Daniel Madison’s Mechanic DVD (Ellusionist)

[CrazyInMagic]

This is going to be a very lengthy review of Daniel Madison’s Mechanic from Ellusionist. I will start by telling you what you will find on the two discs and then I will review this set as a whole.

“Mechanic is a unique treatise on card-table deception with invaluable advice and theory acquired from the cold school of experience, detailed meticulously in three hours, over two volumes.”

DISC 1

Introduction
Daniel explains why this DVD is called Mechanic and not The Mechanic. He doesn’t like to give himself a title and he doesn’t see himself as a card mechanic (“somebody who cheats at cards, makes their money from card cheating and nothing else. That is not what I do (anymore)”), so it is not about him being a mechanic but about him teaching “mechanics of deception”. I believe he should have called it Mechanics in plural then but okay. Daniel also tells how he got into card cheating and what happened from there, including the story of him being beat up because he was caught cheating back when he was 18 years old.

Fair Dealing & The Madison Grip
You will learn how to hold and deal cards normally before you get to know any false dealing techniques. I actually would never have thought of adjusting fair deals to false ones before even knowing how the false ones look and are done. Whether it actually works this way is another thing because you may not feel comfortable with the included false deals. Also, the cover motion Daniel has added to the dealing is huge. It would not pass at any card table like this. When reducing the motions and cover it should be of no worries.

Bottom Deal
According to Penn Jillette on Fool Us, Daniel has some of the best bottom deals out there. However, on Fool Us Daniel used a completely different Bottom Deal from what he teaches here, from a Modified Erdnase Grip instead of Madison Grip. In all honesty the Madison Grip ones looks nowhere near as good and he even says that not everyone will be able to do the main motion this Bottom Deal is built upon, which I found a bit disappointing. There are some nice theories and ideas to it still which in my opinion makes it the best part of the set, despite of it not being what I hoped for.

Greek Deal
This is more of an addition to the Bottom Dealing rather than a section specifically on the Greek Deal. A Greek Deal is when you deal the card second from the bottom instead of the bottom card. I think the explanation is okay but it is more verbal teaching than that Daniel really shows what is going on.

Second Deal
Daniel says that he’s not a second dealer and has never actually used a Second Deal live. He continued giving some advice on it without actually really teaching the mechanics. All in all I found this quite ridiculous. To someone who is even just a little knowledgeable in Second Dealing, most of the advice he gives is completely misinterpreted and even silly. Only one of the three things he said made somewhat sense but this was just about why he would never use a second deal himself. I’ve got no idea why this chapter was included.

False Shuffle Introduction
Daniel says that as a card cheat, at the card table you need to make sure your shuffles don’t look too clean or well-practiced because it will give away your cheating abilities. Keep this in mind.

False Overhand Shuffle
This is the classic False Overhand Shuffle. Daniel says you should make it look messy but never shows it in a messy way himself. Instead, he continuously squares up the packets so it left me curious how sloppy it should look. Other than that this is fine.

Vice Shuffle
This is an extremely flourishy looking shuffle that should never be done at the card table, as said by Daniel himself. I am familiar with the shuffle from several other releases from Daniel but I have no idea why it is on here. It doesn’t suit the Mechanic theme at all.

False Shuffle Sequence
Daniel explains a very professional looking table shuffle sequence that he says to stick to anytime. It consists of a shuffle with quite a few cuts. It is a really fancy sequence so according that what Daniel said earlier it should not be done at the card table, but in this chapter he seems to have changed his mind about that because he says he would use this at the card table anytime. This really, really confused me because it was way too clean and professional looking for that, but it is a nice shuffle sequence nonetheless.

Coat Shuffle
This is a false double riffle shuffle on the table. Daniel says he has not used it at the card table and that you have to rush but I actually think it is the only taught table shuffle that could actually fly by when done correctly and not rushed.

DISC 2

Nullifying The Cut Introduction
In this chapter you will find several ways of cancelling out a cut. The introduction is mostly a rant from Daniel about why he doesn’t like the Classic Pass to be used for this purpose, or actually for any purpose at the card table.

The Madison Shift
This is a highly deceptive false cut and cut nullifier with the dealer completing the cut, but it definitely is not that original despite of the name and Daniel’s claim. I see how the main principle can be used at the card table, but not how the Madison Shift itself could be because its angles are pretty bad. Daniel even makes the angles worse with the false cut motivations he has added. A nice shift but it needs some modifications to work at a card table.

The Frank Hop
This is a cut nullifier in the motion of squaring up the deck. It is on the only thing where complete credits are given, to a random card guy named Frank. It does look very nice and I found it quite practical, especially when done with a slide instead of a hop, but the main issue with it is that you show the bottom card which of course is quite unacceptable at a card table. Daniel does not seem to bother with that at all and even goes as far as saying that is how you see people square up decks at the card table.

