Self-Working Table Magic: 97 Foolproof Tricks with Everyday Objects

Book Description

97 mystifying tricks done with ordinary objects that can be borrowed from the audience. Make coins appear or disappear; matchsticks jump into the air; classic cups and balls; pierce balloons without bursting them; plus tricks with dice, rubber bands, eggs, safety pins, pens and pencils, more. 185 illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Too simple.......2007-06-26

This book is amusing but not spectacular, I would go for the street magic, Mindfreak and blaine books for something more espectacular. Decent for beginers.

More Than Expected.......2007-03-26

I purchased this book thinking that it would be a good beginning magic book for a group of middle schoolers interested in learning magic tricks. It seems that even though the objects are everyday, the tricks are not. This is a great book if you are willing to do the practice to master the tricks, but if you are looking for a quick trick, then keep looking.

A decent beginners book.......2005-10-28

Karl Fulves has been putting out these kinds of books for what seems like an eternity. They are good books for kids and even a skilled performer can pull some good material from these books.
[...]

hahaha ....................................magic.......2005-09-15

i think that this is a great book and it rocks my socks

Any of the Self Working titles are gold mines.......2002-05-22

Many beginners to magic (and others who should know better) are of the opinion that a magic effect has to be difficult in order to be worthwhile. While there are many killer effects that take months or years of practice, there are equally wonderful tricks that rely on psychology, subtlety, and/or advance preparation. The Self Working series of books are a treasure trove of great magic. This book is no exception. Many of the included tricks are used by successful professional magicians. Admittedly, these are best used in a program with other, more elaborate tricks, but for those moments in your act where you need a short, sweet effect, something in this book might just fill the bill. And as you get more proficient in magic you will find ways to further embellish these tricks and make them your own private miracles.

The Expert at the Card Table: The Classic Treatise on Card Manipulation

Average customer rating:

A Cheater's Book
Excellent techniques and written very well
A Must Have for Magicians
Earn 10,000 a day!
Good book!!!

The Expert at the Card Table: The Classic Treatise on Card Manipulation
S. W. Erdnase
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Magic | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

Card Control: Practical Methods and Forty Original Card Experiments
The Royal Road to Card Magic
Expert Card Technique: Close-Up Table Magic
Modern Coin Magic
Phantoms of the Card Table: Confessions of a Card Sharp

ASIN: 0486285979

Book Description

Considered by many magicians and card sharps to be the one essential guidebook to attaining the highest level of card mastery. Includes author’s own systems of false shuffling, false riffling and cutting, dealing from the bottom, palming cards, "skinning the hand"—even three-card monte, plus 14 dazzling card tricks.

Customer Reviews:

A Cheater's Book.......2007-01-19

I bought this book as a gift for my brother, expecting him to learn a few showy tricks to impress me with. However, he told me later that basically the whole book was about cheating. He wasn't really interested by that, and the book is still sitting on a shelf at my house. I wish I'd been better informed about what kind of tricks were in the book.

Excellent techniques and written very well.......2006-08-22

I am fairly new to card magic / artifice / subterfuge and this book was great. I find his way of explaining hand positions superior to that of Hugard and Braue's material. I also enjoy the way he writes far more... The introduction alone is worth the price. The techniques are great because one doesn't have to rely on diversion, most of the sleights can be pulled off with the spectator's eyes directly on the pack.

A Must Have for Magicians.......2005-10-28

Some book are just required. As a professional magician this book is absolutely a must have in my collection. The material is sometimes difficult to understand, but if you are truly serious about it, then you will get through it and the rewards for your performance skills are practically endless.
[...]

Earn 10,000 a day!.......2005-09-17

The tips and strategies in this book were extremely helpful. Now whenever I play with my friends or illegal poker rooms, I always win! Just don't try any of these strategies at the Bellagio.

Good book!!!.......2005-09-08

The book helped me in understanding the basic moves and other subtleties in card manip... Knowing the purpose of each of the moves is worth it.

