Shuffle cards with one hand. How to learn to shuffle cards beautifully: revealing secrets

Translation of the book Shadowscapes Tarot (Stephanie Pui-Mun Law & Barbara Moon). Full list links to translations
Rituals are not an obligatory part of fortune telling. Regardless, there are several reasons why it would be good to include a couple of rituals in your practice.
Our daily life is full of bustle and distraction. Performing even the simplest ritual is a way to calm down, gather, focus on current tasks. It is believed that tarot divination is a connection or communication with the divine. And this communication goes well when your mind is open, everyday logic subsides, and intuition is activated. By performing the ritual before fortune-telling, you contribute to the restructuring of your mind and setting it up for fortune-telling. Finally, if you are wondering for someone, then the ritual will help that person to calm down, get together, and focus. The ritual will allow you to enter a supersensible state, due to which a person will become more receptive to the message that he will receive during fortune-telling.

Rituals can be as complex or as simple as you wish. Your personal ritual can be one or a series of actions. We provide a list of what other tarot readers are doing. Try some of these steps, individually or in combination, and you'll see which one is right for you:

Change into special clothes for unfolding cards;
- Always shuffle and withdraw cards in the same way;
- Place your feet flat on the floor, fold your hands in your lap, close your eyes and concentrate;
- Light a candle;
- Turn on the music;
- Say a prayer or spell;
- Light the incense.

How to shuffle, shoot, draw cards

Before starting your fortune-telling, shuffle the deck well. There are many ways to do this. You can overlap them like most people do with playing cards. If you think this method could damage your cards, use a shuffle method in which one hand throws cards on top of the other. If the deck is too large (or your hands are too small) for this method, you can shuffle the cards by placing them face down on the table.

Peeling a deck is just a nice gesture. In the case of playing cards, picking up plays the role of protection from cheating, but in fortune telling is just part of the ritual. Divide the deck into two or more pieces, and then connect the deck by swapping the pieces. Some fortune-tellers do it with a weak hand (for a right-hander, the left hand is a weak hand, for a left-hander - the right hand. Approx. Zmeykina).

Drawing a card means the way in which you draw cards from the deck and place them in the layout position. You can draw cards from the top or bottom of the deck. You can fan out the deck on the table and select the required number of cards for the layout in no particular order by stacking them, and then laying them in the layout position from top to bottom.

If you are wondering to someone else, decide who will shuffle and remove the deck: just you, only this person, or both of you. Some tarot readers do not allow anyone to touch their deck. Others believe it is important that the cards mix the energies of both parties involved.

Some people prefer to play cards face up, others face down. Placing the cards face down has the advantage that the plot is built the moment each card is revealed. new card; this allows you to focus on the map without spraying your attention on the maps that come later. Placing the cards face up allows you to see the layout as a whole and as a general informational picture even before you select individual cards in it.

Reading the layout

Reading the layout is an overview of the information reflected in the layout. Since you already know that different groups of cards in a deck have specific meanings, you can include your knowledge of the basic structure of the tarot deck in your reading of the layout. Major Arcana represent significant events in life, cups - emotions and relationships, aces - new beginnings, etc.
However, there is something else that tarot readers pay attention to. If a large number of court cards fall out in the layout, this may mean too many people involved in the situation. Knights can mean a fast-paced situation, especially with the eight of wands. Aces, deuces, and threes can indicate a situation in the early stages; fours, fives and sixes - in the middle, sevens, eight and nine - situations that are close to resolution; a dozen indicates the end of a situation or cycle. When you have laid out the layout, pay attention to the number of Major Arcana, suits, numbers or cards of the court. You can also look for repeating colors, symbols, or images that speak to your intuition.

If, for example, you are guessing at a relationship and many wands appear in the alignment, there are no cups, and there are fours, this may indicate that the overall situation is not rosy - there are problems and possibly stagnation. Then, by interpreting each card in its position, you add details.

Clearing your deck is close to a ritual, but you only clear the deck after fortune-telling, not before. This is a way to symbolically and energetically cleanse your cards from unwanted external influences and return the deck to a neutral state. You can go over your deck and lay out the cards in an upright position in order, or swipe each card over the smoke of a smoking sage. Store your cards with the crystal or rose quartz... Leave the deck on the windowsill under the full moonlight.

Logging

Many tarot readers write their layouts in a journal. For them, it is a tarot learning tool. By saving information about the layouts, you can then return to them and see how the situation you predicted in reality unfolded. You can see if your prediction was accurate or if you missed out on specific details.

