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The Expert at the Card Table: The Classic Treatise on Card Manipulation

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Re: The Expert at the Card Table: The Classic Treatise on Card Manipulation

#2

Post by kqr2 »

For a fascinating look at one of the masters of card manipulation, see Secrets of the Magus :

http://rickyjay.com/NewYorker_RickyJay.pdf

There was also a recent documentary on Ricky Jay (available on Netflix) called Deceptive Practice :

http://www.rickyjaymovie.com/

Re: The Expert at the Card Table: The Classic Treatise on Card Manipulation

#3

Post by aristus »

I have a copy of this, reprinted in 1940s sandwiched into another work by MacDougall. Lots of fun for a bored child. I still shuffle cards in the rather striking way he describes:

Cut the deck perfectly in half. This is easier than it sounds.

Pincer the halves at the end, and push the two other ends together.

Push harder, smoothly, and rotate your wrists opposite slightly. The two halves will fan into each other. With practice you can perform 2 (4?) perfect shuffles and end up with the cards in the same order you started in.

Re: The Expert at the Card Table: The Classic Treatise on Card Manipulation

#4

Post by rcoppolo »

aristus wrote: post #3

I have a copy of this, reprinted in 1940s sandwiched into another work by MacDougall. Lots of fun for a bored child. I still shuffle cards in the rather striking way he describes: Cut the deck perfectly in half. This is easier than it sounds. Pincer the halves at the end, and push the two other ends together. Push harder, smoothly, and rotate your wrists opposite slightly. The two halves will fan into each other. Wit…

It takes 8 perfect shuffles to get back to the start.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faro_shuffle

Re: The Expert at the Card Table: The Classic Treatise on Card Manipulation

#7

Post by viggity »

kqr2 wrote: post #2

For a fascinating look at one of the masters of card manipulation, see Secrets of the Magus : http://rickyjay.com/NewYorker_RickyJay.pdf There was also a recent documentary on Ricky Jay (available on Netflix) called Deceptive Practice : http://www.rickyjaymovie.com/

I love Ricky Jay. My dad is a slight of hand specialist and his entire basement is essentially a magic library. Anyway, when I was a kid I took particular interest to Ricky's book on how to throw playing cards as he used topless models to demonstrate form.

Knowing how hard you can throw a card, I feel like I'm lucky that me and my brothers escaped childhood with our eyesight intact.

Re: The Expert at the Card Table: The Classic Treatise on Card Manipulation

#8

Post by spinchange »

Erdnase is like the Genesis of the card magic canon. While it has an important & worthwhile place on any cardworker's bookshelf (Dai Vernon basically considered it the bible), there are some newer & more modern treatises a little more accessible in terms of language, descriptions, illustration, and just overall instruction. The multi-volume Card College series by Roberto Giobbi comes to mind.

Re: The Expert at the Card Table: The Classic Treatise on Card Manipulation

#10

Post by diiq »

spinchange wrote: post #8

Erdnase is like the Genesis of the card magic canon. While it has an important & worthwhile place on any cardworker's bookshelf (Dai Vernon basically considered it the bible), there are some newer & more modern treatises a little more accessible in terms of language, descriptions, illustration, and just overall instruction. The multi-volume Card College series by Roberto Giobbi comes to mind.

Yeah, Erdnase is the last thing I'd recommend to someone who wants to learn card work -- that is, I'd recommend it, but after all my other recommendations :) Erdnase was revolutionary as a catalog of slights and subtleties that existed -- but if you want to learn to perform them, all you'll get from Erdnase is frustration.
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