In the summer of 2002, three masters of Coin-Fu met at a secluded monastery (strangely resembling the site of the IBM convention) for the sole purpose of bashing their audiences senseless. Their weapon of choice? Coins.. . at close range.
In the wee hours of the morning, video cameras captured the most dramatic moments of what westerners call a \’session\’ and escaped alive with the only known footage of these bizarre and mysterious rituals.
From master Kam:

• Beijing Coins Across- Three silver coins shimmer into mirage-like existence, dance from hand to hand, then suddenly transform into ancient brass Chinese coins. They change singly back to silver, and visibly flash back to brass. This opening attack from Curtis Kam\’s formal parlor show is the showpiece for his signature \’Fingertip Wildcoin\’ sequence.
• Coercive Purse- Cited by Tommy Wonder for its construction, this routine uses psychological warfare to beat skeptics into submission. Imagine the copper/silver transposition warped through a purse frame, by way of a Jedi mind trick. The final stroke of oriental deviousness is the production of a coin larger than the purse frame, from the purse frame.
• The Goblet- Six coins transpose, transform and transport in, over, and around a stemmed metal goblet as Kam\’s pioneering techniques turn this under-used prop into a dangerous weapon. The Goblet allows the elements of Beijing Coins Across to be re-sequenced for greater killing efficiency.
• Tiananmen Square- For his final blow, Kam added a coin purse to Fingertip Wildcoin, punishing the audience with a standing handling of Roth\’s classic \’Purse and Glass\’ that goes way off the deep end, ending with 13 Chinese coins covering the tabletop in a dazzling display of mysterious metals.

East met West as two masters of the unusual stepped upto the mats. Kainoa Harbottle met Kam\’s attack with a production sequence not for the queasy – \’Repeat Coins from Nostril.\’ Stunningly grotesque, it uses parts of your face not normally involved in western presentations. He then staggered the others by tipping his groundbreaking work on the underground Mutobe Palm and an ingenious \’spider\’ application of the otherwise ludicrous \’over the top\’ vanish from Bobo\’s Modern Coin Magic.

Finally, from the exotic, mysterious land known only as \’Portland\’, came western master Reed McClintock, who delivered the deathblow by actually performing \’International Dissolve\’ from his aptly named manuscript series, \’Knucklebusters. To rub salt in the wounds of the disbelieving, he then explained how it was done, and made it seem easy. The ending to this routine will pummel you, so be prepared to defend yourself

Palms of Steel 4: Cashablanca by Curtis Kam – DVD

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From all over the world, coin tricks come to Cashablanca fleeing the Gaffed Coin Gestapo and the tyranny of the EZ to Master race. Here, they struggle to become pure sleight-of-hand Magic; earning their passage to audiences in the free world. Hidden away from the distractions of a phony studio audience, Curtis Kam performs and explains the tricks that have earned their letters of transit:

Ilsa\’s Appearance

The audience is teased into watching you pull invisible coins from the air, and spread them into a fan. Just when they\’re convinced that your hands are empty and you\’re pulling their legs, BAM–three silver dollars pop into view.

Just when they\’re sure it\’ll never happen, the money appears, like the girl you left behind. This could be the beginning of a beautiful coin trick.

Cashablanca Coins Across

Follow Ilsa with the perfect working man\’s coins across–three ordinary coins, no risky moves. Do it standing, sleeveless, table-less, topless, for brooding loners or the whole German army. Features the latest in American edge grip technology, (but the angles are 100% practical) the revolutionary “In Closing” steal, and a new breed of retention pass that fools the mind, not the eye.

Three Coins Across, sweet and simple. Americans love simple things with money. Paris Hilton, for example. We\’ll always have Paris.

The Greatest ($3) Show on Earth

Three coins take the stage like clowns from a tiny car. The youngest tumbles and rolls; his brothers do a fingertip trapeze act. Put away in your pockets, they jump back to the stage then fly like human cannonballs, appearing under, on top of, and inside a coin purse. A full routine with all the action of a three-ring circus, daring new techniques, and a built-in storyline that can be either circus or Cirque, as you wish.

