I must admit, I've become rather obsessed with the card magic of Darwin Ortiz. Even more so since acquiring out-of-print copies of CardShark and Darwin Ortiz At the Card Table. His routining is brilliant. His effects are second to none. And overall, I just feel he is a class act. He's an inspiration and has taken my magic to another level. Now, if only I can meet him in person.

I have his vhs tapes..killer material!

Welcome to the club!

I got to talk to him a bit when I worked in Georgetown, just across M street from where he lived, he's very nice.

Psychotronic Card is one of my favorites

I drove all the way up to Baltimore from Charlottesville, VA to attend a lecture Darwin gave at Denny and Lee's last Summer. He certainly lived up to his reputation. He even stayed around for a couple of hours after the lecture to enthrall those of us who stayed late (just in case). He really is a fine man.

Lot of info about Darwin Ortiz:

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewf......m=87&422

Liked! Then again, I like virtually all of Mike's posts. Anyhow, while working for the Cuckoos' Nest in Pittsburgh in the early 2000s, I had the privilege of speaking to Mr. Ortiz on the phone. What a kind and gracious person he is. He suffered more than a few questions from Vlad the Hack with grace and aplomb. (I think I may be the first to use the word aplomb on The Café, so, may I please get a "like" for that? ).

And yes, I LOVE The Psychotronic Card. While Mr. Ortiz is known best for knucklebusting miracles, in many ways, this relatively simple routine - in the "Ortizian" sense - is a splendid example of Mr. Ortiz's thinking streamlines into one powerhouse effect.

Thanks Vlad.

Darwin Ortiz is THE MAN. I'd love to meet him one day and just shake his hand (okay, that wouldn't be enough - a nice, three second hug would do it). I've studied practically all of his work and he is a living legend.

Mike

What impresses me about Darwin is his THOROUGHNESS. You can tell he knows EVERY DETAIL in every effect he does. He shows that in his teaching too!

Of course, I can't STAND how he makes it look so easy!

Makes it look easy, yes. I can't even do a decent Faro shuffle every time and he does it with his eyes closed. Not that I'm comparing myself in any way, of course.

I like how he scripts his routines, which brings me to another thing--he's a good writer.

It

I like him for his honesty, and his lack of willingness to pull his punches. If he thinks it's wrong or right, he says so. If he thinks it's misguided, he says so. He's smart enough to know what could work and what probably won't, and that means anything he says should be taken seriously by serious performers. My favorite work of his is the series of essays at the end of Scams and Fantasies, because they come from years of experience and analysis. They laid open, then neatly tied together and answered a lot of my own questions on how to turn card tricks into the magical experience of "wishful thinking."

I have most of his dvds (& vhs tapes.. )..Great content..

There's way more content in the books.

Another fan of Darwin, I love his work, especially his constructions.

I'm also a big fan of his work. His routine Ace in the Pocket is one of my favourite strolling effects.

What annoys me is the amount of magicians I see mocking him because of the way he does his pinky count - there's more to his magic than just that!

Magicfish, I agree there is more content in his books, but sometimes its hard to tell just how strong and effect plays just from reading the book. I have both the book and DVDs for his Scams and Fantasies, and from the book you never realize how great the effect "Appointment in Samara" is. But when you see him do it on the DVD its clear that it is one of the strongest and most dramatic effects in card magic. Probably best to get both.

I respect your opinion but I disagree. I find the opposite to be true. When I see it performed on dvd I find it weaker than I had imagined. The book allows my mind's eye to envision how powerful the effect should or could be. The Dvd invariably disappoints.
It just doesn't live up to how I imagine it. Which is good. But I'm glad you get value from the dvd. Everyone is different and I respect that.
I am a visual learner, which is why I prefer the written word. The visual I get in my head from a talented author like Mr Ortiz is far better than any video I could be shown.
More detail, more precise etc.

Forgive me gentlemen if I've derailed- back to
Ortiz.

The Man is a genius. He is intelligent and skilled. I love all his books although I am still hoping for a "At The CardTable" reprint