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"As with many products on Ellusionist I know there are already a few reviews on this item. However I feel that this item deserves another positive review.
The package comes with everything you need to perform the trick (you supply the deck of cards of course). I had to work at one of the stores I managed last week during a small winter snowstorm. I decided to take ONLY the booklet provided since I knew that business would be nonexistent and I'd have all the time in the world to read it. Not only was I able to learn the routine with the booklet only - I didn't even have a deck of cards on hand (shame on me). Yet I did understand everything. There are so many pictures in this book (58 photos), there's just almost no chance of not understanding anything. I couldn't wait to get out of there and start practicing.
I practiced for about 4 days before I performed for anyone. I must say that you could perform this the same day, but why ruin something so beautiful with a choppy unpracticed performance. I performed for two associates and one of them was standing and looking over my shoulder. It felt great not having to worry about the angles. That's right... this is one of the least angle sensitive routines you'll perform. They can burn your hands all they want.
The reaction was priceless. When the guy behind me said "I was looking at your hands the whole time!", I couldn't have been prouder. This is now one of my favorite tricks to perform. My employees actually threw me a surprise birthday party this past Saturday in which I was asked to perform the Dream of Aces. Everyone was impressed.
The only person I ever practice in front of is my wife (so she's privy to some secrets) and she never figured out how I did any of it. By the way - you'll all fall in love and hopefully appreciate how easy this is to do. Gary Ouellet has made the handling so user friendly that you'll sit in amazement that something so beautiful is so simple. You should watch Brad's handling of a move...hhmmm I don't believe I can say the name of the move without exposure, but there is a move (you'll most likely know which one since there's only three moves!) that Brad does a MUCH better job on than on the DVD. I've adopted this handling as it seems much more natural to me.
To answer some questions that may arise. Yes quick prep is required. But its so quick and I have already figured out a way to 'get ready' in mere seconds although I have never performed this twice in a row yet. You don't end clean, but I think for anyone serious about magic and someone who respects and appreciates the art - ending clean shouldn't be such a worry. I know that ending clean can help lead to the next phase of performance, but I believe we should all put in the time and effort to take care of the next phase ourselves. A regular set of Bicycles is all you need - they supply the rest. Again, this is hardly angle sensitive.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this a 9.5... really!
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– David
 "I got Ninja 1 & 2 a couple of weeks back on the strength of the video clips I saw on the Ellusionist site. This is the same for the Dream Of Aces effect... when I saw the video of Brad performing the routine, I instantly knew that I had to learn the trick.
There is an initial set-up, but it's quick and easy to do. In fact, I have now dedicated a deck of Bicycles to the Dream Of Aces alone. I leave it ready to perform.
It comes with everything you need, a 40+ page booklet with detailed notes and photos throughout, and a DVD. The booklet is what teaches you the trick, the DVD is a performance DVD. Study the booklet well, it's pure gold.
I've got the trick learnt now, but I'm a long way from complete mastery. I have added a small move of my own, which I won't go into here.
The routine is very good, almost angle-proof, unless someone is watching closely from behind you. The sleights involved are all easy, and when used together in the routine, they all flow smoothly to the stunning revelation of the Aces at the end.
The price alone is worth the look of amazement my girlfriend had when I revealed the 4 Aces at the end. Get it now... it is a routine you can easily include in your performances for maximum effect!
Thanks for listening.
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– Mark
"I have to start by saying, this is one of the most amazing effects going, I watched Brad's demo once and I knew I had to learn how to do it and it definitely pays off, even if you can't perform it to music or in the ideal environment it is stunningly impossible and will leave your audience asking "how...how did you do that?"
That being said, as for the product. I personally prefer instructional material taught by video I think it makes it much easier to learn and to understand, however, this 42 page booklet adequately explains how to successfully carry out the trick. In spite of this though, I would recommend you watch the accompanying video to get an idea of how to perform the sleights.
In terms of difficulty, it is fairly easy as there are only really 3 moves that you have to worry about and you tend to be able to get away with them very easily, especially if you don't pay much attention to them.
I would recommend that you watch Brad do this trick a lot as I greatly prefer his handling to that of either Gary Ouellet or Alain Choquette. I found that Gary Ouellet's handling was actually quite rough and didn't seem very appealing, he seemed more fixated on how the cards looked on the table afterwards than the grace involved in manipulating and displaying the cards. Alain Choquette was better in this regard and has certainly choreographed his actions very well to the music he uses, but in spite of this I still prefer Brad's handling by far and would recommend you use it as a reference.
Overall I would say this is a trick that no one should go without, it isn't really something you do as a part of a routine in my mind, but it is great for an environment where you have a lot of spectators and offers a nice diversion from the typical "pick a card" tricks, it is beautiful and quite simply amazing to behold, a definite buy for anyone interested in card magic (unless you want all impromptu tricks that you can do in the middle of a street).
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– Drey
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