How to Do the Swing Cut for Magicians

Card flourishes and flashy cuts are one way to entertain an audience while going through the simple motions of shuffling and cutting cards. The swing cut is a very easy cut to learn, but is the basis for a number of other, showier cuts and combinations of cuts. There are several "false" versions of the swing cut to trick your audience, but this is the genuine basic version.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Hold the cards in one hand using an overhand grip, with your hand above the cards, holding the cards with your thumb at the bottom of the cards and your first, middle and ring fingers at the top of the deck.

2. Use your index finger that is holding the deck of cards to lift the top half of the deck up off of the bottom half.

3. Swing your index finger out from the rest of your hand while holding onto the top half of the deck. You don't have to extend your finger far, just an inch or so is enough to make the cut apparent.

4. Use your other hand to grab the top half of the deck as you swing it out from the bottom half. Simply place the cards under the rest of the deck and repeat if necessary.

5. Repeat the cut several times using smaller portions of the deck, or combine this cut with other flashy cuts, like the swivel cut, to entertain and impress (or even distract) your audience.