Hey guys,

Sorry I haven’t been posting as much as I would like to, I have been really busy plus, I never really felt I have had anything important to say until now and even then, it is still not that important.

As requested by a reader, I thought I would post more about me and my opinions so here I go…

As some of you may have noticed, the new smoke and mirrors deck is now released through Dan and Dave and theory11. I personally like them, the two D’s I could have done without but I can deal with them. I was absolutely in love with the ace when I saw it as well as the court cards.

Another thing I have been working on is my  photography. I have opened up a deviant account which you can visit at http://allanluu.deviantart.com. I only have one photo so far and I have had pretty good responses on, some constructive criticism, which I always enjoy reading.

Well, I don’t got much more to say other then you will be seeing alot more posts from me from now on.

TTYL :P,

Allan Luu

Hey all, hope everyone is having a fantastic summer!!

Lets do a few news updates to start off,

-Dan and Dave’s HIGHLY anticipated Smoke and Mirror’s cards will be released on August 1st at Theory11 and Dan and Dave’s Personal website.I havent really been keeping up with the hype for these cards but im sure if you search on Theory11’s forums you can find pictures of the box and a few of the cards.

View the official Theory11 news post here

-Ellusionist has a new Daniel Garcia Product coming out soon, im not 100% sure what it is. One may be a coin bend of some sort but im not positive. Read a small ammount of details at the official Ellusionist Post HERE

-If anyone happened to see Criss Angel’s live Mindfreak episode, I want to hear your thoughts on it. Email me at cardexblog@gmail.com

Well thats it for news updates this week, I will now leave everyone with my video pick of the week;

I first saw this video posted on Theory11, it is a bit long (19-20 minutes) but definitely worth watching all the way through

Keith Barry: Brain Magic

Whats up everyone?? Today feels like a good day for an update on some magic happenings.

-First off Dan and Dave have released the much talked about “Clipshift” by Chad Nelson on their website. This is a very cool utility move that can be used in quite a few different ways.

View Surfaced by Chad Nelson Here

-Also in Dan and Dave news, they have released there new website with a fantastic store,i’ll leave it up to everyone to find all the cool things they sell now. The one thing i noticed that was very different and cool was in the playing card section when you view a certain deck of cards you can read a little section on what makes the cards different from others.Definitely cool!

-Next up is some theory11 news. First a new theory11 artist was announced and its none other than Andrei Jikh, this was probably the worst kept theory11 secret to date. However be sure to check out Andrei’s artist profile.

-Battle System Launched!?!? Also new at theory11.com is the Battle System, this is by far my favorite thing theory11 has done to date. If you want to check out the details of the Battle System click HERE 

-Carrying on with the recent releases Daniel Madison has released “Burn”- a series of voodoo effects, I cant personally say much about this product due to the fact I do not own it. However it looks fairly good.

View Burn Here

-Ellusionist has not been making much news as of late, could this be the calm before a new product release?

**BUYER BEWARE**

For those of you that have watched almost any of Daniel Madison’s trailers/previews you will have heard “The Sandman’s” music. Those of you that liked the music may have purchased his CD back in march when there was a limited release. Now how many of you received your CD’s?So far the answer I have gotten is no one received their CD, heres where YOU our blog readers come in. If you purchased The Sandman’s CD please email me (Mike) at mikegoyke@gmail.com or at cardexblog@gmail.com

Before we end this post we are going to leave you with our picks for the “Cardex 2 Video Pick’s of the Week”

Magic wise I picked a video that caught my eye earlier this week

And Allan picked this great video

-Mike and Allan

Here is an excerpt from my Review of Joshua Jay’s Talk About Tricks Three DVD SET

“Review: Disc 1 
The routines in here are none the less amazing. My favorite in this dvd is the oil and water he has, it is very fair, quick and flashy, a three phase routine that goes by like nothing. The moves in here are great, my favorites are the miumph, a very simple and fair triumph routine and the false faro which is just so damn clever. 

