How to Use Basic Sleight of Hand for Card Magic Tricks

The One-Handed Cut for Card Magic Tricks

This cut, also known to magicians as a "Charlier" cut, allows you to separate the deck into two portions and switch their positions—all with only a single hand. It's the first flashy cut that most magicians use as a flourish to augment card magic tricks.

One-Handed Triple Cut

Here's another one-handed cut. It's flashier than the Charlier and more secure.

Basic Card Shuffle for Card Magic Tricks

This basic shuffle is what most professionals use when they start their card tricks. This move also includes a cool flourish called the "bridge" that you can perform at the end. 

The Swivel Cut

The swivel cut is a fundamental cut that forms the basis of more advanced moves, and it's generally more for flourishes than card magic tricks.

The swivel cut is flashier than the pivot cut. Like the pivot cut, it requires the use of both hands and separates the deck into two portions and switches their positions. The difference is that the upper half of the deck turns 180 degrees as it separates from the deck.

The Hindu Shuffle

The Hindu shuffle is a powerful move for magicians because it's a false shuffle, meaning you can maintain the order of some of the cards. Although the shuffle is mostly used by magicians and not the general public, it has lots of applications.

In its basic form, it can be used to mix a deck of cards by separating the deck into sections and rearranging them. Once you learn how to do this, you can start adding the Hindu shuffle to your card magic tricks.

A False Cut

A "false cut" looks like a regular cut of the deck, but it leaves all of the cards in their original order. It's a valuable utility move that you can learn and always employ in your card magic, especially if you want a specific card to "reappear" in your trick.

Beginner's Guide to Card Flourishes

Card flourishes are flashy, attention-getting moves that magicians can perform to delight (and sometimes distract) their audiences. Flourishes include the use of fancy cuts and shuffles, card fans, arm spreads, and more.

A branch of magic known as “XCM,” which stands for extreme card manipulation, is dedicated to the performance of advanced card flourishes.