During 1985 and 1986 Gene Maze decided to document his creations on video. He set up a video camera in his home, pointed it at his hands and performed many of his creations. He continued adding more material to the tapes until he finally demonstrated around 100 of his routines and techniques. He gave a few copies to his friends and even gave partial copies as gifts during some of his lectures.
Although he does not explain the routines, many of them have been published and can be reconstructed by magicians who are familiar with his many sleight-of-hand techniques. The titles of these routines are the original names he gave them and some were changed when published.
Many of the routines appeared on his “Pure Deceptions” and “Maximum Impact” videos, “The Gene Maze Card Book” by Richard Kaufman, “Gene Maze And The Art of Bottom Dealing” by Stephen Hobbs, “Packet Switches #4 and #5” by Karl Fulves and in various magazines. However the methods used here are not always the same as the methods that were published and there are quite a few routines that have never been published.
Gene did not travel much but would often be seen at the Saturday magic meetings that took place in New York City. You would see him in a back corner of the restaurant where he would session with a group of magicians and would demonstrate many of his creations and ask for advice on how to improve and change them. You most likely never experienced those sessions. This three-and-a-half hour video is as close as you will ever get to know what it was like to sit across from him and watch his brand of eye-popping impossibilities with playing cards.
These videos were intended to become the bonus features on The Magic Of Gene Maze DVD box set. Unfortunately Gene passed away before that could happen so they are now available in this format for all to see and experience.
This is as close as you will ever get to actually sessioning and hanging out with Mr. Miracle Maze himself. So sit back, watch and try to figure out how he does what you are seeing. Who knows, you might even come up with better, or at least easier methods for these impossible routines.
Routines & Techniques Demonstrated:
1) Quinery Colors
2) Dealing The Four Aces From A Cased Deck
3) Riffle Shuffle And Bottom Palm
4) Ambitious Card Routine From A Tabled Deck
5) The Maze Pass
6) Spectators Peek Palm
7) Double Deal Change
8) Glide Change
9) Jack In The Box
10) Gambler Versus Magician
11) Basic Gambling Routine
12) Shuffled Cards Through Card Case
13) A Four Ace Routine
14) Card In The Jar
15) Queens Night Out
16) Another Ace Routine
17) Jokers Wild
18) Assembly Of The Disassembled Sandwich
19) Kings Dilemma
20) Kings Dilemma #2
21) Queens Through The Table
22) Amazing
23) An Illusion
24) Where’s Queenie
25) Spectator Cuts The Aces
26) Center Deal Demonstration
27) Peek-A-Boo Switch
28) Blackjack Switch
29) Coinaces
30) Fastest Draw In The West
31) Blockade
32) Spectator’s Nightmare |
33) Boxing
34) Oil And Water
35) A Two Card Transposition
36) A Quick Change
37) Solo Kings
38) Color Control Of The Cards
39) Poker Stocking (A Demonstration)
40) Boxing - A Closer View
41) Nothing Is As Is
42) Control Demonstration
43) Shrinking Kings
44) Illusionary Brainwave
45) Illusionary Brainwave #2
46) Quinery Colors #2
47) Pyramid Of The Kings
48) Follow The Leader
49) No Cover Aces
50) Transposition From A Holed Envelope
51) Passing Through
52) An Illusion (same as #23)
53) Sandwich Delight
54) An Envelope Prediction
55) Point Of Departure
56) Multiple Curry Turnover
57) Ace Through Five
58) Pop Jump Aces
59) A Solution To A Karl Fulves Problem
60) A Solution To A Karl Fulves Problem #2
61) Return Trip
62) Mexican Choice
63) A Solution To A Karl Fulves Problem #3
64) A Solution To A Karl Fulves Problem #4 |
65) An Action Move
66) The Fourth Deal
67) The Fifth Deal
68) Retention Of The Top Card As The Deck Is Cut
69) Squashed Sandwich
70) Tabled Rising Card
71) Back To Back
72) Mated Elm
73) The Ultimate Ace Cutting
74) Ripped
75) Ripped #2
76) Transposition Of The Backs
77) Fan Steal
78) Cards Across
79) Multiple Change Of Residence
80) Multiple Change Of Residence #2
81) Marked Aces
82) Repeat Himber
83) Two Halves Equal The Whole
84) A Squeaky Clean Prediction #2
85) An Open Sandwich
86) Wait A Minute
87) The La Nada System Of Gambling
88) Triple Play
89) That Better Be Your Card
90) Rising Aces
91) To Be Wild Or Not To Be Wild
92) The Sincerest Form Of Flattery
93) Wildness Of The Wildest Kind
94) Instantaneous Polaroids
95) Mental Image
96) The Optical Cut |
Although Gene named and numbered a total of 96 items, there are actually more than 100. Several of the routines have additional unnamed sequences and variations.
This a very long three-and-a-half hour video. We do not recommend trying to watch it in one sitting. Ideally you can watch one-to-five routines per day and try to figure out how they are done. Even better, try to actually perform a version of them for yourself. The video is recommended for serious magicians and students who specialize in card magic and not the casual dabblers. The quality of the video and sound varies but is watchable.
A Meir Yedid Magic Product. Produced by Meir Yedid. Running time: 3 hours and 30 minutes.
