Ian Kendall: Tops, Seconds, Bottoms
By: Joe

As most card experts know, one of the most difficult things to learn is false dealing. I have purchased numerous resources (Ackerman, Forte, Marlo, Nash, etc.) to better understand the techniques needed to achieve a more deceptive second or bottom. However, I’ve found that some of these books and tapes lacked detail. Don’t get me wrong, they were good at demonstrating/teaching the false deals, but they could have been better. Ian Kendall has recently released a new CD entitled “Tops, Seconds, and Bottoms” which patches up the flaws that are evident in some resources.

There are 10 Parts to the CD which I will briefly go through:

Part 1: Demos

This section consists of Ian performing his tops, seconds, and bottoms from a variety of angles. These are basically the demos from the “Tops, Seconds, and Bottoms” CD preview. It is a good place to refer to when you need to know what the deals should like.

Part 2: Intro

Ian gives a short introduction regarding false deals in this section. He shares other wonderful resources from which you can learn more about false deal methods. Ian also gives a quick overview of the technique he uses. To clear up any questions, he uses a modified mechanics grip, and does the strike method.

Part 3: Tops

Yes, that’s right…this segment covers how to properly deal tops and sail the card from Ian’s grip. It is essential to learn this in order to make your seconds and bottoms consistent with the tops, and will also make it easier when you learn them.

Part 4-5: Seconds

The Seconds section is actually 2 parts, which shows just how detailed Mr. Kendall is with his explanations. He shows the front and topside view of the deal, and then describes how it is executed (proper grip, the take, the brief, etc.).

Part 5: Roy Walton’s Cannibal Cards

Ian explains how to do the classic effect, Cannibal Cards from Roy Walton. If you don’t know the effect; basically, a four of a kind is shown along with a pair of court cards (The Cannibals), and one by one, the four of a kind are eaten by the cannibal cards until they are all gone. In the end, the magician brings the four of a kind back. This is a good way to practice and incorporate the Second deal into an effect and can be used as a test to see if it can pass under the laymen’s eye.

Part 6-7: Bottoms

Similar to the Seconds section, the Bottoms is divided into 2 parts. Again, Ian shows the front and topside view of the deal, and describes how to perform it.

Part 9-10 Practice/Other CD’s

This part of the CD is basically a wrap-up with final insights from Ian on the subject of false deals and ways to practice what you just learned. He also shamelessly promotes other magic products which he carries
Now that you know what you’re getting yourself into when you purchase his Tops, Seconds, and Bottoms, I just want to leave you with my opinions on it. Honestly, I feel this is the best video I’ve seen so far that teaches false deals. I like the fact that rather then going through numerous variations of seconds and bottoms, Ian focuses on the strike method, which allows for more in-depth details.

In addition, I enjoy the grip that he uses as it looks very normal. To me, the Erdnase grip looks a bit awkward. If you’re scared of purchasing this CD because of how you will have to change the grip that you normally use, don’t be. I previously used the Master’s grip from Marlo’s RCT, but after playing around with Ian’s method, I found it more comfortable. The biggest benefit that you will receive from learning Mr. Kendall’s technique, is the fact that you will be able to deal tops, seconds, and bottoms from the SAME grip…no more having to adjust positions! This is a HUGE plus in my book.

Finally, the tips and information that Ian Kendall has scattered throughout the CD is valuable and something that every person interested in learning false deals should know. For example, he advises to use a Metronome to help attain the rhythm needed when dealing. After purchasing one from a local pawn shop, I must say that this has helped tremendously because the speed that I deal at is becoming very consistent. He also explains the things to avoid, shades to hide the work, etc.; in other words, Ian covers the subject very well to help make your tops, seconds, and bottoms as deceptive as possible. Everything is clearly explained and taught well; angles are great and are not an issue because the deals are shown from the top and the front as mentioned earlier.

Well, that’s pretty much it. Overall, I give Tops, Seconds, and Bottoms a 9.5 out of 10. The only reason I deducted that .5 is because it is not DVD quality The CD is a little bit better than VHS quality, but don’t let this discourage you from purchasing an excellent teaching tool which covers the art of false dealing. For about $23, you can’t go wrong with this CD.

On the subject of the missing half a point - last week I recompiled the VCD so that the web video clips now use the same files as the VideoCD image, which brings them up to VHS quality (although not DVD, sorry 'bout that..)

For the techies, the files are now MPEG-1 at 25fps, instead of WMV @ 400kbps, 15fps. Or much better.

Read all about it at http://www.virtualmagicshow.com/deals

Take care, Ian