Literally hundreds if not thousands of card moves have been developed over time. You won't need to learn all of them, but any card man of name has in each basic move category (palm, control, false shuffle, false cut, false deal, glimpse, flourish, force, ...) one or two strong moves ready to use.
Once you have a solid grounding in the basic moves pretty much any card trick is accessible to you.
Practicing moves can have a zen-like quality to it. Some achieve a naturalness similar to a musician, dancer, or juggler. It looks effortless, but it can take thousands of hours of practice.
The most deceptive false cut is when the spectator cuts the deck. This false cut is one of the most convincing false cuts of all the false cuts. It looks so innocent and fair.
This technique utilizes a simple triple cut sequence that maintains the order of the deck as the spectator cuts. It does this without the complexity often associated with other false cuts. There is no shift, pass, or similar involved. The magician simply cuts the deck one handed at the end of the cutting sequence and the spectator carries the cut.
Learn step by step how to perform this amazingly deceptive false...
"This is one of the most important card magic manuscripts published in the last 25 years. The 'principle' is truly a lost gem and I'm shocked that it's completely out of use today. As the decades passed, it appears magicians forgot about it. Do not pass this up. If you are a serious student of card magic, this principle is something you should know about. Study this manuscript, learn the principle, and, most importantly, learn the history surrounding it.
I've been studying card magic for over 20 years and I never heard of this principle until the Unnamed Magician brought it to my attention....
To become a master in anything you have to pay attention to the details. This ebook is all about details, the details of sleight of hand with cards.
Excerpt from the foreword:
You may ask, "Who wants to read long, complicated algorithms? Who enjoys atomic analysis? Why does magic have to be so technical?" The answer to these questions is implicit in this book.
Almost everyone has heard of the Vernon Touch. It has been lauded by countless respected names in magic. What is the Vernon Touch? In brief, it is nothing more than fastidious attention to details. Great magicians like Vernon and...
This is the authoritative reference for false counts and displays. It is the only encyclopedia of its kind. If you read somewhere a reference to the Copdiddle Count or the Biddyro Count and you have no idea what they are and how they are done, Racherbaumer's Counthesaurus will provide the answer. More than 70 counts and displays are explained. False counts are particularly useful for small packet tricks. If you want to create your own small packet tricks and you need a false count with particular characteristics and features you will likely find it here.
Includes Robert Walker's trick "Hyper...
I have learned a dozen false shuffles and the Rosetta shuffle was the clear winner. The Rosetta shuffle is one of the most convincing false shuffles of all the false shuffles. It looks so innocent and impossible to manipulate.
Key points:
What is the most deceptive false shuffle: Zarrow, Faro, Push-Through, Shank, in the hands shuffle? The answer to this intriguing question is that the most deceptive false shuffle is when the spectator shuffles the deck themselves! This eBook explains this ingenious principle, how to use it, and its numerous variations. One variation uses the spectator's deck. Mastering this technique will elevate your card magic to new heights, leaving your audience in complete awe and amazement.
1st edition 2024, PDF 30 pages.
Translation of La Machine à Voler, a French classic revealing the legal circumvention of gambling laws to establish crooked gambling clubs and casinos. It also exposes cheating methods for baccarat.
This work is primarily interesting to the magician due to its exposure of cheating methods at baccarat including sleight-of-hand techniques. These are explained in detail including photos.
Excerpt from the preface:
Read this book, read it carefully. The man who wrote it, though lacking in talent, is sure of what he says, and says nothing he can’t prove. Once having read the book, go to the casino and look...
This is similar to Jay Ose's False Cut, with one key difference: the spectator completes the final cut. Because they complete the cut, the spectator believes it is genuine. This cut is straightforward and doesn't draw unnecessary attention. It appears to be a triple cut of the cards and it is easy to do.
1st edition 2024, PDF 8 pages.
This video may not be magic, but it showcases some of the most astonishing blackjack cheating moves ever captured. You won't be disappointed. It demonstrates exactly how each move is executed, featuring cheating moves from both the outside and inside. Filmed from surveillance and floorman's perspectives, it offers a comprehensive view of the action in the blackjack pit. Watch the video and see if you can spot the move before it is explained. These are all sleight of hand moves, no electronics.
Moves shown and explained:
You show, one by one, red and black cards perfectly mixed. That is, you show a red card, then a black card, then a red card, a black card, and so on, until you have shown 8 cards. But when you are done with showing the interleaved cards they are already separated.
This count is perfect for an oil and water routine or any other situation where you need to show cards mixed, but in the process of showing them mixed, they are being separated.
1st edition 2024, video 3:00.
The Pelli Spread is a move that allows you to show several cards in a spread or small fan while hiding one card. A similar type of move, although the mechanics are different, is the Ascanio Spread.
1st edition 2024, video 5:20.
An instructive warning to those who must play for stakes. Interesting amusement for those who do not.
Excerpt from the Foreword:
This book is an explanation of the fundamental principles upon which all card sharping is based. Once the main ideas are thoroughly understood, it becomes a comparatively easy matter to detect any subterfuge no matter how intricate.
This book is nicely illustrated by Charles Remmers from photographs by the author. It contains a description of cheating at the popular Australian game of Two-Up which makes it unique.
