talkmagic.co.uk

just been watching DE'VO's XB DVD and focussing on the one hand shuffle.
Icanget into position fine but have real trouble weaving.

I bought a new load of cards to try with and today i succeeded with some Tally HOs, and can do it about one in 10 times with those. Problem is for all my tricks and routines i use Bicycles, and i can't seem to get those to weave at all, ever.

So frustrating as i am following instructions exactly and have experimented with different amounts of pressure.

Any help at all would be very welcome.

ta

slightly worn cards rather than brand new will be easier, and having a slight bend in the cards will make it a tad easier too. It's possible with 'straight out the wrapper' decks but easier with 'broken in' cards - at least that's what I've found.

Hope that's some help.

it would also help if you didn't have everything in caps. it's rude to scream when you're asking for help
Note from Mods - now changed to lower case !

It is just one of those things that requires loads of practice, bending the cards during the move helps, also it is harder to do at slow speeds.

ok, cheers for the tips, i'll just stick at it.

sorry bout the caps, i had no idea you were that (case) sensitive.

hohoho

And thank you all very much for taking the time to respond.

First bend the cards lengthwise a tad. That may help. It may also help if you use bridge cards. After all if you live in the UK this is the norm. I have never used poker size cards except on rare occasions. However if you have large hands then it shouldn't be a problem to do the shuffle with poker size cards.

However the best advice I can give is to do the shuffle with two hands when you first practice. That is how I learned the shuffle 40 or so years ago. Just position the cards how you want them. Say "this is the one hand shuffle with the aid of the other hand"

After a while once you have mastered the weaving you won't need to do it two handed and will be one hand shuffling away.

I assume you are talking about the one hand shuffle devised by Howard de Courcy. I do this but have added the Notis Cascade addition which makes the thing 3 times as effective.

thanks mark, i live in the uk but i order bicycle poker cards and always have because it seems to be the industry standard. but, yeah the two handed approach seems to be helping to allieviate some of the frustration.

much appreciated.

It might be the "industry standard" to other magicians but to the general public it doesn't mean a toss and in fact they might be wondering why you are using such big cards.

From a layman's point of view they might think you are less likely to be using trick cards when you are just using Waddingtons No 1 or one of the usual brands available in the shops.

Of course I haven't been in the UK for a while so for all I know Waddingtons No 1 may not even exist any more.

I live in Canada where bicycle cards are standard and I do use them but I refuse to use those daft big cards even though they are the ones most available and in use by the public. I therefore use bicycle bridge cards.

British you know....................

Hi Mark,

You'll be happy to hear that Waddington's now make poker sized cards.

Take care, Ian

oh this move gets right on my chubby bits!!!! i cant do it at all because ive been cursed with small hands ( no jokes please)

i've been told that hand size doesn't really matter, unless they're freakishly small...

As you said, you've watched the XB teaching. De'vo teaches that you should concave the deck slightly before doing it. This helps in the weaving action.

I really advice you to learn the weaving action for a giant fan first. This helps you to get the feel for weaving cards. Once you've learnt that, make sure you are doing the weaving technique correctly when doing the shuffle. The pressure to weave the cards is created by the pinky.

The thing about flourishes you need to know is that it takes alot of time to practice. You can't expect it to work like a self working magic trick. The one handed shuffle to me ages to learn and I can finally do it fairly smoothly with my right hand but I can't do it with my left. Just remember... practice, practice, practice!!

Steve

Keep at it. Honesty. I have very small hands I guess that comes for being short and famale! You will find with alot of card magic you will form you own way of doing things just slightly different from what the book / DVD says.

Good luck and don't give up you will do it

AJ82 wrote:famale!

New gender?

Steve