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not exactly a review

What is not exactly a review ??

The card palm is one of the most difficutl sleights for me to master. Perhaps that is because the object is so large especially for those with small hands. Myself I try to hold the card with the muscle squeeze of my thumb and and opposite side of the palm. However, to do this you must keep your hand looking normal or you might give it away and it will look like you are carrying something. Since I haven't quite mastered it myself I try to use a lot of distraction while doing it so that I can take the observer's attention away from my palm. One trick might be to get them to hand over the rest of the deck and have them observe it, but it really depends on the trick you are doing. This is where the creativity of the magician comes in.

A key aspect of mastering card palming is understanding the grip. You don't actually use the entire hand to grip the card. Rather,when palmed it is gripped lightly at opposite card corners between the base of the thumb and the tip of the pinky. Actually, the other three fingers have no role in correctly palming a card. This enables the hand to have a natural look without that "crippled chicken" look I see too often with beginners (and some experienced folks as well )

Kevin

I think, the main thing in managing a card palming is to let the spactator believe that you only egalize ( I don´t know the word in english, but in german you say "egalisieren") the deck.
While speaking to the spactator you draw the attention to your person. Both, egalizing the deck(palming the card here) and speaking to the audience are the best way of diverting from a card palming.

In addition to the card palm being hard, I find the back palm extremely hard. does anyone have tips?

Im not boasting or anything but i found i could palm a poker sizecard fist time i tried, maybe i've just got really big hands

Or instinctively went for the right position. Next challenge to get a card from the top of the deck into a palm using only the palming hand whilst holding deck off table with said hand. Quite easy when you know how, but if you manage it first time you will have every right to boast!

Thanks for the challenge. I had to practice for a bit, but i managed to do it.
By the way what is a palm on the back of your hand

The card is clipped between the first and middle fingers and the fourth and little fingers at the corners hidden behind your hand. Most books on card magic and flourishes wil teach it better.

Is this used to make a card appear from supposedly an empty hand

It certainly can be, or to vanish a card.

If you find palming or backpalming difficult, you may well be advised to 'break-in' a deck of cards.

There are many ways to do this, and it makes the cards more flexible - not as rigid. It helps you with backpalming multiple cards, as well as helping you with other manipulations and flourishes.

I can't go into specifics here, but I recomment the Card Manipulation DVDs by Jeff McBride to anyone interested in flourishes, fans and productions.

Palming has many uses to the magician, whereas I've never found I can use backpalming as a utility.

The variation on the palm are huge; the magician's palm, the gambler's palm, Tenkai palm, gambler's cop, lateral palm...

All can be used for different purposes, and some are a lot easier and deceptive than others.

Knowledge is the key, and reading and studying are the path to enlightenment (grasshopper???)

There is an article on allmagic.com about the best cards for productions and things, be quick though as there is a fairly rapid turnover of articles there.

Nick

Good advice.

And I would agree that a 'broken-in' deck will not benefit from fanning powder. Fanning powder can sometimes hinder manipulation.

Get some red backed Bee decks and just handle them with riffles, springing etc from various grips. Quite soon (about 1 hour) the deck will be ready. Be quite vigourous with the bends - but don't crease the cards.

When they're broken in, clamp them tightly in either a proper card press, between two pieces of hard wood in a vice, or simply wedge them under pressure between some books on a bookshelf.
This makes them flat again.

You should get a few performances out of a broken in deck, and afterwards they can become 'donor' decks... never throw them away!