Fastest Card Trick In the World(AKA Betraying Braue): B
Losing Control: A
Slap That Ace: B
Fan-see Meeting Both of You Here: D
Not Impressive: A
Cheek to Cheek Asher Style:A
Brute Force: B-
Overall Grade: A

Close Cover Before Striking
Wipe Your Ace: B
Face Down Silver Surfer: B
Put Your Tray Tables in the Upright Position: TBD?
Rosie Palm: B
Resistance is Feudal: A
That’s A Wrap: B+
Overall Grade: B+

Overall Thoughts On 6 For $50.00 Booklet deal:
On and off for 9 months I have been working my way through this material and for the last month (when I decided to write this review) I have been devoting the majority of my practice time to this work. I am far from mastering any of this so I feel a bit leery about dismissing anything I rated a C or D because it is just possible I have yet to put in the time to understand how good it is. Because of that I strongly recommend you look at this package as a whole and understand that if something rated a 'D" it is a subjective grade that I gave it and also to understand that that "D" or "C" should be compared against other material within the Lee Asher booklets. Overall this is a fantastic set of card magic that includes top card controls, bottom card controls, a DL, a steal, transposition plots, assembly plots, oil and water plots, and the list goes on. Anyone who is serious about card magic should get this set of booklets. Anyone who gets this set of booklets should force themselves to work through every trick and sleight in the book. I found that some of the stuff I liked the most wasn't the obvious or "top billed" effect from the booklet. Furthermore, many of the effects and moves that I personally won't use still gave me ideas on how to improve other effects and sleights I do use. Overall I can't see any intermediate card magician not finding value in these booklets if they give them the time they deserve.

Overall Grade for the Booklet Deal: A+!!!

Sex Sells
Yo:
This is a flourish that looks somewhat like shooting a YoYo up in the air and catching it as it comes back down(Chinese yo-yo) For a card visual, imagine a one handed, upside down spring flourish.

Method and teaching: This is a knacky move. Admittedly I have not spent much time on it so I can barely do it. This one all comes down to how much you like the flourish and from there whether you are willing to put in the time to get the “knack.” For me, the flourish itself has not been worth the time to master. I’ll get to it some day but I have other priorities at present. The writing on this one seems difficult to follow. This one has some timing of movement issues that are difficult to describe in text so if you really want to learn it check out the “On the Road” DVD. You will get a better idea of what it should look like and Asher, with the aid of video, does a better job of describing it.

Overall grade…mehhh? C

Trey Sheik:
It’s a packet trick and before I give you my thought just know that I am not crazy about packet tricks…just not my thing. The magician takes out a packet of 4 kings and 4 threes (Or any combination he/she chooses). The kings are placed face down on the table and the threes are face up in the hands. The magician turns over the threes and spreads them in his hands while at the same time spreading the kings on the table. With a snap he turns over both packets and we see the kings are in the hands and the threes are on the table.

Method and Teaching: This is a collaboration of Lee Asher and Aaron Fisher and it is a pretty easy and visual change. Most of this is well described although there was one move that wasn’t really covered. I managed, and I’m sure you will manage, to piece it together and get it to work. This one will require a good bit of practice to make it look good. The actual change happens with face down cards so it is incumbent upon the magician to use good patter to reinforce which packet is on the table and which one is in the hands,. Obviously the more you practice this, and the smoother you get, the less time the cards will spend in a face down position thus the less likely the spectator will forget which packet is which. Keys to make this successful; good patter and practice enough to where the trick can be executed with a minimal amount of face down time.

Overall grade….Pretty darn good for a packet trick! B

B.S. Control:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUVpoY19AyE&NR=1
This is a essentially a multiple shift that brings cards to the top of the deck.

Method and teaching: This shift owes it’s lineage from some ideas of Alan Hayden and Edward Victor. It will require a cut, or pass, to complete the shift but it has the advantage in that the shift occurs in the face down orientation. (Many multiple shifts are executed face up for controlling to the top and face down for controlling to the bottom) If you have a need for a multiple shift that controls to the top of the pack and is executed with face down cards then this will be worth the price of the booklet.

Overall grade…Highly original take on the multiple shift…A

Various Ideas:
A series of three ideas that he just kind of throws out there. I can’t really elaborate to much without actually giving them away so I’ll be brief. Idea 1: a neat way to produce a deck of cards if your at a 50s party or other venue in which smoking might be present. Idea 2: A way of getting people to ask to see some magic. Idea 3: A subtle tip to make a slip cut more deceptive.