Expert Card Technique: Close-Up Table Magic

Average customer rating:

close to indispensible
Excellent book, however...
Second book to read
318 Illustrations, averaging 1 illustration per page
Essential Reading for the Cardician

Expert Card Technique: Close-Up Table Magic
Jean Hugard , and Frederick Braue
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Magic | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Royal Road to Card Magic
The Expert at the Card Table: The Classic Treatise on Card Manipulation
Modern Coin Magic
Card Control: Practical Methods and Forty Original Card Experiments
Card Manipulations

ASIN: 0486217558

Book Description

Scores of methods—previously known only to card experts—include passes, palming, false shuffles, false cuts, changes, crimps, jogs, reverses, rear palms and more. Altogether, 341 sleights and tricks. 318 illustrations show exact position of fingers and hands.

Customer Reviews:

close to indispensible.......2007-10-11

Won't appeal to the DVD generation of magicians.
It is densely written in the style of times gone by.
If you can get past this (i.e can read, and can interpret instructions that are written, instead of being spoonfed)you will have all the moves you could ever need.

Excellent book, however..........2007-05-06

This is a great book loaded with great material, however some of the material is false. For instance, the Faro Shuffle section is all entirely wrong. It is thought by some that this was done on purpose, and if so it is entirely unethical of the authors. Regardless, this book has a plethora of fantastic material, and I highly recommend it.

Second book to read.......2007-02-02

I consider this book the next step after reading the great Royal Road to Card Magic. I did not like some tricks, but, the really important part of the book is, as it is stated in the title, is the technique showed. Recommended.

318 Illustrations, averaging 1 illustration per page.......2004-12-04

I am not sure who this book is written by.

It's an encyclopedia, of card handling.

There is no connection from one chapter to the next and unless you are an english major, you will simply be very very frustrated trying to understand what to do and how.

This book is not for beginner but rather someone who has a very good grasp of handling cards and would like to know more than he already knows.

This book is like an english dictionary, you being a foreigner who knows half a dozen words. You'll find yourself trying to decrypt half the instructions. Do you have the time and patience for it? I sure didn't. You'll find this to be mysterious text that might become clear to you some day, unless you already know how to do half the material in it to begin with.

Essential Reading for the Cardician.......2002-06-01

This book is comprehensive in scope-it covers about all of the basic techniques the card worker needs to know. It goes far beyond this, however. All techniques taught are described in *excruciating* detail so as to leave nothing to the imagination. It also includes ongoing words of advice on and entire chapters devoted to the _real_ secrets of magic: misdirection and presentation. As if all this were not MORE than sufficient to recommend the book, it's written in a very witty, eloquent, and entertaining style that makes it a joy to simply read. But wait! There's more! Please find enclosed numerous card effects worthy of the most discriminating audiences at less than the cost of your favorite magic dealer's Trick O' the Day. With regard to my own experience I've read this book near to tatters and have annotated nearly every other page-I got my money's worth and so will you.

Jim Tolpin's Table Saw Magic, Second Edition

Average customer rating:

A good book in many ways.
Very thorough!
Ok but not very detailed
thank you
A great book for novices or beyond

Jim Tolpin's Table Saw Magic, Second Edition
Jim Tolpin
Manufacturer: Popular Woodworking Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

The Table Saw Book: Completely Revised and Updated
Jim Tolpin's Woodworking Wit & Wisdom: Thirty Years of Lessons from the Trade
Cutting Edge Table Saw Tips & Tricks: How to Get the Most Out of Your Saw (Cutting Edge)
Measure Twice, Cut Once
The Best Jigs and Fixtures for Your Woodshop: 30 Projects That Provide Clever Solutions to Common Problems (Woodworking)

ASIN: 1558706771

Book Description

The table saw is a magnificently simple machine capable of performing an incredible range of cutting tasks. In this completely revised and updated edition of his woodworking classic, Jim Tolpin shares his masterful techniques for using the table saw to achieve a variety of safe and accurate cuts, including ripping, crosscutting, miter cuts, grooves, dadoes, rabbets, curves, molding, joinery and more.

He provides ample instruction on how to use a variety of table saws, including invaluable information on accessories, maintenance and jigs and fixtures. Plus, Tolpin includes a quick-reference troubleshooting chart, so woodworkers can solve their table saw dilemmas at a glance.