The dark side of gambling.
"Loaded with rare, inside information." - Darwin Ortiz
"Absolutely fascinating and enlightening! Ingenious methods that boggle the mind." - Daryl
"Inside techniques exposed for the first time in print." - George Joseph / Director of Surveillance, Bally Entertainment Co.
It may be shocking and it's certainly dangerous. Nevertheless, this unique ebook represents the definitive resource on how professional con men cheat at Blackjack and other card games. The author, a former high-stakes cheater, explains an amazing array of specific moves with clear, understandable text and...
"Must reading for all card magicians!" - Allan Ackerman
"Outstanding!" - Darwin Ortiz
"This book should be on your shelf alongside The Expert at the Card Table, The Man Who Was Erdnase, The Annotated Erdnase, and Loaded Dice." - William P. Miesel
His name is not "Marks," but when you buy this ebook you will learn why he had to write under an alias. The ebook covers advantage play, cheating, and the moves that get the money.
"Exceptional. Controversial. Highly recommended." - Michael Dalton / Blackjack Review
"WOW! The real world of cheating and the plays that get the money." - Bob Snyder / Gaming Consultants
A detailed explanation and breakdown of how to back palm a playing card.
The author shows the aspiring card magician how to make playing cards appear and disappear from and into thin air using a sleight-of-hand technique known as back palming. Many photos assist in comprehending this at-first difficult-looking move. But with a bit of practice, it is within reach for any dedicated student.
This technique is typically used on stage but it can also delight in an impromptu setting close-up and it can be done with other thin flat objects besides playing cards, such as business cards, credit...
A finessed examination of a unique technique.
This manuscript is about a basic card technique that is sui generis, although it remains a limited application. Nevertheless, it is worth knowing because it's been cleverly used to perform one of the best short versions of "Triumph" extant.
The basic move permits you to secretly reverse a card while the deck is tabled and simultaneously riffle shuffled. This manuscript also reveals the how, when and who worked on it. The first Tabled Reverse appeared in Marlo's Off the Top in 1945, credited to Russell Barnhart. Therein it was sparsely explained,...
J.C. Wagner's "Super Closer" is one of the most impressive routines you can do with a deck of cards. Ricky Jay knew this and only was told the workings after Wagner held out for one of Jay's inner secrets.
The deck is shuffled and cut and then divided into four packets. The magician and the spectator shuffle the four packets.
Effect #1: The top cards of each packet are turned over to reveal the four Aces.
Effect #2: The spectator buries the four Aces in the deck. The magician spells each Ace to find all four and, as he does so, four packets are created.
Effect #3: The four Kings are spelled...
A sleight-of-hand reference work for cards, coins, billiard balls, and thimbles.
Magic without Apparatus is the first English translation of La Prestidigitation sans Appareils, which has been recognized by authorities on magic as the world's greatest treatise on legerdemain with cards, coins, billiard balls, and thimbles. The French edition elicited such comments as these:
Leo Rullman (Connoisseur of magical literature): "The greatest work on pure sleight-of-hand in any language."
Professor Hoffmann (Author of Modern Magic, More Magic, Later Magic): "A contribution of the first rank to the literature...
A play-by-play exposé of the tricks of the card sharp's trade.
Moss gives general advice on how to avoid becoming a sucker or losing more money than luck alone would explain. The most interesting part is where he describes several sleights and strategies cardsharps use to cheat at the card table. Many of the sleights are illustrated with photos.
A version of a strike-second deal that the author calls the "shutter" method, referring to the shutter of a camera.
This version could be easier for some to perform than a classic strike-second because the coordination of the thumbs is built into the method itself. While the author claims that his method is practically self-working, there is some amount of practice necessary to acquire the knack. Still, his discovery has earned the praise of top-flight card experts, who have called it perfect in action and imperceptible to the keenest observer.
The second deal is an indispensable sleight...
A utility move that allows you to control a card to the top, to the second, or a few cards down from the top.
I have created this move back in 2010 to control a card to the top of the deck. Over the years I have refined it to this point, now I am confident enough to share it with the magic community. With this move, you can not only control a card to the top but also to the second position or a few cards down from the top. This move is easy to perform without any knuckle-busting exercises.
1st edition 2022, video 22:20.
Here is a deceptive and easy-to-do card control. You can really see the selection shuffled back into the deck but somehow the magician is able to locate and control it. No preparation and no setup is needed. Everything is done completely impromptu and with a borrowed shuffled deck. No crimps or gimmicks are used. A real weapon to add to your arsenal of card magic.
1st edition 2022, video 6:12.
Here you have a very deceptive False Shuffle based on Jay Ose's False Cut. You will see two versions in the demo. Look carefully; it will fool you. You will be able to keep the entire deck in order.
1st edition 2021, video 5:48.
Wesley James has done it again! While no single volume could include every multiple lift technique that has been shared in magic's vast literature, anyone that performs card magic needs the powerful tool multiple lifts can offer. Simply stated, this is the single most extensive work on multiple lifts ever created. No list could be fully comprehensive, but you'll find an abundance of techniques referenced in the exhaustive bibliography. You'll also discover as much multiple lift information as has ever been placed between two covers, and more.
Everyone who performs card magic needs to...