30 years in the making, the best material from a card magic legend is finally available in one incredible set of books
Few magicians are as passionate about card magic as Allan Ackerman. To him, a deck of cards is merely an extension of his hands. By dedicating his life to card magic, Allan has developed an unrivaled ability to uncover the small, yet vital, details that separate a good routine from a great one.
Allan’s most notable collection of work—Las Vegas Kardma
(1994)—is still revered by card magicians worldwide. Since then, however, all of his newer releases have taken the form of limited-edition lecture notes that are hard to find or the occasional video. Now, three decades later, Allan’s best new material has finally been compiled into one stunning two-book set.
Across the more than 400 pages
of these beautiful hardcover books, you’ll find nearly 90 professional routines
and over 50 additional sleights and moves
. Everything has been updated and edited with help from one of magic’s premier authors, John Lovick. All of the crucial nuances and subtleties have been included alongside full-color photographs to enhance the learning experience.
As a lifelong student of magic, Allan is a sleight-of-hand expert and a walking encyclopedia of card sleights, subtleties, and even mathematical principles. Drawing on that wealth of knowledge, All In
features a wide variety of amazing card tricks with optimized handlings that appeal to all types of magicians and skill levels.
Both books are divided into sections: techniques and tricks. In the latter, you’ll find novel, polished routines like “The Prequel and The Sequel”, which lets you enjoy all the fun of MacDonald’s Aces without any of the dreaded setup, or “Ungaffed Ted”, a non-marked deck variation on Al Koran’s iconic double thought-of card routine. There are even dedicated sections on ACAAN-style effects (many of which are easy to perform) and Memorized Deck Magic (which includes the astonishing “Thirty-Minute Memorized Deck”).
Move-oriented magicians will likely jump right into the sleights and techniques section just as Allan intended. You’ll be eager to start learning the dynamic “HP (Hidden Packet) Maneuver” that allows you to control, load, and even force cards. The “Multiple Slip Shuffle”—a slip shuffle that can be performed with up to 10 or 20 cards—is another highlight; as is the Rhythm Count and its multiple variations, which will have you considering retiring the Gemini Count for good.
Both linen-bound books come in a gorgeous slipcase that will command attention in any collection.