Customer Reviews:

A good book in many ways........2007-09-26

Tolpin has put together a grand book on the table saw. A little bit of tricks, some jigs, when it's good and possible to use it and things to build for safety. Some things he wrote about I would not use. I believe that it's safe to use, but... I don't think I'll be cutting any circles with my saw, but if anyone asked me if you can, I'll say "Yes", you can do it safely. I'll keep this publication close to my saw for the future.

Very thorough!.......2007-06-15

Several good reviews on this book, all are correct IMO. This book is very thorough.... I thought I knew a LOT about TS's, but this book taught me even more. Some very useful jigs, safe work methods (very critical when cutting small strips), great set up instructions, and, great charts on type of blades to use. If you use a TS, there is something extra you will learn if you buy this book...

Ok but not very detailed.......2006-05-26

This book is a more a of brief review of table saw technique and jigs. The chapters are not very detailed and don't actually contain any directions for doing most of cuts or processes. The most frustrating thing is where he will say "just use this very handy jig" and then gives a very crude drawing of the jig with no explanation of how to build it or even a basic layout. A MUCH better book is Kelly Mehler's The Table Saw Book.

thank you .......2005-09-29

The book was very good a need to have in the shop

A great book for novices or beyond.......2004-02-17

Several other reviewers have commented on the value of the jigs, and I agree. I wish Tolpin would have presented an overview of his fence jig system early on, it would have been easier to grasp the concept BUT unlike one other reviewer I certainly did not have to go through the book several times to get it.

Besides the jigs, I appreciated the discussion of blades (design, choice, and care), ripping, and setup. Having read the section on setting up my saw, I went out to the shop, tuned things up and it has made a big difference in my work - everything fits together better!

Finally, the person who said that this book is of no use to the beginner with a beginner's saw: think again. My Bosch 4000 is pretty basic, but I was able to apply 98% of Tolpin's advice to my unit.

Book Description

EveryoneÂ's favorite time-travelers are changing their style! The Time Warp Trio series now features a brand-new, eye-catching design, sure to appeal to longtime fans, and those new to Jon ScieszkaÂ's wacky brand of humor.

Customer Reviews:

Great book.......2007-03-11

My students have been reading this book and giving it great reviews. It's a faster read than most of our Reading Olympics books, but they really seem to enjoy it.

Teacher's Grade: A-.......2006-07-14

I love reading this book aloud to my 2nd grade students. There is abundant humor, a lot of action, and excellent dialogue. The kids especially love the disgusting giant with flatulence issues, and the fire-breathing dragon.

This is an excellent springboard into reading for reluctant but capable boy readers.

You would think it was the authors fifth not first.............2006-03-24

You knew this was the authors first book, but you felt far into the story while reading....which made it good...I would like to read more books by this author.

The start of an empire.......2006-02-21

Finally Lane Smithh and Jim Szcieska have found their niche. These (now eleven?) stories are about to become a series on either Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network. And this is the book that started it all. Alas.

The good thing is that through the eyes of young boys the era of the Middle Ages is debunked from myth - it was smelly, dirty, unhealthy, and those suits of armor made from aluminium today weighed a lot more in those days.

But the story reads like it has a formula already: cliffhanger at the end of Chapter 1 (where do the boys wind up?), cliffhanger at the end of Chapter 2 (the boys are about to be attacked), cliffhanger at the end of Chapter 3 (the Book that got them there is in peril/unattainable/out of reach), happy resolution at the end of the book.

It's the young person's version of Robert Ludlum. Pity. I bought the first four books on the strength of other books by this dynamic duo, but I will not be buying the rest. I don't buy Robert Ludlum because I don't buy formula at any level.

