Week 1:

Master the fundamentals of the overhand shuffle, including:

• The run shuffle
• The slip shuffle
• The lift shuffle
• The jog shuffle
• The optical overhand false shuffle

Practice two effects using these techniques:

• Jog shuffle Ace production
• Slip shuffle aces
• Spectator cuts the Aces

Explore false cuts:

• The running cut
• The Jay Ose false cut
• The Gary Oulette false cut and John Guastaferro spread variant
• The Bobby Bernard false cut
• The Frank Thompson false cut (table and in-hand versions)

Practice two effects with these cuts:

• Flash Ace opener by Frank Thompson
• Matched Picture cards by Nick Trost

Learn card controls:

• The drop cut control
• The overhand shuffle control
• The oops control!
• The Vernon shuttle cut control
• Double undercut top and bottom control
• Tabled Bluff control
• Rosenthal bottom control
• D’amico multiple shift control
• Couture Swivel control
• Thompson Bluff pass

Perform effects with controls:

• The slop shuffle
• A stop trick
• A card and a number using Rosenthal control
• Two card transposition with Thompson bluff pass

Week 2:

Forces to master:

• The cross cut card force
• Bannon’s Christ cross force
• The cut deeper force
• The riffle force
• The dribble force
• The self-working dribble force!
• Lift shuffle force
• Stealth Force One!

Effects to practice:

• Crandall revelation
• Do as I do using cross cut force

Key cards:

• Basic bottom card key card
• The open key card control
• Vernon’s key card control

Effects with key cards:

• The circus card trick
• Classic 2 deck do as I do
• Vernon’s Emotional Reaction

Week 3:

Double Lift techniques:

• Basic get ready version
• Hit double lift
• Do’s and don’ts

Effects to perform:

• Chad Long’s 19
• Chicago Opener
• Rise and Switch Transpo
• Daley Aces

Glimpses to learn:

• The all-around square up glimpse
• The table tap glimpse
• The faro glimpse
• The scissors glimpse
• The riffle shuffle glimpse

Effects using glimpses:

• If We Could Turn Back Time (using scissors glimpse)
• Francis Carlysle 2 card transposition

False counts:

• The Elmsley count
• The Biddle count
• The Hamman count

Tricks with false counts:

• Twisting the Aces
• The Biddle Trick
• Kaleidoscope

Week 4:

Tools and utilities:

• Hindu shuffle force
• Eddie Fechter force
• Hindu key card placement
• Split and spread control and force
• Mike Gallo bluff control
• Frank Thompson Bluff pass
• Optical shuffle force

Effects to explore:

• The ambitious card – a routine plus a toolbox of various ambitious moves
• Simple sandwich – 3 card catch by Rheinhard Mueller
• Oil and Water Biddle version
• Jackrobats! – by Frank Garcia

Week 5:

The Hofzinser Cull:

• The technique
• The finesse
• The control
• Hofzinser cull force:
• Fred Robinson method
• Carey method 1 – hands Hof!
• Carey method 2 – finessed Hofzinser force

The Erdnase colour change – technique, finesse, and do’s and don’ts.

Effects to practice:

• Oil and Water #2 slow motion version
• Whispering joker using cull and colour change
• Sub rising sandwich

The Top Palm techniques:

• Vernon’s topping the deck method
• The one-hand top Palm
• The Joe Berg multiple top Palm

Two effects with palming:

• The homing card
• Classic 3 cards across

Week 6:

Intro:

A 3 trick routine using effects from earlier lessons:

• Spectator cuts the Aces

The Lecture:

• Interactive Aces – a powerful interactive production of the Aces
• Your cards are my cards – John’s favorite transposition effect, simple yet strong
• Stealth Aces – considered the strongest immediate ace assembly
• Invisi Card – a small packet effect with maximum impact
• Think n Sync – an impossible mystery with a thought of card
• Easy Open or Closed – Carey’s streamlined prediction effect
• Spectator Mindreader! – make your spectator the star

15-minute break

Second Half:

• A sandwich Trilogy – a three-phase sandwich effect with a knockout finale
• A little O and W! – a full three-phase oil and water effect
• Snapshot – an impossible translocation of three signed cards
• The Trick that will be explained! – a classic Dai Vernon mystery
• The Trick that always works! – a magician in trouble plot
• Teleport Sandwich – a visual stunner in your spectator’s hands
• A Mystery in Time – a beautiful mystery card effect