Overall grade…mehh?? C

The Old Gambler Vs. The Young Card Punk:
The magician recounts a tail of how he witnessed an old gambler challenge a young card punk. The Gambler quickly cut to all four aces. The young card punk sees the aces, counts them back on to the deck and walks away. As the old gambler, thinking himself victorious, recounts the tail to the next passer by and he goes to show the aces that he produced he discovers that the young card punk had switched them for a royal flush! He had been had!

Teaching and Methodology: This is a pretty standard, albeit good, gambling routine. It’s primary purpose is to teach the Frank 3-4-4 switch. The Frank 3-4-4 is a multiple card switch using a count action. It definitely could have some uses but I prefer the trusty(if a bit knacky) 4 for 4 switch by Chris Kenner. The 4 for 4 will work in this effect if you chose to use it. I think the Frank 3-4-4 has a lot of potential uses, especially if you have an effect that would benefit from a count action over a turnover action, but I think some of it’s potential is lost on this effect. In the end I liked the plot but I’ll use the Kenner 4 for 4 when I perform it.

Overall grade…A good switch is taught and it is a solid gambling plot to the effect but the sleight and the methodology are not a perfect pair. B

Overall opinion of Sex Sells: Solid B+. You get one fantastic multiple shift, a fairly good switch, a decent gambling plot, and a packet trick that is good enough that it impressed a guy who doesn’t like packet tricks. I’m willing to overlook a mediocre flourish and a few random ideas that didn’t really excite me. Besides, it has a few random pictures of Lee pulling cards out of porn stars bras and panties. Anyone who can find an excuse to include porn stars in a magic booklet deserves a few extra points…maybe I should have given it an A?

Thinking Out Loud:

The Ripper:
The magician displays a double backed card. In a flash he “rips” it into two jacks and again into two more jacks. In the end one card has turned into 4.

Teaching and methodology: This is one of the easiest 4 card productions out their. Add to that the quick visual nature and you have a great little production for beginning card magicians. Once you have learned Phoenix aces and or Thunderbird you probably won’t have much use for this but this would be a nice addition to any newer magician. The only problem with it being in this booklet is that, quite often Asher will give you a free download of this when you buy from his site. So chances are many of you will already have this.

Overall Grade: Fun for a beginner..B

Asheresque:
A tabled card control to the top of the deck.

Teaching and Methodology: This is kind of a tabled convincing control that brings the card to the top instead of the bottom. Part of the control is done by having the spectator cut the pack where they want the card to go to. The combination of moves and spectator interaction really help sell this control. If you do magic at or near a table I expect you will find some good use out of this one.

Overall Grade: This one has lots of potential but Asher’s “Losing Control” accomplishes much of the same in an in-the-hands version…. B

Joking Around:
The magician has a card selected and when it is time for the reveal he gets the wrong one. Frustrated he begins folding and tearing at the card and when all is said and done he has torn the card into the shape of a King of Diamonds…the spectators card.

Teaching and Methodology: This is basically a way to tear up a card and make it look like a couple of K pips and a Diamond pip. It’s okay I guess.

Overall grade: Mehh? C
[b]
Single Piece Version:[/b]
As above except the torn card stays in one piece instead of three. Same overall opinion.

Deuce Bag:
Magician pulls out a sealed zip-lock style plastic bag and inside is a Joker. He claims that it is his lucky Joker and asks the spectator hold on to it. He than has another spectator pick a card. After some magical gestures the card and the Joker change places.

Teaching and Methodology: This is one of the true hidden gems of Asher’s Booklets. This effect has been renamed “Witness” and sells as a $20.00 download. It is basically a card to impossible location trick. It was originally named Deuce bag because Asher prefers to use a 2 because it contrasts well with the Joker. Depending on you own card skills this one can be done with varying levels of “cleanliness.” With a few modifications this one can be done with the bag and the deck never making contact what so ever. Deuce bag cannot be done with a signed card but I don’t think an effect like this necessarily needs that. Wayne Houchin has a card to inside ziplock trick that can be done signed but that one cannot be done “in the spectator’s hands” so essentially you will have to chose what’s more important to you when deciding between these two effects. Do you want it signed or in the spectators hands. I prefer Deuce Bag and when you consider it can be found in a $12.00 booklet along with four other sleights and effects I’d say this one is a good buy.t

Overall Grade: Fantastic transposition effect that could be, and is, sold individually for $20.00 can be found in this cheap little booklet! A++!

