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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....

Born Edward Malkowski. He was one of the most notable names in card magic with groundbreaking publications and a staggering amount of new moves and innovations. To underscore his prolific output and creativity another legend of card magic, the Spaniard Arthuro Ascanio coined the phrase: "When in doubt then for Marlo" - meaning if you don't know who invented a certain concept or move the creator was most likely Marlo.

Marlo himself coined the term cardician, a term which has since been used for magicians who only perform card magic. His first publication in 1938, Pasteboard Presto, was an unheralded thunderbolt which merely hinted...

He currently performs his shows in theaters and festivals: "Control Mental", "Cartas Bajo Control" and "Magia a Dos Velas".

At an early age of 10, Scott moved to Littleton, Colorado, where he spent the next 13 years of his life. Throughout his primary education, Scott retained the desire to analyze and perfect the craft of card manipulation. After completing college, Scott traveled across the country...

Imagine performing incredible mesmerizing close-up spur-of-the-moment magic that you can pull right from your pocket with no setup, no crazy sleight of hand, no weird moves to master. Further visualize slow, right before your eyes mind-blowing magic feats that leave your spectators speechless and wanting more all performed with magic’s classic thumb tip! Wait, what? Did you say the thumb tip? Yes, the thumb...

Originally entitled Artifice Ruse and Subterfuge at the Card Table, is probably the most cited and referenced book about card gambling moves - a classic in the history of magic literature. A must read for any card magician or aspiring gambling expert and an indespensable reference book. While the authorship of this book is hotly debated we are convinced it was Edward Gallaway. (For a detailed work on the search for Erdnase see Hurt McDermott's Artifice, Ruse & Erdnase.)

[A copy of this book is also included in Michael McDougall's Card Mastery. This ebook is also available in a German translation.

Paul Fleming wrote:

The younger generation of card magicians probably knows or has heard of Card College by Roberto Giobbi. The Royal Road to Card Magic is very similar but of older vintage and doesn't cover as much ground. It introduces the novice into the art of card magic one move and principle at a time, always with tricks accompanying the moves. It is therefore not a mindless list of moves but a well prepared and thought out textbook. It will take the beginner to an intermediate level. Once The Royal Road to Card Magic has been mastered one can move on to Expert Card Technique which requires a higher skill level.

Actually because Expert Card Technique did not sell well...

This is the 3rd edition which includes an additional chapter by Dai Vernon and another one by Dr. Daley. (The popular Dover version is a reprint of the 2nd edition and is lacking these two interesting chapters.) This book describes serious stuff. Card moves and tricks for the advanced card man. (For an excellent introduction to card magic see The Royal Road to Card Magic or the Card College series.) Expert Card Technique lists and explains in detail a large quantity of card moves. Card moves are abundant and any good card man will come up with his own variations and twists due to his constant use of cards and tireless perfection of...

This book is indeed worthy the name Encyclopedia. Originally compiled by Doctor Wilhelm von Deusen in collaboration with Mr. Glenn G. Gravatt (published in two volumes Encyclopedia of Self-Working Card Tricks and The Second Encyclopedia of Card Tricks), and later rewritten by Jean Hugard. It has a very interesting introduction by Ted Annemann where he addresses the issue of inventing new tricks and claiming ownership. This book will provide you with more card tricks than you ever wanted. The combined value of its contents, were the tricks to be computed at their original marketed price, was in the thousands of dollars. Now you can have it for a few bucks.

Hugard added a number of items over what...

This book is a collection of five little booklets. Each booklet typically has a section with sleights and a section with tricks using these sleights. The name Hugard guarantees for first rate material and so it is no surprise that Card Manipulations and the follow up More Card Manipulations includes some of the very best tricks and routines one can do with cards.

1st edition, 1934-1936, Max Holden, New York; reprint, 1973, Dover Publications, New York; 163 pages.

• CARD MANIPULATIONS - No. 1
  • The one Hand Top Card Palm
  • The Hindu Shuffle or Running Cut
  • The Hindu Shuffle as a Substitute for the Pass
  • And yet...

This is the sequel to Card Manipulations. It is a collection of four booklets. Emphasis is put on practical methods without any apparatus.

1st edition, 1938-1941, Max Holden, New York; reprint, 1974, Dover Publications, New York; 205 pages.

• No. 1.
  • Part I. - TRICKS
    7. The Three Musketeers and D'Artagnan
    8. The Sheep and the Goats
    11. Snap - A Quick Trick
    13. Crime Club Detection - Dr. H. Walter Grote
    15. Infallible Prediction - Audley V. Walsh and Hal Haber
    16. The Continuous Spelling Trick - Jack McMillen
    17. The Burglars - Orville W. Meyer
    18. The Magic Thrust - Orville W. Meyer
    19. The Two Jokers - P. W. Miller
    20. The Ladies'...

