Hindu Shuffle card control

[fmos2]

Hi guys,

I am currently trying to learn the Hindu Shuffle card control from the Royal Road to Card Magic.

I have two problems at the moment:
1) When a spectator places his or her chosen card in my left hand, I find it difficult to grab on to a break using my right thumb because it doesn't reach down far enough to grab onto a number of cards from my left hand, unless I somehow readjust my thumb position. Has anyone experienced this problem and how have you got around it?

2) I feel like when I try to grab onto a break using my thumb, I have to angle the right hand pile up a bit so that the outer end of both piles is flush against each other while the inner end of the right pile is slighty above the pile of cards on my left hand. From what I have read from the book, they don't seem to mention anything about doing this, so am I doing it wrong? I don't see any other way.

Sorry for the lengthy post, I hope you understand my problem.

 

[Maverick85]

For me, one of the best card manipulation tips were to figure out what adjustments to hand position/grip I needed to use to perform sleights and use them 100% of the time so that when I did the sleight it looked like I wasn't doing anything different than the time I did it before.

One possibility would be to simply alter the control. Put a pinky break over the spectator and other cards in your left hand and shuffle onto the break. Then cut the bottom of the deck (from the break to your left palm) to top after the shuffle, bringing the spectator card to top. A lot of card magicians do cut/shuffle, shuffle/cut so it's not going to stand out too much if you cut after a shuffle just to "mix them up more."

 

[RealityOne]

1) When a spectator places his or her chosen card in my left hand, I find it difficult to grab on to a break using my right thumb because it doesn't reach down far enough to grab onto a number of cards from my left hand, unless I somehow readjust my thumb position. Has anyone experienced this problem and how have you got around it?

Your hand position is wrong. Figure 100 in the book is badly drawn. Your right hand grip should be as if you pick up the deck off a table with your right hand. It is actually more on top of the deck than parallel with the deck. I also use both my middle and ring fingers on the right hand (the method taught in Card College). My thumb is just less than 1/4 inch below the deck (.5 cm) and really at a 45 degree angle to the cards.

To get the break, you are pressing a bunch of cards against your middle (or in my case middle and ring) finger. The break isn't a slanted side to side like a pinky break (where the card is aligned with the cards above and below it where it is pressing against the base of your thumb). Rather the break is the same on both the thumb side and the middle finger side.

2) I feel like when I try to grab onto a break using my thumb, I have to angle the right hand pile up a bit so that the outer end of both piles is flush against each other while the inner end of the right pile is slighty above the pile of cards on my left hand. From what I have read from the book, they don't seem to mention anything about doing this, so am I doing it wrong? I don't see any other way.

You are doing it right. There is no slant side to side, but there is a slant front to back to conceal the break. I think they are trying to show that in figure 101. The Hindu Shuffle naturally has a slant of the cards fron to back built in, so this shouldn't look extremely different.

 

[fmos2]

Your hand position is wrong. Figure 100 in the book is badly drawn. Your right hand grip should be as if you pick up the deck off a table with your right hand. It is actually more on top of the deck than parallel with the deck. I also use both my middle and ring fingers on the right hand (the method taught in Card College). My thumb is just less than 1/4 inch below the deck (.5 cm) and really at a 45 degree angle to the cards.

To get the break, you are pressing a bunch of cards against your middle (or in my case middle and ring) finger. The break isn't a slanted side to side like a pinky break (where the card is aligned with the cards above and below it where it is pressing against the base of your thumb). Rather the break is the same on both the thumb side and the middle finger side.

Thanks for the reply, your description of the right hand grip is much more clearer than in the book. But assuming the middle finger is positioned more at the top like you said with the thumb, I still find it hard to imagine how you are able to grasp a portion of the lower pile in a stable manner if they barely reach past the bottom of the pile your holding. Plus, wouldn't slanting the deck also increase the distance between the top and bottom piles and make it that much more tricky to grasp the lower portion?

 

[RealityOne]

If the top of your thumb is 1/4 inch below the deck, the gap at the back of the deck with the tilt is about 1/8th of an inch. Essentially that 1/8 inch is the amount of the break. For me, that means that the middle of the top segment (flange) of the thumb and middle finger is roughly aligned with the middle of the deck.

 

[fmos2]

If the top of your thumb is 1/4 inch below the deck, the gap at the back of the deck with the tilt is about 1/8th of an inch. Essentially that 1/8 inch is the amount of the break. For me, that means that the middle of the top segment (flange) of the thumb and middle finger is roughly aligned with the middle of the deck.

Thanks, I think I get the picture. I guess I'll just have to continue practising to make sure I feel comfortable with maintaining that break. If you don't mind me asking, when you begin your shuffle, do you lift the whole deck slightly above your hand and start taking packets with your left hand? Or do you keep it in the hand and hold on to the lower portion of the deck with the right hand while the left hand slides outward to remove the top portion and continue removing small packets from thereon?

 

[RealityOne]

I start with the deck in mechanics or dealing grip in my left hand. I then shift the deck to an elevated dealing grip slightly lifting the deck with and end grip (thumb on one end and middle, ring and little finger on othe) in my right hand and by curling my left index finger is under the deck and, with my fingernail contacting the bottom of the deck, pushing the deck up in my hand. Then I move my right hand to the Hindu shuffle grip and holding my right hand steady draw off the top cards with my left hand.