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Recently I've been working on my bottom deal. There are a couple of different methods I've been reading about and trying out and wondered what everyone's preference is. The Erdnase book describes a method where the bottom card is drawn out using the second finger of the hand gripping the deck. Phantom of the Card table suggests this is an inferior (and unnecessarily difficult) method and describes one where the bottom card is drawn out using the middle finger of the hand taking the card. Although it's taken me a while to be able to push out the bottom card as described by Ersnade (and may not be as well concealed at the moment as the Phantom method) the deal is a lot quieter so at the moment I'm not sure which one to concentrate on. Which method does everyone else use?

I'm trying to find a set of deals such that the top, second and bottom look and sound the same. I'm not sure if this is possible yet though but perhaps someone could give me some advice.

Isn't the second finger and the middle finger the same finger?

They are but Erdnase says use the middle finger of the LEFT hand while the other he s talking about advised using the same finger on the RIGHT hand, in which case it is 2 different fingers

But which is the method preferred by most? Push the buttom card out with hand holding the deck or pull it out with the dealing hand? Can anyone recommend any other good books or DVDs on the subject?

If I remember rightly, Ed Marlo prefers to pull it out with the third finger of the right hand as this lessens the amount you have to turn your wrist to get at the card and makes it more inconspicuous

I pull the card out with my second finger, seems the easiest way of doing it to me.

You probably already know this, but just in caseyou don't you may want to find a copy of Gene Maze and the art of bottom dealing.

Hey, Java --

There are a lot of sources on the subject, and I'm sure you can find them on this forum. In terms of preference, a large part of that is up to you and what you're more comfortable doing. I like Richard Turner's "See-saw" bottom dealing method that you can find in "Best of the Bottoms." Let me know how it works out for you.

personally, when dealing bottoms, i hold the deck in straddle grip, and pull the card with my middle and ring finger and...well...it works for me

http://www.virtualmagicshow.com/shop/ and scroll down to Tops, Seconds and Bottoms.

The DVD teaches how to deal tops, second and bottoms from one grip and making them look pretty much all the same. Helpfull for me but be prepared to practise... a lot!

Ian Kendall's Top, middles and bottom cd/dvd is genius for learning this...

i sorted my second deal after a week's proper practice...and erm...my bottom is coming along nicely too

As pointed out in the Erdnase book, most magicians believe that the bottom deal from Erdnase is NOT the best method. It is workable, but is easy to see if you know of the method.

For my bottom deals, I pull out with the second finger of my right hand.

abraxus wrote:Ian Kendall's Top, middles and bottom cd/dvd is genius for learning this...

I sorted my second deal after a week's proper practice...and erm...my bottom is coming along nicely too

Can I just add that I've heard marvellous things when it comes to abraxus's bottom

getting your finger in the right position is vital...that's for my bottom, not for dealing..

Thank you all for your useful comments. Due to the diverse recommendations I've come to the conclusion not to buy anything else specific to dealing; it's all a matter of personal preference and I'm going to keep experimenting until I find something that works for me. Over the past few days I've ditched the Erdnase method and gone for pulling the bottom card out using the middle finger. Although I'm not particularly fast, the method feels right and does look clean. Using this method I'm also able to deal tops, seconds and bottoms with no noticeable difference. The only thing to think about is getting them so sound virtually the same.