Tres Pass:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARsl4kIC ... re=related
An interesting way to do a pass while pretending to check your watch.

Teaching and Methodology: while this is probably one of the most invisible and “burnable” passes out their the fact that it must be under cover of checking you watch makes it close to useless in my opinion. How many times can you honestly get away with that before someone gets suspicious? I suppose it won’t hurt to learn. It isn’t a hard move so it won’t take too long to get down, but in the end I’d recommend learning one or two of the more standard passes and just working on those until they are bulletproof. Your opportunities to use this one will be rare indeed.

Overall grade: interesting idea and easy to perform but it is so situational that I can’t justify more than a D.

Memphis Corn Pudding: A
I finally got a chance to try this out. I cooked this as part of my recent Christmas dinner. This is a pretty easy dish to make and it got several compliments around the table. Although it says "pudding" this is not a "sweet" dish. (I say that because many assume all puddings are sweet) This is a perfect dish to bring as your contribution to holiday feasts and pot luck dinners. You can literally mix all the ingredients together in under 10 minutes(probably 5) because it requires no chopping or complicated cooking instructions. Once you whip it together just throw it in the oven for 45 mn and you are good to go. Easy to make, hard to screw up, and of all the other side dishes at my Christmas dinner, this was the one my guests commented on the most. I'd say that speaks for itself.

Overall impression of Thinking Out Loud: A
I’ll say that the whole outweighs the sum of it’s parts. T.O.C. includes an easy and visual ace production, a very deceptive card control, and a routine that has gone on to be sold as a stand alone effect. Those three gems there more than make up for the mediocre Tres Pass and the “kind’a okay” card gag, Joking Around. Though I haven’t had the chance to try out the Memphis corn pudding it is a fun idea to include something out of the ordinary in a magic booklet every once in a while. His first booklet had strippers and this one had a recipe!

Le’ Asher French Tour ’99:

You Bet Your Asher:
The magician recounts a nightmare he had in which a dealer accidentally dealt him six cards at a poker game. Afraid of be called a cheat the magician took the extra and hid it in his pocket. When he counts again he realizes he has six cards, again he hides the extra card in his pocket. Every time he hides the card it seems to come back. He finally hands the cards to the spectator and even they count 6 cards. The magician takes the sixth card away saying the people would acuse him of being a card cheat(wink wink). The spectator turns the cards over and discovers that she/he is holding a royal flush.


Teaching and Methodology: This is another gambling themed magic trick. The magician keeps counting off six cards in a packet, putting one of the cards in his pocket, and counts again to find that another card has appeared. This one could play well especially if your character is that of an affable card swindler. It is well described but you will need to be familiar with the Vernon Stip out move(or other similar move.) Though a fairly easy trick to learn it may take a while to “master” and it does require some minor setup.

Overall Grade: Good trick but not “impromptu.” If you are good with counts and proficient with stacks (the stack is pretty small) this could be a real worker for you….B

Magic Finger Box of Death:
Make a box contraption out of a torn up card, stick your finger in it and contort your finger in all kinds of crazy ways.

Teaching and Methodology: Like “Joking Around” this is more of a gag than a magic trick. Think of it as an evolution of the “Thumb off the finger” gag. Easy to construct the gimmick(ie. Can be done on the fly) and fairly easy to perform.

Overall grade: For some reason I liked this idea better than the “Joking Around” gag so I give it a B.

Diving Board Double:
This has been my workhorse DL for about a year now. IMO this is the easiest and most versatile of the one handed DLs.

Teaching and Methodology: Well It is hard for me to fully review how well it is taught in this booklet because I learned this move from Asher’s downloadable pdf file.(A review of that can be found here:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=156906)
In this booklet Asher teaches only the basic DVB DL and gives only the most basic description of it. If you have difficulty learning from books I can imagine you having trouble with the brief description in this booklet.

Overall Grade: While the move itself is an A++ I think most people will have better luck learning from his PDF download that is dedicated to all the ins and outs of this move. Therefore I give the info in this booklet a B.

