Bottom Change

In the bottom change the card held in the right hand is placed at the bottom of the pack, the top card being taken in its place. It is generally agreed that this change is not so smooth as the preceding method, but there are certain tricks in which it must be used if the trick is to be performed at all. You must not gather from this fact that the bottom change is difficult or detectable. Actually it is easier than the top change and, when neatly performed, it is imperceptible. We simply point out that, all things being equal, the top change is the preferable method.

The principle of the bottom change is the same as that of the top change–that is, one card is changed for another under cover of a larger movement of the hands and the withdrawal of the left hand from the right after the change has been made.

1. Hold a card face downwards in your right hand, between the thumb and index and middle fingers, and about a foot from the left hand. Unlike the top change , in which the card is held at the lower corner, here you grasp it at the middle of the right side (Fig. 112).

2. Hold the pack face downwards in the left hand between the thumb and index finger at the extreme outer end. Place the pack well into the crotch of the thumb. Keep the other three fingers free of the pack, so that by extending them an opening will be made between them and the index finger; into this opening the right-hand card may slide and be gripped as in a forceps. Rest the thumb on the top card, in readiness to push it off the pack to the right (Fig. 113).

3. Make a turn to the left and move the right hand toward the left, simultaneously moving the index finger from below the card on to its back, so that it is gripped between the two fingers and the thumb is free.

4. The right hand overtakes the left at the middle of the body and slides its card between the left index and the other three fingers, which drop slightly to permit this. Close the right thumb and index finger on the top card, which is pushed off the pack to the right by the left thumb (Fig. 114). Move the left hand away with the pack, the right hand following on more slowly with the former top card.

The changed card is now gripped squarely under the pack between the left index and the other three fingers. Close the latter on the pack and move the index finger outwards, allowing the card to be pressed up against the bottom of the pack by the fingers.

5. Continue the swing to the left, moving the left hand away from the right. At the end of this turn, the two hands are some distance apart as at the beginning. Now turn the left hand so that its back is to the audience and the bottom card cannot be seen.

6. Drop the card held by the right hand on a table or chair, or extend it to someone to blow upon if the trick calls for this handling, or use the hand in a gesture to emphasize what you are saying, being careful that the face of the card cannot be seen until you are ready to reveal the change.

The entire action should be an exact simulation of a natural turn to the left for any of the purposes mentioned in the preceding paragraph. A speedy movement of the hands is to be avoided, since it will warn the audience that something has been done, although they may not know what.

The bottom change is excellent for use with a single card in each hand or with a packet in each hand.