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This isn't really a review, but is more some advice for newbies to card magic. Some of the best advice you'll receive is to start by learning the fundamentals of card magic and card handling. But where do you start? Sure, you can head to youtube, and you will find some tutorials by skilled magicians. But these are typically few and far between, and by far the majority of magic instruction you'll find on youtube is done by teenagers with a very mediocre ability in card handling.

I suggest that you do not rely on learning from youtube. Instead, I strongly recommend that you consider investing in a good video by a good magician and teacher. Now you could consider a single DVD like Oz Pearlman's Born to Perform Card Magic, or one of the Ellusionist DVDs. They're decent if you want to take short cuts, but they are also quite limited in their scope.

My recommendation is that you check out Roberto Giobbi's video course, which is fairly inexpensive considering the amazing content. Giobbi is an excellent and highly respected teacher, well known from his excellent Card College books. He has real insight into how magic works, and few are better at teaching than he is. I'm currently working my way through this video course, and wish I had started my adventures into card magic with this many years ago!

Roberto Giobbi's Card College 1 & 2 Personal Instruction The Complete Course
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This video course was originally sold as a set of 4 DVDs of nearly 8 hours, but is now available as a digital download via his website. You can buy the 23 individual chapters/lessons for €4.95 each, or you can get excellent savings by purchasing all 23 lessons as a package for €49.95 - very good value given the amount and quality of the content.

The first lesson (Fundamental Techniques) is available in entirety for free as a sampler, and you'll already learn a lot of valuable tips about some basic techniques with cards from that. Plus it gives a good idea of what to expect from Giobbi's teaching, so it's worth downloading and checking out:

Lesson 1: Fundamental Techniques
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Subsequent lessons all teach techniques, as well as one or two tricks that use the card sleights that are taught. So besides the fundamentals of card magic, you also get to learn some solid material to perform with. I'm enjoying this video course immensely, and am super impressed with the quality. It's been enjoyable and helpful - even though I've been doing card magic as an amateur for a couple of decades. I only wish I'd come across it at the start of my journey into magic, so I figured I'd give it a plug, for others who are in that position, or who have dabbled with card magic and are looking to learn all the basics properly.

Highly recommended!

How does the instruction here compare to Simon Lovell's "Toolbox"?

[quote=I only wish I'd come across it at the start of my journey into magic, so I figured I'd give it a plug, for others who are in that position, or who have dabbled with card magic and are looking to learn all the basics properly.[/quote]

I downloaded the free lesson... at first glance, it looks very detailed and well done. It looks to be exactly what I need. Thanks for the link and information!!

rousselle wrote:How does the instruction here compare to Simon Lovell's "Toolbox"?

Unfortunately I don't have that and haven't seen that, so I can't answer this question - maybe someone else can.

But check out the free lesson - it will give you a good idea of what to expect. Giobbi's Card College books are one of the top recommended resources for learning card magic, and his material is about as good as you'll find anywhere.

It's also worth mentioning that in November, Giobbi will be releasing a follow up video course entitled "Card Magic Masterclass", which will be another 8 hours of footage (5 DVDs and/or digital downloads), covering all the techniques from Card College 3, 4 & 5.

Joeker wrote:I downloaded the free lesson... at first glance, it looks very detailed and well done. It looks to be exactly what I need. Thanks for the link and information!!

Exactly!

One nice thing about this video course that I should have mentioned earlier is that you can also buy individual lessons. Especially if you are stuck with learning a particular sleight, or want some professional tips in improving it, watching a video can be helpful. All of the lessons from Giobbi's course are available separately for €4.95, and given that they cover different topics, these separate lessons might be a good option for someone looking to get some professional tips in mastering more technically demanding sleights like the Top Change, Classic Force, or Palm, all which need to be performed smoothly and cleanly.

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The above link will take you to a page where these are available separately, but here's an overview of all the individual topics covered in the 23 lessons: 1. Fundamental Techniques; 2. Overhand Shuffle; 3. False Cuts; 4. Card Controls; 5. The Force 1; 6. Riffle Shuffle; 7. The Transfer Cut; 8. The Glide; 9. The Glimpse; 10. The Key Card; 11. The Double Lift; 12. Flourishes; 13. Auxiliary Sleights; 14. The Hindu Shuffle; 15. Overhand Shuffle 2; 16. The Force 2; 17. The Palm; 18. The Spread Cull; 19. False Counts & Displays; 20. The Top Change; 21. The Crimp; 22. The Reverse; 23. False Cuts 2.

I'm also looking forward to the follow-up "Card Magic Masterclass" video course which covers all the techniques from Card College 3, 4 & 5 and is planned for release this month. If it's as good as the Card College 1 & 2 video course, I'm sure it will be excellent!