Dai Vernon Revelations Manuscript
Dai Vernon Revelations Manuscript
Dai Vernon Revelations Manuscript
This is t he book I have always wanted to write. For nearly fifty years
I have been :Ln touch with active card men, ethical and other1vise, and have
to stress the utter practicability and logic of his instruction. Second, I hope
to clarify many points of procedure so that t hey may be acquired with greater
facility. Lastly, I propose to include sundry new and original methods and
bringing the old cl assic, 11 The Rlcpert of the Card Table 11 thoroughly up to date.
The Il' esent volume will in no ~~a::r supersede the Erdnase work. It is intended
reference to 11 The &cpert at t~e Card Table". Therefore, I cannot stress tQ,:»strongly
The Erdnase ''ork has often been spoken of as being a textbook on geOllletry
No greater mistake '-ras ever made. Erdnase is at once logical and practical.
Surel y no one, before or since, has written as lucidly on the subject of card
table artifice.
To me t here is in Erdnaije a timel ess and uni.versal quality ~Tllich the years
}lave changed only superficially. Neverthel ess, I have mde bold to add, as above
:1\-P:O
stated, a number of ~ternative and original methods~ procedures.
CARD TABLE ARTIFICE
Under this heading Erdnase stresses the fact that t he real secrets of card
table artifice have been held sacro.sanct. Tnis statement largely holds true today.
Even the ••ell posted magician has little or no knowledge of t he actual uethods
. ~"
and dodges employed by~ con1petent professional 1'mechanics. 11 Even less does
Erdnase 1 s discussion of card table artifice should be read <lith the closest
are actually not over a l·alf dozen men in this country capable of using a holdout
oR.. t'mac~e 11 to advantage. Its use requires great nerve and for this reason
Altho Erdnase clearly states that the first and little fingers hold and locate
bot>- t he outjog and injog should be made so that card does not project over ~
parter of an inch. When card is outjogged it should project veey slightly over
t he curled left index finger"?-P. By a sUght up;rard pressUre the projecting card
is heJ.d in its jogged position. I f this is done correctly one has the feeling
that a fine break is being hel d by forefinger, altho no actual breqk or separation
I'"OI!E. l' J>-/Gti R
is created. As a mtter of fact the fo"~~ilr is merely holding the j ogged card
in a secure position. The same t hing applies to t he injog in ~rhich case the
riffle shuffle naturally. Proper atten ti.on should be given to squaring up and this
The basic details of this type work was recently described in a manuscript
retailin~ for fifty dollars. This material is veey similar to methods and
f).I-E L-k'f E:
tec hnique evolved many years ago by a well known New York physician," Dr. Jacob
Daley.
whose real name we must w.i.thhold but knO\m to t he frat.ernit.y as , 11 The Mysterious Kid. 11
He had originated and perfected a technique 'vith the riffle s huffie that we have
apparently orthodox riffle s hufflel!l bring any four desired cards to the top of pact<.
1
~
We !eel certain t hat his methods are utterly unkno;m );'f'present day card men and
even more certain t hat ris attainments will never be duplicated. In the final.
First, ho~1ever,. lte re are a fe~T po:inters on the pull out shuf fle--always
i:azardous. The t~;o packets are riffled together and pushed in evenly until ~ost
the tHo packets together. HoHever, right fi.neertip pushes its packet
about width of a marg:in. It will be found that right second finger and t liUlllb can
be passeJ. or rubbJed along right end o.f'pack in a squari 1.g movement (as described
by Erdnase, Fig. 10, Page 38) and during t his nrJvement the left hand remains
NC:.AR.
iromobile •.Jit.-. second f inger :rressed ~" outer corner at end. Thumb is
To pull out the hands must s r ift position. The t i•umbs are held at the t wo
inner corners and second and t ird f ingers are moved to front side of pack.
4
Second fingers s hould be about one r:alf inch apart as deck is grasped. Owing to
diagonal pos:i.tion of packet~, thumb and fingers can definitely feel and grip
the two separate packets. Right, now' pulls out its packet w:it h a natura+
Shuffle# the same as before and push in until about one inch protrudes. Now
in't-.rards, but in t his case its packet is also pushed fol'l·rard ancJ. continues to be pushed
until it passes around the corner of the other packet. It ;.d.ll no1·r be found t hat
CONTACT
the fleshy pad of the right third f ingertip ~lin be against or in El§olEh'ut
1vith the corner of t he other packet which is ,held firmly between the right third
Seco~d finger of right hand and left t humb square up t he diagonal packets.
avoiding the usual tellta,le "~<reaving or eccentric motion. All t hat remains to be
done is to pull packets apart and, if desired, repeat one or more times.
pulls out its packet and in an oblique, forward movement places it on table.
Then right h~d takes other packet from left and pl aces it atop. This perfectly
simuJa tes a bonafide cut. Thpse who witnessed the above handling by the late
procedure) and l eft t humb tilts up from table its comple te packet. Right hand,
however, til ts up only about hal.f its packet. S\uffle, but commence wi t h left
t •ro.mb. Cards are pushed t hroueh as above described with resul t that about tMo
t hirds of the pack l-d.ll be projecting about one quarter inch to t he right.
f"M·:J'
Rieht thumb l ifts u p, or tilts very slightly t hese projecting cards and,.are held
in th.is position by l eft thumb so t hat right hand can irnmed:i.ately grasp t he small
bott0111 packet and cut it to t.he top, but in such a manner that its right edges are
hand carries remaining cards obl iquely forr1ard on table. Right hand then returns,
Due to the Jarge proportion of cards on top that are not interlocked t he
success to t he first mentioned pull out shuffle. The cards are shuffled
exactly as bef ore and Hhen the packets are pushed togeth:lr diagonally the f in;.;ers
are moved to t he sides of pack and t he t l umbs to t he rear and a slight pressure
resul ts in squaring or a l ignine the sides. In this case t te left thumb lifts
up the enti re interwoven packet and the r j_ght fingers am thumb pull out the
uns•Juf!led block and slaps it on top -- left edges in perfect r egister. This
results in leavi.ng t he int er.,oven cards projecting in the l ower part of t he pack.
