Skip to content
A new home for my magic notes · Work in progress
Bob Wallace / Magic
← The Royal Road to Card Magic
Jean Hugard & Frederick BraueContents

Spread and Break

A modern and inartistic way of controlling a card after its replacement in the pack is to cut off half the cards with the right hand and thrust out the left hand for the spectator to place his card on the left-hand packet. The cut replaced, the tip of the left little finger is inserted secretly between the two packets, that is, above the chosen card. This method is bad, first, because the spectator is given no choice as to position in the placing of his card, and, second, because the bending of the little finger is generally noticeable.

Original Royal Road illustration, PDF page 191

Instead, spread the cards fanwise with both hands, in the same way as when offering the pack for the selection of a card. Move your hands toward the spectator as you ask him to replace his card. At the moment he is about to do this, make an opening in the middle of the spread (Fig. 68), reach forward and take his card as with a forceps, by closing the cards on it and immediately drawing your hands back. The insertion of the left little finger between the packets will be covered completely in the action.

Book contents

Front matter

  1. Title Page
  2. Preface

The Overhand Shuffle, I

  1. The Overhand Shuffle, I
  2. The Overhand Shuffle
  3. Using the Overhand Shuffle
  4. Overhand Shuffle Control
  5. Overhand Shuffle Practice Routine
  6. Tricks With the Overhand Shuffle
  7. Introduction
  8. Topsy-Turvy Cards
  9. A Poker Player's Picnic
  10. A Pocket Discovery
  11. Telepathy Plus
  12. Thought Stealer
  13. Pinkie Does It
  14. A Card and a Number

II. The Riffle Shuffle

  1. II. The Riffle Shuffle
  2. The Riffle Shuffle
  3. Riffle Shuffle Control
  4. Riffle Shuffle in the Air
  5. Tricks with the Riffle Shuffle
  6. An Instinct for Cards
  7. Mirror of the Mind
  8. Ultra Card Divination

III. Flourishes

  1. III. Flourishes
  2. Introduction
  3. Displaying the Top Card
  4. The Ruffle
  5. The Click
  6. Spread and turnover
  7. Springing the Cards
  8. A Flourish Count
  9. Throwing a Card
  10. Waterfall Shuffle
  11. The Fan
  12. One-Hand Fan
  13. Thumb Fan
  14. Pressure Fan

IV The Glide

  1. IV The Glide
  2. The Glide
  3. Tricks with the Glide
  4. Design for Laughter
  5. The Observation Test

V The Glimpse

  1. V The Glimpse
  2. Introduction
  3. Bottom-Card Glimpse
  4. Top-Card Glimpse
  5. Fan Peek
  6. Tricks with the Glimpse
  7. Gray's Spelling Trick
  8. Round and Round

VI The Key Card

  1. VI The Key Card
  2. Introduction
  3. The Key Undercut
  4. Key Undercut Shuffle
  5. Tricks with the Key Card
  6. Do as I Do
  7. The Three Piles
  8. The Twenty-Sixth Card
  9. A Meeting of the Minds
  10. The Non-Poker Voice
  11. Intuition with Cards
  12. Sliding Key Card

VII The Palm

  1. VII The Palm
  2. Introduction
  3. Top Palm
  4. Palm Glimpse
  5. Replacing Palmed Cards
  6. Tricks with the Palm
  7. Card in the Pocket
  8. Now You See It!
  9. Grab-Bag Card
  10. Good-Luck Card
  11. Do It and Fail
  12. Gathering of the Clan
  13. Spring Catch
  14. A Vested Interest
  15. Piano Trick

VIII The Backslip

  1. VIII The Backslip
  2. The Backslip
  3. Backslip Force
  4. Backslip Control
  5. Tricks with the Backslip
  6. Lightning Card
  7. The Tantalizer
  8. Under Your Hat

