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:
►Flying Eagles: A multiphase coins across routine using six quarters.
►The Ball Vase: The classic Michael Skinner routine where sleight-of-hand is used to make a child's toy into an entertaining and magical routine.
►Royal Flush Propelled Lapping: A spectator removes any five cards from the deck. When the cards are turned face up they are shown to be the royal flush.
►Open Prediction: A card is named prior to the routine. A spectator deals the deck face up looking for the card, leaving one card face down. Amazingly, the previously named card turns out to be the card the spectator left face down.
►Cards Across: The classic of magic where cards vanish from one packet and appear in another while both packets are being held by a spectator.
►Push-Through Failure: A card is peeked at and found by shuffling face-up cards through face-down cards. The face-up half now contains one face-down card. The packet is turned face down and the selected card is spelled down to revealing the face-up selection.
►Seconds, Thirds, Fourths & Fifths: A gambling themed routine where you apparently deal cards from different parts of a small packet of cards.
►Tabled Ambitious: A selected card is lost in the middle of the deck but is found on top. It continues to be lost in the deck but manages to find its way to the top under more impossible conditions -- even when the deck is tabled.
►All The Non-Conformists: A packet trick where the four queens are displayed and a spectator names one. The named queen turns out to have the only odd backed card. The routine continues until the backs of all the cards continuously change from black to red and vice versa.
►The Mona Lisa Card Trick: A book of matches is used as an easel, and the deck is described as fifty-two paintings. A painting is selected and lost in the deck. The Queen Of Spades (the Mona Lisa) is placed on the easel. When the selected card is named the Queen is now shown to be the selection.

Techniques demonstrated within routines:
Bounce Pass, Injog Control, Propelled Lapping, Erdnase Multiple Top Palm, Skinner’s Action Palm, Propelled Lapping, Vernon's Diagonal Palm Shift, Palm To Palm Transfer, Drop-Cut Force.

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 25 minutes.