Quick Answer
If you are new to card magic and want the most instruction for the least money, start with andthensome. Its 2.5+ hours and 50+ creations give you a broad foundation in sleights, cardistry, and routines. If you prefer a written reference you can revisit slowly, choose Card Men. If you already perform and want material from Dan and Dave's early lecture years, twothousandten is the focused pick.
Match the Format to How You Actually Practice
Video instruction lets you see timing, angles, and hand position in motion. That matters most when you are learning a sleight for the first time. andthensome uses multiple camera angles and slow-motion breakdowns, which shortens the trial-and-error phase. A book or written collection, by contrast, forces you to reconstruct the mechanics yourself. That is slower at the start but builds deeper understanding of why a move works. Card Men is that kind of resource: a collection of sleights, routines, and ideas rather than a step-by-step beginner course. Neither format is universally better. The practical rule is simple: if you cannot yet perform a move cleanly, choose video first. If you can already perform the move and want to understand its variations, choose written material.
Budget Rules That Actually Hold Up
Price should not be the only filter, but it is a useful tiebreaker when two resources cover similar ground. At the lower end, andthensome and twothousandten both sit under five dollars in the current catalog. That makes them low-risk entry points. Card Men is a mid-priced written collection. Coffee with Dan and Dave is a different category entirely: it is printed artwork on archival cotton paper, not instruction. If your goal is learning card magic at home, do not spend your instruction budget on decorative apparatus. Buy the instructional resource first, then consider artwork later.
Coffee with Dan and Dave
How to Sequence Two Resources Without Overlapping
A common mistake is buying three beginner resources at once and finishing none of them. A better sequence is one broad video plus one written collection. Use the video to learn the mechanics of individual moves. Use the written collection to study how those moves combine into routines. For example, pair andthensome with Card Men: the video gives you the physical vocabulary, and the book gives you the compositional ideas. twothousandten works best as a third purchase, after you already have a working repertoire and want lecture-style material.
Decision Rules for Choosing Your First Resource
- If you have never performed a card sleight: Start with andthensome. The slow-motion breakdowns and multiple angles reduce the guesswork of learning from text alone. Buy video before books when mechanics are still unfamiliar.
- If you learn best by reading and re-reading: Choose Card Men. It is a written collection of sleights, routines, and ideas that rewards repeated study rather than a single viewing. Written collections suit slow, deliberate practice.
- If you already perform and want tour material: Choose twothousandten. It captures the essential ideas from Dan and Dave's 2010 European Lecture Tour in one DVD. Lecture DVDs assume existing fundamentals.
- If your budget is under ten dollars: andthensome and twothousandten are both priced under five dollars in the current catalog, making them low-risk first purchases. Low price does not mean low content; check hours and scope.
Catalog Facts That Affect Your Choice
- andthensome: andthensome offers more than 2.5 hours of instruction covering over fifty original creations in card magic, sleight of hand, and cardistry, including the GOAT Change, with multiple camera angles and slow-motion breakdowns. This is the strongest single-video starting point if you want broad coverage and visual breakdowns rather than a narrow focus on one move.
- Card Men: Card Men collects the sleights, routines, and ideas Dan and Dave were most excited about in 2014, with some material practical, some playful, and some exploring what is possible with a deck of cards. Choose this when you want a written reference to revisit and study, not a linear beginner course.
- twothousandten: twothousandten distills Dan and Dave's 2010 European Lecture Tour into a single instructional DVD, originally sold only on the tour. This is lecture-style material for performers who already have fundamentals and want the ideas shared on that tour.
Who Should Buy Which Resource
Best for
- Complete beginners who want to see sleights performed and broken down on video
- Self-taught learners who practice alone at home and need clear visual reference
- Performers looking for a broad set of routines and flourishes in one resource
Not for
- Buyers who want a structured, linear beginner course with a single defined path
- Collectors seeking decorative apparatus rather than instruction
- Advanced performers who already know the material covered in introductory videos
