#100tips

100 tips for budding card magicians

On the top change.

6. Consider a top change in lieu of a double turnover. The great advantage of using a top change is that there is perceived spatial separation between the deck and the card. In a double lift a card is displayed and then removed from the top of the deck, whereas a top change allows the card to be separated from the deck from the onset. A well executed top change should leave the impression that the card never touches the deck.

7. When performing a top change, the card to be changed must approach the deck from the same plane. This is key in order to minimize noise and excessive adjustments during the process.

There are two major tells that must be avoided when executing a top change.

8. Do NOT lift the left thumb when exchanging the card. The right hand simply slides its card under the left thumb and the former top card is taken. Roger Klause has a good tip - try to keep the left thumb and forefinger in contact during the change to minimize excessive movements. 

9. Do NOT switch fingers when exchanging the top card. There is a tendency when first learning the top change to take the exchanged card between the first and second finger instead of the thumb and first finger. This must be avoided at all costs. A simple 'push and pull' action with the right thumb and forefinger at the moment of execution will facilitate a smooth exchange.

10. The top change cannot be 'burned'. Like all techniques, the top change requires misdirection. There are many good covers for the move - two excellent resources for the top change are:

Further Inner Secrets of Card Magic (1961)

100 tips for budding card magicians

1. When performing a traditional double turnover, the hand must not follow the double on its descent to the deck. This is what Vernon termed the "cardinal sin of card magic." Instead, as the card(s) is being turned over, allow the double to flip over and drop onto the deck naturally using momentum and gravity. The right fingers simply tip the double over and let go no later than when the double is perpendicular the deck. A card is a light object, and should be treated as such. 

(This rule can be waived with unconventional double turnover techniques such as Ron Bauer's Two-Card Turnover Technique)

2. When practicing card techniques, alternate between practicing with an old deck and a new one. This will not only allow you to learn the ins and outs of a technique better, but it will also allow you to perform regardless of the deck you're handed. 

(Note that some techniques, such as the push-off second deal, can only be done reliably using a relatively new deck)

3. Practice legitimate moves intertwined with false moves. This is key especially for gambling related techniques such as false deals and false shuffles. Practicing a push-through followed by a legitimate riffle and strip will help to enforce uniformity of action. 

4. Don't square a squared deck. Squaring the deck is a common cover for a variety of card manoeuvres. However, if the deck is already squared, there is no reason for the hands to come together.