Life is way more dynamic than that.

time warp series.......2005-10-27

the whole series is very good. should be in every library and school

Phantoms of the Card Table: Confessions of a Card Sharp

Average customer rating:

TJO
Now I will read Erdnase
Doc's Review on The Phantoms of the Card Table
Phantoms of the Card Table - a masterpiece
Best Book I've Ever Read on the Subject of Cards

Phantoms of the Card Table: Confessions of a Card Sharp
David Britland , and Gazzo
Manufacturer: Four Walls Eight Windows
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Popular Culture | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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General | Sports | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Expert at the Card Table: The Classic Treatise on Card Manipulation
The Magician and the Cardsharp: The Search for America's Greatest Sleight-of-Hand Artist
Card Control: Practical Methods and Forty Original Card Experiments
Expert Card Technique: Close-Up Table Magic
Card Manipulations

ASIN: 1568582994

Book Description

Walter Irving Scott may have been the greatest card shark ever. In 1930, Scott bamboozled a room full of New York's finest card manipulators by dealing himself winning poker hands from a shuffled deck, one of his many tricks. He liked to say that he "cheated the cheats." His skill with cards was extraordinary and he soon became known as "The Phantom of the Card Table." That's why Gazzo, a magician from England, decided to track Scott down some 60 years later. The two became friends and Scott openly discussed his work with a view to its finally being published. "I don't care what you say," said Scott, "as long as you tell the truth." This is the truth about Walter Irving Scott and other phantoms of the card table who spent years practicing a craft they rarely talk about — cheating at cards. A special chapter revealing master card tricks is also included.

Customer Reviews:

TJO.......2004-07-13

You mention the original 'phantom of the card table' but who is it by? is it 'phantom at the card table' by eddie mcguire or someone completely different. tough to find without the author's name.

Now I will read Erdnase.......2004-06-17

Enjoying the occasional game of poker myself, I was immediately interested in this book on card cheats and their techniques. This book begins with a discussion of some of the original sleight of hand artists that were considered experts in their days. There is also a large wealth of information on the book, life, and mystery of S. W. Erdnase, author of "The Expert at the Card Table." From there, the main character, Walter Scott is brought into the book as the greatest card manipulator there was. It was interesting reading about the abilities of this man, but what was equally interesting was leaning about the correspondence, jealously, and relationships that existed between magicians and manipulators.

The middle section of this book introduces the co-author Gazzo and his pursuit to find Walter Scott. Fortunately, for the book, he does and the real Walter Scott is finally revealed. Perhaps the best part of the book is reading how Scott viewed his friendship and rivalry with magicians, his abilities, and his career choice as a cheater and musician.

The book concludes with a reprint of many of the techniques that Scott employed such as the second and bottom deal, peek methods, and his guarded edge work. While I fiddled around with the techniques, I am still unable to perform any of them correctly.

This book is a great for anyone interested in cards, magic, or con men. After reading it you feel you want to know more about the techniques, and that is my reason for purchasing the Erdnase book often referred to as the best card manipulation book ever.

Doc's Review on The Phantoms of the Card Table.......2004-02-20

I would like to tell who ever might be interested in gambling to buy this here book. This book is really a 10 on a scale of 1 - 5. I know this to be true because I've been a student of Walter Scott for over 13 years now and I'm the real thing. Next to Gazzo, I'm the best at this technique in the country.

Steve Forte who's the best all around cheat in the country wrote in this book that he never seen anyone do Walter Scott's punch deal in play until he met me. Since this book was already in the process of being published when he actually saw me do this technique, he couldn't change his statement.

I'm the only known gambler today who actually uses Walter's technique in play. Don't get me wrong, other cheats do this move but they do not use Walter Scott's Punch or Technique.

So I said all that to say this, since I'm one of the top 10 cheats in the country and I'm living Walter Scott's life at the moment (as "The New Phantom of the Card Table)," you can take it from me, everything that he says about cheating and the life we live in this book is true.

I'm sorry to say that this book is so good and informative that I don't want you to buy it because of what I do for a living; but hey, it has to be told that this is an excellent and I mean excellent book. If you cheat, you want this book on your shelf as part of your gambling collection.

I'm going on record to date and saying that if anyone don't like this here book after reading it and don't think that this is true, you don't know what real gambling is and you don't know what you're talking about.

D.O.C.

Dealer of Cards

The New "Phantom of the Card Table" Has Spoken

Phantoms of the Card Table - a masterpiece.......2003-11-18

This is not really a book for absolute beginners, and it's important that you have read "Phantom of the Card Table" (no "s" after Phantom) if you want to understand it.