Covered Table Pass
Another way of nullifying the cut, but this time one card will be out of place. Before going into the explanation, Daniel actually does a false cut that he never taught while saying “So when I do my false cuts and shuffles...”. Although I know this particular false cut, I found it weird that he did something that could easily throw off whoever wouldn’t know it. The nullifying is just fine. The only potential issue is the fact that it uses two hands while cuts would usually have to be completed with one hand to limit the possibility of a false cut. However, this classic method will fly by most people.

Stalling Pass
This is without a doubt the boldest cut nullifier out there. The misdirection and confidence Daniel applies to it does not seem to work that well either, but I can see it used under other conditions.

Poor Man’s Punch
A way to mark cards. This method allows you to mark a specific kind of card like a four of a kind. This is the only marking way Daniel shows or teaches, despite him saying he would go into more ways of marking the deck earlier.

Squeeze Shift
I think this is what the initial Repulse Control by Albert Victoria must have looked like. The Squeeze Shift is like a really poor version of that. I guess it still is an okay control, nowhere nearly as invisible as the Repulse Control, but Daniel doesn’t explain when exactly at the card table you will find yourself in a situation that you would need to control a card like this. It looks like something a magician would do. He also says it is a substitute for a Gambler’s Cop but the card doesn’t get copped, only controlled to the bottom.

Cop Shift
Now we will get into actual palming (or holding out) a card. Like the Squeeze Shift this happens from a card insertion which again I don’t see used at card tables like this, but I am sure it will have its uses. Daniel calls this a combination of the Squeeze Shift and Gambler’s Cop although it is a whole lot closer to the later one. I have seen plenty of people do the Gambler’s Cop exactly like this.

Drop Cop
Nothing that new again but pretty nice although slightly tricky. This will allow you to palm the bottom card very cleanly. Problem here is that Daniel does merely talk about the motions. He actually uses a get-ready that allows him to do this copping but he never talks about this get-ready. He only shows it in the slow overview that is put behind every chapter and since this is the first time it is seen, this may be very confusing. Credits are given to Garrett Thomas but it is very unclear how much of it is actually Garrett’s.

Top Cop
This is a one-handed way to cop the top card of the deck with the bottom hand. It is a pretty big motion which can only be covered by misdirection. Once again the motivation seems out of place but with this move I can’t think of anything that would truly cover this up.

OTT Deck Switch
This is the Over The Top Deck Switch, a tricky switch that uses a cut motion. I can see how the switch itself would work at the card table, but the cut motion made to cover it seems completely out of place so I do not think it flies by easily like some other deck switches out there. It is nice for practicing nonetheless.

Muck:Shun
A card switch done in the motion of pushing or rather kicking a card forward. It looks nice and flashy and makes you feel like a card ninja, probably a little too much for it to be of good use at the card table. I think the main principle could still be used nicely.

Closing Words
Daniel talks about how he independently came up with all the above back when he was a card cheat, long before he got into magic. He also says that all these moves were made for this very purpose. I find this interesting because although there is quite a lot to be found on these discs, most of it can’t be used at the card table in their taught states.

[CrazyInMagic]

PROS OF THE SET IN GENERAL

Variety
There are quite some different sleight-of-hand and pseudo-gambling techniques to be found on this set. The variety may be well worth the price.

Concepts
Daniel teaches some nice concepts that you could build upon. If you would like to have a bunch of sleight-of-hand ideas you can spend quite some time and work on, you might like this.

Getting to know the man
If you are interested in Daniel, his character and his way of thinking, this seems to be the first audiovisual product in which you really get to know him.


CONS OF THE SET IN GENERAL

Lack of actual card cheat material
Especially for a set with exactly that as theme. A lot of the things are completely impractical at the card table in their taught states. Most of the useful material will have to be modified either by looks, angles, covers, applications or any combination of those. Even then there is a lot missing for pulling of any complete cheat at the card table or even for gambling demonstrations.

Lack of research, credits and responsibility
Daniel seems to claim almost everything while some of the ideas he claims, both sleights and theories, are clearly not original. He happens to be self-taught and could have come up with these things independently but I think Ellusionist should have assisted him in finding proper crediting. At the Madison Grip section, Daniel even says that when you adjust a grip to your own hands, you could and should call it your own, which is why he calls his grip the Madison Grip. I am sure that in the gambling world, you would actually have to call it a Modified Grip instead. It advocates theft so I would go as far as saying that on this set Daniel is being a terrible example for crediting in every possible way. In his e-books he happened to be a lot more appropriate at it.