Another preferred journaling technique is to choose a card of the day (or, if you prefer, a different frequency), and use the card as an inspiration for your essay. The essay is written within a limited time frame: try to start with five minutes. You write without paying attention to grammar, punctuation and other such things. Just write about whatever the card inspires you to do. After you have written, write what you know about the meaning of the card and match it with what you wrote.

If you keep a journal, you will be able to notice all your insights, discoveries and insights. Return to your journal from time to time and re-read it. You may be surprised that you forgot some of the meanings, or you will notice that some of the nuances that you did not pay attention to have become relevant in the present.

And now, it's time to look at the artist's notes, get acquainted with her cards, created by her with magic and care, full of wisdom and pictorial beauty.

The basics mechanical engineering

This section is devoted to the simplest techniques, without which it is impossible to practice card tricks... These techniques have been used for several centuries and are the basic elements in card magic. In some other sections, these techniques are discussed in more detail.

How to shuffle cards. Every person who has ever played cards knows perfectly well what a shuffle is and how to shuffle cards. Therefore, in this section I will provide a description of the most popular and widespread card shuffling.

Take the deck in your left hand so that the long edge of the deck rests at the base of the fingers of your left hand. The left thumb is on the back of the top card, and the tips of the other fingers are on the left side of the bottom card of the deck. Next, take the deck with your right hand, lift it up, at the same time the thumb of your left hand pulls off some of the cards from the deck, leaving this part in your hand. After that, with your right hand, make several movements up and down, lowering and raising the cards and the palm of your left hand, on top of the cards that are already in your left hand. Whenever cards fall into the palm of the left hand, the thumb of the left hand draws one or more cards from the right hand. This process continues until there are no cards left in the right hand. Then the shuffle is repeated. You cannot look at the cards during the shuffling process. The shuffle speed should be medium and the shuffle tempo should be uniform. Practice shuffling until shuffling becomes a habit.

Top card control. This technique allows you to leave the top card at the top of the deck after shuffling. To do this, take a deck and start shuffling in the usual way, while making sure that the thumb on your left hand has pulled only one top card from the beginning of the shuffle. After that, continue shuffling the cards without stopping until the deck runs out. As a result of these actions, the top card will go to the bottom of the deck. Then shuffle the cards again so that last card in the right hand was left alone, and you, as it were, casually throw it to the top of the deck. So, as a result of two shuffles, the top card remained at the top of the deck. When using this technique, it is necessary not to focus the audience's attention on the shuffle, but to use a psychological technique. The shuffling should take place as if by itself and there should not be the slightest emphasis on the shuffling of cards.

Bottom card control. This technique allows you to leave the bottom card at the bottom of the deck after shuffling. To do this, take a deck and start shuffling in the usual way, while the thumb of the left hand pulls together some of the cards from the top of the deck and at the same time the middle and ring fingers of the left hand pull the bottom card as well. The rest of the cards are shuffled in the usual way. As a result of using this technique, the bottom card remains in its place.

Top and bottom card control. This technique allows you to leave the top and bottom cards of the deck after the shuffle in their places. To do this, take the deck and start shuffling in the usual way, while the left hand pulls the top and bottom cards at the same time, and continue to shuffle the deck in the usual way. Then line up the cards in the deck and repeat the shuffle again, also shuffling the top and bottom cards at the start of the shuffle. Then continue to shuffle until one card remains in your right hand, which is thrown to the top of the deck. As a result of using this technique, the bottom and top cards will remain in their places. This technique can be used to keep the bottom two cards and the top one card in place.

This technique allows you to leave the top of the deck in place after the shuffle. This is done as follows. To do this, take a deck and, before shuffling, pull off the top of the deck that you want to leave in place, then pull only one card using the "ledge" technique, which is described below. Then continue to shuffle the rest of the deck as usual.

After the end of the shuffle, the card that will act will mark the place where the former top cards of the deck lie. Then, with your right hand, lift the deck from your left hand, with the thumb from your right hand pressing on the protruding card forward, while simultaneously pushing it into the deck so that a small gap forms in this place. Hold this slot with your right thumb and start shuffling the cards until you reach this slot, after which all the cards that remain in your right hand are thrown to the top of the deck. As a result of using this technique, the initial top of the deck will remain in place.

Chas (jogging). This term means a special shuffle of cards, which is used as an auxiliary one. When using this shuffle, the cards are shuffled strictly one at a time. To do this, take the deck, and starting the shuffle, press the thumb of your left hand to the back of the deck, the right hand raises the deck, and the thumb of the left hand pulls only one top card. After that, the deck is lowered and the thumb of the left hand again draws only one top card. Thus, the shuffling of cards continues until the entire deck is over. Usually, this method of shuffling is used to shuffle two or three cards one at a time, in rare cases 6 cards, and there is no need to shuffle the entire deck, shuffling only one card at a time, because such a shuffle looks unnatural and only arouses suspicion among the audience. It is very useful to use this shuffle so that the fingers acquire the necessary sensitivity and lightness, which is needed in almost all shuffles. To use this shuffle you need cards in very good condition.

Protrusion (injog). This technique allows you to keep a certain place in the deck under control. To do this, take the deck, start the shuffle and during the shuffle, the right hand moves slightly towards the body, the thumb of the left hand pulls one card so that it protrudes slightly from the inner edge of the deck.

After that, the right hand moves forward to its starting position and continues the shuffle in the usual way. This will result in one card protruding from the inside edge of the deck. Then the shuffling is continued in the usual way, and the cards must be shuffled somewhat unevenly, with a shift forward and backward in order to mask the protruding card. In the process of performing this technique, you cannot look at the cards, it is necessary that the little finger on the left hand feels the situation and determines that the card that is being played has taken the correct position. With extended training sessions, you will be able to leave the card in the protruding position just a few millimeters without losing control over it.

Shooting. This technique is used after shuffling in order to exclude card tampering. The meaning of the technique is quite simple, it is necessary to swap the upper and lower parts of the deck. To do this, remove any top of the deck and place it under the bottom of the deck.

This technique is used to create the appearance of shooting. To do this, you need to divide the deck into two parts, as in real shooting, but the top part needs to be brought back to the top. To do this, you need to use a psychological technique, you need to divert the viewer's attention to something insignificant. Shooting is done openly, with your fingertips in a position that is convenient for observation, emphasizing that you are not hiding anything.

This course of action disarms the audience. Now you are removing the bottom of the deck instead of the top, but in order for the viewer to believe that the top of the deck has been removed, you must use your right index finger, which slides along the back of the top card in such a way as if pulling the top of the deck with you. Next, the right hand puts the removed part of the deck on the table and returns to the left hand, then takes the rest of the deck and places it on top of the first part. Thus, the impression of visibility of the shooting was created.

Key card. This technique is used in focus with finding a map. The key card helps the magician find the card that the viewer chooses. The idea of ​​this finding is very simple, if you know one of the cards in the deck, then by putting the card chosen by the spectator next to this card, you can always easily find an unknown card next to your card. Your famous card is called a key card because it serves as the key to locate the card that the viewer has chosen. Let's consider this technique in more detail. You take a deck, memorize a card that lies at the bottom of the deck, then offer the viewer to choose any card, the viewer chooses it, remembers it and puts it on top of the deck, after which the deck is removed. As a result of shooting, the spectator's card will be under the card that lay at the bottom of the deck. Now you need to look at the deck and pull out the card that is under your card. This is the easiest way to find the map. You shouldn't use it, you just need to know it. But this method must be applied. You peep the bottom card in the deck, shuffle the cards, and hold it down with the shuffle. Without looking at the deck, remove the bottom by sliding your index finger over the top. After that, offer the viewer to put the chosen card on top of the cards that remained in his left hand. As soon as the spectator places his card, you cover his card with cards from your right hand. Thus, the key card will lie on top of the spectator's card, and at the same time the spectator will have the impression that you raised the deck in the middle to return the card, and that you absolutely do not know the cards that lie next to his card. I would like to pay attention to how you need to handle a deck in which the key card is next to the spectator's card. Of course, this deck can be removed any number of times and the key card with the selected card will not be split. Even if one shot splits the deck by accident, the next shot will merge them again. Shuffling is another matter. During the shuffling process, the key card and the spectator card may become disconnected. But in order for the cards not to disconnect, it is necessary to shuffle like this. Let's say that the key card and the spectator card lie somewhere in the middle of the deck. In the usual way, you shuffle one third of the deck and then discard the rest of the deck. Next, shrink about two-thirds of the deck and shuffle the remaining third of the deck on top of it. This double shuffle is quite convincing, although the middle part of the deck is not shuffled at all, so the key card and spectator card cannot be separated. Assuming the magician gives shuffle card to the viewer, then the probability of separation of these cards is rather small and therefore the magicians let the viewer shuffle the deck.

Key card production. To make key card, take two identical picture cards. For one of the cards, cut off the white border around the card, and glue the middle part to the second one of the same card from the side of the picture. In this case, when removing cards, the key card must always be at the bottom of the deck. If the part remaining during cutting is glued from the side of the speck, then when removing it should be the top in the deck. At a quick glance, the crafted card is no different from other cards, but it can be very easily found in the deck:

if you look at the deck from the side;
if you flip through the cards, then a click is clearly audible;
if you feel the cards on one side.

A big plus of this key card is that when shuffled, the key card and the card chosen by the viewer are not separated! Therefore, calmly place the selected card by the viewer under the key card and shuffle the sidebar so that the cards jump into each other. You can shuffle in this way as much as you like - the pair will not disconnect.

Shuffle exercises. All the shuffles discussed above are best trained with this exercise.

Take a deck of cards and turn the top card of the deck face up.
Next, shuffle the deck down then back up.
Continue shuffling the deck, leaving the upside-down card at the bottom, and then shuffle the deck back to the top.
Then flip the bottom card, shuffle, leaving the top and bottom cards in place.
By shuffling the deck, move the top card to second place from the bottom of the deck, then move the card back to the top of the deck. Be sure to check yourself.
After shuffling the cards in the above ways, start a new shuffle, pulling about one third of the deck with your left thumb, then shuffle 9 cards in one rhythm, counting to yourself 1-2-3 1-2-3 1-2-3 , draw the tenth card using the ledge and discard the rest of the deck. Then, with your right hand, lift the deck, push your thumb back on the protruding card so that there is a gap under the upside-down card. After that, pull off all the cards with the thumb of your left hand to the slot, then shuffle 10 cards again and discard the rest of the deck. The deck must return to the starting point position

The first cards appeared in China in XII century. Once upon a time, card games in Russia were considered not godly and even illegal. But if you don't get too carried away with cards, don't play for money, but just entertain yourself by playing cards in good company - why not? If you dream of surprising your friends every time you play cards, learn how to beautifully shuffle the cards.

Let's look at some ways to shuffle a deck of cards.:

Push-Move. In the right hand, you must put the entire deck, face down (to the palm). Then, with the thumb of your right hand from above, push several cards into your left hand. And again, with the thumb of your right hand, push the cards from the bottom of the deck in the left hand (e If you are left-handed, then initially place the deck on the left palm, and move the cards to the right).Thus, by colliding cards from above and below, the deck from the right hand will move to the left. To better reshuffle the cards, the process must be repeated from the beginning, again putting the cards face down on the right hand and moving them, colliding, on the left. Perhaps the first time such shuffling will seem difficult, the cards will fall out and crumble. But it takes a little practice - and everything will work out. Such shuffling looks impressive, plus everything, the cards do not bend or deteriorate. This method is also suitable for shuffling a deck of tarot cards.

"Card method". Great for shuffling playing cards... Divide the deck in half. In both hands, take half of the deck, putting the cards face down (on the palm). The cards need to be mixed as they are lowered onto the table surface. That is, lifting the ends of the cards directed towards each other, a card is freed from each half of the deck one by one. Then the connected deck is aligned. This way the cards curve a little in the middle. Sometimes this shuffling is also called "pigeon's tail", it is even used professional players... At the end of the shuffle, according to tradition, the bottom of the deck is pulled out and placed on the top. The deck mixes well with this method. It looks nice, but over time, the cards can deteriorate.

"General mixing". This method will require some free space. You can use the table or spread the cards right on the floor. And there move them in a chaotic manner. This method is good because several people can participate in it. Thus, shuffling the cards becomes entertainment for the whole company.

Watch the video: how to beautifully shuffle a deck of cards

Learning to shuffle the cards beautifully is not difficult. One has only to practice a little. But then friends will be surprised at your sleight of hand!

Any card player, professional or amateur, knows perfectly well what a shuffling of cards is and how they should be shuffled. There are several main ways to mix cards:

Hand-to-hand (or soda) shuffling and grooved shuffle. The first method is most often used at home and has two types: up-down mixing and "jogging". In the first view, when the cards are shuffled, the bottom group of the deck is at the bottom. In the second, a slightly extended card or a group of cards is used to build a deck (in-jogs and out-jogs), shuffle over the pack.

At grooved shuffle use deck control, card or group control, ledge shuffling, grooved selection, assembly movement.