Making Ripples:
A card is selected and placed in the center of the pack. The spectator is told to watch the edge of the deck. As they watch they can see the card pushing it’s way to the top of the deck. It is basically a technique to add to an ambitious routine to give a visual of the card rising.

Teaching and Method: There are two methods taught. The first, “The Ripple” is by Tom Allen. This one holds the deck at the fingertips along the width of the deck. You will see the card rise from the back end of the deck. The other, “Riding the Ripple” is Lee’s variation. Essentially the same effect except that the deck is held at the fingertips along the length of the deck and the rise will be visible from viewing the side of the deck. Asher also adds a little finish by which the card pops into the finger tips once it reaches the top.

Overall Grade: It is a decent addition to an ambitious sequence. Not quite as visual as Danny Garcia’s Fallen but not as angle sensitive either. I give it a B.

Overall Impression of Le’ Asher French Tour ’99:I give this one a B. If you are good with figuring out mechanics of a trick with minimal instructions and pictures then the Diving Board Double might make this one an A for you and you could save yourself the cost of the Download PDF. For me, and many others who get interested in these booklets, the DVB DL was one of the first things I ever got from Asher’s website making this one a little less of a gem than some of his other booklets.

Pulp Friction:

New addition to the Thunderbird:
A way of altering the thunderbird so that the third ace is produced back to the audience.

Teaching and Methodology: The intention of this was to produce the last two aced at once. It is easy to do if you know the T-bird but whether it is a presentation you will like will depend on the performer.

Overall Grade: Meh?? First you need to know the T-bird(which I did but you may not) and second, I kinda like T-bird the way it is. I just don’t see a need to mess with the best ace production out there so I give this a …C

Pulp Friction:
This is a control to the bottom of the deck.

Teaching and Methodology: This is Asher’s version of a control under cover of a spread. He uses a method that might come naturally to lefties than to right-handers so if you are a lefty you might want to check this out. There is no perfect control under a spread IMO. Earick’s, Marlo’s, the DMB, it all comes down to personal choice because they all seem to be “knacky” in their own way.

Overall Grade: Good but not good enough to replace the controls I already have. I much preferred how he used similar ideas to accomplish his top card control the “Losing Control.” …B

Multi Peek Control With No Change in the Bottom Card:
A way to control several cards to the 2nd card from the bottom.

Teaching and Methodology. It is not a multi-peek control all in one action. The cards are peaked and spread, peaked and spread, ect. I can use a similar technique with most other controls as well.

Overall Grade: The fact that this technique can be done with most spread controls makes this pretty useful to know….B

Red Black Separation:
This is a way of showing the cards separated in reds and blacks, spreading the cards, shuffling, and showing that they are still in red black order.

Teaching and Methodology: This technique uses Pulp Friction for a red black separation. If you are into oil and water effects this Red Black Separation technique is worth learning Pulp friction. Imagine continually showing the deck in red black order, shuffling, and showing it still in red black order. It could be a nifty display of artifice if you get really good with it and, as we will see in “Not Impressive” in the Hand Jobs booklet, it has some pretty cool effect applications as well.

Overall Grade: If you are willing to put in the time to first make Pulp Friction look smooth and natural, and next practice the ins and outs of the Red Black Separation, you will have some very powerful tools for your magic….A

Touche’…is what you say!!:
Couldn’t find an exact video of this but here is Harry Loraine doing a very similar effect,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YwMoeOdGzE

The magician talks about how he has the ability to cut cards to any named number. To demonstrate how hard this is he asks the spectator to try. The spectator cuts off some numbers and gets fairly close. “Good job for a first try” He then decides to up the challenge by having a card selected and returned to the deck. The spectator then names a number and instantly the magician cuts out a packet of cards. The spectator then counts out the cards and they match the number called. Flipping over the last card we see that it is the selection as well.

Teaching and Methodology: The theme of this trick is to show how amazing you are with a deck of cards. Guess what? To show how amazing you are you actually have to be pretty darn good! This one will test your skills with crimps, breaks, psychological forces, and timing. In short, for people who really love card magic, this is a great one to test you mettle. I have practiced this one on and off for months now and have only performed it once because there is just so much to think about.

Overall Grade: Aaron Fisher has a comment in A.O.M. “Some trick you like because they are easy and some you like because they are hard.” This one is definitely hard and I definitely LOVE this trick. Probably my favorite trick found within all the Lee Asher Booklets. I give this one….A+!

