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Memories Are Made of This is an entire booklet devoted to tricks with a memorized deck. That is, you know what the top card is, the 2nd card, the 3rd and 4th cards, etc. All the way down to the 52nd card. If someone asks you what the 14th card from the top is, you know it. Likewise, if someone...

David Williamson has performed his 2 cup routine using ceramic coffee mugs on dozens of occasions. There is a minor adjustment for the Charlie Miller drop through move, but otherwise it's the same routine. I seem to recall him using grapes for the balls. I imagine cherry tomatoes, olives or...

I absolutely think a crimped card is a gaff. It fundamentally alters the way that card (and therefore the rest of the deck) works. It allows for things that you can't do without the gaff (or without replacing it with something else). Gaffs can be simple (like a crimp), they can be complex (like...

If something that made a move easier was considered a gaff, then a new deck would be "gaffed" because it made second deals smoother and easier than an old deck. This is clearly a ridiculous proposition - so merely buffing a deck doesn't make it gaffed. There is something crooked going on when...

No. Buffing a deck doesn't allow you to do anything with the cards that can't be done without buffing. The process might aid in some moves and sleights (like the faro), but it doesn't accomplish them for you. The way I typically think of the gaff/no gaff question is like this: could you still...

I've used the Center deal in routines (mostly single selection locations effects similar to the one discussed here with 4 Aces) for over 20 years. Because routines like this don't interest me too much, I don't do them often, but they're certainly possible if you have a completely burnable...

I recommend people first starting out in bottom dealing to start with the Erdnase grip not because it's the "best" grip to use forever, but because there are so many great things that it teaches about proper bottom dealing. Things that will be useful later on. I find it amusing how often I read...

A good idea that Darwin Ortiz passes on in The Annotated Erdnase is to only worry about memorizing the 5-card stock. If you are only trying to stock 3-of-a-kind, the 5-card stock will work and you'll just do a little bit of extra shuffling to stock the random cards that are under the...

While the grip is a "modified Erdnase" grip similar to the one Gene Maze used, the basic idea here is Jim Cooper's. Jim was the first to use the idea of a side-jogged card in the middle of the deck* to facilitate a center deal. Martin Nash then took Jim's idea and refined it. The technique is...

To be clear, I didn't say I "preferred" the strike. I said that if you were only going to learn one, I feel the strike is the one to learn. It's the better choice for magicians (for most gambling demos as well). The push-off only outperforms the strike in a very few niche applications. Jason

TeeDee, I don't think there are disadvantages if it's handled correctly. I've long been a fan of making sleights difficult in practice sessions, so that they seem easier under actual working conditions. You just have to be careful that you don't lose sight of the ultimate goal. So, when I...

You have to lay a larger "bed" of cards before beginning the weave. This will help not only Zarrow shuffles but push-through and strip-out shuffles as well. Jason

I'm looking for people that are into very serious sleight of hand with cards (magic or gambling technique or both) that live in or near New York City or could make it into the city for a day for something special. Contact me here or via PM. Doesn't matter. Jason England

Qlancy, For what it's worth, I feel the original Zarrow shuffle is absolutely workable. Just as it was published in 1957. Having said that, the very best Zarrow techniques I've ever seen were NOT done exactly the way Herb did it. That goes for the Vernon description from the Inner Secrets...

Sorry I'm late to the party, but I wanted to clarify one small point. TeeDee got the early copy date correct (1905) but missed on the date for the later editions from Drake. Drake published editions of The Expert at the Card Table well into the 1930s. I have one copy in my collection dated 1934...

TeeDee, Vernon was almost certainly talking about Poker to Win by Al Smith. Charlie Miller wrote an introduction to the Gambler's Book Club edition of this book. Vernon and Charlie were very close as you know. I'd bet anything that Vernon simply misquoted the title. Jason

Just a comment - While Quinn certainly fits the bill of the type of person Erdnase was writing about, a better example is probably J. H. Green. He did the same thing as Quinn but a half-century earlier and actually billed himself as THE "Reformed Gambler." He also wrote several books decrying...

Joshua, There isn't a good book that offers what you're looking for. Although I'm a huge fan of The Expert at the Card Table, I agree that the book is long on sleights and short on application. My own theory is that the author had little real-world application to draw on, so he concentrated on...

I don't know of any printed sources for a strike stud bottom deal, but I know that Steve Forte has one that isn't published yet. So, they do exist and perhaps there are printed sources out there, but I'm not aware of any off the top of my head. Jason PS: Lots of sources might give instruction...

Well, each move has its own approach (like I wouldn't try a center deal until you've learned a bottom deal), but in theory I say go for it and don't let anything slow you down. Jason