talkmagic.co.uk

I was thinking about false shuffles. It's how I spend my Sundays.

I have developed a very scruffy overhand false shuffle (more about it in my upcoming e-book, oh yes!) in order to sell the fact the cards are being mixed fairly - the rationale being that the more precisely or smoothly you shuffle the more scope there is for the spec to entertain the idea that you might be doing something sneaky.

So, how do you mix yours?

There's not a lot better than a Zarrow shuffle for deceptiveness of a riffle shuffle, occasionally I'll do a simple strip-out riffle if need be.

For overhands I'll default to the shuffle control in Royal Road (run-offs and injog)

I use my own in-hands false cut which retains full stock.

...to be honest though, I often don't bother anymore. Since the few card effects I do nowadays are either mental effects, or else very hands-off (like cards across routines) there's either generally no logical need to shuffle, or the choice of the selected card is so free (heehee) that it wouldn't help if the deck was shuffled.

Then again, I'm not really a cardie.

Do lots of genuine shuffles and cuts. Get them to do lots of shuffles and cuts. And then swap out the deck.

I use a mixture of push through riffles, strip out riffles and zarrow shuffles. For overhand shuffles, the methods described in royal road do the job nicely, and as for cuts, the gambler's running cut from expert card technique as well as numerous one hand false cuts that I found in card control and fast company. When I shuffle, I tend to follow the same sequence that is used in the World series of poker ie. Riffle, riffle, strip, riffle cut- so broken down into false shuffles it would go:

Push through shuffle, strip out riffle (Charlie Miller), false strip cut, strip out riffle (Damien Nieman), gambler's running cut, hand deck to person on my right to cut, then use a one handed false cut to restore the order.

Usually I'm just retaining top or bottom stock so a nice casual in the hands riffle will do fine. I use the two false "showy" cuts from Born to Perform because I think they're a nice balance of looking like the deck is really being cut, and showing you can handle the cards, but not being to smug and show-offy about it. If people are really burning me and I need to be utterly convincing that the deck has been cut, I do a false cut to the table which is very, very hard to spot.

I agree with you though Queenie - less smooth can equal more convincing. I don't go dropping the cards everywhere, but I don't do loads of weird cuts and shuffles (for instance, although the Faro *is* a very fair shuffle - excluding perfect out Faro's - virtually zilch laypeople shuffle like that, so neither do I). What's more, I don't constantly flick and false cut the cards when not necessary.

Of course, using a crimp means a lot of these worries simple float away

Dominic Rougier wrote:There's not a lot better than a Zarrow shuffle for deceptiveness of a riffle shuffle, occasionally I'll do a simple strip-out riffle if need be.

For overhands I'll default to the shuffle control in Royal Road (run-offs and injog)

I use my own in-hands false cut which retains full stock.

...to be honest though, I often don't bother anymore. Since the few card effects I do nowadays are either mental effects, or else very hands-off (like cards across routines) there's either generally no logical need to shuffle, or the choice of the selected card is so free (heehee) that it wouldn't help if the deck was shuffled.

Then again, I'm not really a cardie.

I like the overhand false shuffle too - learned lots of other different false shuffles, but keep coming back to this one as it is so simple. I usually perform a one handed charlier cut after whislt being sure to hold a pinkie break so I can do the classic pass straight after that. (It is a good cover for the pass as its natural to bring both hands together to straighten the pack after a one handed cut - and lord knows I need the practise to keep my pass in order.) I also use an 'in the hands' cut (cards face up) followed by a turnover pass alot too. All very visual ways of shuffling (but not shuffling really) a pack of cards.

I use side steals and palms a lot, so often don't bother shuffling at all - although I'll often give the deck to a spectator to shuffle at the start of a routine, for fairness' sake.

I'm in the market for a decent fake overhand shuffle, as it happens...

Mr_Grue wrote:I'm in the market for a decent fake overhand shuffle, as it happens...

Royal Road and 4 pints of bitter did it for me. Give it a shot.

Back to basics for me then.

If all you want to do is retain top-stock then the overhand shuffle with the 'lift' (can't remember it's proper name) in RRTCM is very, very good.

If it's a full-deck control that's needed then the chop-run-throw method already mentioned (also from RRTCM) is good and practical.

I tend to like to keep things neat because that's consistent with the rest of my handling, but if you're from the scruffy school then the Greek false shuffle by the great Lennart Green (the King of Scruff) might well be your thing. I don't think it's quite 'full-deck' unless you execute a slip-cut or something else sneaky afterwards though (iirc).

I'm a zarrow man, all the way.

Hollingworth's shuffle for in the hands as well.

RRTCM overhand shuffle with injog is what I use but more often than not I don't complete the shuffle I just finish with a cut to bring the top card / stock back where I want it. Nobody ever says "hey you didn't shuffle those properly". And I am a pretty untidy shuffler which helps to hide the injog.

This is quite a timely thread for me because I have been asking on here about sources for tidying up my card handling. From the responses I have had to that thread and the responses on this thread I think that I am going to stick to what is simple, what I know and what works!

Charles Calthrop wrote:If all you want to do is retain top-stock then the overhand shuffle with the 'lift' (can't remember it's proper name) in RRTCM is very, very good.

If it's a full-deck control that's needed then the chop-run-throw method already mentioned (also from RRTCM) is good and practical.

I tend to like to keep things neat because that's consistent with the rest of my handling, but if you're from the scruffy school then the Greek false shuffle by the great Lennart Green (the King of Scruff) might well be your thing. I don't think it's quite 'full-deck' unless you execute a slip-cut or something else sneaky afterwards though (iirc).

I think this is the key you have to be consistant. I'm very laid back so I just casually shuffle the cards as it is the way I am always handling the cards. I'll never be a Darwin Ortiz where every thing is absolutly perfect I'm more of an Al Goshman type. I do love the Zarrow but I throw in the occaisonal pull through just for my own amusment. Actually it is all for my own amusment as I don't use any stacked decks.

It's rare that I'm ever doing anything beyond retaining a top or bottom stock but if I am it's the push through all the way!