This book is amazing. It's not entirely a historical book, and not entirely a technique book, it's a bit of each. I won't write what it's about, you can read that above somewhere. You will read things about some of the greatest card magicians that you did not know. If you have an involved knowledge of card sleights, you will be tipped off on some of the most subtle yet powerful work ever used. If you own the original "Phantom of the Card Table", you will learn about the information that Scott HELD BACK from McGuire, tiny details that were hugely important to his system, stuff that would freak most magicians and laypeople out, because it's been largely forgotten.

Scott was an interesting man, he lived quite a life! And Gazzo is my new hero, and not simply for his magic, but because of his experiences and what he went through to meet Walter Scott and write this book. I learned things about him that i just didn't know. The last section of this book was heart wrenching, i cried as i read it. Gazzo rules and deserves a very high place in magic history/present/future. Thanks to Britland and Gazzo, this book reads like a brilliant piece of fiction, but the fact is that it actually happened, and this makes it all the more amazing. It would make one helluva film.

Every card magician who cares about the history of the art should own this book and re-read it at least once a year. It's that important.

Best Book I've Ever Read on the Subject of Cards.......2003-06-22

David Britland and Gazzo have done a teriffic job of putting together a really original book on card cheats and tricks. It makes me completely hesitant to ever play cards with strangers again! The fact that these people dedicate their lives to perfecting the arts of cheating and card sharping, and the extent of their skills, is completely foreign to most players. The detail in the book highlights the best cheaters and cardsharps of all time, including "The Phantom of the Card Table", Walter Irving Scott. A must-have for any card player, gambler or aspiring magician.

Time Warp Trio Gift Set, Books 1-4 (Knights of the Kitchen Table; The Not-So-Jolly Rodger; The Good, the Bad, and the Goofy; Your Mother Was a Neanderthal)

Average customer rating:

Knights are Meant to be Respected
Poor langauge and inappropriate humor
A little too much like magic tree house
Let's Do the Time Warp Again
Great for boys!

Time Warp Trio Gift Set, Books 1-4 (Knights of the Kitchen Table; The Not-So-Jolly Rodger; The Good, the Bad, and the Goofy; Your Mother Was a Neanderthal)
Jon Sczieska
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Humorous | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Viking It and Liking It (Time Warp Trio)
Tut, Tut (Time Warp Trio)
Sam Samurai (Time Warp Trio) r/i (Time Warp Trio)
Me Oh Maya (Time Warp Trio)
It's All Greek to Me (Time Warp Trio) r/i (Time Warp Trio)

ASIN: 0142300586

Book Description

The first four books of the wildly popular Time Warp Trio series are now in one value-priced boxed set! Whether the gang's fighting off the Black Knight in the middle of Camelot, practicing magic tricks on Blackbeard and his pirates, stampeding cattle in the Old West, or running from a woolly mammoth, one thing is for sure: no one's ever bored when the Time Warp Trio's around!

Customer Reviews:

Knights are Meant to be Respected.......2006-12-19

I didn't like Time Warp Trio because when it began it was mostly about the knight. As you read on, it tells about the giant and the dragon. It made the knight look not very smart and like he had no power. The kids basically looked like they had all the power, even without armor. If I were the author, I would have had more action with the knight and the kids and the knight would have been the greatest fighter or he would have been up there with the greatest heroes. -LL

Poor langauge and inappropriate humor.......2005-12-31

I was very shocked when I read this book to find that so many people deem these appropriate for children. They do have some information for the kids to learn from (the reason I chose them originally) but the way the children talk and act is terrible! I had only thumbed through one and chose it from the library from my son, then I let him read the rest of the series and suddenly had him calling names and being disrespectful and LAUGHING about it!

I was really disappointed. I think things can be funny without name calling and using poor language. I am just glad I haven't ever purchased any.

A little too much like magic tree house.......2005-09-01

These books are really nice, but my daughter has already read a bunch of the magic tree house books and these are just too much like them.. she thinks these are funnier but the idea has no sparkle for her any more.. but I would recommend these books if you haven't started reading the tree house series..

