Michael Skinner was one of the best close-up magicians in the world and his professional repertoire was considered the largest and most versatile in the business. This video series features performances and explanations to many of his best routines.

These are the routines Michael Skinner used to fool and entertain the patrons of the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas where he was the resident magician for more than twenty years. You will not find better-constructed and choreographed magic anywhere.

Michael's attention to detail and superb routining made just about every effect he performed a showstopper. These commercial and reputation-making effects will inspire you to become a professional. You will be proud to add any of these routines to your working repertoire.

Routines performed and explained:
►Torn & Restored Cigarette Paper (Nate Leipzig): The classic routine where a piece of cigarette paper is torn into pieces and then restored.
►Four Copper & Silver Across: An eight-coin routine where four silver coins and four copper coins magically change places one at a time.
►A Coin Entrapped: A surprising magical gag where two coins are placed on a card case. A spectator chooses one of the coins but when they try to pick it up it is found under the cellophane.
►Demi-Tass: The four aces are found using different visual productions after the deck has been shuffled.
►Slow-Motion Aces: An ace assembly where three cards are placed on top of each ace and one at a time the aces disappear and accumulate in one spot.
►Marlo-Vernon-Andrus: Three cards are peeked at by three different spectators who impersonate Ed Marlo, Dai Vernon and Jerry Andrus. The spectators now spell their names, any way they want, and the card they spell to is their selection. Except for the final selection which is found using a flourishy cutting sequence.
►Lucky Seven: Two cards are peeked at and lost in the deck. The deck is cut in half where a red seven is seen face up. Cards are now dealt from the two packets and the seventh card of each packet is found to be the selection.
►Up The Ladder Aces: The deck is continuously shuffled and cut as the four aces are magically produced.
►Woodfield Torn & Restored Card: A signed card is accidentally torn in half. The torn pieces are thrown away and the spectator selects a second card. When he turns over the new card it turns out to be the original signed selection.
►Furota's Ace Production: A spectator turns a portion of the deck face up and face down a few times. The deck is re-squared and when the cards are spread on the table all the cards are face down except the four aces, which are the only face-up cards.

Techniques demonstrated within routines:
The Bobo Switch, Thumb Palm, Finger Palm, Side Steal Color Change, Piet Forton's Pop-Up Move, Jog Shuffle, False Count, Invisible Transfer, Spectator Peek, Peek Force, One-Hand Stud Production, Fancy Production, Classic Force, Hofzinser Snap Change and much more.

Hosted by Roger Klause the video also includes interview segments with Michael where you get to learn a little about his life, career and thinking about magic.

A Meir Yedid Magic Product. Produced by A-1 MagicalMedia. Original release date: 1998. Running time: Approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.