Review: Disc 2 

This DVD is off the hook for those that love mentalism he has an open prediction effect where you are staright up-front with your prediction and even thought the spectators know your prediction they still stop on your predicted card, NO FORCE. In the moves section they ahve a routine called breeze coins, which is a four coin routine that can be performed on any surface, it is like the coin matrix but instead of the coins traveling, they vanish, and in the end the coins have a flashback ending. 

Review: Disc 3 

By far, my favorite DVD out of the series. The kings face ace routine is amazing that has to do with transposing kings with aces then a sandwhich effect in the mix of all of it, and a here then there which is really cool (not the two card transpo). 

This DVD series has my own stamp of aproval and I would recomend it to anyone that has a basic knowledge of slieght of hand.

Here is a link to the products from Joshua Jays site and penguin:

http://www.joshuajay.com/merchandise.htmlhttp://www.penguinmagic.com/product.php?ID=1664

I highly recomend this dvd set, it has everything a magicians would want, card magic, coin magic, magic with regular objects and also and incredible balancing box routine which I adore.”

To see my full review which includes a complete trick list click HERE

Hey everyone we figured for our first review we would do both discs(or downloads) of Daniel Madison’s Dangerous project sold at Theory 11 you can see this product HERE

This will probably be a long read so prepare yourselves,

Trick One:: Bad Influence 

Official Description-
“In a test of intuition, three spectators are asked to each remove a specific playing card from the shuffled deck - but here’s the catch: they cannot look at the faces of the cards. For example, spectator one may be asked to remove the card that they feel is the 5 of Diamonds, spectator two may be asked to remove the card they feel is the 3 of Hearts, and finally spectator three may be asked to remove the card they feel to be the Queen of Clubs - all without looking at the true identity of their selections. The three cards are then shown to be the exact named cards. This is d+M’s take on the classic plot. ”

This is a very cool trick, it would make a great opener. The method is very clever. 7/10

Trick Two:: Aces

Official Effect Description
“The performer takes the deck and a flourish is performed revealing an Ace which is handed to the spectator to hold. A 2nd Ace is revealed in the performers pocket and handed to the spectator. The deck then vanishes leaving behind a 3rd Ace, which is again handed to the spectator. The fourth Ace is then revealed to have been held by the spectator from the very beginning. “

This is a cool ace production, it may not be as flashy as a Dan and Dave ace production. However it is good for those who don’t want to do some knuckle busting sleights. **SIDE NOTES** First off this ace production was in a set of Daniel’s notes with a slightly more “vulgar” name, also there is a great little piece of humor from Daniel Madison when asked about Criss Angel.   8/10 

Trick Three::Angle.Zero

Official Effect Description

”The spectator selects a card from the deck. A corner is then torn from the chosen card and the torn card is handed to the spectator to hold. The corner is then cleanly vanished from the performers hand and revealed ANYWHERE the performer desires. This can be performed with any deck. The set-up takes seconds, and there are no duplicates. The corner is the exact corner from the torn card.”

Ah yes the much anticipated Angle Zero, this trick was also published in a set of Daniel’s previous notes. As cool as the version in his notes was he added a killer little subtlety to this effect. Its great it really is.  8/10

Trick Four:: Catch

Official Effect Description

“A selected card is lost in the deck. As the deck is shuffled a packet is thrown through the air, two aces separate from the deck landing in the performers open hand with the selected card sandwiched between them.”

Well this is a really good idea for a sandwich effect, however it is a knacky move(at least for me anyways). If you have a sandwich routine you want to add to this would be a great addition. It can also be used as a stand alone effect.  7.5/10

Trick Five::  Color

Official Effect Description
“An instant, visual color-change.”

Personally i wasn’t a fan of this color change, its kinda knacky and in my opinion its a complete give away of how it works.  5/10

Trick Six:: Half Vanish

Official Effect Description

“A pair of aces are placed face down on a table, a selected card is held on top and overlapping the deck face up. The performer slowly waves his hand over the card which slowly vanishes, one half at a time. The vanished card is then found between the Aces on the table.”

