"1 Deck 14 Tricks 24 Hours Volumes 1 and 2" DVDs
by Matthew J. Dowden
Suggested Retail USD$30.00 each
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 5 Out of 10

"1 Deck 14 Tricks 24 Hours", a two-volume series on DVD by Matthew J. Dowden, is one of those things in magic that is good enough but, ultimately, gets killed by the weight of its own marketing.

Let's get one thing out of the way, shall we? Matthew J. Dowden is a fine performer. I enjoyed watching the performance scenes from these discs (somewhat of a rarity for me), done live on the streets and in bars in London. I loved watching him interact with people -- he genuinely has fun and brings people along for the ride. My comments, which I'll admit are going to be caustic, do not reflect on the man as an entertainer: he does just fine, thank you very much, and doesn't need to be fingered for something that rests on the shoulders of the director and producer.

You see, "1 Deck 14 Tricks 24 Hours" starts off with a failed premise and just keeps going downhill from there.

Quoting from the ad (something I'll do a few times before this is over): "We set Matthew J. Dowden on a challenge... Learn 7 world class easy-to-do- card tricks within 25 hours and then go out... and amaze your audiences."

Stop. Think about that. That means that Dowden didn't know these tricks, that he had to learn them from scratch as it were, and then personalize them enough to allow him to blow people away, right?

If we are to believe that, then we have to believe that Dowden was unfamiliar with some of the most popular self-working effects in card magic. "Do As I Do", "Out of This World", "Will the Cards Match?", "Gemini Twins", "Lazy Man's Card Trick", and a host of old techniques... Dowden knew about none of them. He had to learn them, according to the ads, and that means he didn't know them to begin with.

Sorry. I don't buy it. If Dowden really is that lacking in basic knowledge -- really basic knowledge -- then I really don't want to learn them from an amateur who has somehow managed to avoid not one or two but a dozen classics of card magic and, with only 24 hours, hasn't had the time or experience to wring the most out of them. If he already knew them, then what we have here, folks, is hype that is right off the charts. Considering how well Dowden presents himself, I choose to think the latter more than the former.

But the ads only begin to go astray with that one. There's a claim about there being no sleight of hand employed (there is in a few routines, though it's minor work: a double-lift here and lots of false-shuffling there). First rule of self-working card magic: the worse is and the best ain't. And these are some of the best.

The naming of the discs is misleading as well: 14 tricks? Sure, but only if you buy both discs, which are sold separately. So, regardless of what the disc says, you only get seven effects on each disc. If you want the full boat, the advertised, titled 14 tricks, you'll need to cough up $60 and get both of them.

There's also a claim that these routines are "aimed at the beginner and the professional". I'll let the material speak for itself. Here's the first volume:

"Four Thought" is a "cutting the Aces" routine that begins with a spectator cutting the deck into four piles, giving three to three other spectators and keeping one for themselves. Next, and one at a time, they put three cards on the bottom of their packet and deal off the next three cards, one to each other spectator. The end result? All four spectators turn over the top cards of their packets to reveal they all arrived at the four Aces. You know this one (I wish I could remember where I learned it from), just maybe haven't thought about it in a while.

"Compatibility Test" is the classic two-deck "Do As I Do" in method and presentation. Dowden claims a new presentation for it which, unfortunately, it isn't (Anthony Hopkins and Ann-Margaret come to mind), but it's still the powerhouse it always is.

"Listen Ear" is "Lazy Man's Card Trick". Nothing new here except for the method of revelation ("hearing" where the card is in a riffled deck rather than the original presentation of having it rise in the deck to a certain location). See "Close-Up Card Magic" by Harry Lorayne for this one.

"Magic Dave's Psychic Hotline" is a presentation for the cross-cut force where a "psychic" reveals the selected card over the phone. Been there, done that. Nothing really new or interesting here.

"Ultimate Phone Prediction" is "Lazy Man's Card Trick" again, this time with a phone presentation thrown in. John Scarne comes into play here to a slight extent ("Scarne on Cards").

"Urban Princess" is a neat working for the classic but Dowden's claim to take the trick "off the internet" and "make it real world" falls flat; that's been done before and certainly not from off the net. Basic, "old-tech", with the cards going behind the back for no apparent reason. Not much to be thrilled with here.

"Ripped" is "Will the Cards Match?" done with cards torn in half. Need I say more?