Another type of shuffle - "Pharaoh", where the alternation of cards occurs evenly from the two halves of the deck.

Shuffle (shuffle) is any mixing and movement of cards in order to create their unpredictable and indefinite output during the game. Shuffle is a preparatory procedure before the cards are dealt. The deck is thoroughly mixed and trimmed.

All dealer operations should be clear, the optimal speed when shuffling the cards is average, and the pace should be uniform. All this happens in front of the players' eyes. Good and effective shuffling of cards involves a certain skill and dexterity of the dealer and is sometimes a decisive factor in the outcome of the game.

The casino uses several basic types of shuffles: riffle, shaimi, strip.

V riffle shuffle shuffling of two halves of a deck of cards is used - this is a thorough and quick mixing.

V shaimi shuffle there is a chaotic mixing of cards.

Block mixing of cards, where 4 or more parts of the deck of cards are mixed with each other, is called strip shuffle.

Each shuffle is accompanied by a mandatory card alignment procedure and ends pruning... Pruning is the final step in the complete shuffle cycle. It is performed by the dealer only once and strictly with one hand; at home, the player sitting in front of the dealer cuts the deck.

The complete shuffling process is an alternation multiple shuffles, leveling and pruning and performed before each distribution. In the casino, the dealer mixes all the cards, after which the player is invited to cut them with a special cut card. Then the cards are folded into a special device called a "heel" or "shoe" from which the cards are taken to be dealt. In some cases, the first few cards from the "heel" are removed "face down". Previously played cards are put in a specially designated place. As soon as a scoring card comes out of the "heel", the current distribution is played out and the whole deck is shuffled again. Thus, the cards that are left behind the scoring are not included in the game.

In the casino, and in recent times more and more often at home, special devices are used to shuffle cards - shuffle cars.

The machine effectively mixes a deck of cards in a fully automatic mode. With its help, the preparatory stage for the game is significantly accelerated and cheating at the stage of mixing cards is excluded. Convenience, practicality and reliability in using the shuffle machine guarantees fair distribution of cards to the home gaming tournament, high level of play and prestige.

The short answer to the question of how to properly shuffle a deck of cards is - carefully. It is necessary to destroy the existing chain of cards without leaving a single previous sequence. There are several methods. During official tournaments and in casinos, the classic methods are usually used. When holding private games, you can surprise the audience with the most exotic tricks.

Basic methods

- Traditional... This method is simple and anyone can do it. The deck is in the left hand. The right one takes part of the cards and gives them back to the left, but in a different order. The so-called "peeling" allows you to shuffle cards quite well at home.

- Faro (Fan)... A more complex method, it is often used by experienced croupiers. Keeping the cards in weight, they need to be divided into two approximately equal piles, joined by the edges according to the principle of a gear, bend them in an arc and quickly mix through one. Looks impressive, but it takes practice and a solid deck.

- American variant(aka Sidebar and Rifle). Shuffle in the hands or on the table. The deck is bent up to 90 degrees and "folded" into the other hand by about half. Then bend both parts, holding the edge with your thumb. Quickly "shoot" at the map from each side, so that they are mixed.

- Strip... The deck is divided into blocks and then shuffled. There should be at least three parts, they are simply thrown on the surface of the table, one on top of the other, and so at least 7-8 times.

- Chemie... With a smooth movement, the croupier spreads the deck into two ribbon-like fans. After that, he simply mixes, distributing with his hands on the table in random order. Then he collects it in a pile.

- In indian... The deck is divided into blocks and mixed, as in the Strip variant, but not on the table, but while holding it in your hands.

Shuffle machine

Want to shuffle the cards so that everyone gasps? Learn to do this very quickly. But it is important to understand that there is always room for an unconscious mistake and a loophole for cheaters.

For example, when shuffling in parts, the dodger can shift required cards down, and after shuffling move them up again. There are dozens of such tricks.

To eliminate the human factor and distrust, use a shuffle machine... This device will save you from the worries of how to properly shuffle cards. Everything will be done perfectly and quickly. There are both inexpensive amateur models and professional-grade options, usually they are built into the table.

Completion of the shuffle

The preparation of cards for the game is not limited to shuffling. The dealer must align the deck. In home games, his role is usually played by the person who sits to the left of the dealer.

To do this, take a trim card, it is in most poker sets. It is placed under the pile, this will not allow accidentally "light up" the bottom card. The deck is sent to the "shoe" and from there it is handed over until only the trimmer remains.