IX The Overhand Shuffle, II

  1. IX The Overhand Shuffle, II
  2. Injog and Break
  3. Overhand Break Control
  4. Overhand Lift Shuffle
  5. Lift Shuffle Force
  6. Spread and Break
  7. Holding a Break
  8. Spread and Break Control
  9. Tricks with the Overhand Shuffles
  10. The Sevens
  11. Obliging Aces
  12. Leapfrog
  13. Spectator's Card Trick
  14. A Poker Puzzle

X False Shuffles and Cuts

  1. X False Shuffles and Cuts
  2. Optical Shuffle
  3. Charlier Shuffle
  4. The Cut
  5. Palm Cut
  6. Tricks With the Shuffles and Cuts
  7. An Incomprehensible Divination
  8. Circus Card Trick
  9. Black Jack, Detective

XI The Double Lift and turnover

  1. XI The Double Lift and turnover
  2. The Double Lift and Turnover
  3. Double-Lift Glimpse
  4. Double-Lift Card Reverses
  5. Tricks with the Double Lift
  6. Rapid Transit
  7. The Trey
  8. Ambitious Card
  9. Throughth and Consequences
  10. Insidious Dr. Fu Liu Tu

XII The Pass

  1. XII The Pass
  2. Introduction
  3. The Pass
  4. Riffle Pass
  5. Spread Pass
  6. Spring Pass
  7. Tricks with the Pass
  8. Off Agin, On Agin, Finnegin!
  9. Kangaroo Card
  10. Righting a Wrong
  11. Blindfolded Pack
  12. Double Speller

XIII Miscellaneous Flourishes

  1. XIII Miscellaneous Flourishes
  2. Color Change
  3. Double Color Change
  4. The Changing Card
  5. Self-Cutting Deck
  6. A Pretty Cut
  7. Pop-Up Card
  8. A Bit of Byplay
  9. Charlier Cut
  10. Acrobatic Aces

XIV The Reverses

  1. XIV The Reverses
  2. The Reverses
  3. Reversed Location
  4. Tricks with the Reverses
  5. Spellbound
  6. A Tipsy Trick
  7. Double Reverse
  8. Mentalivity
  9. Mountebank Miracle

XV The Hindu Shuffle and Other Controls

  1. XV The Hindu Shuffle and Other Controls
  2. The Hindu Shuffle
  3. Hindu Shuffle Control
  4. Hindu Shuffle Force
  5. Hindu Shuffle Glimpse
  6. The Step
  7. Natural Jog
  8. Twelve-Down Riffle
  9. Tricks with the Hindu Shuffle
  10. All Change Here
  11. Ewephindit

XVI The Classic Force

  1. XVI The Classic Force
  2. The Classic Force
  3. One-Hand Force
  4. Bottom Force
  5. Slide-Out Force
  6. Two-Card Force
  7. Riffle-Break Force
  8. Sliding-Key Force
  9. Double-Lift Force
  10. Cut Force
  11. Tricks with the Force
  12. Justice Card Trick
  13. Fours of a Kind
  14. Pulse Trick

XVII Top and Bottom Changes

  1. XVII Top and Bottom Changes
  2. Top Change
  3. The Changing Card
  4. Top-Change Byplay
  5. Bottom Change
  6. Top and Bottom Changes

XVIII Arrangements

  1. XVIII Arrangements
  2. Arrangements
  3. Tricks with Arrangements
  4. The Selective Touch
  5. A Future in Cards
  6. Jacks Wild
  7. Think Stop
  8. Deal Away
  9. The Educated Cards
  10. Reds and Blacks

XIX Routines

  1. XIX Routines
  2. Routining Card Tricks
  3. A Table Routine
  4. A Rollicking Routine
  5. Card-Discovery Routine
  6. Razzle-Dazzle Routine

XX Platform Tricks

  1. XX Platform Tricks
  2. Conus Ace Trick
  3. Ladies' Looking Glass
  4. Everywhere and Nowhere
  5. Egyptian Pocket
  6. Cards to the Pocket
  7. Enlarging and Diminishing Cards
  8. Three Cards Across
  9. Everybody's Card, I
  10. Everybody's Card, II