The Encyclopedia of Card Tricks
Chapter XIX
~Indispensable Sleights~
Contents
Sleights
CARD tricks of any really entertaining value cannot be presented without the aid of a few simple sleights but with them, even a simple trick can be made to look like real magic. The word 'sleight' has a terrifying effect on most people who like to learn a few tricks, and is at once associated with the idea of hours of drudgery practicing intricate movements requiring intense application to master them. However, I will guarantee that anybody of ordinary intelligence, with the ability to shuffle a pack of cards by the overhand method fairly neatly, can in a couple of hours' time gain a working knowledge of the simple sleights that follow and in a very short time he will, by using them, have them literally at his fingers' ends. The novice is advised to follow the directions given exactly. Later, as the simple principles underlying the various moves become clear, he will experience the fascination of devising his own methods and putting into practice variations and tricks of his own invention.
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The Overhand Shuffle
THIS is the term applied to the ordinary shuffle in which the cards are passed singly or in small packets from the right hand to the left, the cards being drawn off by the left thumb. It affords a means of keeping a card or several cards completely under control without arousing the least suspicion on the part of the onlookers. In the following exercises turn the top card face up so that you can follow the processes easily.
A. Take the pack face down in the left hand, holding it at an angle of about 45 degrees towards the right. Lift the pack with the right hand retaining the top card in the left by a slight pressure of the left thumb. Shuffle off all the cards on top of this one. Lift the whole pack with the right hand and shuffle off all the cards into the left to the last card, dropping this on the top. Thus with two perfectly fair shuffles you have the top card back in its original position.
B. With the pack in the left hand lift it with the right but this time press lightly on the bottom card with the left fingers, retaining it and at the same time draw off the top card with the thumb as before. The top cards thus falls on the bottom card in the left hand while the right hand holds all the rest of the pack. Shuffle these cards freely on top of the two in the left hand. The card you are controlling is now second from the bottom and you can turn the pack over and show the bottom is an indifferent one; then turning the cards face down lift off and show several cards from the top, also indifferent cards. Shuffle again, this time retaining the bottom card and lifting all the others with the right hand. The special card will now be the last card of this portion and you have simply to shuffle freely until it alone remains in your hand and you drop it on the top of the pack.
C. To retain a card at the bottom of the pack you will have already noted that it is merely necessary to retain it in your left hand by pressing on it with the left fingers.
D. It is very often necessary to place a definite number of cards on top of another card. This is done by what is termed 'running', and means simply drawing cards off the top of the pack one by one with the left thumb in the course of a shuffle. If the cards are in good condition, and I take it for granted that only such cards will be used by you, a few minutes' practice will enable you to run off any number of cards in this manner with the greatest of ease.
E. To make the best use of the overhand shuffle, it must be combined with a very simple move, so simple that I evolved it from my own inner consciousness as a schoolboy only to find in later years that it had been used by gamblers as far back as records go. It is called the jog, that is, a card pulled back a little over the inner end of the pack so that it becomes a marker indicating its own position or that of the card or cards immediately below it. To apply the idea take a few cards, say the four A's and put them on top of the pack. Hold the pack in the left hand ready for shuffling and lift the rear half with the right hand. In making the first movement of taking the cards off with the left thumb, move the right hand about half an inch inwards towards the body and draw off one card only, then move the right hand forward again and continue the shuffle as usual. At the end of the movement one card will protrude from the pack at the inner end marking the location of the four A's. To bring them back to the top seize all the cards below the protruding card, lift them and drop them on the top just as if you were making a simple cut. You have the four A's back on the top.
Any number of cards, up to about half the pack can be retained undisturbed by this simple expedient. After the first card has been jogged make the shuffle so that the cards fall irregularly and the projection of the jogged card from the rear end of the pack cannot be noticed. I cannot advise the reader too strongly to use this expedient until it becomes second nature. The whole action can be done without looking at the hands and while carrying on an animated conversation with your audience.
To Retain the Whole Pack in Order
F. Take the pack in the left hand as if about to deal, push off a small packet with the left thumb and take them in the right hand. From the bottom of the pack push off a few cards on top of the right-hand packet. Again push a packet off with the left thumb receiving it below the cards in the right hand, and again with the left fingers push a packet taking it on top of the right-hand packet. Continue in the same way until the whole pack is in the right hand. Do not attempt to make the movements quickly, this is the only sleight I know of where a rather rough execution rather enhances the effect.
The shuffle leaves the pack in the condition of having been cut once. If it is necessary to return it to its original order from the top card down, spread the faces to show the cards are well mixed and cut at the original bottom card which you noted before beginning.