Let's Do the Time Warp Again.......2004-09-23

I was going through some old books the other day when I happened upon my "Time Warp Trio" collection. What began as thumbing through "Knights of the Kitchen Table" ended with my reading all four of the stories right then and there. They were terriffic when I was little and they are terriffic now.

Great for boys!.......2004-03-26

It's hard to find books for boys that really turn them on to reading but these did the trick. My son insisted that I read them too so we could talk about the plots. Entertaining and well written, perfect for a second or third grader.

The 10-Minute Table Decorator (Home Magic)

Average customer rating:

Crafty
THE BEST TABLE DECORATING BOOK

The 10-Minute Table Decorator (Home Magic)

Manufacturer: Betterway Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Tablesetting | Special Occasions | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Decorating | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Tabletops: Easy, Practical, Beautiful Ways to Decorate the Table
Table Inspirations: Original Ideas For Stylish Entertaining
Suddenly a Centerpiece: Assemble These Clever Table Designs in No Time at All
Table Settings: Stylish Entertaining Made Simple
The Simple Art of Napkin Folding: 94 Fancy Folds for Every Tabletop Occasion

ASIN: 1558705252

Customer Reviews:

Crafty.......2006-12-30

This book was pretty good. Although I was looking for ideas on tablescapes with items I already have. There ideas were very crafty if you like that kind of thing.

THE BEST TABLE DECORATING BOOK.......2006-09-21

THIS IS THE BEST BOOK GOT IT AS THE BIRTHDAY PRESENT AND I LOVE IT THIS BOOK NOT ONLY TELL YOU ABOUT JUST THE TABLE SETTING BUT ALSO SHOWS THE WAYS TO MAKE THE NAPKIN RINGS AND FLOWERS ETC & IT IS THE EASY PROJECT ANY BIGGINNER CAN WORK ON IT TOO

Average customer rating:

Nice For an Introduction
All in
Shuffle up!

Chip Tricks: Look Like A Poker Pro
Ross Watson , and Jen Teti
Manufacturer: Lyle Stuart
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Magic | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Phil Hellmuth Presents Read 'Em and Reap: A Career FBI Agent's Guide to Decoding Poker Tells
Harrington on Hold 'em: Expert Strategies for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. III--The Workbook (Harrington on Hold'em)
No Limit Hold 'em: Theory and Practice
Why You Lose at Poker
The Mathematics of Poker

ASIN: 0818407166

Book Description

Chip tricks, such as the well-known chip shuffle, have been around for almost as long as chip games. However, over the past couple of years, a new level of interest in chip tricks has arisen because of the popularity of poker and because viewers see poker pros doing these tricks at poker events on television. Part of this interest comes from the focus on players' hands during these televised poker games. Part of it is because the players look so cool performing these tricks. The result is the emergence of chip trick superstars like Dutch Boyd and segments dedicated exclusively to chip tricks on ESPN during the World Series of Poker.

Some of the well-known players make chip tricks look so easy! At the 2004 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Tournament of Champions, viewers saw Annie Duke effortlessly and endlessly shuffling her chips on the way to the title. And, during the 2003 WSOP, Antonio Esfandiari and Evelyn Ng made jaws drop with their finger feats. Watching these players is what inspired Jen Teti and Ross Watson to learn chip tricks.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy: there were very few places to turn to for good, complete information on how to perform chip tricks and absolutely no books that covered this material. That's why, after the authors mastered the tricks, they decided to write a book with detailed instructions and step-by-step pictures. This is that book.

CHIP TRICKS: Look Like a Poker Pro provides readers with detailed instructions and photographs illustrating each and every step for approximately 31 chip tricks. The book is written in a witty, easy-to-read style and is jam-packed with over 200 photographs (see samples below). The book also covers related topics, such as where to practice the trick and how to ensure that one's newly-learned chip tricks don't become "tells" at the poker table.

CHIP TRICKS breaks down all the top tricks, from basics like the front to back, switches and chip snaps, to more advanced tricks like the back spin, salt shaker and the pull under, from "magic" tricks like the twirl, the knuckle roll and the butterfly, to killer combinations. And, the most amazing thing is that after practicing for a while (it's really quite addictive), readers will realize that most of the tricks aren't even that complicated. By following this book's clearly written instructions and step-by-step photos, readers will never wonder where their fingers need to go. It's really that simple.