Trese are then pulled out an<;l slapp ed on top with the result of all cards being
procedure is t he folJ.ovTing : When stripping out t he cards with the right hand,
instead of throwing all on top at finish simpl y slap the packet on so tr~t it
6
projects about a half inc h to t he r ight. Immediately pull out t he lo•Ter hal!
of t his packet and s l ap it on top of all--with left e dge in Jine wi. t h J.o ~;ermost
packet. Projec t ing packet on right is t hen slapped on top completing the
subterfuge. Neatly executed t !o. is is most convincing and the cutt:i..ng will be
The possibil ities of combining t he false r5.ffle with various block transfers
shuffle. ~Assume t hat a desired card is in fourth position and you vTish to
off top half, to right and riffle cards but somewhat faster •·Tith the right
until all but t hree cards have run dmm. These t hr-ee ar..e allowed to drop on top
and t be position of desi red card may pe disregarded. No;.r perform t he regular
pusb t hrough s;.u :t:fle but as cards are pushed t brough the top t l::o:-ee do not
t he 1e f't t hey alm.ost automatically transfer to t he former left packet. No•·r when
cards are stripped out for t he second riffle t.l:e desired card will be atop
t he left hand packet and during t he ensuing riffle it is allmV'e d to fall on top.
get rid of four during t he first riffle, four t he second and tl~ee the t hird
time whic h e l i minates eleven cards and leaves desired card on top.
Altho Erdnase does not stress t he fact, i t is most important t hat t he action
of t he one card blind cut ll!llst perfectly simulate the natural cut.
either does not perfectl y align itself or fall flatly atop 10\'rer packet. Thu:~
The secret of perfecting this cut is to first learn to genuinely cut the
t his blind cut there is an i mportant point that Erdnase does not stress--the
exact position of second fingers and thumbs of both hands !liUst be identical
t he left second finger duri ng the cutting. Again we stress that the action
an added touch wl ich renders it even more effective for practical use •
The action is t his. When the right hand slaps its cards on top, ti:-.d.s
packet actually drops on other packet diagonally. Specifically the right ends
of both packets are squared but outer left corner of upper packet extends over
l or.ver packet about a quarter or a half inch. As this is done the ~ thumb
and second finger are heJ.d out of t he r.iay so that the p.ction is not obstructed.
Left finger and thumb immediately square up the t wo portions in this manner.
Left thumb presses against upper edge of projecting lower packet. At same time
second finger presses do\m slightl y and ~.Ji t h a slight squeezing motion both
end and thu.'llb outrrard along t he :inner side until t hey meet at the corner which
tlrumb.
Since evolving the above handl ing' many years ago we mve u s ed it consistently
8
to the exclusion of all others.
and j s often disregarded by the average reader. This really demonstrates the
packets are successively dropped atop table they are allowed to ov,erlap one
another for half their length. They are then slOlvly pushed together and squared.
I
This tends to accentuate the fairnessof the cut.
We have often utilized this simple cut for a variety of purposes. Among
other things it lends itself to an artistic delayed force at the card table. Card
to be forced is on botton of pack. Execute the fancy true cut which results in
over lower at outer left corner. By grasping pack at sides by right end, it may
slight pressure of finger and thuntb. A delay can be created by making a few
remarks "•hile pack remains on table. When ready to have card chosen second
finger and thumb grasp pack at right end and slide it over to zslmffling posit:ion.
Left hand grasps pack, f~ngertips at front edge and tbumb on top. Lift pack
and place it in left hand but at same time give it a half turn to left. Right
fingers and tl:umb grasp ptck f'rom above at ends. Left hand holds pack :in
dealing position and little fincer pulls down step thus creating a break.
9
Th..e above procedure may appear somevmat involved but in reaJJ.ty it i s quite
simple and above all completely disarming. The U&~al get-ready often
vrarns the spectator t hat a force is about to be made. By the above handling
: bending t he cards, the left t humb presses down f irmly on the entire pack--causing
it to concave slight l y . At same time the left fingers bend t he bottom portion
quite s harpl y. Altho both packets are bent in the same direction due to the
fact that lo~·rer packet has a greater concavity ( e::~pecia.J..l.y at inner end) a break
is thereby formed.
Not only can be used for cutting as described but is useful :for
ends by right, pl aced in left and fingers can easily form break belo~1 jogged
pack to edge of table in order to put in the convex cr:Unp, as t he cut is made
th~ right end of deck is tilted up slightly lihich enabl es third finger to be
s lipped under ~d. Tlte crimp is. formed as Erdnase suggests except the cards
are bent over th:i.rd f inger instead of table edge. This operation of bending
must be done quickly before lor.rer half i s withdrawn. When loHer half is exposed
In t he method described the card projects f rom the r~i:t end. However
our original manner ot handling will be found most useful. With card projecting
to ri ght as above, second fingers of both hands apparentl y square ends. Right
fin gertip pushes card flush but sli ghtly diagonally so that left inner earner projects
about one sixteenth of an inch. Right hand, finger and thumb, squares up at r i.ght
JoG
end only. Pack can nov be freely han:iled by r ight end and ~ instantly l ocated
by left thumb. This permits a neat cut to be made at t .d.s point i f the first
fin -·er at top exerts a slight downward pressure to retain jogged card in proper
posi tion.
!n the above, pack must be cut Hith the left hand but i f desired to
BOTT011 DEALING
Fe•1 present daY experts use or recoi1Jil1end the nethod of bottom dealing
described by Erdnase; their c l~ef objection beincf the posi tion of pack in hand
and the difficuJ ty of concealing the movement of the t hird finger. May we say,
(
ho1-1ever, t hat the above grip is of constant u'l:,iJ.i ty to card men. When the cards,
thus held, are spread betweeu hands it is easy, wit.hout descernible movement,
to slip the bottom card along bottom of fan -- a :nove of constant utility.
TOP AND OOTTOH DEALING HITH ONE HAND
This is well worth learning if used only f or exhibi tion purposes. The
natural sv7ing necessary to deal cards serves to conceal. the secret action. One
has only to witness the work .of Edv:ard G, (Tex) McGuire of Providence, R.I. to
sl eight can aL~ost immediately acquire t he essential knack and feel which are of
11
all importance in acquiring the deal. Thus countless houx·s of tedious practice are
obviated.
F.ir st, hold pack in an eagy, normal position with the forefinger resting
against or curled around outer end. If preferred the tip of forefinger may rest
To practice deal , simply pull back the top card about one quarter inch thus
exposing the outer end of second card and, important, the left inner corner of card_
must be press~irw~y against base of palm. The tip of left thumb is placed so
that it contacts edge of top card a"ld exposed card equally. To deat, the thumb
pushes t ha two cards over the side topether but in such a manner that inner left
corner of top card actually bites into fles h of lower palm and pivots at this point.
Cl osely following this si. mple expedient it ldll be found that by dealing
throug~ t l:e pack a few times the proper feel of pivoting the top card will all11ost
the left third ani second finger acts as a sensitive gauge to permit only two
finger experiences a distinct sensation; the bite of the t l· O cards pas sing over
As proficiency is acquired the lap of the two cards can be narrowed until it
can be executed with an increasi.::lgly small margin. When this has been accomplished
the pulling back of the top card can be dispensed with and left thumb performs
These detai l.s combined wit h the rapidity of the top card's baclo rard movement
orif :i.nal variation whic h oll'ercomes the essential wealmess as the cards can be kept
Pack is held in reguJa r deaJ.'i.n0 position but first f inger must extend around the
outer en/.or deck and slizhtly above same . Pack must be held in a slight ly diagonal
position so that thumb r ests naturally and easi~ on top with tip near outer l eft
corner . Thumb is bent slightl y and t hen pushes top card directly to the right. If
.
this push is continued t he tlcumb will consequently straighten out so that t he
portion of t humb bet1"ee..11 first and second joints comes into contact with the exposed
second card. The top card ll!llst be pushed ful~ three quarters of an inch to the
right before t he secon'i card starts to move • Left fingertips which Will be under
top card, gauge the pushing off of t he second card as in a reguJa r top deal.
Ri Pht hand deals second card as usual but the instant this rand erips second
card, the top card must be pulled back by thumb in perfect alignment with pack.
T~j_s is faciJJ.tated by the {iui dru:c e of the left f orefinger. Remember that before
second card is more than half ··:it hdratm the top card s h..ould be fully flush Hi th pack.
Both metl:ods g:l.ven (especially t he second) are well worth acquiring paxticu.'h rly
as regards magic where it is so often necessary to arrange a number of cards secret~
13
,If Hhen th1.UYlb very rapidl y f lips cards, f:reque,1t1y the desired card •'lill
return to the proper point and secm·e the desired card. As stated this per1ni ts
By t i>e sec,ond method four or more desired cards can. be brought to bottom
or top 'l'."i. th a m;i.nimum of effort.
one in co.•mon use. In the latter t he top and bottom cards are dra;m off in pairs.
Th~ all essential thing to strive f or in the Erdnase system of stack shuffling
is to make no more than a qu arter inc h inner or out jog. It is amazing how little
margin is needed i f you adhere strict ly to the instructions o! con·t.rolling, the
experience the feeling of holdi11g a very !ine break althqugh he is actually not
doing so. In conjunction vTi th card tricks we consider the outjog generally
superior to the injog. This s l ruffle ·..rell performed can be used with i.mpunity
before those l·rell acquainted with the \vork. Sadl y enough, as usually performed,
in acquiring the cull shuffle. In ll'.odern card magic this shuffle can be used
entirel y neglected•
PA.LMJNG
The Erdnase paJ.rn rTas apparently devised to eUm:inate all strain from the
a single second.
Important. After the palm and after cards have been dropped to table
the action of the right han~s mos t ~nportant. There is a tendency when a
card is palmed for t he hand to nwve too slowly. This is due to the fact that
hand more rapidly to simulate natural action. Hay we st.ress again that when
the hand conceals a palmed card t he f ingers, the hand and the wrist must be completely
'
relaxed. Actually the hand does not grip t he card but owing to the natural
curve of the card t he diagonal corners simply press slightly against root of
thumb and first joint of little finger. This is due to the natural tendency
The second method described by Erdnase is sil'liliar but inferior and needs
no collllllent.
When pack :is held!i.n r lght h<md ldth card palmed the hand has a much more
relaxed appearance if the forefinger is bent inward oo that its tip rests
on t he top of the pack. This applies even more strongly ~Th en pack is grasped
by the sides.
BOTTOM P.AIM
We consider the first 11e thod the best for ~ aJ~tbling purposes, nowever the
extended left forefinger 'lorhich (~Tips them and the remaining three fingers 1-rill
bottom card or some similiar pretext. Simultaneously left hand turns inward
and dol·mward and perform~ some such action as pulling back sleever, adjusting tie
of delayed action.
at end which enables the other three fingers to slide along end, around corner to
Al-or-.~ G
side. Then immediately forefinger slips-\end to position near outer right corner
or, as Erdnase suggest, curls under front edge of pack thus aiding the rotary
motion. The above ::1ovement is not co!lllnensed until the instant the left edge of
pack comes into contact l>rith fork of thwnb as cards are placed in left hand. The
entire action or adjustment takes place in less t~an a second and is entirely :
ilnperceptible.
' vle have often lvondered why this handling has been almost wholly neglected
in the performance of card magic~ Under many co~di~ions the appearance of
the; hand holdinr; the palm is enhanced by curling the . forefinger around the end
of deck. ·'
TO HOLD THE LOCATION OF CUT Wh'ILE DEAIJNG
SHIFTS
Erdnase's method for the two-handed shift is the only one in which tip
of tha~b is held at side of pack and it is decidedly more efficient especially if
Unquestionably the finest descriptions of the two-handed pass yet given are
by Lang Neil and Erdnase. Both stress the fact that right fingers should not
pull up the under packet. The Bertr~ method (described by Lang Neil)
uses first finger and thumb as pivot and Erdnase the second finger and thumb.
In any pass or shift the all essentiU purpose i s to cause t;;o packets o~
cards to transpose in the least possible space with the greatest minimum of
strain during the action. In initial practice the beginner should strive only for
smooth a"ld even execution after which speed will unconsciously be achieved.
There are, of course, a multitude of different shi.t'ts and each usually poss~~
certain advantages for certain specific purposes. For many years we have
consi stently used a shift possessing sundry original qualities and which, we
The mechanics of this s!-.ift are quite s:imil iar to t he conventional but
o,.,'ihg to the el imination of any tilting or hinging motion of the lower packet
separatine th.e t Ho packets and forefinger curled loosely around outer end.
Hhen right hnnd approaches to grasp the pack, as usual second finger and
17
thumb seize bottom packet by ends. No,.r this packet is l ifted straight upward
viit hout any til ting 11hatever. The left edge of l o·.rer packet, i n so doing, Hill
s l ide up'.{ard along the inner side of t humb unt il i t reaches a point near t he
tip
With a sl i ght as sistance f rom the l eft fingers the elevation of l o-.rer packet
as above described causes upper half to s•·l 'ing around underneath~ Holding t he
nm• uppermos·!; packet dead still, l eft ·fingers bri ng up r emainder of cards from
belo.v and i mmediatel y left thumb and f ingers square up sides by sliding to and
' The enti re 'action shoul d appear to onlooker as if the pack 1vas merel y lifted
When employing t he orthodox shift several gambl ers of our acqul1i ntance
utilize t he f ollowing dodge to more fully cover t he action of the s 11Ht from
t he f ront. During the s hift t he l eft forefinger, curled around t he outer end, ·
may appear ir~possible but after a few attempts it will be f ound t hat if the
, I
pulli ng off of t he top packet is restri cted to t t he us e of t he Ja st three fingers,
the · f i rst .finger can be held firmly in contact 'ld. th the r i ght fingerti ps. TP.is
immobile first finger tends to cover any telltale flash that mi ght other~tise rel$Ult.
l east poss ibl e space and we here offer an invaluabl e suggestion as to how this
may be realized easily and practi cally. Altho it can be appli ed to al l t1-ro-
0!-1:ing to t he f act t hat the l ittl e f inger separates the two halves o!
pack, a triangul ar space is thus created. I f pertni tted to remain during the
action more movement occurs. Hol,rever dur:ing t he action this space can be
18
As soon c>.s the inner left corner of t he upper half clears the ~ght
These simple actions brine the right irmer corner of lower half in contact
FA-c. e
vrit h t he ~card of top half t hus eliminating this undesi rable triangular space •
Another point to r a>ne111her is, that as t he packets clear onekother the sides
t he lef t t humb exerts a dovmward pressure which causes t he right sid!l of under ·
packet to pivot upward bett·reen s econd finger and thumb of right hand. This
pressure s hould not be relaxed. Actually l ower packet pivotsup and is,~
in t his position until left hand completes the movement., Thus one novement is
F~~
Here are t 1-1o 1rrays to employ t he pass to advantage. First the delay~c.l.
tec :·nique. The l eft hand '1-ri t h finger inserted may be drQ)ped to side .
or a ges ·~ure made and during t his action the pack lll.U.st be adjusted to t he
exact posi tion so t hat '·!hen t he t Ho hands come together not the s lirll test
instantly :·!ade.
It is often desirabl e to make the pass i mmediatel y after a card is repl aced
either in .fanned Clr' squared deck. The l eft hand, in either case, adjusts itself
before t he selected card is returned so t hat ~snen deck is squared the pass can
be instantly made.
19
· D~
THE ERDNASE SHIF';r.....__;:;;ON:.;.:E::...:.:H=AN
Most experts after mastering this most difficult shift find it dif ficult
IIJ l>f 1';CT}I~I.~
if not impossible to uti lize it in a practical or .:indM\8ble lYaY. However,
we submit an original technique..:-a natural screening which make:~ the action
virtually invisible. It these practical details are f ollowed the pass ldll
hand for screen or cover. The pack is hel d as described by Erdnase with l eft
thumb ready to assume its grip. Right hand then approaches in a natural way to
grasp cards at ends but not unti l right edge of pack is screened or covered does
t he l eft thumb curl around end. Then the sl"d.ft is inatantJ.y made to t he point
where l ower packet passes around upper half · and is almost ready to fi.l, It
the rip:ht fingers and thumb. Left hand lifts or actually boosts up l ower half
to meet it. Right hand can t hen take deck and tap edge on table or left
For ~agical purposes t he foll o ·1ne move can often be used to great advantage .
Holding pack in starting position allcm spectator ':Jho j_s stancling on your left
to sight or peek a card by opening deck at corner. Your left thumb indicates
gesture. The instant card i s sieht ed a break is held by second finger with
to step foi'l·rard or backward. Under cover of this ,pass can be made invisibl y
and in a t~.rinkling.
This is undoubtedly the easiest pass in the Erdnase book toacquire but
20
TO ASCERT.AIN THE TOP CARDS WHILE RIFFLING AND RESERVE THEM AT BOTTOM
Erdnase's handling cannot be improved upon. · This has many uses at the
card table as well as for magic. Strangely enough it has been largely
recent ly 1-n-ote us that he consi dered i t one of the best thines in the book.
MODE OF HOLDING AND SKmNlNG THE HAND
Whil e t hese methods are excel lent more modern procedures will be submitted
This section gives much sensible advice and several valuable tip:: to
and a red ace or fi!Ueen. This enabl es the double flash to be employEd most
effecti veJ y.
crimp or bend secretly made in advance; namely, l'ritt. t he three cards squared
up together, outer right corners of t he t hree cards are given a s harp bend
up1~ ards rri thout, of course, breaking the cards. They are then straightened
enhanses t he deception and we regard it as the real 11convi ncer 11 or 11c01n e on. 11
21
. There are ma.11y variations but •-te 1·:ill noH describe a demonstration ~. e have
Used for many years lf.i.th unvarying sUCCess. For impromptu purposes
~~e renove t he seven and eight of c l ubs and t he queen of hearts from
t he pack giving them the usual dmmward crimp and prepare t he corners as
above described.
The t hree cards are placed in a rOlf 1·ith queen :in center. 'vie •iill
number t he cards one, t ..ro and three running from the operata: 1 s l eft to his
rieh't.
Right hand picks up No. 3 and s bov1s. Left picks up No. 1 and shnTS.
Three i s placed over tHo (the qu.een) and both are tw:ned face up with
the remark, "A l ittle game from F.anky Poo. The black for me, t he rei
(~€~~>
for you. Keep your eye on the lady." Right tosses t wo_Aface down m table.
The toss and the turninr, down are all one movement.
Left picks up t'•o, shows and tosses it face down . Tms sequence is
Again right hand picks up two, and on the thro'.' svri tches card so that
three lands on t he lett. With cards face done both hands move to the right
t hen left hand deposits one on extreme right and right crosses over and drops
t •m ' (queen) in the center.
Then we say, "Most people would pick t his card" - we sho•r card on left and
continue, "But t he queen is really in the center. 11 \'le ·show it, always holding
cards by ends.
Again right picks up three, , shoVJs face, left does the same. Right, still
holding card picks up t1,•o (queen) sho~rs and apparently thro•1s it to left but
makes switch. Left hand drops its card to center. Right still holding card
imniediately picks up t he card just thrmm, turns them face up ·saying 11Black here, 11
tosses to number two position at center \llaking s•ritch. Right turns up card
22
three position. Remarking, 11 Even a blind man could see that the card fell
here," ~re touch inner left corner of supposed queen (in position one) ldth
left forefinger. ru.ght picks up center card, (queen) and \•r.i,th it flips over
card held by finger. As face is disclosed we remark )!l\lt never bet on this card
1
because it is al1~ays bl ack. 11 Flipping it face do•m again, card in hand is
again placed atop, both cards are turned face up, sh01·:ing black. Toss on
table making s•,r:i.tch for queen. Without s ho<Ting, card remaining in hand
is placed over card at right, both are turned up saying, "Black here. 11 Make
l eg:l.. timate toss to centel' and show last card in hand remarking, 11 And1 black
Without hesitation the queen :i.s impressively turned face up ~,ith remark,
everything easy to foll01-l. 11 vie openly bend up outer right corner of queen
and place it in center position face do•m vTith the black cards at number one and
three positions.
Right picks up black card at three and clearly shows its face remarking,
11
Ren1ember, this is black." Card is turned face dmm and left picks up blaclc
card f rom one pos ition, shows its face clearly and slol-rly, remarking J'.And
black here. 11 \'lith attention directed to this card, right hand secretly
Right hand, with fingers concealing t k is crimp places card atop 1t1a
queen and tosses it to left. Left hand places its card atop queen rod
tosses i t back to the r ir'r,t. This is repeated several times t>hich permits
be able to see exactly what happens, but it becomes very cotf using 11hen
I cross my hands."
Finally r ight hand holding secretly crimped black card places it
over the queen, flas hes it, makes switch as it is tossed to let. •
Left hand places its card to r:j..ght of apparent queen, picksup the
at number three position. At this point the arms cross, left over
rig ht and under cover right f ingers straighten out corner o! real
still lose bec ause this is black, (turn over right hand card) and this
is black (turn over center card) and t he queen is al~otays here" (slowq-
~le t horoughly agree with Erdnase that no card feat will give as good
returns for t he practice exp~ded as t he grand old pastime of three card
monte.
MEXICAN MONTE
This method of t urning over one card wi. t h another must be thor~ hJ.y
sl eight can be safely used. This amounts to a simple condi t:b ning
process.
motion. wren the ri~?ht for efinger turns over t r.e tabl ed card the
other card must be lifted sufficiently to allow right side of the un<br
24
LEGERDEMAIN
digested.
THE C~ ARLIER ShiFT
rip.ht hand places its packet on the table and then taking xemaining
neces sary to push the left corner dol-m t he side "~>'i t h t t e right first
and assisted by the t ree fingers at opposite si de, slide the card
l ine ers slide f or1vard again alent. tl~e edges l eaving the card pro-
truding under cover of the rigtt hand. Oldng to this greater pro-
:·'ill revol ve more neatly and invisibly into left palm. Also it
brought into the above dia( onal position and palmed as easily as
or peeked at card to t :"le botto.11. Break is held bel o;r noted card,
but i nstead of cutting to half pcr tion above break, cut directly
below breal< and s ruffle these cards to the top. This l eaves
but t ·is time retainine card on the bottom by pressure of left fingers .
pal.l!led i.n l eft h.and and deck can be i'lD'Ilediately handed to spectator
FORCING
above the break is greatly preferable to the force from below break.
The reason for t his is that it allo1.;s more cards to be spread and gives
reaching break t he pack should be held just beyond spectator's reach. Thus
was held belo,·r card to be f orced and in placi11g pack on table he left
PAlMING
A1tho Erdnase' s description of the back palm was 1·: ritten in the
'
"horse and buggy" days of this sleight nevertheless, •li th t he except:bn
action of the ri?ht thumb in bringine the card. from the rear position
to the inside of the hand. The fact that the thumb replaces the
CHANGES
In general Erdnase' s description of the top change is superlor
-mos{ ,
to~. Ho,.;ever, one i<Y!por'~ant thing in the handling is omit ted.
BOTTOM C~
timing. The top card is usually pushed over side of pack teo soon.
The push should be del ayed until the n ry inst'ant of the change. In
~-
THE PAll-1 Cf.ANOE
to propel card into pa.1m. This move1~ent ca11 be mini'fri..zed. App a rently
the cards are held betvreen all four fin;;ers and thumb. In real i v
they are supported solely by little finger and thumb. The other
t he left thwnb and second and t~ri..rd fingers grasp the top card by
outer ~ near l eft corner and it will be found t hat a very slight
TRANSFORV~TIONSJ ~_l~Dp_
position with thumb along the left side and projec-t~ng slightly
SECOND ?£ THOD
This me·!;,hod has beer used by top card men and is still
1Vhioi1 does not stick out in t.he usual fish hook manner.
the actual palm is made all action is done ;Titi, the left hand.
The left forefinger makes all the movement an<ilethe right hand
Tl-'IRD, FO~!LLAFJl.LI~F.:f.'i...@~
The above suggestions applied. to t hese three methods will
SIXTH METHOD
right hand takes deck by lo~•er end as left changes posi tim
1'RANSF0ffi.1ATIONS, •• ~ • .O!!!}f!N~
FIRST :HETHOD
face of pack keep the left t humb well away from front card-
SECOND METHOD
~.:J7iT4faJ
Perfect execution of t to.is change can be tadl:ated if the
FIRST METHOD
top and thus the original top card of pack is now in third
result so deceptively.
SECOND METHOD
This riffle can be made much more effective i.:t: when dividing
cut (sliding top card of pack into left :b..and portion) so lt1en
FOURTH METHOD
This is ideal for anyone who does not ,.rish to make a display
of dexterity.
FIFTH lo!ETEOD
METHOD A
right hand a trii'le more sharpl y, which wiltncrease the area and tlms
However, this will not alter the even tempo . of the riffle. Needless
METHOD B
more visible than the others. The card thatrsees wiJ.l be the one
also noted by the spectator. This was one of many mental effects with
cards performed by the late Paul Rosini and in his hands it left
nothing to be desired.
lofE'l'HOD C
METHOD D.
if~noring the spectator ' s glance . However , the spectator ' s reaction
can 'fli easily bo observed out o:e the tail of the eye. 111 thou~h the
operation appears childishly simple it re quires experience based on
trial and error before real success can be ach:eved . If performer
stands at a little distance fro.m spectator tbe working \/ill be
facilitated .
TO G~- SIGH'l' Oi *\ .:::lELF.CTED 0.!\I~
The two last methods aro vrell worth learning . The technique
is clearly described but it mu ... t be adapted to one ' s O\'m personality
and natural demoonor .
THE SLIDE on GLIDE
OAnD TRICKS
7/e agree with tho statement that this iS one of the bes t non-
sleight o f hand effe cts possible . Many variati ons have bee n worked
out s ince the days of E'rdnase . Our o;m method will be described in
the final chapter of this book.
THE ACROBATIC JACKS
Rven at this l ate da~e an entirely new effect has been created
by a well known Chicag o ma·gician using this priciple .
Tln,; c~nm Il\ l:uHID!::E!WHI:;F
revealed four Jacks atop the pack . In actual play the a_bovo operator
-37-
ni cal accompflishment .
The operf:l.tion co~.me nces by riffling one pa cket into the other.
As the shuffle is started the top card of the l _e ft packet is glimpsed,
for example atr · ace . .As the riffle proceeds the operato1• watches
f or another ace and as soon as .it dl'OpS from the left thumb right
hand i ruv.ediately allows n s mall block of fj ve or six c ards to fall
above it as the shuffle continue& • . • • ret~ining the ace already on
top.
In this condition the packets are pushed togethe r and apparently
squared as p~~viously described in' thG "'pull o~t riffle•. Correct
e xecution v1ill resul.t in a wide •briar• or gap near the l eft corner
of.:outer Side of pack.
In di v:\.ding the c ards for the next shuff'le the second finger ttp
of loft hand. easily locates by feel, t his division and by simply
p:cessing down on all cards belov< the gap permits right hand to
slide off all cards above in readiness f or the next riffle. At
this point there will be an ace atop each pa cket.
r:i.ght hand pa cket and naturally, these must be shuffled below the
third ace Which Hill be on ~he top of' the loft packet . If des ired to
cull the fourth ace the p rocedure is identical , shurflins ·the three
aces on .: right .I?Ortion under last ace atop loft pa cket. It goes \'llith-
out saying that the natural'dist ribution of tho wanted cards greatly
affects the exact procedure . For example , should one of the desired
cards ha_:">pen to be on or very near the bottom the following variation
is utilized . .lssuming the ace is on the bottom of left portion , it
is dropped sj ng ly boforo tho rir;ht hand c 1rds ere rifflod in. Cards
aro squared up but rieht end is ~lir~hly beveled which cou:Jos bottom
of for.mer right packet to project slightly on right end . Half of cards
are ;.,o\'1 cut to the top and very slightl y joc;eed to the richt . ./hen
the curds are again separated for the riffle the right third finger
eadily locates this jog and tho pack is divided leaving tho ace atop
the left _9acket .
11hen sighti~· cards durine riffle , if by accident an extra card or
two slips by, simply drop the block in at t his point and upon cot'U':lence -
rnent of t he following shuffle it Will only be necessary to :lllow the
aco~; on the rirht pacltet to fall as before, underneath tho left a ce .
The eztra card.; now on top can be neatly disposed of on the next
riffle by the method we have previously desc:.-ibed under heading of-
PULL 'l'ffiU RIFFLE WITH BOLCK TH..·\N.:iFER.
'llhe actual work 1s perfor med as follows .... prel:3 u.w.ing it is des i red to
give one pdir to ... he t .ird player and rcmain::.n~ pair to the dealer in
a five handed game , t hiu is tho action- in the oct :)f undercutting ,
bottom card is jov,~ed sliGhtly to the riGht a.:> the lower half is .:Jlapped
on top and plac0d . . . lir;htly to thu left , the protruding card \'Till co-
incide ;·Ji th the other packet .
Uithout hesitation , the ri··ht hand again undercuts but thi.:; time the
rir-ht index f'in~'er car.t'ies off the top card thus executine; the ono card
cut .
The above i s repea t ed e xactly .
Then a plain undercut is made and when packet is Slapped on top as
bGfor e richt i ndex pre:J;;es on top card a nd acain one c1.1rd out is m€'lde .
By trase six ra;>id cuts h<ilf the v1ork has been accomp9li3hed . Now
I
by an exoct rep&.tit ion of.·tho above the work is com_rlete d .. and cards are
now set so thl:it the thi::d playor rlill rooeive a pair back to ba ck and
thtJ denlex· ·will get the larger ;?air .
Once the theory is understood l i~tle calculation is required t o
adapt the ~rork to any number of hand::; or to doal tllC desired (cards to
any player .
- 40-
blind cut, virtually unknown and particularly ideal V<"hen used after a
"cooler• has been put into thO game .
The ri~~t ae oond finger and thuob grasps the deck by the Sides near
end and undercut about one third . These are placed on top, retaining
grip and v:i thout hesi tetion t: ird tinge'-· a no. thumb tip pull out half
the un<ier portion and the rit;t,ht hand moves forward placing tho lower
portion on table C~nd the upper portion in front of it . This results in
tbree packets in a row. The richt hand returns, takes the pa cket held
in left , and places it atop middle pile and these are placed on renain-
1
ing heap . 'l his leaves the entire order undisturbed .
Second Riffle
Position of other player minus one (shuffled under two) .. 3
Third Riffle
First result (above} mihUS one ( shuffled under one) =2
Fourth Riffle
Position of other pl ayer minus one ( shuffled on top} =3
Combining third and fourth riffle , making thrEJe ri:ffles in all, would
be 2-f..:" 3 =5. Two of this five under one 3.tid the rernaininc; three on
top. rlec;ardless of the nwu.ber of hands the two on the right in the
first two riffles arc always constant . In the . ~c hird riffle the one
is ulways constant .
at it, the right. hand is laid flat on table i mmedia tely in front of it .
Rieht hand is then t ilted up slig htly , allo;<Jing palmed card to remain
on table. Sir.ml taneously left hand p-laces the hole card into immobile
p alm. Both hands now move~ back tp odc e of table in a relaxed position
-42-
v<l'i th ric;ht hand resting across back of left . The~e moves imitate
perfe ctly the mannerisms adopted by many players.
There i s a similar method but usinr, only the right hand . This
hand with palmed card is laid.; di:::-ectly in front of tablBd card .
Thumb iS ext.ended over visible card and latter is slid forward under
the flati hand and above it • ' .. As hand tilts up to convey the
impress'icih of lookinc rat card , thwnb lifts up inner side o:e it and
presses firnlly .into . pa lm~ : :, 'l'humb fei~~ns releasing card and band moves
away to rest a·crbSs left hand as in forrner method.
Probably the finest one handed .method ever devised was used for
many years by a ~abulous gambler hailing from· the dta te of Oregon.
The novel feature of this switch is the fact that a portion of the
card a ppears to ue visible at all t ime s.
top of
Hand with palmed card is laid directly on/tabled c ard but ,.simul t -
aneously the thumb pusninu ag ainst the side ede;e of pal med card
causes it to extend Slig htly beyond outer S ide or litt l e finger .
Thumb now bends up lower card and by exerting pressure ag<lin st base
of forefinger'" card is allowed to spring free of other card •. This
resul t s in transposing t,he two cards and hand vrlth palmed card now
moves away as uaual . To facilitate the move pres s ure must be exerted
aga inst t a ble by oute r side of hand during this s pring ine move.ment.
We are assuming that operator has been dealt a face down deuce with
a face up ace . atop it and a se cond ace iS conc.ealed in left hand--
( ~ amb~ing:palm position} Edges of carQ. ure thus clipped by little
finger and thti.mb • .
Rig ht thumb a nd fing ers grip visible ace at rie; ht end and slide i t
under face down card . '.Phen without pause bo th c3rds are slid ; under
palm clovm left hand and im"lediately
. both hands are raised slightly
- 43-
from table-all three cards be1nb perfe ctly squared together . Both
hands are p l aced on table and \lith left hand Shielding cards and right
fingers and thu.mb turnjng up index corner, in customary fashion, then
the following a ction takes place. The card near as t left palm is fanned
up slie htly and the right thumb fans the lower most ca rd so that the
two cards co incide. This r esults in leaving out or corner of center
card protruding where i t can be clippe d by thj.rd and little fingers .
The two aligned c ards are pinched together at the corner by the
index finge r and thumb and slid · into view. And then upper face down
card is re placed below . fac·e up a ce in orig inal position.
It is one thin~ . to master tho sleights of the card table but ~ui te
mechanic tb3n picks up his cards a nd in fanr:ina them a:!.lows three cards,
all j a cks , tD be clearly seen by hi s opponent . He asks for tv1o cards
and discards two.
After the bet is made t he operator s ur prisingly lays down four
aces a nd an odd jack to the victim ' s utter amazement . He g rab-> the
r.mney and hurriedly disappears~.
.Above makes on e x cellent exhibi tion and will impress any poker
pl a yer.
Along similar lines is another bold and barefaced proceeding known
as "The Snatch" end wb'i.ch may bo used in a number of different games .
In this instance the mechanic is assisted by o parlner who needs
l ittle rehearsal for hi s part in t he R:3me and who may be seated any-
where at the t a ble .
The stratagem i s held in reserve until an occasion arises vthen
there is a considerable sum of money in tho pot end the mechanic can
ea s ily fathom by the betting that ho does not hold the top h·md .
~ ea l i zing this he stalls for time a nd hi-> accomplice comwences to
idly toy wi tb tho cards not in play . From these he select:.> any hand
of five cards th~,·~; he knows ,will win the money. These five cards he
holds in one hand by the extreme ends and slib htly above tho other
cords . Inasmuch as he is naturally not eng a ged in the play and
attention of all others is concentrated elseHhere he is able to do
the above openly and VIi thout croat~nG suspicion.
-46-
There are many ways of winning at cards in add ition to mani pul ating
the pa ck . in t his field there is nothing stranger than the so-called
tear-up. This is strictly a con game .
'l'he mecha nic steers the victim who is known to have a sizeable bank
account to a c ard game and , previously tells him t hat t he opera tor
will accep t hiS personal ~ h eck in exchanr,e for chips, He is instructed
that i f he WihS he can alloW hiS check to be CDShed but if he loses
he c an eas ily st op payment on it. ThiS a ttractive bait i s usually
sv1allowed avidl y by the victim parti cularly if he possesses the usual
amount of larceny.
G
Astiuming t hat the v1tim has lost a consid erable sum he is i nformed
by the genial g ame keepe r tha t there ·.is -.no desire to emb~rrass him
by cashing hi e check and that he will be permitted to pay his obli-
ga tion later ,in cash. .As proof of his g ood intentions t he opera tor
appa r e ntly t ears the check into pieces <.l nd toS<>es them into the waste-
basket. What actually hap;-,ens, however, iS that the real chock is
adroit ly s ubstituted for a phoney one and it iS this latter one Whi ch
is torn up .
- 47 -
When the victim's bank o pens next morning the e euuine c neck is
prompt l y presented and cashed.
six) In the present case, of course, tho card must be held face down .
-19-
'rhe s·-;i tch can alSo be mode by the famiL.ar ton or bottom chanc e .
1/ith a sli ·ht adjustnent the Curry 'rurnover can likEmise be usee}.
;. FJ::',! TIPo
l\lost cord moves are greatly f::~cilitated by havine; tho dock neatly
squared . Normally the deck should be ho l d by tips of loft fingers
and thumb with forefinGer curled against face of pacl(. ~/i th deck on
table it should be squared as doccribed by E'dnaso in his instructions
for riffle shuffline.
~lhen v1idening a break i'or insertion of a fint;er avoid lifting upper
packet but lov;er under portion . , ,o
wt.,,.... ~} ()Jl..{_ 4¥<- ~
\/hen cutting to . a "brief'' ( finely j ogc ed card) 1pro~w on top of deck
v1ith index finge r until separation of packets is asuured .
With a card palmed the hand should never remain in a frozen position
longer than necessary. It should move to other positions but for
natural reasons . However , this must not be overdone .
~
When holding a card"palmed v1ith pack in dealinc po .. i tion and it is
desired to turn cards face up it iS much better to grasp the deck by
inner ond with f i nger$ on top and turn i t over . This permits t he left
hand to re - grip the c ards in a normal way .
!.)any n:.ovc3 , otherwise obvious, can be rendered quite natural and
illusive by merely tippinG the front end of the deck upward thus
obscurinG spectator ' s view •
•~ card inserted into pack diaE.;onally , but only to a sli~ht degree ,
oan be easily lo c ated by cutting, riffling or spreodine evenly on
table .
",/hen holding more than one break , handling i.., usually facilitated
by holdinc; one of them acsinJt base of thumb.
In all forl!'.S of bottom dealine it is aluays adv:mtaroous , instead
-50-
of dealint~ card vJi th a direct or strait:~ht pull , to ?;ive it a slight
t vtist v:hich tends to eliminfl.te friction.
When having a card ''peeked at>\ ulways keep oposite side of pack
firm.l y gripped in crotch of thumb thus preventing the two halves from
sep3rating or breaking. Otllcrw5.se diffJ.culty will be encountered in
squa rint: up rerfe ctly.
1/hen holding a break nith little finGer actual breuk should be held
near first j ..)int so that tip of finger is clearly visible. If this
words are spokc~n s5m!)1y square deck thus under cover of <;l.lsarmint~ words
and a ction t he move has been made. Hen ceforth tJ- e perforr~or muHt
0
Sup:~;eDt by his notionS :<nd octing ability that the ac·tual s14;i~ht haS yet
to occur w.hen , in point o-r f<:~ct it has alreedy tr on~~!lired ,
l)ractically every trick has a Heak spot but a little thou r;ht v;Hl
devise simplo n.et:t-ods for• oover:i:ng .and even eliminiatj_ng these
deficiencies .
So vlith tho above words a pleaBant task is finished and yet we take
our final bow with t.he fe•::~ling t:r..at only tl113 surfoce of a vn::st subject
has been scratched.