CARD SHUFFLE





Standard Overhand Shuffle


This is just a normal shuffle that you can use in games as well as tricks. I've included it because when I started card magic, I couldn't shuffle a pack of cards to save my life! Hold the deck in your left hand as shown in Fig.1
Pick up most of the deck from the bottom, but leave a small packet behind (Fig 2).
Bring your right hand down and let a small packet drop onto the top of the cards in your left hand (moving your thumb slightly out the way helps)-there is no need to place cards between the cards in your left hand!
Carry on dropping packets onto the top of the pile until you don't have any cards left in your right.
Repeat the whole process as many times as you like.



Overhand Shuffle-Bringing the top card to the bottom


Carry out the overhand shuffle described above, but instead of picking up all the pack except for a small packet, pick up the whole pack except for the top card, which you can keep back with you left thumb.
Shuffle the remaining cards on top of this card as you would in a standard overhand shuffle.



Overhand Shuffle-Keeping the top card at the top


Pick up the whole deck apart from a small packet.
Use the side of your left thumb to bring a single card down on top of the remaining packet, jogged slightly in so it stands out from the deck. Shuffle the remaining cards on top.
Make a small break with your thumb between the in jogged card and the card below it whilst lifting the deck up for a second shuffle.
Drop small packets down on the card until you reach the break. Drop all the cards down below the break in one go. The original card is back on top.



Overhand Shuffle-Bringing the bottom card to the top



Carry out the overhand shuffle describe above until only a very small packet remains in your right hand. Draw these few remaining cards off using your left thumb or drop all but the bottom card, and then place this card on top. Either way, the bottom card is now on top. Variation:
You can use the same method to bring several cards to the top. You just have to make sure that you draw off these cards one at a time.



Double Lift


A "Double Lift" simply means lifting two cards and making them look like one. There are various methods of performing a double lift-use whichever you feel most comfortable with. Here is my favourite method:
Hold the pack in your left hand and bevel the top backwards slightly.
Discreetly lift the top two cards slightly with your thumb.
Clutch the two cards with your thumb at the bottom and three fingers, one at each of the remaining three sides.
Lift the two cards above the deck, making sure they are pushed together so that they appear as one card.



Double Cut


A "Double Cut" can be used to identify a chosen card on its own or as part of many other tricks. Here, I have shown its use to bring a chosen card to the top of a deck. Spread the deck out face down in your hands for the return of a selected card. The spectator will slip their card into the deck-keep an eye on it.
As you close up the deck to continue the trick, slightly lift the cards above the chosen one and secure a break with your left little finger (Fig. 4). NB: If the card is to be brought to the bottom, secure a break below the chosen card instead of above it.
Hold the deck from above in your right hand and transfer the break to the right thumb.
Use your left hand to take some of the cards from the bottom and place them on top (Fig. 5).
Take the remainder of the cards and place them on top, or, to make the trick more deceptive, split the cards and place the bottom pack on top before placing the final pack which contains the chosen card on top.
The chosen card is now on top.


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