Customer Reviews:

Nice For an Introduction.......2007-05-12

This book is great. I couldn't do any of the tricks described before i got this book in my mail (except the "chatter stack" lol). Now, I'm a thumb flippin fool! Also, i almost have the butterfly down packed. Now it's time to start using the other hand. That's where the REAL challenge begins. The pictures are easy enough to follow and has great instructions. Overall, an excellent book for the beginners, not so much for those who already know most of the basics.

All in.......2006-09-15

I was shocked to see Aiken only give this book a 4 star review. Anyone who has tried to study up on chip tricks knows that this is the only one out there worth reading. Watson and Teti's instructions are genius. Their step by step instruction, coupled with the precise photography will have you doing the Butterfly in no time- regardless of your finger flexibility.

Shuffle up!.......2006-08-08

I bought this book for one reason--to learn how to shuffle chips and, I'm happy to report, I actually know how to do it now. Not perfectly, not every time (not yet at least), but I'm very happy with my progress. Now I'm trying to decide what other tricks to learn. There are so many. And, for a "how to" book, it's not a bad read either. Kind of funny.

Jonny Magic and the Card Shark Kids: How a Gang of Geeks Beat the Odds and Stormed Las Vegas

Average customer rating:

Great book
Brains, games, making money and overcoming the odds.
I loved this freaks and geeks story!
A magic story
Not That Interesting

Jonny Magic and the Card Shark Kids: How a Gang of Geeks Beat the Odds and Stormed Las Vegas
David Kushner
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Busting Vegas: The MIT Whiz Kid Who Brought the Casinos to Their Knees
Annie Duke: How I Raised, Folded, Bluffed, Flirted, Cursed, and Won Millions at the World Series of Poker
Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King, The : Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time
The Smart Money: How the World's Best Sports Bettors Beat the Bookies Out of Millions
American Roulette: How I Turned the Odds Upside Down---My Wild Twenty-Five-Year Ride Ripping Off the World's Casinos

ASIN: 1400064074
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Book Description

If you think a gang of real-life geeks can’t take on the world and win big . . . think again. And whatever you do, don’t sit down across a gaming table from Jon Finkel, better known as Jonny Magic. Jonny Magic and the Card Shark Kids is his amazing true story: the jaw-dropping, zero-to-hero chronicle of a fat, friendless boy from New Jersey who found his edge in a game of cards–and turned it into a fortune.

The ultimate bully-magnet, Finkel grew up heckled and hazed until destiny came in the form of a trading-card game called Magic: The Gathering. Magic exploded from nerdy obsession to mainstream mania and made the teenage Finkel an ultracool world champion.

Once transformed, this young shark stormed poker rooms from the underground clubs of New York City to the high-stakes tables online, until he landed on the largest card-counting blackjack team in the country. Taking Vegas for millions, Finkel’s squad of brainy gamers became the biggest players in town. Then they took on the town’s biggest game, the World Series of Poker, and walked away with more than $3.5 million.

Thrilling, edgy, and ferociously feel-good, the odyssey of these underdogs-turned-overlords is the stuff of pop-culture legend. And David Kushner, acclaimed author of Masters of Doom, masterfully deals out the outrageous details while bringing to life a cast of characters rife with aces, kings, knaves . . . and more than a few jokers. If you secretly believe every player has his day, you’re right. Here’s the proof.

Customer Reviews:

Great book.......2006-06-01

I didn't know anything about the game of Magic, but basically read this book for the Blackjack card counting story and the poker story. Very easy to read and interesting. I read it in 2 sittings and wanted to read more. Interesting to find out about other poker players that were into the game magic, thunder keller and david williams. Great book, highly recommended by this card shark...

