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Magic
Unlimited!
Presents
POKER
in the face!
A
BRAND NEW SHOW FROM THE AUSTRALIAN CHAMPION OF CLOSE UP MAGIC
"The art of
poker is not in your hand, but on your face."
‘FISM World Championship of Magic’ Silver Medal winner, Tim
Ellis, delivers a virtuoso display of sleight-of-hand, bluffing,
psychology, manipulation and outright lying in this hilarious
show that asks "Are the secrets of poker the secrets of
life?"
Join the audience of only 25 people seated around Tim’s poker
table to witness astonishing feats of the card sharp right
before your very eyes.
Is
it possible to con a con man? What chance does a fish stand
against a maniac? Should you take Siegfried & Roy or Dolly
Parton?
Shuffle up and
deal!
IF GREEN felt and
high-suited hole
cards arouse you,
you simply must buy
into this comic
sit'n'go. If the
previous sentence
made nothing like
sense, then you're a
poker naif. So, I'm
going to look for
you the next time
I'm in the Vegas
Lounge, take all
your money and shout
you a ticket to this
show with the
spoils. Oh yeah.
Mama needs a new
pair of shoes.
Poker nerds, such
as your mildly
desperate reviewer,
will love this
performance. Sitting
at a card table,
magician Tim Ellis
deals out some
tremendous tricks.
As he does the
impossible, he
recounts stories of
poker's true heroes.
Doyle Brunson, Poker
Alice and Wild Bill
Hickok shoot and
play their way
through a lively
narrative told with
the deference of a
true poker buff.
Ellis is witty,
truly engaged and
magical.
Cards, as any
ardent player will
tell you, are about
wonder and respect.
Ellis demonstrates
both.
Why he endowed
his sweet, G-rated
show with such a
vile name,
therefore, remains a
mystery. This is a
must-do for card
sharps and those
with an interest in
sleight-of-hand.
- Helen Razer
"A
must for poker
fans and magic
fans alike"
(Review from
Pretend Paper)
After some minor
confusion about
a ticket I was
seated at the
poker table for
Poker in the
Face. The show
began by Tim
Ellis talking
about the
history of poker
and card
dealing. He was
talking about
methods used by
cheats to deal
themselves good
cards, then he
pretended to
stuff up but
dealt himself
four aces and
the other four
people at the
table a king
each. Dealing
these cards from
the centre of
the pack is no
easy feat. I
really liked his
enthusiastic
story telling
style when he
was talking
about the Old
West poker
players from
Deadwood, Wild
Bill Hickok and
the hard as
nails Poker
Alice. Stories
about men
pulling guns on
other players
and winning the
pot with a full
house that only
had a pair.
Whilst he was
telling these
stories he was
doing tricks.
His slight of
hand tricks were
unbelievable. He
would perform
them really
slowly but I
still had no
idea what he was
doing. Then he
did a trick
where he would
get us to deal
him cards, but
somehow always
end up with a
winning hand.
Being seated a
poker table with
him as the
dealer made the
show unique and
you could see
his tricks up
close. I think
he is a great
magician who
knows a thing or
two about poker.
I bought his DVD
to learn some
gags, some were
good, some were
a bit lame. But
the best part
was watching his
soda can
resurrection
trick. He
doesn't do this
in this show but
the magic he
does do is
pretty damn
good. Poker in
the Face is a
must for poker
fans and magic
fans alike, and
maybe fun for
those who
aren't.
- Daniel
Jones
"He can read your innermost thoughts..." (Review from The Age Comedy Festival Blog)When I think of magic shows I think of cheesy David Copperfield TV performances that the networks schedule during non-ratings period. So while being a little skeptical before arriving for Tim Ellis' show at the Trick or Treat Magic Shop in Ivanhoe, the poker nerd in me was keen to see what he was capable of.
45 minutes later I couldn't believe how this man managed to fool us with his crazy bluffing and sleight of hand antics. Seated round a poker table the performance was incredibly intimate - Tim is a very charismatic and enthusiastic individual and it feels like he can read your innermost thoughts when he addresses you.
