How to Do the Pivot Cut Card Trick

Cutting a deck of cards is an integral part of any good card trick. Virtually every good card trick requires the magician to either cut the deck himself or to have an audience member do this task for him. The pivot cut card trick is a most basic cut maneuver that should be mastered by any good magician.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Place a full deck of cards in the palm of one hand. Place the deck in your non-dominant hand. Grab the deck from over the top with your dominant hand. This is the hand that will do most of the hard work. The other hand is merely the "catcher."

2. Grab the deck out of your palm with your dominant hand lengthwise from your fingertips to your wrist over the top of the cards. This is what is called a top cut. This cut must be worked from the full length of the deck rather than the width.

3. Use your middle finger of your dominant hand and place it on the shorter side in the corner. Place your thumb of the same hand on the other short side at the corner directly across from your middle finger. Leave the full part of the deck out toward your index finger. You do not want the bulk of the deck under your palm so that there is nothing for your index finger to grab.

4. Grab about one half the thickness of the deck of cards with the tip of your index finger. The pad of your index finger should be placed on the outer edge of the deck about halfway down. Press the deck with your index finger and lift up about 1/4 inch. About half the deck should come up with the other half still firmly in place between your thumb and middle finger.

5. Pivot the half of the deck that your index finger is holding over towards your other hand. Depending upon the length of your finger, this is really only going to move the top half of the deck about a 1/2 inch. Your middle finger will remain stationary holding one side of the bottom half, and your thumb will remain still holding both the bottom and the top half.

6. Move your non-dominant hand toward the top half of the deck which your index finger has pivoted out. You will "catch" the pivoted cards with the crook of your thumb and index finger (right where the two meet). Squeeze the cards tight between your thumb and index finger and pull out the entire upper half of the deck that was pivoted out.

7. Turn your non-dominant hand a half turn until your palm is facing up and the cards you just caught are facedown in your palm. Then, take the remaining deck from your dominant hand and place it on top of the half deck in your non-dominant hand. You have just completed your basic pivot cut.

Tips & Warnings

• Once you think you have mastered this cut, practice in front of a mirror to get your showmanship techniques down.