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Not quite sure if this is allowed, but I'll try not to give too much away so I'm guessing it's okay... I think :S

Anyway, reading through Royal Road To Card Magic and still on the first chapter. I'm practicing the overhand shuffle as much as possible and in doing so came up with a trick of my own. I know it's probably not original in the slightest, but basically I control the spectators cad to the top of the deck, then would make an excuse for introducing another card into it ("okay, let's make this more difficult..."), riffle slowly through the cards, get the spectator to say stop, select that card, then place it on the top of the deck. Now the two chosen cards are next to one another at the top of the deck. Then I shuffle so I've got one card on the top and one on the bottom. Finally I givethe cards a very sharp sideways movement so the deck moves from one hand to the other, but leaving the two chosen cards in the hand.

Okay, that may not be the clearest explanation, but hopefull you get the idea. It's the last bit I'm struggling with. Is there a way of making that movement without it being obvious that the cards are top and bottom. I'm not sure if the surprise of the cards moving would outdo their postion, but obviosuly I know where the cards are coming from when practising, so I'm lookign for it. I don't know...Would this work as an illusion? And are there any decent ways of covering my tracks, as it were?

Also I though of perhaps combining this with some sort of 'mind reading', by getting a quick glimpse of the cards when they're at the bottom of the pack (individually, of course). I think that would work quite well, but I'm still at a pretty basic level so I don't have the experience to sense what will work/ what won't, so was looking for a spot of guidance.

Phew, that was rather long winded...

I suspect it's something you'll have to try out on people to see what reactions you get - they can be pretty hard to second guess. The move you describe is similar to one Peter Duffie uses for a collector trick, where the top and bottom cards are retained, along with the selection in the middle. This gets round the problem you're describing, but involves only one selection.

If you're bold, you could get the cards top and bottom, get the spectator to cut them and shuffle them overhand. You spread the deck face up to find that both cards are next to each other. Won't always work, though...

0cb187 wrote:Not quite sure if this is allowed, but I'll try not to give too much away so I'm guessing it's okay... I think :S

Anyway, reading through Royal Road To Card Magic and still on the first chapter. I'm practicing the overhand shuffle as much as possible and in doing so came up with a trick of my own. I know it's probably not original in the slightest, but basically I control the spectators cad to the top of the deck, then would make an excuse for introducing another card into it ("okay, let's make this more difficult..."), riffle slowly through the cards, get the spectator to say stop, select that card, then place it on the top of the deck. Now the two chosen cards are next to one another at the top of the deck. Then I shuffle so I've got one card on the top and one on the bottom. Finally I givethe cards a very sharp sideways movement so the deck moves from one hand to the other, but leaving the two chosen cards in the hand.

Okay, that may not be the clearest explanation, but hopefull you get the idea. It's the last bit I'm struggling with. Is there a way of making that movement without it being obvious that the cards are top and bottom. I'm not sure if the surprise of the cards moving would outdo their postion, but obviosuly I know where the cards are coming from when practising, so I'm lookign for it. I don't know...Would this work as an illusion? And are there any decent ways of covering my tracks, as it were?

Also I though of perhaps combining this with some sort of 'mind reading', by getting a quick glimpse of the cards when they're at the bottom of the pack (individually, of course). I think that would work quite well, but I'm still at a pretty basic level so I don't have the experience to sense what will work/ what won't, so was looking for a spot of guidance.

Phew, that was rather long winded...

It's brilliant you are thinking creatively after only chapter one of royal road. Hats off to you.

If you hold the cards in your hand and literally throw the deck in the air, retaining top and bottom card (don't worry about hiding this, everyone will be looking up at the deck of cards), then kind of 'punch' the deck as it, scattering card everywhere. The illusion you create is that you grabbed the two cards out of the middle of the melee. Messy, but effective.

I agree with Mr. Jennings, well done for being creative and coming up with your own ideas.

Using the same principle...if you put the four aces on top of the deck, overhand shuffle keeping them on top...then run two to the bottom...

Then do the throwing thing into one hand, then with the hand that holds the deck thrown the deck onto the table retaining the new top and bottom cards and reveal them as the four aces...

Quite a startling production in the right circumstances...

My friend does this thing with cards, sounds like just what you are after. (he's not a magician just a poker player with too much time on his hands)

Basically, grip the deck quite tightly with your left hand, thumb underneath on the face of the deck and your first three fingers on the back. A sudden throwing movement to the right hand, without releasing your grip, should make the deck slip out from between the top and bottom cards, catch the deck with the right and clamp down on the two selected cards.

There is a definate knack to doing it, but he seems to be able to retain the top and bottom cards every time. Need a deck thats in pretty new condition to get the deck to slide out though, but if you catch the deck, no messy card cleanup!

Matthius88 wrote:My friend does this thing with cards, sounds like just what you are after. (he's not a magician just a poker player with too much time on his hands)

Basically, grip the deck quite tightly with your left hand, thumb underneath on the face of the deck and your first three fingers on the back. A sudden throwing movement to the right hand, without releasing your grip, should make the deck slip out from between the top and bottom cards, catch the deck with the right and clamp down on the two selected cards.

There is a definate knack to doing it, but he seems to be able to retain the top and bottom cards every time. Need a deck thats in pretty new condition to get the deck to slide out though, but if you catch the deck, no messy card cleanup!

I thinks that's more or less what I've been doing, but I'm not entirely confident that people wont notice where the cards are coming from, but maybe the movement would be misdirection enough.


Also, could somebody explain the Overhand False Shuffle? I don't quite get it the way it's explained in the book. Do the cards to be kept have to be on top to begin with? That's the only way I can see it, but surely you could just control them that way using regular control.

The move is fairly good if you can get them to follow the deck, you have to really snap your left wrist as you throw the deck, itll be so fast most people will just look to your right hand. Try it in front of the mirror, or with a camera recording from the angle you think the spectator will be. Like I said, its something my poker friend does, I only tried it a few times last night and it seemed ok.

0cb187 wrote:Also, could somebody explain the Overhand False Shuffle? I don't quite get it the way it's explained in the book. Do the cards to be kept have to be on top to begin with? That's the only way I can see it, but surely you could just control them that way using regular control.

As I remember it, the OH false shuffle retains the whole pack in it's original position ie no cards change place at all. When your right hand brings the cards down at the front as in a normal OH shuffle) you don't actually drop any, but carry them all to the back again, drop some (from the top of the packet you're holding), and repeat. This keeps all cards in the same order whilst looking like an OH shuffle. It's quite bold though, and so benefits from being accompanied by some decent patter, and ideally eye contact with spec... Sorry mods if that is too much info?