I've been fortunate to see Rick Anderson perform - and teach - magic for years. Having so much of his material and philosophy in one place is phenomenal! He's one of those rare people who not only KNOWS a huge amount about magic, but can also DO it.

My favorite routine to watch is his handling of the Mental Photography Deck, presented as a "mirage." Really strong, and gets huge reactions. Pay close attention to the little details in his Ambitious Card Routine. Each phase builds on the previous one, and every time the spectators think the trick is over, he goes one step further.

There's so much good stuff here: kids magic, close-up, stand-up, utility ideas, marketing tips, and fully-routined tricks honed over decades of work.

This was an interesting lecture And from the other reviews posted somewhat a divided response.
I noticed that the positive reviews focused on Mr. Anderson’s routining and subtleties. The negative reviews seem to focus on the fact that much of the material is his take on fairly standard tricks.
And they seem to focus on just the first part of the lecture.
WARNING…If you are looking for the newest tricks and gimmicks you won’t find them here.
You’ll be disappointed.
I want to give a fairly detailed look at the lecture. It’s not for every taste obviously.
This way you‘ll have a good idea of what you’re getting.
Mr Anderson even makes a joke that this lecture is about “S*** you already have."

However if you are looking for subtleties and the THINKING of a working pro about how to add more mystery and impact to your magic this lecture is a goldmine of information.

Frankly this lecture was obviously designed for those of us that work in “real-world” corporate and private parties. It’s not for the guys who just want some new tricks for friends or “The Street.
Although the last half has several new tricks.
His touches and thinking on the sponge balls is a good example. Some will just see it as “Standard Sponge Balls”. Others will notice the actual PRESENTATION that adds energy to open a set. Why he opens a strolling set with it. Then all the handling of the “PUT and TAKE” move to make it more natural. And subtlety to put the dbl ball in the spectators hand. (And he’s right that too many magicians are too cozy with it).
The thimble routine is quick and has some cool moves I hadn’t seen.

The routining and moves (especially the ending move) turns the Mental Photography deck into a visual killer. The classic SPOT CARD has the weak parts worked out. Literally no extra moves.

During the show for the laymen obviously loved Rick’s version of the Sandsational Rope. He then shows some real fine points of handling.

His Coin Routine is not only entertaining but gets rid of the constant “where’s the coin…Your wrong” aspect of so many similar presentations. An adaptable concept.
The coin vanish is his and was published by Ammar.
Some other reviews mention the nuances and structure of his Ambitious Card. Of course AC isn’t his but after performing it for over 40 years the routine is. And it’s a lesson on how to make it entertaining.
Worth the price of admission is his floating bill handling. Floating a bill is not new but his handling is great. I hadn’t seen it done in the spectator’s hand before. And remember when he started doing it, it was new. I can see this being a killer routine.
After these tricks Mr. Anderson pulls out some of his more original material. Again his presentations are the original part. His Bear Routine is certainly on original was to reveal a forced card.
As is his “WASHED DECK” A very funny visual prop.
For Birthday Party guys he has a great Birthday-Card Trick and several marketing ideas
And his Balloon Routine is obviously a real worker.
Oh yeah he has an attached PDF that has some interesting thoughts on magic and character along with additional thoughts about the tricks in the lecture and some done for you templates that could make you money at the right shows.
In all I found it to be a really good lecture that made me think about my handlings of the tricks I already do. And some new tools to make my magic more entertaining.

Some of the routines Rick demonstrates you may already have, but the subtleties Rick adds makes the magic more amazing and shocking and entertaining to the audience. His creative thinking through the routines so that they makes sense Should be ranked with the top inventive magical minds. His handling of White Wash is excellent. His sleights with sponge balls makes the effect truly magical. He makes coins appear from thin air and disappear back to thin air. Putting Ricks technique into practice will make anyone a better magician. His advice on marketing comes from experience and what works and what makes magic profitable.

I have all of the penguin live lectures and attend my local magic club lectures on a monthly basis and this was by far was the worst magic lecture I have ever seen. He did all stock tricks such as Sponge Balls, Mouth Coil, Ambitious Card, Card on Ceiling, Card to Wallet, Mental Photography, What's Next, etc. ( nothing original to him). In addition to that, he did not have any original ideas to those tricks that made them lecture worthy; his presentations and takes on things were actually rather corny. I’m really perplexed on why he was asked to lecture, as none of the material was his, as he did not have any interesting takes on the effects that he did. If you have been in magic for more than a month, you will be familiar with the effects and routines in the lecture. I can not recommend this lecture.

There are a lot of tiny touches here on classics that are what make the routine not only impressive, but true magic to the audience as well. You can tell he has a wealth of knowledge and makes you get back to what is important in how you perform. You can see it in the Bear presentation that something a method is just a means to an end. I enjoyed every bit of it. His handling and presentation of the mental photography deck is superb and above what I've seen from other professionals, it should set the standard. He puts a lot of thought into his handling. His sponge ball work is impressive, he goes into a full routine that can play anywhere, don't overlook this. You have stuff for Stand-Up and Close-Up, he truly does teach the real work. Stuff that will take your hobby or professional standards to new heights.

I throughly enjoyed Ricks Lecture. When I found out he was filming for Penguin magic, I was ecstatic!
Rick has an incredible handling of "Mental Photograpy", adding sleights and little nuances to make the effect more deceptive.
Great work with the sponges. Been watching Rick for years, this is a great opportunity for others to benefit from his experience.

You may know a lot of the routines in this lecture, but don't let that deter you. The insights and subtleties will help you improve these routines and all of your magic.

I really enjoyed some learning from this video!
I have read some other negative posts about this lecture.
What? You can't learn something from this.
You are not watching!
The thimble work is excellent, the sponge balls... again, excellent.

Some wonderful touches on many classics!

Anonymous from PA. You should re watch this and study it.

Rick is a real worker.

I learned a few subtleties that were worth the price i paid for admission. Which is a bit of humor since my admission costs were a gift from the man himself. I met Rick Anderson recently, we are in the same magic club that he currently chairs. So i might be a little biased but honestly, from a workers point of reference there is gold to be found in here. There are some subtleties that he shared that once i forget my bad habits and implement his will help me be a better magician. The one that stands out is his double lift handling for my fat club fists. I also liked his thimble routine and his rope routine handling is slightly different and workable. These are just a few. I really enjoyed it and im sure i will go back to this to reference his handlings. Thank you for this Rick. Its been a pleasure meeting you and watching tou in action.

Most of his magic plays real close to somewhere between borderline abrasive and really lacking in creativity. You get to watch things like his version of the sponge ball routine which is in the most subtle way different from a thousand other sponge ball routines, or his version of the thimble trick which leaves people in wonder... wondering what's a thimble. Not the best lecture.