"The more I study card magic and mentalism, the more impressed I am with John Bannon. His "lean and mean" style of construction and execution inspires me. His routines are hard hitting and fun to perform." -Jeff McBride, Las Vegas Headliner

"John Bannon is known for his refined card work and excellent book-length collections of magic. A master of eliminating moves to maximize impact, he is the creator of some of card magic's neo-classics." -Jared Kopf, MAGIC Magazine

"Slick. Cool. Superb on all levels. Beyond the exceptional caliber of the effects is John’s brilliant thinking behind it all." -John Guastaferro

"You know, as I get older, my ability to impress an audience with brute sleight of hand, wanes ever so slightly with each passing day; and the thought of that inevitable day when my decline will be glaringly obvious to even the uninitiated is a source of gnawing depression. But then I remember the Bannon stuff, and I get a warm happy feeling. Thanks to John's material, not only will they think I'm still good, they might even think I'm getting better!! Sooner or later, everyone does Bannon." -Jack Carpenter

What will he teach?

John Bannon teaches a fantastic and practically self-working professional caliber card act that is as easy to do as it is baffling. The act goes from a borrowed shuffled deck to a four ace and royal flush production that is within the grasp of nearly every card handler. Only a few sleights are required to perform this fabulous act.

Line of Sight
Line of Sight is a very direct display of the performer knowing the exact card a spectator selects. Neatly packaged with an engaging presentation this opener stuns audiences with its directness.

Directed Verdict
A spectator freely cuts small packets of cards only to find the aces on the top of each packet.

Twisting the Aces
John’s handling of the classic twisting the aces not only teaches magicians the correct way to do this effect, but also includes a presentation that makes sense! In John’s handling the spectators can choose if the final ace turns face up or face down, and then a kicker ending in which the aces turn all face up and all face down in a very clean and simple fashion.

Secrets & Mysteries Of The 4 Aces
The four aces are fairly lost in the deck. The aces are produced from the deck in a variety of engaging ways inside of an engaging story of a poker game. Once all four aces are produced the magician reveals that not only have they produced the aces, but also a royal flush in spades.

Who is he?

John has been screwing around with playing cards for over forty years. He thinks he knows what he’s talking about. And, he still has a few tricks up his sleeve. While John's magic has an international presence, his personal appearances are limited. We are very pleased that he was available for this very special lecture.

John's first major books, Impossibilia (1990) and Smoke & Mirrors (1992), were smash hits. His packet trick, Twisted Sisters (1993), continues to be one of the bestselling tricks of all time. John has lectured throughout the United States, Europe and Japan—achieving a truly international reputation. 
His book, Dear Mr. Fantasy (2005) is widely hailed as one of the best magic books of the last decade. Currently, his collections High Caliber (2013), and Destination Zero (2015), quickly sold out. His recent project, Mentalissimo, is getting the same enthusiastic reception.

In 2009, John teamed up with the stylish production company, Big Blind Media, to make Bullets After Dark, and in 2011, Bullet Party, both collections of card magic. In 2014, the best-selling collection, Fractalicious and the innovative Sizzle. Recently, they completed the epic, four volume project, Move Zero, on John’s self-working card magic.

In 2017, he began his cutting edge bi-monthly column, "Dealing With It," in Genii Magazine.

Where can you see the greatest creators and performers share their professional magic act in front of a live audience and then teach you to do it? Only Penguin LIVE: ACTS!

The world's best magicians spend years developing the perfect act. Magic fans almost never get a chance to learn the real secrets behind what makes the top pros act so amazing. Until now. Penguin Live Acts gives you exclusive access to the biggest names in the industry, as they share how to perform their powerful A-material.

First you'll get to watch the show, performed for a real audience, from start to finish. Then you'll go behind the scenes to learn about the routines, and the real secrets about building an act that can take decades to learn.

Many of the ideas shared have been held back for years, and you can only learn it at Penguin LIVE: ACTS!