And now for volume 2:

"Poker Puzzle" is, at last, a nifty idea. It uses the "Count-Again Force" (don't worry much about the name; you likely know it regardless of what it's called) to end with a face-up card locating the "selected" card and producing a royal flush for a kicker.

"Sole Survivor" is another routine using the "Count-Again Force", this time with the card ending up in the performer's shoe or other "impossible location". This one violates the "self-working" advertising; you use a sleight to effect the vanish. It's still good enough to pull off if you really want to without resorting to palming or gaffs or the like.

"Ultimate Free Drink Trick" is... well, I don't know for sure whose it is. Sorry 'bout that. In this one, the spectator picks a card, it's lost in the deck and you make a bet that you can find their card. You begin dealing the cards face up and they notice you've actually gone past their card. Making a larger bet that the next card you turn over will be their card, you got back through the cards you've already dealt and turn over their card (wink wink nudge nudge). An oldie and a goodie.

"Taking A Back Seat" uses "instant stooging" (through a reverse fan) to allow one spectator to read another's mind. Another old, well-known chestnut that is a good one.

"Ahead of the Game" is another old one, this time having two spectators pull out cards the performer names from a shuffled deck while the performer does the same. Look at the title of this one, think for a second, and you know how this one goes. "Freaky" is essentially the same effect, just depending on a rare stroke of luck to pull off a bigger effect.

"Out of This World"... Do I need to even describe how great this one is? In the version Dowden teaches, you begin with a shuffled deck and perform the routine with half the pack, hand-picking the cards at the beginning, and you switch leaders in mid-stream; it's a credible version of Curry's classic.

"Match.com" is a two-card mating piece, with two spectators selecting cards, putting them back into the deck, and finding they now sit next to their mates. I could have sworn this was in one of the Fulves' "Self-Working Card Magic" books, but I couldn't find it. I do know it's common enough it's probably in a lot of beginner books.

Now, if you noticed, Dowden doesn't bring a lot to the table here. The presentations are fairly common in most cases. There are sparks of creativity scattered here and there, but they are scarce. I'd like to have seen him do more with these pieces that merely going to a straight narrative or just going with what comes naturally (meaning "the first thing that pops into his head").

And with that we get the answer to the magical question, "Are these discs right for me?"

If my throwing trick titles and method names around left you in a quandary, had you scratching your head, or even mumbling that you have no clue what I'm talking about, then, yes, conceivably, you could learn from these discs. The material, for the most part, consists of almost legendary, if not truly legendary, stuff. Do I think you'd be better off taking the money and investing in a few good books of self-working card magic with much, much more material than these fourteen tricks? Yes, I do. But if you really and truly wanted to learn some self-working card magic, then the material here will suit you.

But if you're already immersed in card magic, certainly to the point where I didn't throw you by mentioning some of these routines by name, then pass this one by. You're not really going to learn much with this one.

"1 Deck 14 Tricks 24 Hours Volumes 1 and 2" DVDs by Matthew J. Dowden
In a Blink: 5 Out of 10

Material: 3
The material is, for the most part, tried-and-true self-working classics; you'll learn little else from these discs. There are a few original ideas when it comes to presentation and working, but they are minor. All in all, you're getting a re-hash of existing material and not much else.

Practicality: 10
While some routines require an extra something (quite common and easy to get) and others will require a little assistance from a friend, by and large the material is really quite practical in all regards.

Quality of Production: 1
This one goes down quick with faulty navigation (one menu item doesn't match with the correct effect) and some camera work that becomes too annoying too quickly. The last thing I want is a half-profile shot of someone that's supposed to be instructing me. Then there's the (extremely lacking) crediting for the material which is never given in the instructions but only as a scroller under the "Credits" menu option. Put the credit where the credit belongs: with the material you're using.

Quality of Instruction: 10
Dowden does a brilliant job of teaching the material. He covers everything he can think of to teach and that ends up being quite a lot. Big thumbs-up here because it's rare I actually enjoy someone's teaching. I did with Dowden.

Presentation: 5
Dowden's presentations are okay, but decidedly lackluster. I get the feeling Dowden is better than what too many of these presentations show; I'd like to see him really go to town with these things. As it is, you get a definite feeling of "same old same old" and "deja vu", all at once.


Shane

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