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The Riffle Shuffle
THIS is the term applied to the shuffle in which the pack is divided into two packets, the ends put together, the cards being bent upwards and released in such a way that they become interlaced. To retain a card or a small packet of cards on the top, you have simply to release it or them from the right-hand portion last of all. If the bottom cards are to be retained then they are let fall from the left hand in the first movement of the shuffle. It will readily be noted that cards can be retained both at the top and the bottom at the same time.
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A False Cut
HOLD the pack by the sides near the ends between the thumb and second finger of each hand. Now pull out about one-third of the cards from the bottom and put them on the top but still hold them with the thumb and second finger. With the right third finger lift about half the lower packet, draw the hands quickly apart releasing the top packet which falls on the table resuming its original position. On it drop the packet from the left hand, and on that the right-hand packet. The cards are in their original order. (See illustration.)
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Palming A Card
CONTRARY to the opinions of most magicians I maintain that palming a card is not a difficult operation. It simply requires confidence and a proper understanding of the right method. To get the right position hold your right hand palm upwards and on it lay a face-up card so that the top index corner touches the top joint of the little finger and the lower index corner presses against the fleshy part at the base of the thumb. Bend the fingers naturally, keeping the thumb near the side. of the hand and the fingers close together. Now turn the hand over. The card will be retained in the hand with ease and as long as you keep the palm towards your body it will be safely hidden. (See illustration.)
Now with a thorough understanding of the way the card is to be held in the hand, the next step is to learn how to get it secretly into that position from the top of the pack.
Take the pack face down in the left hand in position for dealing. Place the right hand over it, thumb at the inner end, the first joints of the four fingers resting on and covering the outer end of the pack. Run the fingers and thumb of the right hand over the edges and ends of the cards in the natural way of squaring the pack, and bring them back to the same position with fingers covering the outer ends. Then with the left thumb push the lower end of the top card to the right. The least contraction of the right hand will then secure the card in the exact palming position. Move the fingers and thumb of the right hand to the right-hand corners of the pack and hold it between the forefinger and thumb while the left hand squares the sides. Remove the left hand and hold the pack in the right. (See illustration.)
If these actions are followed exactly, the palming of the card will be imperceptible to the closest observer. Later when you put the pack down to be cut, or hand it to be shuffled by someone on your extreme left, the action is perfectly regular.
Do not hold your right hand and arm stiffly as if paralyzed or immediately put it behind your back. Keep your wrist relaxed and natural and forget about the card being in the hand.
To get the card back on the pack, hold out your left hand and have the pack placed on it and cut by the spectator. Pick up the lower portion with your right hand, adding the palmed card to the top, and assemble the pack.
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The Simple Pass
A CARD having been chosen, cut the pack for its return. Have it replaced on the lower portion and replace the cut on top, slipping the tip of your left little finger on the card and between the two packets. Hold the outer ends of the pack tightly closed and riffle the ends of the cards a couple of times. Seize the upper portion between the right thumb at the rear and the fingers at the outer ends. Lift it off, and at the same moment drop the left thumb under the lower packet and turn it face upwards, and immediately shuffle the cards of the right-hand packet on to the faces of the lower packet.
Do not be in a hurry and do not look at your hands. Look at your victim, ask him if he is sure he will know his card again and go straight into the shuffle. Turn the pack over and continue the shuffle. You have the card on the top to do with as you will.
It should be sufficient to say that the greatest of present-day magicians use this pass only.
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The Double Lift
MANY modern card tricks employ this sleight of lifting two cards as one. It is not difficult, the difficulty lies in making it naturally. With the pack well squared in the left hand face down, bring the right hand over it, thumb at the rear, fingers on the outer end. Make a motion of squaring the ends and at the same time press the fingers back a little making the ends of the pack slightly wedge-shaped. With the ball of the thumb lift the rear ends of the two top cards and slip the tip of the left little finger under them.
With the right thumb-tip on the back of the two cards and the tip of the right forefinger on the face, turn the two cards as one and lay them face up on top of the pack, the ends protruding over the inner end of the pack for about half an inch. Exhibit the card in this position, name it, and seize the cards again at the lower outer corner as before and turn them face down on the back of the pack.
The little finger-tip should be inserted before attention is caned to the card and the turn made naturally and without hesitation or fumbling. There are many uses for the sleight: for instance, you apparently show the top card, and put in the middle, it immediately returns to the top.
