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The Art of Switching Decks by Roberto Giobbi Review:

One book, 155 pages, 1 DVD, $55 bucks and about 18,000 deck switches. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.

Effect

This isn't really about effect, per se. It's all about how to ring in and out decks. There are effects taught in the book, but they're serendipitous. The main point of the book is simple: Many incredible/impossible seeming effects can be accomplished with stacked decks. Thus it's a good idea to know how to switch decks in the middle of performance.

Method

Upon reading the title, you might think, "How many deck switches do I need?" This book opens your mind up to the true power of the deck switch. There are methods for doing it covertly where the audience would bet money that the deck never left their sight. There are methods that are right out in the open that the spectator never suspects is a means for switching decks. There are subtleties and convincers that are taught that make the illusion even more (un)believable.

The mechanics, the posture, the body language, the attitude, the psychology, the convincers, the subtleties, the nuances, the patter and on and on and on . . . everything you need to know to (appear to) have the deck never leave their site yet still switch it out.

Whether you're a beginner or a performing veteran of 50 years, there is something in here for you.

Ad Copy Integrity

The ad copy simply, directly and honestly states exactly what you'll get when you purchase this book. It's 100% accurate.

Product Quality

The book is hard bound and extremely well produced. It's well written, well illustrated and well "charted." There are a few tables and charts/diagrams that help keep things clear and easy to understand. The bonus disk that comes with the book is a lecture video that was never intended for public release. The footage and audio are pretty rough. However, they decided to include it as an extra bonus so that you could see the deck switches in action.

The whole time while watching, I kept asking myself why they included the DVD with the book. While I was blown away by the effects performed, there were no deck switches. It was just a bunch of amazing tricks.

I kept thinking, "I thought this was about deck switches." After the performance section of the lecture was over and he began to explain the methods, he started by pointing out to the audience that during that 30 minute set, he performed 8 deck switches.

I was shocked, truly in awe. It was amazing. Here I am watching a DVD that came with a deck switch book, and I know it's supposed to cover deck switches, and I watch the whole thing fully expecting deck switches and I did not see a single one of them. That's how good they are.

Final Thoughts

If you perform with a deck of cards, then you need to seriously consider this book. You'll learn how to invisibly switch decks with or without a coat whether you are seated or standing. This is the definitive work on such an important subject. Even if you've never done a deck switch and/or think you don't need to do one, this book will change your mind. After reading this book and seeing the switches in action, I'm now convinced of the power of a deck switch and I'm restructuring one of my close up sets to incorporate multiple decks.

Final Verdict:
5 Stars with a Stone Status of GEM!