Play It Again, Kam (Another Hard Way) / Excellent Birds

Seven coins ooze out of your empty hands, into a nifty display position, no less. From there, you perform the classic “Flying Eagles” with an upgrade to the 21st century. A new take on a classic, with killer convincers and a Harbottle finish.

I\’m no good at being noble, but it doesn\’t take much to see that the problems of three little coins don\’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. But seven coins, now that gets my attention.

Triple Alliance 2.0

This advanced, enhanced handling of Triple Alliance (from Palms of Steel 3: Silverado) is the only Copper/Silver/Brass where the audience hears the first transpo, sees the second, feels the third, and then experiences the rare and elusive triple transposition. Brought to you through virtuoso routining and the simplest of gaffs, it\’s a visual, audible, tactile feast for the senses that stops short of total sensory immersion only because the coins all taste about the same.

BONUS: International Solid ThreeFly (Reed McClintock)

Three different coins fly from the fingertips of one hand to the other. That simply. No moves, no feints, no pauses, no dumb gags, no trips to the pockets, all visible, and when the last coin goes, you\’re clean. Reed figures that the only reason to use a gaff is if it produces an illusion this good. Why pay more for gaffed coins that do less?

If you don\’t get this video, you\’ll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life. Here\’s looking at you, kid.

WHAT THE PROS SAY:

I just finished watching “Palms of Steel 4”, I must say Curtis Kam has outdone himself. Coin magic for everyone…from the beginner to the advanced, geared for the table worker!

The production of this DVD has to be one of the finest I have ever seen…Spielberg would be proud! The graphics are quite entertaining as well…right down to the rolling credits.

BTW, Reed McClintock makes a guest appearance with a very nice coin effect (I won\’t say what it is as I don\’t want to spoil the surprise) I highly recommend this (as well as anything put out by the Magic Bakery) for anyone looking to advance their coin work! -Mike Gallo

“The Palms of Steel 4- Cashablanca DVD is very well done and has new and refreshing ideas for todays coin man. Great job Steve, Curtis and Reed!” – Dean Dill

“Palms of Steel 4 is great – Curtis is just awesome! Loved the out-takes as well” – Paul Green

Running Time Approximately 1hr 20min

Palms of Steel 5: Pirates of the Rising Tide by Curtis Kam and The Magic Bakery – DVD

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Curtis Kam\’s Palms of Steel 5: Pirates of the Rising Tide

Firing a shot across the bow of conventional coin magic, Curtis “Captain Morgan” Kamleads a crew of cutthroat coin effects in a broadside attack on the overworked classics. Join him as he rides the tide of bold new magic that shows no mercy and takes no prisoners. Coins Through the Table, Flurry, Hanging Coins, Copper/Silver Transpo, Coins Across-prepare to be boarded!

Laser Coins: Three coins vanish as they become suspended in a beam of light. When the light\’s turned off, they fall from the sky. Finally, a new and compelling effect in coin magic. The edge grip technology used here is twenty years beyond what you\’re doing now. Plus there\’s a moment where you actually show the coins to the audience, but they just can\’t see them. That will make you smile, which is good, because the rest of the moves will make you cry. Man up to the miracle, lads.

Standing Coins Thru Table: A swashbuckler\’s handling that allows you to pull up broadside to a table and push three coins right through it. No gaffs, no wax, no extras, no counting or fooling around. Each penetration is better than the last and everything builds to a surprise ending.

Copper/Silver Flurry: Only a pirate would cross the Flurry, the classic one-coin routine from Davey Roth\’s locker, with the copper/silver transposition. Now, instead of ending the Flurry like everyone else, you can end with a memorable miracle in the spectator\’s hands.

Table Hopper\’s Jumbo: Straight from the Captain\’s working repertoire, a lesson in how and when to produce a jumbo coin, and more importantly, what to do with it once you have.

Table Hopper\’s Trio: Mindless repetition walks the plank in this, the first routine to embrace the pirate\’s love of anarchy. Free your coins from the tyranny of having to all do the same thing.

BONUS: International Silk & Silver (Reed McClintock) Who says pirates can\’t be givers? A ruthless revision of Dai Vernon\’s classic, and it\’s yours just because we like the cut of your jib.

Running Time Approximately: 1 hr 21 min