How to Learn Cardistry
Get familiar with different ways of holding a deck., Learn how to shuffle and cut cards., Experiment with the displaying of cards., Get comfortable with the basics before moving on.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Get familiar with different ways of holding a deck.
This shouldn't be much of a problem to get used to.
But before doing any flourish you'll need to be completely familiar with your deck of cards and how you properly handle it.
Dealer/Mechanic's grip.
Simply hold the deck horizontally in the palm of your hand with your index finger on the front short edge of the deck and the other three fingers on the long side of the deck.
Your thumb is simply resting on the opposite long side of the deck.
A variation to this is the straddle grip.
The concept is the exact same except the pinky, which will be on the rear short edge.
Biddle grip.
Hold the deck in straddle grip and raise the deck with your thumb. -
Step 2: Learn how to shuffle and cut cards.
When needing to mix the card the cards around, everyone will expect a cardist to be able to do not just flashy moves, but simple things as well.
For later uses, search out and learn these basic shuffles and cuts.
Shuffling cards.
The most common way of doing this for most people is the overhand shuffle.
But there's a lot more than that which aren't so complex either.
The hindu shuffle, table riffle shuffle/riffle shuffle and strip shuffle should get you going.
Cutting cards.
These are ways of shifting a packet of the deck and mixing them.
Some easy ways of doing this is the swing cut and the Charlier/one handed cut. , Wether you need someone to pick a card or you need to look at your cards.
A few thing that would be beneficial to learn here is the simple card spread, card fan and ribbon spread.
Card spread.
For the card spread all you need to do is while you're holding your deck in dealer's grip, push the cards a little to the side with your thumb and push out the top cards with the same thumb.
When you push about three to four cards out catch it with your other hand and keep spreading them while forming a bridge.
Fanning the cards.
The fan starts the same in dealer's grip and pushing the cards to the side with your thumb.
But after pushing it to the side you pinch it(not too hard or too soft) between your thumb and index finger.
And with the middle or index finger of your other hand you push the cards in a clockwise direction.
The newer the cards, the better success you'll have with the fan.
Ribbon spread.
This simple yet beautiful spread is a really nice little flourish to know.
When spreading your cards down on a table, place/keep your fingers under the corner left/right and flip it.
It will create a wave motion till the opposite end of the spread. , Before jumping on to other more advanced moves, practice the basics until you can do them without even thinking about it. -
Step 3: Experiment with the displaying of cards.
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Step 4: Get comfortable with the basics before moving on.
Detailed Guide
This shouldn't be much of a problem to get used to.
But before doing any flourish you'll need to be completely familiar with your deck of cards and how you properly handle it.
Dealer/Mechanic's grip.
Simply hold the deck horizontally in the palm of your hand with your index finger on the front short edge of the deck and the other three fingers on the long side of the deck.
Your thumb is simply resting on the opposite long side of the deck.
A variation to this is the straddle grip.
The concept is the exact same except the pinky, which will be on the rear short edge.
Biddle grip.
Hold the deck in straddle grip and raise the deck with your thumb.
When needing to mix the card the cards around, everyone will expect a cardist to be able to do not just flashy moves, but simple things as well.
For later uses, search out and learn these basic shuffles and cuts.
Shuffling cards.
The most common way of doing this for most people is the overhand shuffle.
But there's a lot more than that which aren't so complex either.
The hindu shuffle, table riffle shuffle/riffle shuffle and strip shuffle should get you going.
Cutting cards.
These are ways of shifting a packet of the deck and mixing them.
Some easy ways of doing this is the swing cut and the Charlier/one handed cut. , Wether you need someone to pick a card or you need to look at your cards.
A few thing that would be beneficial to learn here is the simple card spread, card fan and ribbon spread.
Card spread.
For the card spread all you need to do is while you're holding your deck in dealer's grip, push the cards a little to the side with your thumb and push out the top cards with the same thumb.
When you push about three to four cards out catch it with your other hand and keep spreading them while forming a bridge.
Fanning the cards.
The fan starts the same in dealer's grip and pushing the cards to the side with your thumb.
But after pushing it to the side you pinch it(not too hard or too soft) between your thumb and index finger.
And with the middle or index finger of your other hand you push the cards in a clockwise direction.
The newer the cards, the better success you'll have with the fan.
Ribbon spread.
This simple yet beautiful spread is a really nice little flourish to know.
When spreading your cards down on a table, place/keep your fingers under the corner left/right and flip it.
It will create a wave motion till the opposite end of the spread. , Before jumping on to other more advanced moves, practice the basics until you can do them without even thinking about it.
About the Author
Martha Price
Writer and educator with a focus on practical hobbies knowledge.
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