Overall Impression of Pulp Friction: For a booklet supposedly dedicated to the Pulp Friction Control I was least impressed with that. I won’t be replacing my current spread control but for people who are left handed, or people who really love the oil and water plot, there is a lot of really valuable information in this booklet. What makes me rate this booklet so highly is the effect, “Touche’…is what you say!!” I love the plot and I love that challenge of this effect so much that I have to give Pulp Friction an A.

Hand Jobs:

The Third Fastest Card Trick in the World! “Betraying Braue”:
The magician says he is going to show the spectator the third fastest card trick in the world. (it would be the fastest but the two guys who can do it quicker are not available right now) He has a card selected and returned to the middle of the pack. Immediately he spreads the pack and flips over a card…The spectator says, “That’s not my card!” The magician flips over the packer in his left hand, “How ‘bout that?”… “No.” He then flips the packet in his right hand, “How ‘bout that?”… “No.” Frustrated the magician tosses both packets on the table uttering comedic lines of disgust. Appearing in between the two packets is the spectators card.

Teaching and Methodology: This is one of those perfect impromptu tricks for when someone is bugging you for some magic. Quick, funny, to the point, and allows you to get on with your day in less than a minute. The photographs accompanying the trick don’t go up to the final move but it is pretty self explanatory what needs to be done in the final phase. This is a super easy trick. If you can spread cards and hold a break you can do this trick.

Overall Grade: This is easy and fun. It will get a good laugh but won’t deliver that Oh My God! Reactions. I give it a solid B.

The Losing Control:
This is a control to the top of the pack. The magician spreads the pack and has a card selected and remembered. He closes the spread and the card has been controlled to the top.

Teaching and Methodology: The only difficult part of this control is the use of the reverse spread. Once you get used to using reverse spreads this will be no sweat. This is also less of a sleight and more of an “illusion”, making it one of the most clever controls I have come across. I personally don’t perform a lot of effects that use a top card control(most of the stuff I’m working with now controls to the bottom or second to the top) but for those occasions where I do need a top card control this will be a workhorse.

Overall Grade: Boy this one got me! Even if you don’t use a top card control that often I think this one will get you thinking ‘out of the box” with your card magic….A+!

Slap that Ace:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Rd30ARmGts
Magician riffles down the edge of the pack and the spectators calls stop. Magician then cuts the pack at this point. He continues this three more times so there are four packets. He then prompts the spectator into saying “wouldn’t it be cool if you cut to the four aces?” He deals off the top card of each packet to find that none of the cards are an ace. Looking frustrated the magician picks up the four cards, slaps them on the pack and they change into the Aces.

Teaching and Methodology: This trick requires some prep work however to anyone good with culling it could be done on the fly. Once the prep work is done it is close to self working except for the use of one card sleight. Though this is a fairly easy trick to learn, and pretty visual as well it suffers a bit by leaving the deck dirty in the end.

Overall Grade: Not bad but not as good as Resistance is Feudal(which will be discussed later in the review) but it is easier…B

FAN-see Meeting Both of You Here:
This is a stage piece that has a sort of mentalist theme to it. Magician brings two people up on stage, fans out the deck and has them each think of a card in the fan. The mentalist determines both thought of cards.

Teaching and Methodology: This one uses a card technique that people familiar with Asher’s work will be familiar with and also two techniques that most students of mentalism will be familiar with. Without giving too much away lets just say that one of the methods chosen for this effect doesn’t have enough “motivation” to be fool proof. You had best be real good with certain audience management skills for this one.

Overall Grade: I’m not completely opposed to blending Mentalism and cards but better techniques can be found in Practical Mental Magic and that is 60 years old. I give this one a… D! Sorry Lee.

Not Impressive:
A magician has a card selected and placed back into the deck. He says, “What I’m about to do is not impressive, what you are about to do that is!” The magician gives the cards to the spectator to shuffle. He then spreads through the cards and finds the selection, “No big deal, that’s my job. But look what you did!” As the cards are spread on the table you realize that the spectator shuffled the pack and separated all reds and all blacks.

Teaching and Methodology: An Oil and Water routine in which the spectator shuffles the deck? Pretty cool in my opinion! This trick is perhaps the best reason to learn Lee Asher’s Pulp friction control as it is about the easiest and most direct method for this. I think that this one can be “knacky” but mostly because Pulp Friction is kind of “knacky.” If you are good at that move this is a real powerful effect for you. It will take some set-up and the spectator you choose should be proficient with a standard riffle shuffle( think deck switch) but it has a lot of potential.