Lack of consistency and scripting
Daniel says one thing and in the very next chapter does something that clashes completely. Also, according to what he says in the introductions of the chapters he should have taught ordinary ways of shuffling a deck, more card marking principles and more ways to switch cards. For instance he said that he would show several ways cards could be marked including a way to mark them on the sides of the decks, but he just went into the Poor Man’s Punch and never went into how the sides of a deck could be marked or any other method for that matter. When there are multiple scenarios he gives a solution for only one of them and never gets back to the other ones.

Lack of content
This adds to the lack of scripting. Daniel tends to repeat almost anything he says numerous times, especially the things that were very clear the very first time he said them. This in combination with Daniel’s slow and monotone way of talking could get really boring, but especially made me think that the actual content could have easily fit onto a single DVD. The introduction is about 12 minutes long while it could have easily fit into three.

Lack of an over-the-shoulder perspective
You get to learn everything from the front, most of the time at quite a big distance. The camera occasionally shows a close-up shot but never do you get to see it from Daniel’s perspective which sometimes is quite confusing. Anything is mostly taught verbally. I am positive that this could have been released as a CD instead.

Lack of positivity
This is probably what personally annoyed me the most. Daniel keeps ranting about this, that, about what Dai Vernon said, other gambling sources out there, the Classic Pass, the way the industry teaches gambling moves and all. He has not agreed with a single thing from another source but himself, but he still uses a lot from other sources whether he realizes it or not.


WHAT I THINK SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED

The Bottom Deal as done on Fool Us
This was actually a really deceptive deal, unlike any of the false deals to be found on this set. It is what Daniel is known for nowadays so why would he not teach it on what he calls a set featuring his life work?

A Palm Transfer or Palming with the Top Hand
There is no way shown to get into palming a card with the top hand which is required for Muck:Shun, the only thing on this set that actually happens from a palm.

Adding Palmed Cards to the Deck
Daniel teaches a few ways to cop a card but he never talks about how to correctly add copped cards back to the deck again.

Center Deal
Daniel mentions it and says it is something card cheats do, so then why isn’t it taught or even shown?

Crimp work
This is fairly important for card mechanics. What about when you are not completing the cut by yourself (which was actually mentioned by Daniel in the Covered Table Pass section but he never went into this)? How will you ever be able to nullify the cut using what is taught on this set?

Card Table-Friendly Controls
Daniel says there is no need to control any individual card if you can do complete false cuts and shuffles, but who will be setting up the deck for you during a card game? You can’t keep switching decks either. How to control a good card or hand to the position you want?

Stacking
I guess this wouldn’t be necessary when using the false deals but it would still be nice. I think it is used by card mechanics just as much as false deals, so why not?


MARKETING ERRORS

”3 hours of material”
In the trailer and Revelations episode it says that the set contains 3 hours of content. On the product page it says “Over two and a half hours” so everything points into the direction that it is close to 3 hours of material. In fact there is 2 hours and 35 minutes of material, so the statements that it is 3 hours in length are greatly exaggerated.

”Card cheat material”
Everything on the product page tells that this is a set on card cheat techniques, principles and theory. It even claims that this set “has the potential to turn you into a successful card cheat”. I beg to differ by all means.

”Reviews”
You would think that spending so much money on a product would grant you the ability to leave a review, but my reviews have not been approved. They weren’t worded all that negative in my opinion and I made it less negative each time, but still it didn’t get approved. What you will find on the Ellusionist page are testimonials, not reviews. I figured the last time a negative review has been approved on their site was back in April. Did their products get better since? Clearly not.


PRICE
It is currently sold for $59.99 but has $79.90 as initial price.


RECOMMENDED?
No. It seems only for those who either buy absolutely everything Daniel Madison or Ellusionist puts out, and even then the Daniel Madison fans will already know all of the material that is on this, or for those who want to have a collection of sleight-of-hand ideas to practice or build upon. Do not expect a collection of actual card cheat material. Those who think it is are completely deceived by the fact it was said to be.

For the same money, you could get Richard Turner’s The Cheat, Darwin Ortiz On Card Cheating or plenty of Jason England’s tutorials, all which include much more, and much more useful material. You can also spend a bit more money and get Steve Forte’s Gambling Protection Series although, as the name suggests, this does not have the intention to teach you how to exactly execute each principle.

[KGaborMagic]

I wanted to buy this product, but I think I'll miss it because of the price and now this review. Daniel made himself look very unprofessional with this release.

[Mark]

This has to be the most detailed review on a magic product out there! Awesome and thanks!

It's a shame they try to make people believe these things can and have really be used for cheating purposes. Such an extremely foul hype!

[Des]

What he said in the intro about the title is BS. He has frequently called himself "Advocate of the Dark Arts", "Devil's Advocate", and other such over-dramatic, ultra-cheesy titles. I think that those titles and these opening statements, though contradictory, are meant to serve the same purpose: to make Daniel look like the cool, underground, dark, antihero. He's made a character for himself through dramatization, and I think this DVD pretty much proves it.