"Fast Company" DVD by Damian Nieman
Suggested Retail USD$80.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

"Fast Company", a 2-disc set by Damian Nieman, is an absolute dream for advanced card workers looking for some extra power to the sleights they know or learning sleights they are having trouble tracking down, all well-taught and presented in as excellent a manner as you can ask for.

I'll cut to the chase early with this one: Nieman is graceful, elegant, and mechanically perfect in his card work. Nieman is one those people you know -- just know -- lays awake at night wondering if holding the pinkie 1/16th of an inch lower would make a bottom deal easier and more deceptive. Everything he does shows an incredible level of attention to detail and his manner, so light and yet so expert, is exactly what a card worker should aspire to.

Yeah, Nieman's got a fan in me. Never heard of the guy before and now I love his work. Ain't magic grand?

But Nieman's work brings out that kind of reaction. He's just that good. Advanced card workers can do far worse and little better than learning from him.

Okay, that's twice I said "advanced card workers". Folks, when I say that as it pertains to "Fast Company", it's what we could call "fair warning." Nieman is a wonderful teacher, alternating thoroughness and brevity as the material demands, but the material is way beyond the simpler sleights.

The first disc really tells the tale as to whether this material is in your ballpark or not. Titled "Tools of the Trade", these are the sleights that form the core of Nieman's work. Here are the card controls, the false shuffles, the palms, the cops, the strike seconds and squeeze off bottoms. If things like tabled faros and Zarrows and the Miller shift don't intimidate you, then this set is made for you and you should get it. Now.

But if you haven't started learning things like shifts and passes and strip-out shuffles yet, this is going to be above your head right now. As good as Nieman is as an instructor, you're going to find yourself puzzled way too many times and frustrated more than once. I think Nieman himself would tell you to pass on "Fast Company" until you get yourself a little more immersed in card work.

For the advanced worker, though, this is one set that will have you going back and forth between shaking your head in disbelief and smacking your skull because you didn't know something before this. Let's get to the material and you'll see what I mean.

So, the first disc, "Tools of the Trade"... It begins with Nieman giving a quick intro and a shot of him at the Magic Castle. From there, Nieman gives two short segments on how to shuffle the cards (don't laugh; this is actually a very important aspect to card work that is seldom addressed) and what Nieman refers to as "The Attitude", meaning looking confident with the cards. The ideas in these two segments are apparent in everything that follows, a testament to Nieman's approach. From there, we get to the stuff we've been waiting for: the mechanics. Nieman builds logically here, starting with a simple method for retaining a top and bottom stock, then progressing to the "gambler's cut", a beautiful running strip-drop cut that I fell in love with. Next, Nieman goes into a method for stripping a deck and using the strip as a card control, with two methods of using the strip as a false shuffle (okay, that got me -- it looks great in Nieman's hands). Nieman then moves over to the Vernon false cut and gives his thoughts there which make this as smooth an deceptive as you could ever ask for.

From there, we're in solid "false shuffle" territory, with Nieman presenting the strip-out center shuffle, a table cascade, the push-through, a really slick one called "strip out", the Zarrow, and a gorgeous "in the hands" shuffle. Next -- and you knew this was coming -- Nieman takes on the faro, with instruction on the tabled faro, a false "in the hands" faro, and a faro stack shuffle. This is phenomenal stuff and, even if you're so good you do a faro just for fun, the info here will have you intrigued.

Next up is the neat stuff: the deals. Nieman begins with the strike second and the push-off deal, then throws in a number of variations and techniques for making the second work so well. After the seconds come the bottoms, with Nieman teaching the strike bottom, the take and turn, the stud bottom, and the rarely seen squeeze-out (the real gem here). As with the seconds, Nieman teaches a ton of tips and variants on the bottom deal to wring everything possible out of the sleight.

After the bottom deal, Nieman moves into palms and cops, beginning with topping (and a gorgeous way of chopping the deck -- that is, stealing from the top during a shuffle) and ending with the gambler's cop. I'll admit to almost skipping these (just because my own familiarity with them breeds contempt), but I'm glad I didn't; Nieman has some golden touches here.

All manners of shifts and hops come next and, for me, these pieces were worth the price of the discs all by themselves. From delayed cuts to covered shifts to the Miller shift and the Artanis, these are all extremely valuable, as hard to fine, sleights. Nieman then finishes up the disc with a lovely riffle cull that is jaw-dropping.

Whew. Okay, so that's a ton of material to wade though, but it gives you an idea of what you're getting into here and whether or not the material is suitable for you. If it is, then you'll love what comes next.

The second disc, "Legerdemain", features routines that make us of the tools Nieman laid out in the first disc. As with the first disc, the routines feature many variations and versions, using different sleights and methods to pull off these classic plots. More, some of the routines make use of sleights that are seldom seen and taught within the framework of the effect.

Just for the record, there are four different "ace-cutting" routines, from Nieman's take on "Scarne's Aces" to Marlo's "Estimation Aces". These are gorgeous cutting routines and look absolutely impossible. Nieman tackles "Triumph" next, with multiple versions based on various shuffles and handlings. After that, it's a look at a true gambling classic, the 3-Card Monte. This is an excellent look at the swindle with Nieman covering the moves and the subtleties that make this something to see. The disc closes with "Invisible Palm Aces/Open Travelers", the Jennings' classic. Nieman teaches this superbly, covering workings that he learned from Jennings and then his own modifications. An excellent job here, as with all the other routines on this disc.

So there you have it: "Fast Company" in a nutshell. Okay, so it's a nutshell the size of Kansas, but that's Nieman's fault: he's packed these discs with fantastic material that will win over all but the most jaded card worker.

Nieman also teaches his material brilliantly. He has a keen sense of his audience (that would be us, the folks buying this one) and their skill level and he adapts his instruction accordingly. Does he go into all the mechanics of the Zarrow? No, because if you bought this then you know the basics, so he spends a minute or two covering his touches and modifications to it. Does he skim over the bottom deals? Nope, he goes into detail to make sure that this seldom-used sleight is put within the viewer's grasp. The result is simply that you never feel bogged down with detail, that the info gets to you in the best way possible. I can't say enough about Nieman's role as teacher here so I'll just say he's excellent.

But then, so is "Fast Company". Nieman did a fantastic job here, to the point that, if you're a card worker and you want to learn some real work, this is one you have got to have.

"Fast Company" DVDs by Damian Nieman
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

Material: 10
This is a dream collection for the advanced card worker. Nieman's thoughts and variations on things like the Zarrow, the pass, and second are worth their weight in gold. Throw in Nieman's excellent effects using the old workhorses and this is one very special set.

Practicality: 10
All of this is card work and all it requires is -- you guessed it -- a deck of cards and a table.

Quality of Production: 10
The productions values here are stunning, with more camera angles than you can shake a box of Bikes at. Even the navigation is wonderful, with great clips representing the menu options. Huge thumbs up here.

Quality of Instruction: 10
Nieman does a superlative job of teaching his thoughts here. He's thorough when he needs to be and concise when it serves the viewer best. I can't say enough good things about his work here.

Presentation: 10
This is a bit of a fudge factor here, since the routines are here to demonstrate things to do with the moves Nieman teaches. However, they are brilliantly done and can be stunning.

Shane

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