All the tricks were rock solid. Even after explained how a dealing cheat tactic worked I still could not pick up his sleight of hand from 30 centimetres away.
Another highlight was chatting to another Tim (owner of Trick or Treat Magic Shop) after the show and watching him perform a variety of excellent tricks with a deck of cards and other toys. I wish I was a kid again so I could go to one of his birthday party magic shows!
Two very likeable guys and the show is highly recommended, even for those of you who despise David Copperfield!
- Andy
"This is one of the most
unique..."
(Review from
The Age Comedy Festival Blog)
Each year, the comedy festival
features a magician or two.
Often, these performers are
included solely because there
isn't a Melbourne International
Magicians Festival. However, in
the case of Tim Ellis' Poker in
the Face, they have the added
bonus of being funny as well.
Ellis is better known as a
magician. The last time I saw
him perform he was bounding
across a stage in front of 500
people floating his wife, Sue
Ann Webster. This time, Ellis is
turning his talents to poker,
performing solo in a comedy show
designed for an intimate
audience. I was curious to see
how a larger-than-life character
like Ellis would fare when faced
with being able to see the
whites of his audience's eyes.
In what would be described as
'sit down comedy', Ellis takes
his place as the dealer behind a
poker table, with his audience
seated around the table on
chairs and stools. Throughout
the 45 minutes, Ellis brings to
life the history of poker, its
colourful characters and classic
stories. At the same time, he
uses sleight of hand to perform
some amazing cheating and magic.
A rubbish hand turns into a
royal flush, poker chips swap
places with one another and at
one point, the cards even turn
themselves over.
It would be easy for a show
of this nature to very quickly
become boring. Watching a guy
playing imaginary card games
with himself would strike few
people as interesting. However,
with Ellis' flair for the
dramatic, the show moves from
high tension to laugh-out comedy
to thoughtful introspection at
breakneck speed. As a magician,
he does not feel the need to
fill every last second with gags
and bits, instead letting the
humour grow organically. This is
one of the most unique,
entertaining and intriguing
magic shows, comedy shows and
heck shows I have ever seen!
Just be careful if you sit in
the front row. This show relies
on heavy audience participation
and you may end up losing money
in the shows finale!
- Nicholas J Johnson
"I loved it!"
(Review from
The Age Comedy Festival Blog)
'Poker in the face', the new
show by Melbourne magician Tim
Ellis, is an entertaining
mixture of gambling
demonstrations, card tricks and
fascinating stories about some
of the legendary gamblers from
the days of the Wild West.
There's even some magic with
poker chips thrown in for good
measure. Tim's technique is
flawless and his story telling
ability riveting.
There are demonstrations of
false dealing, selected cards
are discovered in amazing ways
and in impossible places, and
Tim demonstrates time and time
again that you simply can't beat
him at a hand of poker, even
when he lets YOU choose ALL the
cards. It's a superb mix of
psychology, sleight-of-hand and
gambling stories which is highly
recommended for anyone
interested in learning something
about the nefarious world of
gamblers and their devious
methods. Very entertaining,
humourous and enjoyable. I loved
it.
- David Jones
"A solid investment of
your entertainment dollar"
(Review from
The Age Comedy Festival Blog)
Even an hour's drive across
town, through peak-hour traffic,
didn't spoil the show for our
group in Thursday night's
audience of budding magicians
and poker enthusiasts.
For 45 minutes, Tim Ellis
bamboozled us with a combination
of sleight of hand and seemingly
effortless poker play. We
relived some "magic" moments in
the history of the game, with
audience participants agog as
the impossible happened before
our eyes!
The intimate venue ensured
everyone was caught up in the
moment. And Tim left us in no
doubt that a magician may be
fascinating to watch but not
someone you want as a poker
opponent. "Poker in the face" is
no gamble though - it's a solid
investment of your entertainment
dollar.
- Deb Candy
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