First of all it must be explained that only a description of the action involved can be given, along with an accurate description of the position of the fingers, and of the secret move itself.
Place the pack in the left hand, the inner left corner pressing into the flesh under the heel of the thumb, so that the thumb can move freely above the deck. Place the left little finger at the opposite side, barely above the corner, with the third finger next above it, the second finger a little above the third, and the forefinger above all. Since this last finger takes no part in the sleight, hold it slightly off the side of the pack. Place the tips of the left fingers flush with the top card of the pack, and hold the pack firmly by pressure between the left little finger and the flesh of the palm under the heel of the thumb.
To obtain the correct position, use a pack with a border, place the left thumb exactly at the outer left corner of the inner design of the top card. Hold the thumb nail at right angles to the card so that the flesh at the side of the thumb (or, more properly, the flesh just under the cuticle of the nail) touches the top card. To take this position, the thumb must be bent at the first joint. (If the pack were held face upwards, the thumb would rest at that point where the numeral of a card’s index would be.)
With the left thumb press the left outer corner of the pack downwards; at the same moment, press the inner right corner downwards with the tip of the left little finger, slipping it slightly onto the top of the pack. Thus the diagonally opposite corners of the pack are bent downwards at the same moment, Fig. 8.
Without altering the position of the left thumb move it, still bent, lightly to the right. For some reason which the authors do not pretend to understand, the second card will move with the top card, remaining so perfectly in alignment that the dealer himself will often be deceived.
The positions outlined above are for a man with a medium-sized hand; however, each reader will have to experiment to determine exactly the placement of the left thumb in order to secure the desired result.
It should be emphasized that the left thumb, in pushing the two cards off as one, does not bear down on the top card. No conscious effort must be made to take the second card with the top card; pushing the latter lightly to the right will automatically carry the second card with it.
CHAPTER 2. FALSE DEALS
THE SECOND DEAL
The second deal is generally conceded to be the most difficult of all card sleights to master, a statement the ambiguity of which has clouded the fact that it is not the action of dealing second which is difficult, but the method of gripping the pack with the left hand.
Because of this misunderstanding many card conjurers have spent endless profitless hours toiling to perfect the action of the sleight, heedless of the old axiom that, while practice may make perfect, no amount of improper practice can be of value. Once, however, the proper grip is taken, and the underlying principles of the deal are understood, dealing seconds can be mastered with a minimum of effort.
The literature of magic is singularly devoid of any really comprehensive instruction in the art of dealing second. Erdnase has given a detailed description of the sleight, but the methods, and more particularly the grips, which he gives have long since been discarded by the front rank card men. Walter Irving Scott in his manuscript gives considered and detailed instructions for the strike method, but unfortunately this booklet is not available to the mass of conjurers, both because of its scarcity and its cost. Furthermore, the strike method he gives cannot compare, for general utility, with the method employing the two card push-off. This latter method has been treated by Laurie Ireland in his excellent booklet, Lessons in Dishonesty, which the reader will do well to study, if only to compare the method with that to be given here and to decide for himself which of the two is best suited to his particular needs.
The sources mentioned complete the list of worthwhile instructions in second dealing. The reason for this remarkable reticence on the part of authors of conjuring textbooks is not far to seek; very few of the authorities on card conjuring have an intimate knowledge of the deal. Those gamblers who have perfected the sleight have a natural and understandable reluctance to reveal their secrets, even if they could describe the action clearly; in most instances, gamblers have acquired the “feel” of the deal and can perform it skilfully but are totally oblivious to the principles, and even the grip, which they utilize. Often, when asked to describe their grip, they are at a complete loss for words and summarize by saying, “Just place the deck in your left hand and deal.” Excellent advice, but difficult to follow.
Amongst those experts who handle cards purely for entertainment purposes, there are hardly more than a dozen who can deal absolutely perfect seconds and these have not described their methods, usually because an incentive was lacking. Because of this cloud of mystery which has surrounded the second deal, the action will be described here in the fullest detail, even at the risk of prolixity. At best a difficult sleight to explain, it is hoped that this treatment will make clear the principles of the two best methods.
I. THE PUSH-OFF SECOND DEAL
In this method the first and second cards are pushed off the deck as one card by the left thumb. The right hand draws off the second card as the left thumb draws back the first card onto the deck.
This method has the great virtue of providing a deal in which the cards are dealt in a manner approximating the standard deal used by most card players. The demands for perfect timing are less exacting than in the strike method but, as in that method, the grip of the left hand must be absolutely correct.
The procedure to be described here for the first time is a further improvement over other similar deals in that the grip has been simplified, the four right fingers being at the side of the pack as in a regular deal with the top card always under absolute control.
a. The Left Hand Grip
First of all, hold your left hand out flat before you with the fingers pressed tightly one against the other. Bend the four fingers, as a unit, at the innermost joints, placing them at right angles to the palm of the hand. Note that the point of the right angle thus formed is marked by the crease from which both the so-called life line and head line stem. When a reference to the palm is made hereafter it will signify that portion of the palm above the head line crease—that portion of the palm which forms the upright arc of the right angle. To secure the correct grip of the pack, proceed as follows:
1. With the left hand held in the above position, place the deck in it, its left side pressing flat against the palm of the hand above the head line crease. The top of the pack thus falls just below the base of the thumb; the inner left corner is pressed into the palm an inch from its inner side, and the outer end extends half an inch beyond the side of the first finger, the end of the pack and the length of the palm being parallel. The left fingers, pressed closely together, are grouped at the right side of the pack, their tips flush with the top, the little finger being at the inner right corner.
2. Grip the pack by an inward pressure of the joints of the left third and fourth fingers. If the position is properly taken, the left first and second fingers can be removed completely and the pack will still be held firmly by the third and fourth fingers pressing its left side flat against the palm of the hand. The fingers now arc slightly under the top of the pack, Fig. 1.
3. Place the right thumb and second finger at the right ends of the cards and bevel them approximately a quarter of an inch inwards, Fig. 2. This action is of great importance since it materially