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After learning the Jumping Gemini card trick, I realized that my DL isn't the greatest. What I do is this; I square up the deck in my right hand, and put my thumb on the lower right hand corner, and lift two cards and keep the cards together by putting my index, middle, and ring fingers at the top of the card.

If this is exposure, don't reply, but I'm not sure if it is or isn't.

The DL I want to perfect is the DL in "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBvl1kuPLC8"

So if anybody has any tips I would appreciate a post/PM back. Be aware that I am only 15, and my budget is fairly shallow at this time, so I don't have the money to go out and buy books and DVDs and stuff.

your technique sounds a bit clumsy to me. I'd suggest you get yourself a good book, Mark Wilson's Complete Course or Royal Road, both have a good explaination of the DL in them.

You can find great books for as cheap as a £10 Royal road to card magic so even if you havent got much money im sure you could find £10 if you really are interested in learning it properley without a good book you wont get very far my friend im afraid.

A good book really is worth the money, if you're short of money, maybe ask for a WHSmith's voucher for xmas and buy it with that. They're crammed full of so much invaluble information that you'll wonder how you ever got by without it.

Royal Road is brilliant for card magic where as Mark Wilson's Complete Course provides a much wider scope of different areas of magic.

apart from the books, something that helped me alot apart from constant tv practise, is to table the deck and riffle up the back until you catch a d-lift...

it just helped me "feel" for two...but i dunno if it would work for anyone else...

I have one problem with the DL, and that is with the execution. I mean, is it possible for the DL to look natural? Whenever I take a single card off the deck, I NEVER do a flourishy twist, pivoting it on the base of my thumb. And I don't hold it in a death grip when I put it face up on the deck (I usually don't put a single card back on the deck for viewing purposes). In most magic books they talk about looking natural when you perform a sleight (i.e.-when you do a fake transfer of a coin, it should look like the coin is going into the other hand, or when you perform an Elmsley, it needs to look just like it would if you were really showing and counting all four cards). So why is the DL the exception to this principle? Why do most people do flourishy displays of the double card? To me, that seems to draw attention to the fact that maybe something is up.

I have several of Jay Sankey's videos, and I think he is a really great magician. However, I can see his DL's coming a mile away. I bring him up only because I respect him as an experienced magician, and if HE can't perform a "perfect" DL, how can I ever expect to? Now I know that most laymen are not going to see what you are doing, and my DL is usually good enough to pass laymen's watchful eyes.

So how can you perform a "perfect" DL? Is it possible? Without using DST? Or do you do a flourishy spin of the card whenever you take a single off the deck, to help setup when you do perform the DL?

Basically, how do you execute the DL (and by YOU, I mean, you personally?)? Do you spin flourish it? Do you hold it in biddle grip above the deck? Do you put it back on the deck? What are your personal preferences?

The best way, if you're doing a routine which requires a number of double lifts, always lift single cards the same as you would a double.

The spec isn't going to think, that was an overly flashy way of turning a card. Let them see it often and they'll be used to it and not think anything of it when you do a DL.

I dont turn it upside and lay it back on the deck i just pick it up with thumb and the finger next to your thumb on the short edges like i would do if i wasnt doing a d/l.

i do three D/L's, one just flipping the double over by the right bottom corner. I have develpoed a knack for picking them up with the tips of my
thumb and forefinger and they stay together
The second, by the top and bottom using my middle finger and thumb, and finally the push off DL which looks most natural.

recently ive been practicing flipping the double into my right hand, this looks fancy and the cards stay together and will look convincing. then flip them back onto the deck. This is where im currently failing 35% of the time

Lady of Mystery wrote:The spec isn't going to think, that was an overly flashy way of turning a card. Let them see it often and they'll be used to it and not think anything of it when you do a DL.

This support's Marvell's Theory of Ubiquity.

If the spek is used to you shuffling using the hindu shuffle as much as the others, then he's not going to worry if you do. If you have a tendancy to riffle and spring whilst pattering, he's not going to care if you do.

Out of the blue actions should be used when not needed as much as possible to make them normal.

This is why I use red back bikes for everything. How odd would it look to get out a black tiger just for one trick?

Exactly, Marvell.

I've made an effort to develop certain mannerisms and habbits. I often riffle the back edge of a pack when talking, useful for when I need to do a DL. I fiddle with my necklace quite a lot, useful for when I want to ditch a palmed coin (although I doubt you boys would be able to get away with my method ). I always mix up my shuffles, sometimes a riffle, sometimes overhand and sometimes a hindu.

The more of these little moves you can incorporate into your general habits, the more the spec gets used to seeing them and less they think about it, making it easier to get away with when you're doing somthing more tricky.

I would recommend picking up Greg Wilson's "Double Take" dvd. Off the top of my head, he is the only performer I could instantly recall that has a phenomenal DL. Well, perhaps phenomenal is a bit excessive. Let's just say it looks natural, compared to his casual card handling.

Lady of Mystery wrote: I fiddle with my necklace quite a lot, useful for when I want to ditch a palmed coin (although I doubt you boys would be able to get away with my method :wink: ).

I would, indeed, need powerful misdirection to get away with ditching a palmed coin down your top, Lommy.

I've moaned about DLs elsewhere. They've pretty much never seemed convincing to me. Perhaps part of the problem is that they are seen as a basic sleight. One often sees tricks discribed as For Beginners and the method includes 'just do a DL' (or eight). Yes, it may be a ubiquitous sleight, and one of the very first you'll learn (even some children's magic set books contain tricks that use a DL), but it's very, very difficult to do perfectly, I reckon. I'll be happy with it when I can, faultlessly, every time, in my sleep, do the Vernon Offset Replacement.

I prefer to do double-turnovers than actually lifting the cards off the deck.
My break-catching leaves much to be desired though!

Aziah,

I've mentioned many times in other threads about what I think is the proper way to do a DL and have also posted movies, so I'm not going to repeat it.

However, does the clip that you posted purely rely on the DL ??