Overall Grade: This one is a killer effect. It makes me want to put some more time into a sleight that I have had difficulty with….A

Cheek to Cheek Asher Style:
Magician takes a deck of cards, cuts it, and hands 1/2 the deck to a spectator. He and the spectator take the cards behind their backs and reverse one card each. As the deck halves are brought back out in front they are spread to find that matching mates (ie. 3 of hearts and 3 of diamonds) have been selected.

Teaching and Methodology: This is a pretty easy trick with pretty clever methodology. There is a slight, and random, possibility for a mistake but good misdirection and patter can cover this. Also Asher offers a method to make this effect 100%. This is another effect that will require a deck switch but it is also strong enough to be worth having some good methods for that if you don’t already.

Overall Grade: While Fan-see Meeting Both of You Here may have been a poor blend of cards and mentalism I think this one is an outstanding blend of the two….A

Brute Force:
A tabled card force.

Teaching and Methodology: Like his Losing control this one is less sleight and more optical illusion. It is certainly not a bad force if done with the proper attitude. I would almost put it in the class of the crosscut force except no time misdirection will be required.

Overall Grade: There are so many good forces out there it is hard to say that this one really stands out but I would say it is an improvement over several other tabled forces….C+ maybe B-.

Overall Impressions of Hand Jobs: Brute Force was merely okay, “Fan-see Meeting Both of You Here” kinda sucked, and “Slap that Ace” appears in a better form in a later booklet but all in all I’d have to say this is probably the best of all the booklets. “Losing Control” is the most innovative control I have seen in a long time, “Not Impressive” allows you to do an oil and water effect in which the spectator does the shuffling, and “Cheek to Cheek Asher Style” is an incredible easy and powerful mentalism bit with cards. I give this booklet an A+!

Close Cover Before Striking:

Wipe Your Ace:
This is a ace production from the deck. It is a sort of flashy “cut to aces” routine. The magician shuffles, cuts, and turns the top card over on the deck. It’s an Ace. He makes another cut and suddenly there is a face up ace on each packet. He deals both on the deck and cuts again. An ace appears face up and outjogged in the middle of the deck. He deals that on the table cuts again and flips over a fourth card. It is NOT an Ace! The magician regards this error(lets say a 9 of spades) and wipes it across the deck. It transforms into an Ace!

Teaching and Method: The writing is fine but one of the reference photos (#5) was either reversed in the printing or originally shot for a left hander. It is not a big deal as the writing on this one was pretty clear. As for the effect? It is not a bad ace production. It kind of bridges the gap between some of the more recent ace productions, where all for aces seem to just appear at once, and some of the more old school “cutting to aces” routines. Even if this one is not for you (I don’t think I’ll be using it) it has a few really good ideas and techniques in it that can be applied to other ace productions or just your magic in general. The first is the way the final card is wiped on the deck to affect the change. It is a combination of a few clever principles that I have seen before but never seen put together quite like this. The other is a very nice pop-out move from Eddie Taytelbaum. It’s no better a pop-out move than many others but it’s always nice to see other ways of doing these.

Overall Grade: Pretty good stuff. I probably won’t use it purposely but I’ll definitely steal a few components and add them to the cutting to aces routine I am currently working with…B

Face Down Silver Surfer:
This is a face down version of the Silver Surfer move found on the 5 Card Stud DVD. That is one of the few Lee Asher products I don’t have so I can’t really comment on the differences. It is a control in which the top card is slid down a spread (thus the ‘surfer’) and into the middle of the pack, and can instantly appear on the top of the deck.

Teaching and Methodology: This is a very simple move and looks hind of cool. This could be very handy for an ACR sequence.

Overall Grade: Good move but not ground breaking….B

Put Your Treys in the Upright Position:
A four of a kind is found in the middle of the spread, flipped around between two packets and as the packets are pulled away the cards remain standing balanced on the table.

Teaching and Methodology: Well I have practiced the flip around move as the four of a kind is produced from the middle of the pack. That move is not too difficult. The balancing portion of the effect requires a close-up pad. I don’t use close-up pads so I really can’t comment.

