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Hi been learning a lot of cuts/palms/sleights but Im having difficulty as I have pretty small hands. Can anyone suggest any of the above that are maybe better suited for people with smaller hands?

Thanks

Hi, are you using poker or bridge sized cards? You may find that the slightly smaller bridge cards will fit your hands better?


G

Just found a site that sells bridge size Bicycles so will probs buy them man cheers

I have the same problem. Tiny, tiny hands. I use only bridge-sized cards, and they're adequate. It's still not easy to do a natural-looking card palming, but it's much better than the poker-sized cards.

Malini's hands were so small, when he palmed a card, it would protrude from his finger tips.

Didn't seem to stop him.

Point being, misdirection is SO much more important than hand size.

When you palm a card, they should be looking nowhere near your hands.

I've only got small hands but find poker cards easier to work with that bridge sized ones. The smaller ones just seem too fiddley.

I can't totally conceal a card in the palm but have found that the angle of your hand will help to hide anything that's sticking out. Also misdirection is important, keep them from looking at your hands, they should be concentrating on somehting else.

screwystewie wrote:misdirection is SO much more important than hand size.

When you palm a card, they should be looking nowhere near your hands.

+1

Completely agree with all the comments on misdirection and such... however, in my opinion all that is mute without personal confidence. And if bumbling around with a pack of cards too big for your hands does not help deliver confidence, then I would suggest doing something about that! The theories behind misdirection are great, however I sometimes think there's a little practicality required too.

One option is to avoid palming until your confidence in misdirecting builds up. Once you grow to understand that you truly can get away with ridiculous moves (as long as you have engaged everyone and are pointing/staring at something innocent), you'll have less problem finding the courage to palm a card.

The same goes for using a TT, a m***** deck and a number of notoriously 'obvious' devices and sleights.

As with all sleight of hand it is best to practice on your audience when you don't really need the sleight. Classic force is the best example. If you use it when not needed it is great practice, and your confidence builds because you will be amazed at how many times it works.

As for palming, which is harder to practice when not needed because if you are caught, you are caught. However try a gamblers cop, why you ask? Because the idea is not to hide the card in the hand. It is an angle thing, (the angles are quite natural so no need to worry about them) the point is, what you are actually going to practice is the misdirection and you will begin to see (safely) you can do just about anything when the spectator is looking into your eyes and not the card. So you need to get the card away from the deck, look and speak to the spectator, when they look back 'gamblers cop' you will amaze yourself and then you will have the confidence to top palm a card and not even worry if it is completely hidden.

Another really great sleight to practice the above with is a top change. A) it is a wonderful tool and gives you a break from a DL, B) after you get past the nerves it is easier than the DL, C) it is another move that you perform when the spectator is not looking.

It is like merging into traffic, pick your spot and go!

Thanks for all the advice have bought a couple of different decks and the 1st vol of Daryl Encyclopedia so just going to see what suits.

I am another small handed person who never thought he would be able to palm or do something like The Erdnase Colour Change. But it comes, as has been said you don't need to completely cover the card, just make sure the spectators are looking somewhere else.

I do a card to wallet at the end of my ACR and it would seem so obvious that I am not only palming but also going to my pocket, but I have handed the deck over to a spectator to find the ambitious card and everyones eyes is on them.

The following is an except from an article about Max Malini:

"The fact that his hands were so small may have been a problem for others, but not for Malini. He devised tremendous misdirection methods, in his casual movements, and in his manner of speech, to hide the fact that something was hidden in his tiny hands. When he palmed a card, according to Charlie Miller (one of my dear friends in his later years - SD) the edges of the card could clearly be seen if you were looking. But he was so clever that nobody ever caught him."


Full article here: http://www.magicwebchannel.com/hall_malini.htm

I'd just like to say I have abnormally large hands and despite cards fitting in them more than adequately, I still had the same worries as are being expressed here. Just had to take the plunge and found that, as has been said allready, when I did it right, no one was looking at my hands anyway so size didn't matter in the slightest.

I too have small hands and although I can do a palm it does peak out abit but I find that knowing what type of people and keeping them distracted works wonders. I do find that I prefer the mercury fold over a full palm as it fits nicely into my palm, the downside is I waste alot of cards that way but seeing I have all my routines signed I give them away after with a signature for them.

I never was good at handling cards well but I get the job done and it also makes me as a mentalist look like a mentalist and not a card shark which has some perks I guess.