1. ... Fight
264. A Duck Hunt
267. A Hard Head
291. A Square Game
292. A Coward
296. Ancient Gambling
     
9. Boyhood Days
26. Blowing Up of the Princess
63. Beat a Good Hand
119. Butler in New Orleans
129. Broke a Snap Game
201. Before Breakfast
206. Bill Would Gamble
213. Bill's Present
     
24. Caught a Sleeper
34. Collared the Wrong Man
86. Called a Gambler
88. Control Over Suckers
104. Caught Again
114. Caught a Whale
168. Caught a Defaulter
190. Canada Bill
211. Close Calls
237. Cheap Jewelry
271. Cold Steel
     
52. Didn't Win the Bags
84. Don't Dye Your Whiskers
96. Didn't Win the Key
193. Dick Roach and I
240. Detectives and Watches
     
154. Even the Judges Do It
177. Eight Hundred Dollars Against a Pistol ...

Card College is a modern classic. It is without a doubt the most important work on sleight of hand with cards. This is the first volume in a series of five. The speciality of this electronic book are its 89 video clips, which show how Giobbi executes each and every technique described. (If you are looking for the 8 hour video course please go here Card College 1 & 2: Personal Instruction.)

This ebook has also been nominated as a finalist in the prestigious EPPIE 2004 ebook award in the category non-fiction/how-to. This is the first magic book to be nominated for a non-magic book prize.

Please note that there are significant...

The next three chapters detail the three routines that were the backbone of my Houdini Lounge set.

The Trick that Lance Burton Showed Me demonstrates what happens when you live with a trick for 15 years. This is my handling and presentation for Dan Garrett’s Four Card Reiteration. I discussed this trick on one of the Very Very Close videos, but there is new work in this ebook.

Presentation for Gary Plants’s Magnetized Cards is my handling of this superb marketed effect. Many professionals have asked permission to perform this, but until now I have selfishly...

This book packs almost 200 mental miracles, many of which are creations of one of the masters of mental magic - Ted Annemann. You will find the best book tests, psychic codes, tricks with slates, blindfold reading, publicity effects, and much more. This book together with Annemann's Card Magic covers a good part of the famous Jinx magazine, of which Annemann was editor.

Paul Fleming wrote:

Annemann teaches thirteen commercial mentalism pieces with slates, cards, dollar bills, telephone books and cigarettes. The majority of routines involves cards. Annemann's unique direct style is felt in each one of these effects.

Paul Fleming wrote:

A little booklet with 12 great card tricks. And the price - a steal!

1st edition, 1934, Max Holden; 12 pages.

2. Sleight of Foot
3. The Voice Betrays
4. The Puzzler Card Trick
4. Card in Pocket
5. The Obliging Card
6. The Joker Tells
7. Cards Behind Back
8. Mind Control
9. A Clever Spelling Trick
9. Another Spelling Trick
10. The Reversed Card
10. Mental Forecast
11. Advertisement

Thirty Card Mysteries is the most important work Charles T. Jordan published. Several card moves and ideas are credited to Charles T. Jordan. The most well known one is the Jordan Count. In this book he details moves like a single card reverse or half pack reverse. He describes spelling tricks and the effect Coluria is probably the first magical use of a bracelet code (much more on this binary code can be found in Leo Boudreau’s work).

1st edition, 1919, California; 48 pages.

1. Preface
2. Introduction
3. Trailing the Dovetail Shuffle to its Lair.
6. 1. Close-Range Mind Reading
7. 2. Long-Distance Mind Reading ...

This is not a book for beginners. But it is a book that will lift up the devoted student by two or three levels of proviciency in card handling. Buckley, born in Australia, was one of the masters and innovators of card magic. He studied the card gamblers as well as the top magic performers. This book with over 300 photos, of which most have been enhanced by drawing lines over them to increase contrast, and 40 outstanding routines, is a gold mine and challenge for any card worker.

Paul Fleming wrote:

Elliott was a very popular magician. Particularly some of his card effects were considered best of its kind. Nobody knew the secrets to some of Elliott's tricks. People waited impatiently for the release of this book. But it was met with some disappointment that not all of Elliott's tricks were described. We do not know which tricks these critics mean. The reason might well be that Elliott died before he could finish his book. Burgess and Houdini had to collect Elliott's notes and fill in some of the missing explanations. However, Elliott and Houdini believed that all the material in this book was...

1. ...Coke From Shoe
   10. Stealing the Coke
   10. Loading the Coke into the shoe
11. Palming Cards
    11. The Bottom Palm
    12. Cover for the Bottom Palm
    12. The One-Handed Top Palm
    13. Cover for the One-Handed Top Palm
    13. The "Pull Up the Sleeves" Bottom Palm
16. Norwegian Travellers
    16. Controlling the cards to the top
    17. The Hofzinser Spread Control
    18. The Topit Drop
    19. The Empty Hand
    19. The last card
    20. Alternative ending
    20. Killing time
    20. Gags as misdirection
    20. If at first you don't succeed
21. Card In Shoe
    21. Folding the card
    22. Creating the illusion
    23. Cleaning up
24. No Gimmick Bill Change
    24. Displaying the bill
    26. Folding the bill
    29. Displaying the new...

Thurston explains fundamental sleights such as the Pass, Palm, Force, Change, Back-Palm and his system of expert card manipulation, which appeared for the first time in this book. It also describes a unique gimmick to make the Back-Palm almost effortless.

Thurston also lays claim to what we today call the Si Stebbins stack. He writes that it is his invention but he also thanks Si for his contributions and help.

1st edition, 1903, Henry J. Wehman; 83 pages.

1. CHAPTER I. A Few Incidents in the Life of Howard Thurston, Premier Card Manipulator of the World
10. CHAPTER II. Indispensable Sleights
19. CHAPTER...

Paul Fleming wrote: