Hello, I am learning the double lift at the moment and was wondering if anyone had any advice on the one in the crash course in magic ambitious card dvd. There is a method for a pressure double lift but I just can't seem to get it. I like the look of it and really want to learn it but it never seems to work. I am wondering if it the state of the cards would have an effect on how easy or difficult it is. Or if it is just the state of the person trying to learn :S . Any advise on where else to go to learn this would be appreciated.

First of all learn ONE DL and use this one only, I'm using the same DL for 10 years and I'm very comfortable with it. You have to learn a DL that looks natural and then you have to practice turning a single card the same way.

You have a problem in keeping the card straight ?

I've never had a problem with my basic DL and get ready. I say keep it simple.

I agree with keeping it as simple as possible. Also, whenever you draw a single card, mimic the same move as when you'd draw a DL. They should be identical.

Now, practice both a few hundred times, and then a few hundred more, and then... well, you get the idea. Sometimes when I'm watching TV, I'll just have a deck in my hand and do DLs and double-undercuts to give my hands something to do, and make the sleight automatic (while I'm thinking of something else - the TV).

The state of cards does seem important. I have found that as I practice card magic, I wear out decks really fast. (Probably because I do so much practice in front of the TV.) Whenever I get an old deck dinged up really bad, and switch to a new deck, the difference is like night & day. New decks are so much more smooth than old decks caked with magician hand-oil! (Ick!)

I heard someone say, "Practice until it's boring, and then practice some more until it's beautiful."

Thanks for all the feedback everyone

I can do simple double lift but was trying to get a few different ones to mix it up a bit, the one I know isn't as natural looking and one of my friends uses the same one and it just looks too obvious imho. I did have a problem keeping the cards straight on the pressure DL. Mind you if Vagueli87 has been using the same lift for 10 years I may take a leaf from their book and just find one that looks at bit more natural.

I was told if I practice every day which I do try to I will wear out a deck in a month or so. But the cards still seem to fan quite well which is what I was told was a sign of whether the cards were still worth using. However if I place a joker in the deck you can see where it is due to the colour difference. Any ideas on what is the better method of telling whether I should crack open a new pack?

Card condition does matter. For the DL, bend cards can be a give away. For the most part, I've got 3 or 4 packs open and in various conditions. Once one deck seems to not fan well or some cards are bend I throw it in my pile of old cards (to be used for learning card folds and such). Bend cards are not so good for doubles.

Check out Greg Wilson's Double Take DVD. It is inexpensive and Wilson's a great teacher. The DVD covers a boatload of DLs and there are many excellent routines as well. You are sure to find one or two that are comfortable to you. The simple thumb count get-ready can be effective when combined with good patter and eye contact.

I second the recommendation of DoubleTake. he teaches three different ways and basically says, use the oen that's msot matural to you (I use the push-off, mysel.f)

The video quality ius lousy because its a transfer from VHS, but the production of the VHS tape and the teachign it contains are terrific. I had given up on learning a double lift
til I got that DVD. Now, its a standard move in my arsenal