There is a fine line between the "Magician" and the "Mechanic," that I believe has gotten blurred over the years epecially to the layman. Is this a good thing? Well, kind of! How many times has a magician heard the phrase, "I sure wouldn't wanna play cards with you!" When they get that reaction, they have done their job and entertained a spectator. But when the mechanic hears those words, it usually means he's about to get kicked out or uninvited to a game that is earning him a living. Mechanics love magicians, because they do things with cards that make people gasp. Things that seem impossible.
As a card mechanic. we perform similar miracles but the only appreciation we get is the money we make for ourselves or a partner. The downside to that is the fact that, everyone has an ego. Even the greatest Sharp's need someone to share stories or the occassional pat on the back for pulling off a great move right? Even S.W.Erdnase had to fight his desire to show off with a deck of cards in his hands. It is something we struggle with our entire professional career.
I have been manipulating cards for profit since I was a teenager. My skills with a deck of cards took me from the cornfeilds of Illinois all the way to Los Angeles and the biggest private card games in Hollywood history.
There are lots of magicians who can do briliant things with a deck of cards. Perform miracles! But that doesn't mean they have the stones to cold deck a mobbed up Armenian for a six figure pot and get invited back the next week because you convinced them you just got lucky on the river! At the same time, there are some great mechanics who can perform under fire with money on the line and guns gaurding the door who would simply fall apart in front of a bunch of spectators who paid to be wow'ed by their skills.
At this point in my life I am what you would call, "semi-retired" as a mechanic. I guess you could aslo say I am starting a new chapter in my life as a "semi-professional" magician. So, in honor of this mid life crisis, I have created a double tutorial for the initiated.
A beautiful magical four Aces production where the spectator gets to shuffle the cards, cut the cards into 4 pilles to reveal a selection. Have that selcetion turned over, and then the spectator instantly turns the cards face up to reveal they have miraculously changed into 4 aces.
In addition the tutorial will feature one of my all time favorite card hustles. The 4 aces effect actually spawned from the card hustle. There are many magical effects that have come from the card table over the years. This tutorial is one of the best examples I can think of to show the difference bettween card magic and card mechanics used for hustling When you really think about it. spectators pay money to see a magician deceive them. Gamblers pay money to card hustlers without knowing they have been deceived. Ponder that while enjoying the trailer below.
Here is the trailer for HOLY CRAP ACES and a PRO CARD HUSTLE Tutorial!
First of all, this is KardSharp.com's very first download tutorial. We also have some cool free tutroials and will be adding more all the time from our youtube channel. Thanks for giving this a read. I would love to hear your comments on the subject of the Magician vs The Card Mechanic. Who would you rather be sitting at a table with? and why?