R. Paul Wilson has established himself as one of the most creative and skilled sleight-of-hand artists in the field of close-up magic. These videos were his introduction to the magic world and the magic he performs and teaches here is what originally made him a sensation. You will learn the killer close-up routines he used to fool magicians and entertain non-magicians.

Knock'em Dead Video:

►Crowded Coins: A three-phase coins across routine where three coins appear, travel between your hands and vanish at the end. Everything happens at the fingertips. Also taught is a new handling for the French Drop.
►Absolute Zero: A self-working impossible card location where a spectator shuffles the deck, looks at a card, looses it in the deck and you find it with 100% accuracy.
►Collector's Day: Four aces are produced from the deck. Three cards are selected. The selections and the aces are lost in the pack. The aces visually appear face-up on top of the deck and are placed under the spectator's hand. The three selections vanish from the deck and appear between the aces.
►Gypsy Monte: A Color Monte type routine using Tarot Cards with some neat handlings and a terrific presentation.
►Coins to Purse: Three coins are removed from a small coin purse. They vanish one at a time and appear back in the purse.
►Mr. Spoons: A quick spoon bending routine where a spoon is made to visually bend and then go back to normal at the end.
►Think Stop & Emergence: Two spectators look at and remember a card. The first card eerily emerges from the fanned pack while the second is stopped at while the spectator is only thinking for you to stop.
►Hail Stones: A selected card is lost in the deck and spelled to. It is lost again but, this time the spectator spells to it.
►Consistent Control: An excellent in-the-hands method of controlling and positioning cards while shuffling the deck.
►Underground Add-On: An in-the-hands method of secretly adding and switching out cards as packet is being stripped out of the deck.
►Unholy Gathering: An amazing routine where you perform a matrix effect with a playing card and a hole puncher. A signed selection has four holes punched in it -- one in each corner. The holes are visually moved one at a time until they are all in one corner of the card and the signed card is given as a souvenir.

Restaurant Act Video:

R. Paul Wilson gives an entire course in the art of Restaurant Magic. More important than the magic on the video is the priceless advice and strategy taught. You will learn how to structure an act so it can be instantly reset, when to shorten the performance, about audience interaction, contingency planning in case something goes wrong, dealing with the restaurant staff, tips, patter, bad audiences, approaching a table and much more.

You will also learn the act he has used to earn a living with and the many ins and outs of performing it. The act consists of five classic routines woven together for optimum impact.

It opens with a quick and visual sequence where a small silk handkerchief appears and disappears. From the silk a sponge ball is produced and so begins a direct and entertaining sponge ball routine which ends with the magic happening in the spectator's hands. Another classic of magic begins with an ambitious card routine where a signed card keeps jumping to the top of the deck after being lost in the middle. It perfectly segues into a long card prediction and concludes with the signed selection appearing behind the zippered compartment of your wallet. The finale of the act is a Chop Cup routine where a small red ball appears, vanishes and reappears under a cup. The routine climaxes with the production of two lemons which is a guaranteed applause invoking finale that gets the attention of the rest of the customers in the restaurant who are now anxious to see you perform.

Also included is a bonus routine, "Strange Intruder," where a red back card is placed in a blue deck. A spectator names any of the face up cards in the deck and it is shown to be that red backed card.

You can use this video to learn an entire act, or as a tool to construct your own. Either way you will be rewarded many times over.

Twists Of Fate Video:

►In The Hands Of June: A remarkable mental effect where two people merely think of a card from the deck and you quickly find the cards.
►Pennihook: Three invisible coins are hung on an invisible hook. One at a time they become visible and slowly disintegrate into thin air.
►Gambler's Mark: A gambling routine themed around marked cards where the four aces are continually placed in the deck and keep reversing themselves, appear on top and finally turn into a Royal Flush.
►Hot Zone: A strange routine where you infect yourself with a deadly virus -- actually a piece of cigarette paper is rolled into a ball and placed in the spectator's hand, a similar sheet is infected with one black spot and is placed in your own fist. When both pieces are unrolled they are shown to be full of spots -- proving that the virus has spread.
►Coin Popper: An impromptu one-coin routine where a coin is removed and replaced from an invisible purse. The finale is a startling appearance during a pseudo explanation.
►Stealing Second: A gambling routine that begins with a second deal demonstration and ends with a player stealing the four kings from the dealer but the dealer surprisingly ends up with the four aces.
►Three Cards Found: The revelation of three selected cards using the Wilson Tabled Double technique. The technique, which is explained in detail, allows you to place two cards, as one, on a table and flick them a short distance without them separating.
►Randall Flagg: An impromptu card location where a selected card is lost in the deck. You then proceed to deal cards to the table as the spectator stops you at three different cards. The values of cards are added and the total is used to count down in the deck and find the selection.
►A Darkness Rises: A spectator signs a piece of paper as a pendulum is used as a lie detector to find out the identity of a previously selected card. The routine has a spooky ending, as the identity of the card appears written over the spectator's signature.
►Instant Steal: A method of palming any number of cards out of the deck as they are inserted into the middle.
►Duffie/Wilson Spread Control: A method of performing a spread pass under cover of removing a selection from the deck. Using the technique you can control any number of cards and retain the top stock of the deck.

A Meir Yedid Magic Product. Produced by A-1 MagicalMedia. Original release date: 1999, 2001. Combined running time: Approximately 4 hours and 5 minutes.