This is a bit off topic, but IMO the top change is one of the most ingenious and useful moves in card magic. i think one reason this is so is that both hands are not on the deck when the move is made. In fact the other hand is not even really close to the deck. There is something about both hands being on the deck at the same time, for example with card controls, or even the regular palm or side steal, that somehow signals to the spectators that you are "doing something," or about to do something. Not so with the top change. It is so disarming to the uninitiated. They never even dream that any kind of move is being done with just one hand holding the deck, much less that a card is being levered into the palm, machine-like, by the pinky with the top outside corner of the deck acting as a fulcrum.
And you can gesture, point, or whatever, with the free hand for an added layer of misdirection. What also adds to the deception is that the deck is held in that Biddle grip position and there is a visible and fairly sizable gap between the top card of the deck and the palm of the hand. Love the top palm...
Wait... top change? Or Top palm. I am now confused. Y u do dis?
I think you mean top palm lol, so just to continue:
I really think that the top palm is great. Even the 2 handed top palm, which is the one I am more comfortable with, can be manipulated to throw off all suspicion. I love to carelessly dribble the cards a couple times, and square them up. I generally do this throughout my entire performance, and whenever I just have a deck with me. That way, when I palm the card as I square it up, no one cares.
I love Action Palm by Marlo, which is a Chapter in Revolutionary Card Technique, as well as a standalone thing in some places. Essentially, it utilizes something else as cover for the palm, both classic and angle. It shows you full on moves, like a Count Cop, which allows you to Cop a card whilst counting out a packet, to simple subtleties.that make palms invisible. For example, my main problem with a Cop is that if you square up the deck, it is strange seeing it so low. However, when I tried out the "Marlo" method of bringing the pack to the fingertips as I copped the card, not only did it give me a reason to handle the deck, it made the cop seem impossible. I highly recommend it, especially for you, since you clearly love the move. There are even ways to palm off the card as you give it a riffle shuffle w/ a bridge, as you spread the pack, as you hit the cards against the edge of a table for a square up, and a ton more.
Now that I think about it, the action palms are so much easier to perform, because you are no longer concentrating on the palm itself, but the actual cover. Dammit, either Marlo was an actual wizard, or way to good of a teacher. Because I attempted to try all and learn a lot of the moves (and due to the size of the "chapter", it kept me occupied for a long long time. Highly recommend it, and the rest of Revolutionary Card Technique!
