How to Do Card Handling

Card handling comes in handy when you're playing a game like poker or bridge. It is also a part of a large number of tricks that magicians perform with a deck of cards. Whether you're an amateur magician or you just want to astound your friends, learn the key of these tricks through card handling.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Deck of cards

1. Maintain the top and bottom cards in your deck by placing your thumbs on the deck to keep track of them. Use the tip of one of your fingers or thumbs to keep your place.

2. Cut the cards to switch the order of the two halves of the deck—the top half of the deck is now on bottom, while the bottom half is on top. This method of card handling doesn't affect the content of the other cards, however. If you cut the cards in your hands instead of the table, you can often maneuver the top card back on top.

3. Rearrange the cards through different methods of shuffling. With riffle shuffling, you split the deck of cards in half and then merge them back together again, using your thumbs to release the cards.

4. Shuffle with the overhand shuffling method. Hold the cards vertically in one hand, with the top card facing your other hand. Use that other hand to lift a section of cards from front to back. Although it looks like you're cutting the cards repeatedly, in reality, you're moving the cards until you're back at the beginning.

5. Peek at the cards so that you always know which card is the bottom card. Unobtrusively verifying the bottom card throughout a trick is a card-handling move known as peeking.

Tips & Warnings

• Check out the following card magic books that address card handling with excellent illustrations: "The Magic Book" by Harry Lorayne, "Expert Card Technique" by Hugard and Braue, "Royal Road to Card Magic" by Hugard and the Card College Series by Roberto Giobbi.