How to Do The One Handed Spin With Playing Cards

Magicians and professional card dealers use slight of hand and card flourishes to impress an audience. They distract the eye from hidden moves and make a performance much more visually interesting. Many of the card flourishes used by professionals are simple to replicate.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Hold a deck of cards in your left palm with your fingers positioned in a frame around the cards. This means the forefinger clamps onto the top of the deck, the little finger clamps onto the bottom of the deck and the middle fingers and thumb take the two side positions.

2. Drop the bottom half of the deck into the center of your palm as you push the top half of the deck up on the left side with the left thumb. Your forefinger no longer frames the top edge of the deck but rests at the top of the right side of the cards.

3. Grab the whole deck loosely with your thumb and forefinger while you move the ring finger underneath the top half of the deck until it touches the bottom left hand corner to act as a pivot.

4. Spin the deck around by maneuvering the ring finger and the little finger in the same direction. Your fore finger and thumb simultaneously move the bottom half of the deck onto its side in readiness for the flipping of the two halves.

5. Keep turning both halves of the deck until they are completely separate from each other but side beside in the center of your palm framed by your fingers.

6. Push the original top half into the bottom position and let the original bottom half of the deck land on top completing the spin.

7. Practice this flourish several times until the exchange of deck halves is smooth and quick.