I rather liked this trick, when the card re-appeared between the aces on the table it fried me completely. this could also be used in a sandwich effect. 8.5/10

Trick Seven:: Heritage 

Official Effect Description
“The performer introduces four playing cards from a different deck but doesn’t show their values. The spectator is handed the deck and asked to shuffle. Once the deck has been shuffled the spectator is asked to count out cards face up one at a time and stop at any point. The card stopped at is added to the four different cards which are then revealed to be an Ace, 2, 4 and 5 of clubs. The spectator’s freely chosen card is then revealed to be the 3 of Clubs - completing the perfect Straight Flush.”

I instantly fell in love with this trick in Daniel Madison’s Lecture notes ONE. The best part about this trick other than how big of an impact it will make on your spectators is the little patter line Daniel Gives for the trick. He also notes how this trick was inspired by Derren Brown who is one of my favorite mentalists ever. 9/10

Trick Eight:: Lapse

Official Effect Description

“The performer calls on two volunteers & asks that they each take a card. The selected cards are freely shown & signed by each spectator. The performer then takes the first card [for explanation purposes we shall use the Ace of Clubs as the first card] & places it in his back pocket stating that he will come back to it later. He then takes the second card [for explanation purposes we shall use the 2 of Hearts as the second card] & mixes it into the deck.

The performer then riffles down the side of the deck asking spectator 2 to call stop ‘hopefully we should be able to stop at your card.’ The stopped at card is revealed to be the first card – Ace of Clubs; slightly confused, the performer removes the Ace of clubs from the deck & places it on the table ‘If the Ace is here, then the card in my pocket must be…’ The performer then reaches into his pocket & takes out the card, which is revealed to be… The Ace of Clubs. The tabled card, as thought to be the Ace, is then turned over and revealed to be the 2 of Hearts.”

Lapse will cause you to do a couple double takes, just when you think you know what’s happening you get thrown in another direction. Its a very cool effect and definitely worth checking out. 7.5/10

Trick Nine:: Focus

Official Effect Description
“The bottom card of the deck is shown, the performer shakes the deck causing the bottom card to change/visually vanish. The vanished card is then found in the performers pocket.”

I liked this effect it can be used as a color change alone or as a vanish/re-appearance. Not much else to say about it.  6/10

Trick Ten:: Role Play

Official Effect Description
“The spectator is invited to freely select a card from the deck, the card is then shuffled into the deck. The spectator is then handed the deck and told that they will switch places with the performer; they will become the magician and the magician will become the spectator. The spectator is then asked to shuffle the deck before spreading the cards for the performer to select a card. The card selected is then revealed to be the same card as the spectators original selection.”

This effect is probably my least favorite on the dvd, i just personally feel it was lacking something but i cant put my finger on what quite yet. 4/10

Trick Eleven:: Breach

Official Effect Description
“A selected card is held on the bottom of the deck, the deck is then held under a glass table. The performer then holds his hand over the table and pulls the card through the glass. The card is left on the table and the deck is held under the glass. The performer then pushes the card back through the glass where it lands back on the deck.”

Yes! finally the un-gimmicked version of breach, I must say for not using a gimmick this trick is great. However the effect description is sort of misleading, it doesn’t look like you pull or push the card through the glass . Enough Said. 8/10

Mystique Notes and thoughts

-Well when i first saw the contents list for mystique i thought oh great all they have done is completely take everything out of his notes and just put it in dvd format. I was totally wrong, hearing Daniel’s thoughts and little side notes for each effect was great plus seeing him perform was a bonus as well.

-The teaching for mystique was fantastic, he goes over everything exceptionally clearly. You can really tell Theory11 put a TON of time and effort into the dangerous project.

Overall I would score this DVD/Download a 9/10

Happy Friday Everyone,

We have a few news updates today.

