Master Billet Course Peeks & Center Tears by Allen Zingg - Vol. 1

If you want to use billets in your mentalism, Allen Zingg’s “Master Billet Course Peeks & Center Tears” offers a fantastic introduction that can get you well on your way. Billets are small slips of paper that audience members write information on. And with the techniques on this DVD, you’ll be able to determine what’s been written through a variety of diabolical and effective means.

Take a Gander

As the title implies, Zingg covers different peeks and center tears. He not only explains each technique in detail, he offers various routines that make use of the technique and rely on different themes and props. While all of the routines employ billets, they feature props as varied as crystal pendulums, exotic boxes and even speeding automobiles.

I like the way that Zingg provides a wide gamut of techniques that allows you to choose the one that will work best for you. Some of the techniques include: “Acidus Novus,” “Barrie's Double Billet,” “Billet of El Zorro,” “Barrie's Versatile Billet” and “Classic Center Tear.” Zingg also presents gimmicked objects that can be used to perform the peek.

The Subtleties

Beyond step-by-step technique, Zingg takes the time to talk about motivation and discusses lots of fine points that will have make you more effective with each technique and in your routines. There’s also a helpful conversation with Kenton Knepper who talks about motivation and other factors.

Zingg is a highly regarded creator and mentalist who has been published in numerous books and periodicals and has consulted for television shows. This valuable DVD is the first in a four-volume course on billets. If you want to learn to work with billets, “Master Billet Course Peeks & Center Tears” by Allen Zingg offers an excellent starting point.

-Wayne N. Kawamoto

MSRP: (US) $35

Dealers can purchase from Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc.