How to Shuffle Overhand With a Deck of Cards

Whether you are just playing cards with friends or learning magic tricks, one of the most basic moves with a deck of cards is the overhand shuffle. This is a shuffle that even a young child can quickly master if they have an undersized deck of cards.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Deck of playing cards

1. Loosely hold the deck of cards lengthwise in your left hand. Place the cards with your thumb resting on the front of the deck. The fingers of your left hand should be supporting the deck. The face or marked cards should be facing your fingers.

2. Pick up approximately ¾ of the deck of cards with your right hand. Let the remaining cards resting in your left hand fall back against your fingers.

3. Move the cards in your right hand over the front of the deck in your left hand. Draw five to ten cards off the deck in your right hand. Or you can let a few cards drop. Either way these cards should fall in front of the cards in your left hand. This is the overhand part of this shuffle.

4. Continue dropping or drawing off small numbers of cards until you no longer have any cards in your right hand. Straighten the deck. Grasp another group of cards like you did in Step 2. Repeat Steps 2, 3 and 4 several times until the deck is thoroughly mixed.

5. Practice the overhand shuffle until it appears to be effortless. To make it even flashier, you can alternate dropping cards in front of the pile and in back of the pile.