Brains, games, making money and overcoming the odds........2006-03-24

Jon Finkel was an overweight, middle school nerd who was bullied, laughed at, and ostracized until he found his calling in a fantasy game called Magic. Magic combines the otherworldliness of Dungeons and Dragons with complex elements of card play and has become a cult game with tournaments of its own. In Jonny Magic and the Card Shark Kids, David Kushner follows the transformation of Finkel from teenage geek in the throes of Magic mania into a thin, sophisticated and extremely wealthy professional gambler who joins the highly successful blackjack counting team known as The Lawyers. The true-life story traces Finkel's evolution from bully magnet to World Champion Magic master, to card counter and shuffle tracker, to sports bettor, and onto the World Series of Poker. Throughout his adventures, Finkel is accompanied by the so-called "Card Shark Kids," a strange mix of misfits and brainiacs who find a sense of belonging through the addictive escape of Magic and carry that into the gambling world.

Kushner does an impressive job of providing condensed explanations of such wide-ranging gaming concepts as the underlying premise of Magic, the mathematical foundation of card counting, and sports betting theory, while keeping the reader engaged in Finkel's ongoing tribulations and triumphs. Interwoven within the biography is also an intriguing account of Dr. Richard Garfield, the inventor of Magic, who would be a worthy subject for his own story.

Ironically, the story's pinnacle comes via the success not of Finkel but of David Williams, another Card Shark Kid and Magic enthusiast, who claimed the 3.5 million dollar second prize of the 2004 World Series of Poker. Although Finkel is having success at poker tournaments, he doesn't yet have the crowning achievement to capture a literary climax to his own journey, so Kushner sneakily manipulated Williams' victory as if it was connected to Finkel.

What is particularly revealing about Jonny Magic from a game player's point of view, is that it provides an unexpected answer to the question, "Where are all the young guns of poker gaining the championship qualities to end up as final table tournaments players?" Apparently, a surprising number have been Magic players from a young age -- honing the essential qualities of discipline and emotional control long before tackling the intricacies of poker. And if Magic is far harder to master than poker, as Finkel suggests, Magic players would have a distinct edge.

Yet, while Finkel's tale has the makings of a fascinating read, Kushner's book isn't as emotionally gripping as one might expect from a biography about a man's metamorphosis. Even when Kushner describes a young Finkel as afraid to go to school because of such humiliating experiences as being urinated upon, the reader might wish he had a deeper and less cliched reason to root for the game-playing underdog, who we really don't get to know at any more than a surface level.

Certainly, if the inside life of a professional gambler intrigues you, Jonny Magic will satisfy some of your voyeuristic curiosity -- but be forewarned that at least half of the book is focused on Finkel's life playing Magic, and not on how he later accumulated his ample wealth as a professional gambler. If you're a Magic player, this might light your fire, but if you're not, you might be tempted to skip ahead to the casino action. Whatever else the book accomplishes, it does confirm one thing most professional gamblers already know: that brains are always a frontrunner over beauty when it comes to making money and overcoming the odds.

I loved this freaks and geeks story!.......2006-03-03

I'm not really one for books about Poker and games, but i read the last book by this author, Masters of Doom, and I saw a review of Jonny Magic in the New York Times book review that seemed interesting so I picked it up. I really loved it! Great characters--Finkel is a classic, and the story reads like the most gripping fiction. David Kushner's writing style is humorous and riveting.I think this should be a movie or television show.

A magic story.......2006-03-03

I loved this book! I picked it up on a whim at the airport, and couldn't put it down for the entire flight. Now I'm telling all my friends to get it. Not only does it have tips about playing cards, but it's just a flatout pageturning thriller. You keep wondering where this guy's life is going to lead him next. Very suspenseful and funny too. Highly recommended.

Not That Interesting.......2006-02-23

Jon Finkel was obviously a very bright boy who grew up heckled and hazed until taking up a trading-card game called Magic: The Gathering. He initially flunked out of Rutgers, then re-entered and did much better. After his success transformed Jon into a cool world champion he moved into poker rooms, than a card-counting blackjack team, and finally to the World Series of Poker. In the process, he cast off his nerdy looks by investing in contacts and nice clothes, and losing about 65 pounds (from 250 to 185). When we leave Jon at the end of the book he is en route to a $2-3 million winning year.

Little/no drama, and not that interesting.

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