Overall Grade: I will withhold judgment as I haven’t really practiced this….TBD

Rosie Palm:
This is basically a way to palm the card from the center and the palmed card will end up in the left hand/

Teaching and Methodology: This could be a valuable sleight for anyone proficient in a side steal. Palms and steals take a long time to master, this one will be no exception, so why not learn how to modify the actions of one to accomplish the same thing that another accomplishes? What I mean to say is that most people learn a side steal for a right handed palm and a Diagonal palm shift for the left. If you are good with a side steal this can get the card into the left palm without having to learn an entirely new technique. Making this look smooth will take some work but so to all palms from the center of the deck. I had already learned the diagonal palm shift before approaching this one so I don’t have much use for it, however, if you have yet to learn the DPS or have trouble with that move this might be a technique worth checking out. Also for fans of the Clip Shift, reading this will give you some good ideas for performing that move from the center of the deck.

Overall Grade: Not a move most of you will adopt in it’s entirety but I think there are elements in it that can be cannibalized by most intermediate card magicians….B

Resistance is Feudal:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXGImFjN2do

This is the only performance vid I found on Youtube. The final production is quite different but the effect is essentially the same.

The magician, after some form of ace production, says that he will change an ace into a jack. At the last moment he decides to change all of the aces into jacks. He does some magic moves and deals the aces on to the table only to find that they have yet to change. He gives them a little shake and instantly the transform into the Jacks.

Teaching and Methods: This is kind of the evolution of “Slap That Ace.” It is very similar in the overall nature of that effect and it even uses some of the same moves yet all in all it is just a “cleaner” handling. It does require some setup but the setup is not as complicated as S.T.A. It also leaves the deck a little dirty, though not as dirty as S.T.A.

Overall Grade: This is a much better way to achieve the same effect as S.T.A. ….A

That’s a Wrap:
You ask to borrow a bill, wrap the bill around a deck, and in the action of turning the deck over the bill vanishes and appears wrapped in the center of the deck around either a selected card or a packet of aces.

Teaching and Methodology: This is a pretty neat effect and I could see it playing well for a restaurant worker as a quick visual opener. The method will take some time to make it look good. I have practiced to the point where I can do the flip in about two seconds but that is not quite fast enough to make this both deceptive and visual. It is worth practicing as it is a very versatile tool. You can use it to find a selection, Find a four of a kind, or even find a packet it preparation for a packet trick. It can also be done impromptu so if you put the time into this one you should have a good worker.

Overall Grade: I personally like it a lot but I don’t think it justifies an A….maybe a B+.

Overall Impressions of Close Cover Before Striking: There is some real solid material in here but nothing that makes this booklet a standout among the others. I give it a B but a solid one at that. Next to “Touche’ is What You Say,” some of the most difficult material will be found in this book. That is not to say that all of it will find it’s way into your repertoire but I think a lot of his ideas in here can be adapted to other effects and moves.

GREAT REVIEWS! I have always wanted some of his booklets but wasn't sure if they were really worth it. They seem like crap from how they are advertised and it looks like he rehashes a lot too. I guess not.

Well he doesn't exactly rehash a lot. In actuality these booklets were the start of many subsequent Asher ideas and moves. If you already have the majority of Asher's work on DVDs, Video Downloads, and PDF downloads, then it might seem that way but there are still several cool effects and sleights that can be found within.

Also, When you get them you may not fully appreciate what you have. They are in black and white, the photos are grainy, the descriptions are good but not overly in-depth. As a result you might miss some real good stuff by just glancing over it on your initial read through. If you get these book I strongly recommend you force yourself to sit down and try out every sleight and effect. I have had these for about 9 months and have been working on a lot of this material since then but when I decided to sit down and review these (about two months ago) I found a lot of really great stuff that I had completely overlooked before. Some of it is not necessarily stuff you are going to use but most of it has some good ideas that can be applied to other effects and sleights. For instance, I read Rosie Palm 9 months ago and thought...Mehh I'll stick with my side steal. About a month ago I started working on the clip shift. Well I reread Rosie Palm about a week ago while I was finishing up this review and realized that I could combine it with a clip shift to do a one handed shift, or palm, from a card inserted in the center of the pack. Pretty deadly stuff! So if you get them don't just learn the obvious "good trick" from the booklet and put it back on your shelf. Really sit down and work through this material and I guarantee you you will find some gems.