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The Glide
HOLD the pack face up in the left hand between the first joint of the thumb on one side and the second joints of the four fingers on the other. Call attention to the bottom card, say it is the 2D. Turn the pack face downwards and with the tip of the left finger draw the bottom card, 2D, back towards the body about three-quarters of an inch. Now with the tip of the right-hand second finger draw out the next card, say it is the 8H and put it face downwards on the table.
The sleight is easy and deceptive. For instance, you may get a chosen card second from the bottom by means of the overhand shuffle as already explained. Show the bottom card, turn the pack face down and deal the bottom card face up; draw back the next card by the glide and deal cards from above it to a chosen number-then deal the chosen card face down. Have the card named and turn it up.
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A Good Location
PACK is held in the left hand and any card is freely selected. The selected card is now returned to the pack, but performer pinches the cards tightly so that the selected card will not go all the way into the pack. Immediately the other hand swings the cards around left to right closing the pack as in the illustration. It will be noted that the selected card is now protruding slightly. Right hand now picks up all of the cards underneath the protruding card and shuffles on to top of the pack. Next the protruding card is removed and placed on top of the pack. Thus your selected card is brought to the top of the pack in a simple manner.
With these few simple sleights at his command, it is hoped that the reader will find the pages of this book an open sesame to endless hours of entertainment.
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Methods of Forcing Cards
From Annemann's 202 Methods of Forcing
THE pack, having been shuffled by a spectator, is returned to performer who takes it in right hand, at the same time casually pulling up left sleeve followed by the left hand pulling up right sleeve. When right hand with pack pulled up left sleeve, the bottom card of pack was easily spotted. Asking spectator if he is satisfied, a pass is made and card brought to about two-thirds down in pack. A slight break is held at this spot. The thumb of left hand now runs the cards of the upper portion, fanwise over into the right hand, the person being, at the same time, invited to take one. When about half of the upper portion has been passes, a card, NOT THE ONE TO BE FORCED, is pushed temptingly forward. The person may be inclined to take it-whether he is so inclined or not, the performer draws it back, with the remark. 'Oh! not necessarily that one.' This gives him confidence, and the performer continues to pass the cards over to the right hand, spreading them nicely fanwise, until he reaches the one to be forced, which he exposes a little more than usual, then continues, 'Just take any one you please.' It will, of course, be understood that the action must be timed, as near as possible, to meet the hand, as it is raised to draw a card.
The card to be forced is on the bottom of pack. The cards are run from left to right in the usual manner, but the action is started while approaching the audience so as to give time for the following maneuver: With the second and third fingers of the left and right hand work the bottom card over toward right side. The cards are still run from left to right passing above the chosen card. Ask someone in the audience to indicate his choice by touching the card desired. When it is indicated lift up this card with all the cards above it and as the pack is squared up the forced card slips in from below.
In this method a few top cards are prearranged. Three cards of one number (say five) are placed on the top of the pack and the card to be forced then placed at eight from the top. The pack is false shuffled, keeping the top eight cards in place. The three top cards are then dealt on to table in a row and one selected while face down. This one is turned over and the spectator handed pack to count down and remove the fifth card, which is the right one.
What is known as the 'bridge' makes possible a neat cutting force. The card is on bottom of pack. Cutting same about center, the lower half, which is to be placed on top, is given a bend (concave) at the ends. Spectator is asked to cut pack somewhere and look at face card of cut. If cut is made at sides, this will work time after time, as the slight break at sides will cause upper half to be lifted off by a quick cut. By bending the sides, the bridge can be placed at ends for an end cut. Previous cutting by the spectator will give you this information. Most cuts are at sides.
Place a short card near center of the pack. Card to be forced mentally is above it. Hold pack straight up in front of spectator. With first or second right fingers riffle top of pack from face to back, smoothly and without a stop. Ask spectator to note cards and to think of one that he sees. Practice before a mirror to get speed. The short card will click by and the following card will register on the spectator when the rest of the pack is a slow blur. Don't try to stop at the card but let it work itself. It will seem impossible at times that a card will show up in this way but try it before several people before you judge.
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The Knife Method
IN THIS method the card to be forced is placed about fifteenth from the top. Cards are held in the left hand. The little finger makes a break directly underneath the known card. A flat knife is handed to spectator who is asked to insert it anywhere he may please. Performer slowly riffles the pack. It is only necessary that the knife enter the pack below the chosen card and fairly near it. The top fifteen cards are now pushed forward on to the blade, pack being tilted slightly downward. Performer grips the knife with right hand and the fifteen cards, the lowest of which is the known card, are pushed well forward and slightly raised. The spectator is asked to note this card, which appears to be the one he has cut.
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