-First off Dangerous by Daniel Madison is going to be released tonight at 11 PM EST on theory11.com

along with the release there is going to be a contest where 11 random members who purchase dangerous within the first hour of release will receive a signed copy of Lethal by Daniel Madison and a signed golden nugget playing card. Read more about the release and contest HERE

-Also being released tonight to coincide with Dangerous is a 1 on 1 by Daniel Madison called “Crunk” 

Heres the official news

—————————————————————————-

As is tradition, the 1-on-1 section at theory11 will be updated tonight at 11:00pm EST with a new video. In celebration of the Dangerous release - this one also comes from the mind of Daniel Madison - Crunk.

Crunk is a fast, deceptive, sandwich effect. A card is freely selected, remembered, and lost in the deck. You then produce 2 aces with a flourish. You hold the edges of the aces and pull them out - instantly they have trapped one card… the selection.

—————————————————————————

Thats about it for Fridays updates, have a great weekend everyone and enjoy dangerous.  

-Mike And Allan

You may have noticed a lack of content in the past few weeks, but today feels like a good day to post a new entry.

- Daniel Madison’s Dangerous will be released this FRIDAY at theory11.com 
First Dangerous Teaser

Second Dangerous Teaser 

Newsletter with Dangerous information

-Dan and Dave have released Smooth Operation by Kev H on their website 
View it HERE

Also in Dan and Dave news, a week or so ago a second Dan and Dave site popped up…I cant remember the URL for sure but i believe it was db2productions.com if you were lucky enough to see it you know what is in store for Dan and Dave this year, believe me its awesome.

-Beware of fake Jerry’s Nuggets, check out THIS thread on decknique to find out how to protect yourself from being scammed

- Lastly we are currently working hard on starting up a video section on out blog, if anyone has any ideas for it or any ideas for the site in general be sure to email us at cardexblog@gmail.com

- Mike & Allan
 

Happy Contest Deadline Day everyone!

So Allan and i unfortunately could not make a video to announce our contest winner due to scheduling conflicts.We also decided in the interest of privacy to just email the winner. But anyways we have picked the winner and have emailed them with the subject line “Cardex2 Contest Winner” inside the email you will find information on how to claim your prize. So go check your emails everyone.

Thank you everyone for entering and for the support, we will most likely have more contests in the future so keep checking back!

-Allan and Mike

Hey all,

-The deadline for out contest is tonight at MIDNIGHT (thats about 6 hours from now). Be sure to get your last minute entries in by then.

-The Winner will be announced sometime tomorrow morning (keep in mind we’re in Canada so our timezones are weird).

-The Final List of the Six Decks we are giving away is 1 Black Dr Leon Deck,1 League Back Deck, 1David Blaine Split Spade Lion deck(choice of black,blue or red),1 Theory11 Bicycle Guardian Deck, 1 2nd Edition Black Ghost Deck, 1 Wynn Deck (choice of Red, Blue, Or Brown)  as you can see we changed up the list a little bit to give some more variety.

Good Luck Everyone

-Allan and Mike

P.S- Be sure to subscribe to our blog to get our newest posts directly to your email inbox, you can do so by clicking the link at the top right of our page.

Hello All,

-First off Theory11 posted a new teaser for Believe by Joel Paschall, you can view this by clicking HERE

-There is Only 5 DAYS left to enter in our grand opening contest, We look forward to picking a winner. Best of luck to everyone who has entered.

And Now For  a Quick Update From Allan
-Hey guys, How have you been? Sorry you guys haven’t heard from me lately, I have been doing alot of things. First off, I entered myself in this years close up competition which was last Sunday and was lucky enough to take home first place  and I am very proud of this achievement. The second thing I want to make note of is the new split spades lion deck from David Blaine and I have to say, these cards are amazing. I actually have a deck in my hand while typing this up and they look and feel phenomenal. I have tried every deck out there at some time, and this deck completely blows every Ellusionist or Theory11 deck out of the water.

Anyways, I will try and post more on our blog and try and keep you guys updated.
Yours Truly,
Allan Luu