The Modern Conman Collection 2009

First Run Features

R1 DVD

Reviewer: by Bob Estreich

Do not, under any circumstances, play any card game at all against Todd Robbins. If he mentions “a little bet” plead death or insanity to avoid it. Although he calls himself a con man, Robbins is not in the class of say the Enron executives. As a card “mechanic”, though, he is without a doubt the best I have ever seen.

This 3-DVD set covers three main themes – cards, workplace pranks and bar bets (how to scam a free beer). The three areas have much in common. The card tricks themselves are relatively simple the way Robbins explains them, and they rely as much on human failings as they do on good cardsharking. This is part of their appeal – you could easily master a couple of tricks and go on to amaze your friends without the need to involve money. The tricks are often just good simple fun. There is also some useful information such as how to pick marked cards.

The bar bets DVD is similar to the cards one, with good tricks that are obvious once you know how they are set up. If you don’t know, then they are the sort of tricks that will leave your friends mystified. They will know there’s a trick there somewhere but it’s just hidden enough that they won’t be able to easily figure it out.

The workplace pranks DVD is a little more malicious and could lose you friends very quickly, as well as damaging some expensive office equipment. I liked this DVD the least since it could be humiliating to some victims. At least the tricks on the other two DVDs are done without malice and can be played as simple good fun.

Robbins’ patter is delivered fast during the presentation of the tricks but he slows down when explaining them and you will find it easy to pick up what he has done from the clear cinematography. It is amazing just how easy some tricks are when you see them in slow motion being explained by an expert.

I also like the little factoids presented throughout the DVDs on the history of the games and tricks, definitions and other little snippets that enrich the tricks.

All in all it’s an excellent presentation and I quite enjoyed it.

Reviews appear on the Synergy website with a single cover image. In the digital and print edition, reviews appear with multiple images and with expanded content. We recommend you download the free digital edition (or buy the print edition) to get the most from Synergy Magazine.

This review will appear in Volume 2 No.6 (2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

If you came to this page directly (and missed our menu), click here to go to the front page of Synergy Magazine Website or click the following link: http://www.synergy-magazine.com