Expert Card Technique. Jean Hugard

Slip the tip of the left little finger under the cards at the inner right corner during the last action as the cards are placed face upwards on the deck, thus preparing to turn the cards face downwards without any further get-ready. Square the cards at the ends with the right fingers and thumb.

      6. Turn the cards face downwards in exactly the same manner. You have apparently shown the spectators the top card of the pack; actually you showed the second, third or fourth card.

      The Double Lift in Action

      With only two cards to control, the double lift is made with the hands in almost any position, before the body or at the left side, with the pack in regular dealing position or with the outer end pointing obliquely downwards. The cards being turned over are grasped either as given in the previous instructions or may instead be grasped at the outer right corner with the thumb below and the fingers above, the turnover then being similar to the deal in stud poker. The hands may be held motionless or kept slightly in motion to the left as the turnover is made.

      All these are matters for the individual performer to decide for himself; the control of the two cards is so complete that variations in handling are matters of personal choice. The action in all instances, however, should be smooth and continuous, approximating a natural turnover; there is no real reason why the performer should watch the cards and this he should refrain from doing as this indifference towards the turnover gives to it the naturalness which is absolutely vital to successful conjuring.

      A glaring fault of many card conjurers is the overuse of the double lift. If one has to show that a chosen card is not at the top or bottom of the deck, for instance, it can be sent second from the bottom by the overhand shuffle and the bottom card shown, also several of the top cards. A repetition of the shuffle will bring the card back to the top naturally and unsuspiciously. The double lift should be kept in reserve for tricks in which it is indispensable.

      Nor should the double lift be a plaything with which to show your skill with cards; it cannot be emphasized too strongly that it is a secret subterfuge which should be used only as a legitimate sleight with which to obtain results not otherwise possible. The conjurer who makes a series of lifts—six or eight in a row—and believes that the average spectator will not reason out what is being done grossly underrates the intelligence of laymen.

      The Triple and Quadruple Lifts in Action

      As will have been seen, the method of making the triple and quadruple lift is exactly the same as that used for the double lift. However, since the extra cards make the edges thicker and thus make the sleight more vulnerable, the triple and quadruple lifts cannot be made with the same disregard for sight angles which characterizes the double lift.

      The following should be kept in mind in making these lifts:

      1. Exert a greater pressure downwards at the outer left corner with the left thumb in pushing off the cards than is used in the double lift.

      2. Hold the pack squarely facing the spectators, to the left or directly in front of the body a little below the waist, as though to permit a clear view of the operation. This position places the cards at right angles to the onlookers’ line of vision and prevents the extra thickness of the edges of the cards from being noticed.

      3. Turn the cards face upwards, or downwards, with the right hand without hesitation in the least possible time: in other words, naturally.

      4. Move the outer end of the pack obliquely downwards as the right hand turns the cards, enabling them to be turned in less than the half-revolution which otherwise would be required.

      5. Move both hands six inches to the left during the turnover, making it difficult for the spectators to focus their gaze upon the edges of the cards. This movement of the hands is a leisurely, normal action.

      If these conditions are observed, the conjurer will find that an entirely new vista of card conjuring lies before him, making possible some of the most effective of card tricks.

      THE DOUBLE LIFT TURNOVER

      a. The orthodox manner of turning the two cards face up in the double lift by seizing the lower right corners with the right hand, turning them face up on the pack with the lower ends protruding and then turning them face down in the same manner, has become hackneyed. All who dabble in card tricks and, unfortunately, many who do not, know at once what is taking place the moment this movement is made. Adepts have found it advisable to change the handling of the two cards. The following method of displaying them as one card will be found to be not only natural but completely deceptive to lay audiences and will puzzle well informed magicians.

      1. Push off the two top cards, as one, with the left thumb (page 22).

      2. With the right hand, palm upwards, clip the two cards between the forefinger at the face of the cards and the second finger on the back at that part of the card where the innermost pip of a ten spot is printed. Let the cards slide between the two fingers to the outermost joints.

      3. Press the extreme tip of the right thumb against the right sides of the two cards just above the two fingers which grip them, and the side of the third finger tip against the bottom, the little finger remaining free. Buckle the cards slightly downwards to ensure that the two cards will remain in perfect alignment, Fig. 4.

      4. Show the face of the second card by turning the wrist inwards, Fig. 5, after which turn the cards down again and put them on the pack. The action is the same as that used by many card players when turning the top card of a pack face upwards.

      It is advisable to use this method of handling when you turn a single card at any time in the course of a trick.

      b. In spite of the fact that the handling-of the cards in this method may be considered rather fanciful, it is very useful as a variation of the usual method. In spite of the twisting and turning of the cards there is no danger that they will come apart.

      1. Push off the two cards with the left thumb as explained in the first method and take them between the tips of the right thumb and second finger at the right hand corners.

      2. Move the left hand and the pack a little to the right and with the tip of the left thumb press on the left sides of the two cards making them describe a semi-revolution with the right thumb and finger tips as pivots, bringing them face upwards under the right palm. The right hand now has its back outwards, the thumb being upwards and the cards facing outwards.

      3. Grip the sides of the two cards near the lower ends between the first joints of the right first and fourth fingers and remove the thumb.

      4. Twist the two cards upwards until the right thumb can rest against the right sides, opposite the first finger, and release the little finger. Move the hands to the right bringing the backs of the cards outwards and at the same time let the right second finger take the place of the forefinger, Fig. 6.

      5. Press the forefinger on the middle of the back of the two cards, release the grip of the second finger, turn the hand to the right and grip the cards, face outwards, between the tips of the thumb and forefinger with a snap, Fig. 7.

      You have shown both the back and the front of the supposed single card. Replace the cards on the top of the pack.

      THE ONE HAND PUSH-OFF

      The secret move to be described is one for which the cleverest card men in America have sought—a move which opens up an entirely new field of expert card work. It is the pushing off of two cards, as one,