Oz is a great job teaching.
Beginners will benefit tremendously from this deck since it is almost self working. With a little creativity and Oz's direction, beginners will amaze people. The cards are top quality/not dollar store stock.
Another great product from Oz.

before i bought this dvd i knew it was gonna be good because it was made by oz. for some reason i find it so easy to learn from him. and just like it says in the description, you may think you know the svengali deck but this dvd takes it to a whole new level. all the tricks are so easy to do with just a few minutes of practice with oz teaching you will be up and performing in no time. to me this is a no brainer oz is the best.

I've actually never used a Svengali deck before, but I could easily see how a more experienced magician might see it as too simple to bother with. Oz, always the great teacher that he is, shows you so many ways to use the deck, I love it. Oz does a great job showing how versatile this deck can actually be, and for anyone who's never used a svengali deck before, or even those who have- I think this is definitely worth checking out!

I love this and rate it as in my top 2 tricks for bar and close up (along with Stealth Pen).

To be honest I'm just starting out but this deck has taught me so much - its easy and the limitation is your imagination. I sat for 4 hours doing the 'same' trick in about 30 different ways - if I was better I would have several mind blowing tricks, instead I have 3 killa ones.

The only issue I have (a minor one) is that once the audience so the trick they know the gimmick card so creates issues, however with a little playing you can use a mind trick approach which means you only show each member of the trick the card but individually so each person doesn't see more than one card - you can then move onto a finale for all the audience.

DVD is very good, although I kept missing it as my mind was running away with ideas after 5 minutes of seeing the trick performed.

Buy 2 decks so you can over come the special card issue.

The DVD made it seem like I would be learning some really cool, new ideas that I wouldnt have been able to think of beforehand. It was a very small amount of new stuff, but thats about it.

I haven't bought this particular product, but have owned a Svengali deck for 10+ years and it is by far one of my favorite gimmicks.

The only downside is that it CANNOT be inspected. Two very important things necessary when purchasing a Svengali deck are making sure that a replica deck is easy to obtain and that the Svengali deck looks like a popular brand in your area.

If your Svengali deck is a brand no one has ever seen before, it raises suspicion. This can be used in your favor, by saying 'It's a magic deck I found..' or some other line, but I prefer to not have people be on their guard right away, which is why a nice 'Bicycle' Svengali deck is what I prefer.

My suggestion is to always have two decks when performing with this tool. You'll need to have a coat/pocket/whatever big enough that no one knows there are two decks so that when people say, and they WILL say 'Let me see that deck!!' you can be like.. 'No no... don't worry about it!' as you place it in your pocket... and when they persist, and they WILL persist, you can say 'Fine... here..' pull out the other deck and let them inspect it.

This solidifies everything you've just performed in their mind.. You didn't want to let them inspect it, so they know something is up, but then when you do, they can't figure out what the hell is going on... and you are now 'The magic man!'

I'd highly recommend a Svengali deck to any beginner looking to get into the world of card magic. It's what got me started and I've never looked back!

I love doing the effect that's in the demo it gets some amazing reactions and is sure to get some laughs when you show that ever card is just 1 card and the teaching and menus are great and easy to follow. If you haven't used a Svengali deck before you need to buy this one because it is amazing!

I'll admit, I don't like the Svengali deck much. It can't be examined by the audience, is difficult to use for more than one effect in a performance, and an effect like the one in the teaser video practically gives away the gimmick. (It also seems, well, gimmicky.) But I was determined to give the famous gimmicked decks a fair shake, so I got this (and also the Invisible Deck and Stripper releases in the series).

The signature effect shown in the teaser is a ballsy choice, given that it flies in the face of other wisdom I'd seen about being so obvious. It also doesn't require any teaching; if you have a Svengali deck, you can do the effect. However, the real pearls are buried on the DVD when he shows you how a beginner can do a simple ambitious card routine; or, like his other releases in the series, when he shows you a clever effect that involves using the deck in a nontraditional way.

It still seems like you will need a deck switch in a card-heavy set, and the problem of doing multiple effects with the same Svengali deck is still present. However, this DVD does show some clever ways you can use this deck to perform miracles with very little sleight-of-hand. I'd recommend this to beginners doing a mixed set of effects (not all cards) or to those comfortable working in a deck switch before and after using this (which depends on your working conditions). Like the other releases in this series, Oz assumes the layperson is completely unfamiliar with the gimmick; this goes against some conventional wisdom but may well be safe to assume as true for you.

Like all the releases in the series, the included deck is a high-quality Bicycle deck. You can't go wrong there. If you are buying your first Svengali deck anyway, it does make a lot of sense to get it in this package.

When I got this trick I was surprised about how easy and self working the deck is! Beginners or advanced magicians will love performing with this deck. So many effects possible, Oz Pearlman teaches you everything you have to know. This comes with a DVD and a Svengali deck that are top quality. Svengali is a deck that can perform miracles and with little practise you can too! The only downside to this deck is that it can't be handed over for examination or you will spoil the secret but it still a really good trick. You will blow people away, people will look at you mind boggled? You are guaranteed to get good reactions with this. I performed it for a couple of my friends and family and they all looked at me and were AMAZED! BUY IT! you won't be disapointed, every tricks with OZ Pearlman and Penguin name on it never disapoints. ADD TO CART!

i got this as a promotional item and was happy enough. a svengali deck is something every magician to have. the dvd is a little basic tthough. oz goes through how to use the deck well, but frankly i wass dissapointed by the routines shared on the disk. most of them were basic and not visual. there is much more to discover about this great deck.