talkmagic.co.uk

Hello all,

I know for most of you this is the easiest thing in the world. But i certainly have been finding this hard to get the accuracy and speed required to start even thinking about doing injogs and runs.

I thought i'd post this just incase anyone else was having trouble. I found spending a little time using what feel like double bonded cards (someone more experienced might know the proper term) helped alot. Just practising the shuffle at a relatively slow pace made returning to a more standard light weight deck a breeze. I'm now shuffling fairly fast after only a day and performing the subtler movements with alot more ease.

Maybe its just me being stupidly un-dextrous but i thought maybe it might help someone else to know this worked for me.

just practice, practice, and even more practice worked for me

everytime im sitting around watching tv, im shuffling, im controlling cards, injogging, running singles, constantly, for hours on end. before too long you forget youre shuffling, the realise after 10 or 15 minutes, without even thinking, youve still got your top card at the top.

make sure you're doing it properly though, as it's laid out in royal road, it'll seem difficult at first, but quite quickly will start to feel normal

I found the overhand shuffle quite easy to get to grips with as I have a background of cards, my Grandfather once being an avid gambler, now a card shark, so I've had years of practice with the overhand shuffle (not as a control mind). I find that you don't need it to be fast, as long as it's a steady pace, but as above just practice everywhere you can. I went shopping with the lady friend today , but instead of being bored out of my mind, I practiced my coin palming.

forget the coin I would be palming your lady friend !

FRK wrote:forget the coin I would be palming your lady friend !

I think she was too engrossed in her shopping, anyways I hardly think that is helpful information to Tigerslayer FRK.

exactly as Schwen said it: practice while your watching TV (or even reading your favourite forums). I practice when I'm waking up infront of the TV in the morning. Keep the four aces on top whilst Dermot and Sian are giving the latest update on who's taken who hostage then run them to the bottom and keep them there whilst Declan Curry tells us how badly the high street stores are doing and how much banks are charging us for giving them our money . By the time Chris Hollins is having a go at whatever sport is in season (of which England are no doubt c*** (not very good) at) I'm doing a few false riffle shuffles.

Beats doing situps and talking to the missus.

(had to add the wink on at the end then as she walked into the room, she's gone again now though)

great thanks for the tips guys, certainly the grip is easier now, i actually pick the cards up like that almost naturally. I was at work today and through all the quiet periods i was practicing but this is only day 2 so far and im pleased that there is progress. I've never really handled cards or anything that requires very slight and thoughtless movements so i feel like im starting from beyond scratch hehe

I remember first getting RRTCM and thinking "Damn, this is alot of pages for something as simple as the shuffle everyone knows..."

The thing is, it's hard!
I remember being terribly frustrated shuffling, becuase i'd drop the cards into my left hands, and as i was moving my right hands, cards kept falling off, making a long chain of cards up to my right hand, and it was terribly sloppy looking. it takes a good 2-3 hours doing it to get it nice and neat-

Just remember, in magic, the simplest things are actually huge deals. The overhand shuffle is a prime example of this. The simplest thing is the longest chapter in the book..


...and make sure you can do a Hindu shuffle if you ever want to use a stripper deck.

-Kent

Some general tips I find handy (awful pun not intended) in terms of the actual mechanics of the shuffle are:

- Don't think of the shuffle as dragging the cards off the deck with the left thumb so much as just using the thumb to support each packet as it slides off the deck. Of course you do put a little bit of pressure on each packet but if you think of it in the way described above it'll stop you from being heavy-thumbed during the shuffle.

- Use your left index finger and pinky finger to hold the packets square together as neatly as possible; this will prevent most instances of the cards falling out of your hand.

- Make sure the deck comes fully away (at least a good inch or so) from your left hand after dealing one packet; this, combined with the right amount of thumb-age will stop you from taking any cards from the bottom or middle of the deck by mistake (not necessarily a bad thing but it can be a liability when controlling cards or just stopping cards from falling on the floor).

- Unless you also play card games with your mates and want to look quite suave at the table don't worry about making your shuffles too neat; if it looks a bit disorganised then to the spectators it can seem less likely that you're manipulating the cards; though be careful to find the line between a casual disorganised shuffle and seemingly oafish clumsiness; not only can it compromise the success of your controls it can make you look like a buffoon rather than a mysterious and dramatic magician (even deliberately clumsy card magicians like Lennart Green opt for elegant chaos rather than pure clowning). Of course only do this if it's fitting with your character; if you're a coat tails and bow tie parlour magician then you will probably want to work hard on making all your shuffles and flourishes as elegant as possible (though be wary of over-using flourishes in your act; as elegant and impressive as they can be they tend to be received better with friends at a card game than by spectators in your act who, after all, paid to see magic not showboating) and should at least have a neat in-the-air riffle shuffle and bridge flourish in your repertoire. But whichever way you do it don't underestimate the pros of considering how you present your shuffles and the effect it can have on spectators.

Phew! that was a heck of a tract, didn't anticipate rambling that long! As ever; take from it what works for you, discard what doesn't and practice, practice, practice!

I've worked very hard on keeping my overhand shuffle looking as messed up as possible as it makes doing an injog really easy! I keep all the cards before the injog relatively neat together and all the cards after the injog as spread as and messed up as possible so it's really easy to find your injogged card by touch alone but doesn't look too suspicious as from the specs point of view it all just looks like an untidy mess. It also means that it gives me an extra excuse to take the before in-jogged cards and put them on top of the pack as part of 'tidying up' the mess I've just made.

the overhand shuffle is probably the most useful card control for beginners as it's the least suspicious method for shuffling cards. If you do a riffle shuffle, you immediately stand out as someone who knows how to mess about with cards and people will become suspicious over everything you do. Nobody will ever suspect you if you do an overhand shuffle providing you've practice enough so that your controls look the same as your normal shuffle and you don't stare at your hands as you do it.

It also has the benefit that it's not as noisy as a riffle shuffle so you can practise it for hours on end in front of the tv without massivly getting on the nerves of anyone else in the room!

I could never get on with injogs. I use the overhand lift shuffle, which is basically the Hindu Shuffle controls used sideways. You can find details in RRCTM and Hugard's Modern Magic Manual (yet another plug for that book).

Barry

These might sound stupid. But I am just starting the overhand shuffle. I know other stuff and practice cards regularly.

By only problem is this, in the RRTCM it says hold the deck in your left and shuffle using your right. However I find it more comfortable to hold Thr deck in my right and shuffle with the left.

Should I practice the way it says in the book? Or continue with what is most comfortable.

Appreciate the help guys.

Richard

Personally I'd practice what's in the book for a period, but if you eventually find another way of performing the shuffle that works just as well but is more comfortable to you then do that.

We are all built differently, I could not perform a thumb card fan despite hours (and hours and hours) of practice, however I can perform it with the forefinger and middle finger as the fanning finger(s). It immediately clicked when I did that, so I do it that way.

I would practice with the hand you find easiest and most natural. You need to remember to swap things around when using other sleights. I would never suggest a left handed person having to perform or practice right handed. do what feels right and what has been said many times before.... practice, practice and practice.

Whatever is more natural feeling to you. Somethings I can't do right handed and vice versa so I just do it with the other hand. Half the battle with magic is feeling comfortable.

Raz