That's one of my favorite things to do! I love going through books and videos and actually going along with the tricks and sleights. SOme i get completely lost on, but others I just ignore completely. THen I'll go back a month from then and pick it up in minutes. A lot of sleights that are more modern really don't appeal to me. It seems like many of them just try to replace older moves that accomplish the same thing. I can't stand when somebody takes a sidesteal and comes up with a new way of stripping it out of the pack.

I can see how it get's overwhelming sometimes. I personally don't mind the miriad of sleights and moves out there. It keeps me interested. I only tend to really put work into the ones that are "Utility" in nature but others I play around with for a little while and just move on. With Rosey Palm...Like I said in the review, if you have a sidesteal but are having trouble with the Diagonal palm shift check it out. It might be a more natural move for palming to the left hand. It is also usefull for people who Clip Shift.

Where your comments really ring true for me is in the realm of changes and productions. Seems as if new ones come out every week. Some of them are knuckle busting monstrosities that you will only use for one effect or are very angle sensitive. But If you like to practice and you want something new to play around with...well they are good for that!

Hahah EXACTLY. I can't stand color changes. Most of them today really aren't anything new. I DID come up with one recently that is pretty nice and has a lot of motivation. But as for the method, nothing original lol. Pretty much just a side steal.

Dude, I think you could say that for any color change out there. Nothing is original these days (with VERY few exceptions). However, my personal philosophy is that they are still worth marketing for the sole fact that what you come up with, however lame a combination of classic moves, is something that someone else might not have thought of. I know if I buy something, and it is an old idea, but something I would have never thought of, but I get use out of it, I don't care.

I wouldn't have most of the things in my repertoire if we just used classic moves. the way you combine them or change them is what matters.

[inside joke] Besides, Meatballs are always original. [/inside joke]

Oh, and Eostrech, FANTASTIC review as always. I am really interested in Yo, have you seen it other places before (in it's present state)?

Thanks, Cris.

As to learning Yo: To be honest I'd recommend checking out the Hit The Road DVD. I wish I could find some Youtube footage of it so you could see what I am talking about better. As for learning this I think it would be easier "seeing" it than reading it in a booklet.

As for the discussion of all these moves that come out every week:
Ernest Earick, 1993


I had to laugh when I read these words in the book, "By Forces Unseen", as they rang quite true to me. Most magicians will tend to think of the effect first and then try to reverse engineer the sleights necessary to perform such an effect, but thank god for the magicians who happily "re-engineer the wheel" only for the sake of creating a new move. Sooner or later they, or someone else, will be able to come up with an effect that can only be done, or is done most efficiently, with that move. Fortunately Lee Asher is able to do both, come up with the moves and find the applications for them. Pulp Friction is a good example. At its core it is a control from the center of the deck to the bottom, or second to bottom, of the deck. It may come more smoothly and naturally to certain magicians than Marlo's convincing control, Earick's convincing control, the DMB spread control, or many of the other fine controls that can do the same thing and, for that, it is worth checking out. However, the "Red Black Separation" using Pulp Friction, is an application I have yet to see equalled by any other sleight. If you are a fan of oil and water effects you really need to check this out. Had Lee Asher not started messing around with "the wheel" that application never would have presented itself. It is for reasons like that that I'm glad we have a constant stream of sleight hitting the market. The stunning visual difference between Bill Goodwin's "Four Queens" plot and the Dan and Dave version of that effect was made possible by new sleights that have been discovered, or rediscovered, in the last 10 years. So all in all I think it is a good thing.

Cheers to all,
Erik

Oh, I definitely agree!

For instance, let's look at... David Regal's version of Sam the Bellhop... We call it "David Regal" and yet is composed of nothing original except the routining and patter. On the other hand, let us look at... the Clipshift by Chad Nelson. A pretty original move, but presentationally, nothing new.

Interesting though on the contrary; occasionally the market is presented with something TOTALLY original. A good example is Inversion by Andrew Mayne. These are the things that NO one has seen before and are a rarity on the market.

However, that is not to say that any one of those things is more or less useful than the others; it all comes down to you and your personal style, but I feel that when something comes out, whether it is original or not, if it works for someone, it was a worthwhile release.

For another example, Pressure by Daniel Garcia. In essence, a very simple concept that even a layperson could have thought of; however, if Danny Garcia hadn't put in on the market, it wouldn't be a staple in my repitoire today.

I feel that magicians spend to much time worrying about "who did what" first, as opposed to the important aspects of "how useful" something is.