Trick 2: Overhand Shuffle

Hello Steemy folks,

For this post, I want to teach you guys the first thing I learned about card handling.

The foundation of any card handling resolves around shuffle and the most important shuffle for anyone who is on the path to card mastery is the overhand shuffle. This is a simple shuffle but at the same time a very essential technique to master in order to perform various tricks. Make sure to learn this well until you can perform this without looking at the cards. Now let’s get started.

POSITION OF THE CARD

Just like above, hold your left hand half closed and place the pack in it facing downwards with the thumb resting on the back side of the cards. The index finger is bent against the outer left corner of the cards.

This is the other side showing the positions of the middle finger, the ring finger and the pinky. The grip should be firm but not too tight to allow these cards be easily pick up by the right hand.

EXECUTION

Grab the packet of cards with the right hand like the picture above with the right thumb on one side and the middle finger and ring finger on the other side. You can also use the index finger for more grip but find the most comfortable position that you like.

Press the left thumb against the top card and simultaneously lift the right hand so that the card pulled off by the left thumb and fall onto the left palm.

We can also position the left thumb over the edges of the cards so we can pull off multiple cards easily. Repeat this action by bringing the packet downwards over the other cards and until all the cards held by the right hand have been shuffled off on to the left palm. Then pad on the side to square up the cards.

Below is an example of the overhand shuffle.

CONTROLLING THE TOP CARD TO THE BOTTOM
Now that we understand the mechanic of the overhand shuffle, we can easily control the top card of the deck to the bottom. Begin the overhand shuffle by draw off the first card in the first movement and continue to shuffle off the other cards on top of that first card until the shuffle is completed. The top card is now at the bottom of the deck.

CONTROLLING THE BOTTOM CARD TO THE TOP
Similar to the controlling of top card to the bottom of the deck. When drawing off the cards from the packet, make sure the last card you shuffle off is only the only card by itself. That way, it’ll be on top of the deck.

The IN-JOG

Suppose we want to control the card that the audience want to put in the middle of the deck, how do we get this card to the top of the deck? The answer is a technique we can use with overhand shuffle – in jog. The idea is basically to place a card slightly lower toward the body after the card that we want it to be on top. In the course of shuffle, when a card should be jog, move the right hand holding the packet closer to the body and draw off that card then move back to the original position and shuffle off the remaining cards on top of the jogged card. It is also crucial when drawing off some cards in irregular positions after the jogged card in order to conceal that jogged card from standing out too much.

All that is left after completely shuffled the cards is to pad the side to square it and grab sides pressing against the face of the jogged card to create a break to remove the bottom portion of the packet and throw it on top thus bringing the desirable card on top.

Below is a GIF showing how in jog works by taking the bottom half of the packet and once the audience place their card on top of the deck, begin the in-jog shuffles.

Now the next GIF shows how it would look like if we add a few irregular shuffle on top of the jogged card as well as how it looks like from the top angle.

It is very important to be able to perform these technique without looking at the card and even while talking to the audience. It would draw attention away from your shuffle and make everything more believable. It only takes a lot of practice but this is the most fundamental technique that is used with a lot of tricks.

Next, I will be posting some tricks that can be done using overhand shuffle.

I hope you guys enjoy this post.