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Recently, I bought Expert Card Technique by the same authors of Royal Road to Card Magic. I have already learned a lot from it, but one sleight appears to be too good to be true. I sure cant do it . It is called the perfect riffle suffle. Is there anyone out there who has mastered this sleight? If so, could you please P.M. me some tips? I've bought the book so I don't think this would count as exposure (if you need proof, I'll write out the sleight word for word and P.M. it to whoever doubts me) but I just can't seem to do it! I think I must be missing something. Any help would be great. Thanks in advance.

It's also called a faro shuffle and yes it's possible. It takes a lot of practice. No, I've never managed it, but a friend of mine's girlfriend can do one.

nah, never managed it either...apparently alot of it depends on the brand and quality of cards too as well as the knack (at least that what it says in the Lewis Jones book i read recently)...

It's actually simply a knack, as said.

It takes loads of practice, true, but also the quality of the cards is important.

Once it 'happens' once to you (the interleave) you'll understand how delicate and small the movements need to be to achieve the Faro.

After that, you'll be surprised at how many times in a row you can pull off a 'perfect' Faro.

(Although, going for the 'full deck order restored' Holy Grail combo will take a little more practice—even Ed Marlo used to be chuffed to pull one off!)

A tabled Faro is best done on a close-up mat, and keeping a precise yet gentle grip on the cards is paramount to a successful execution.

The idea isn't to PUSH the cards together... by lifting them together whilst maintaining slight pressure between the two stacks, they will literally fall together.

It's hard to explain, like I said, it's a knack.

Here are some links that might help:


http://www.cardtrick.ca/sleight/Faro-Shuffle.html - Faro Shuffle
http://www.bluffmagazine.com/Magazine/2005_10_117.asp - Faro Shuffle from Bluff Magazine (Disclaimer: Do not gamble on line)
http://www.natedog.com/cards/faro.html - Faro simulator with some stacks

opie

Brian Tudor actually does teach a perfect riffle shuffle on his Generation Extreme but it's nothing special. Just a normal riffle shuffle but done card by card and slower than a normal riffle shuffle.

Steve

not sure if this is on topic or not. in the 13 steps book, at least one of the effects requires a "perfect shuffle" with no with no mention of riffle or faro. Is this what corinda is refering to?

Seige is perfectly correct in saying that is simply a knack. I personally learnt the effect first from Card College, but it is just one of those techniques which is difficult to effectively describe in words - Giobbi himself says so in CC. An important element to makes sure of though, is the fact that the two halves of the deck should be beveled lengthways, as this will help the weave to 'happen' a great deal. The grip of the two halves should be firm, but as already mentioned you should not try and push the two halves together too much. I just use regular bikes when I practice faroing, usually a fairly new pack. Now, more often than not when I'm shuffling casually I'll use a faro - it is very quick, efficient and you can get very nice waterfalls by using it. As yet, I can't achieve a perfect faro consistently, but it happens - the important thing is to understand the feel of the shuffle first before you try and make it 'perfect'. Most of all, as always, practice practice practice - it'll be worth it just for the first time you perform 8 perfect out faros in a row!

Which effect in 13 Steps requires a "perfect shuffle"?....

Corinda very carefully states that he does not believe in any fancy handling of the pack and specifically says not to use the "weave" shuffle....I don't pretend to know what he meant specifically, but, to me, it rules out both the riffle and the Faro, and with the recommended use of a rather fumbling overhand tossing of stocks, as the preferred shuffle to use. (That is on page 307, and I too would like to know if it means anything else...)

opie