I've seen diffrent magicians using diffrent double lifts for their ambitious card routine. I've seen Daryl perform Larry Jennings snap double, but I believe it would be easier if he used a push off double. What do you guys things? In Ellusionist's crash2 (my friend let me borrow it; don't worry - I didn't buy it) he always uses a push off double which seems more natural. I'm just really curious what you guys use for this kind of effect, thank you

I use a double turnover. It's on or use to be on Dante King's teaching vid section. It's hard for me to push over two cards; I have to practice more.

The best DL for any routine needing one is Vernon's DL. Why? It looks completely 100% natural.

Dante's teaching vid's are all down, as well as the member videos

Good thing I downloaded all the teaching videos already. yay for me!

Which is Vernon's dl? Does is have a different name?

Strike double!

- Alex

I'm assuming that the Vernon double lift being refered to are the ones described in either the "Stars of Magic", or in "Dai Vernon's Book of Magic". While it is very good I would not say it is the best for all situations.

The motions surrounding the double lift have to motivated. While it helps if the double lift by itself looks natural, it is more important that the double lift looks natural in the context of the routine, and the rest of the effects you do. If you lift cards 10 different ways throughout your effects, people will begin to get suspicious.

All the movements/actions surrounding the double should also be natural. By natural I mean there shouldn't be any change from the way you normally handle cards.

Good Luck

So you guys recommend me using a strike double instead of, a push off double and Larry's snap double?? thanks

I use the snap double and have never been questioned about it.

However if someone does ask me in the future I will just say " its just a way of making sure you only pick one card up at a time, because sometimes you can pick two up by accident and it doesn't look very proffesional"

you lying get Nelly

Sounds good Nelly. My double lift seems like David Blaine's on the first show. Except that he does the thumb count and I do the pinkie count.

I use Larry Jenning's Snap Double the most. Another nice way is if the ambitious card is second from the top show that it's not on top as you get a break under the next card.

HI,

I think that the best double-lift would be the way you would do a single-lift. Try to see how you lift a single card, then, try to do a double-lift the same way. Or, if you want, you can do it the other way around: learn a double-lift that you like and lift single cards that way.

It's important that you always lift cards the same way, or else, your sepctators would become suspicious.

Hope it helps

Acrobatic Diving Board Double Over Your Back! OR, just a plain diving Board Double from Lee Asher's lecture notes. http://www.leeasher.com

Does anyone use the DL from the Expert Card Technique book? If not, what are the reasons?

I've been practicing it and it seems to replicate a natural way to turn over a card. That side to side thing in the Ammar ETMCM seems not quite as natural to me.

If you look in the Secret Sessions Site under the thread on Expert Card Technique you will find some information about the DL in ECT. It is unattributed but developed by Jack McMillen and I posted a ton of info about it on that thread.

Best, PSC

Is the secret sessions site a particular url or is that the magical spot in this Café I need 50 posts for? I'd hate to have to post 19 "dittos" and "Me toos" and other junk just to get an answer.

I completely agree with the foregoing statements! I would add one point. The situation should dictate the technique you select. I do a card trick in which I use Marlos' one handed DL technique. It allows you to push off, in perfect alignment, two cards as one, with one hand. In this trick I'm talking about it is important that there be no attention on the card/cards I am picking up from the deck. The fact that I pay any attention at all to the card/cards I am moving/picking up is a tell. I need to have the double pushed off the deck and ready for me to pick up with my right hand when it returns to the deck. If I use the Vernon DL I have to focus attention on the Card/Cards and the deck by the very nature of the actions required to do the lift. So, although the Vernon DL is beautiful in some instances, it would actually be detrimental in this case. It would focus attention where I least want it, when I least want it. The Marlo Technique serves my purposes perfectly here, and so it is the move of choice. In other cases the Marlo technique is too fussy, and draws attention to itself by the nature of its fussiness, where the Vernon handling is loose and fluid, and works beautifully. This is hard to explain, but if you could see the moves in context you would understand instantly. Ask anyone who has seen me do a trick called "The Will 'O the Wisp". They will answer you by saying...

"Double lift, what double lift? That's how he does that trick?"

...unless I have taught them the trick. The reason is that they never see the DL. I know because dozens of MAGICIANS have asked me, as recently as tonight, how I do that trick. The fact is that there are only two sleights in the entire trick, and one is the DL, which ALWAYS goes right by. My point is that situations should dictate the best DL technique to use, not vice-versa. I have several techniques that I use consistently. They are the Vernon DL, the Marlo technique I just alluded to, and Ron Bauers' "Two Card Turnover Technique", which appeared in Charlie Miller's Magicana back in the 1980's. I have used the D'Amico one handed Double, as well as the LePaul DL, from time to time, but the three I first mentioned, along with Jack McMillen's technique from Expert Card Technique are my favored methods. Hope this helps...

Best, PSC

Paul Wilson has an ebook on his double lift available on his site (rpaulwilson.com). It costs $5.00 for a pdf file that he emails to you. I bought the manuscript and thought it was worth the dough. It has a nice little variation on the strike double, a tabled double, and his "ultra-natural double." I've adopted his "hit and pinch" strike double as my default now.

Forgot to mention that he has a video demonstration of the ultra-natural double on his site (rpaulwilson.com). Another great double is Martin Nash's Knock-out Double. It's explained on Greg Wilson's Double Take video, but I think the best explanation is from the man himself on the A-1 Allstars #5 video.

Sean says: "That side to side thing in the Ammar ETMCM seems not quite as natural to me."

I hope this isn't true because I'm about to get Ammar's ETMCM vol 2 and looking forward to learning the AC routine on the tape. I hope his double lift isn't natural to the point I will get caught most of the time