hand removes the deck from the left hand and slaps it onto the table.
11. The whole replacement of the card blends into the mere taking of the deck with the right hand. Add to that the fact that the left thumb is across the deck as the right hand returns and you have what to the onlooker seems like an impossibility of adding a card to the top of the deck.
Clip Steal To Bottom
1. To get the card to the bottom of the deck via the Clip Steal proceed as already outlined for that sleight from Steps 1 to 8 and as per Figures 35, 36 and 37 with one exception. The left thumb must remain at the upper left corner of deck not across the deck.
2. The right hand is now about to make its return trip to the pack and as it does so the deck is pinched mainly between left thumb and base of left forefinger thus leaving all four fingers free to extend from the deck when it becomes necessary to do so.
3. As the right hand returns with its card, just as it covers the deck the left fingers extend and the clipped card is directed under the deck as in Figure 40.
Figure 40
4. The upper left corner of the clipped card should have been slipped directly above the left forefinger so that now, as the deck is lifted into a Two Hand
Square Up Position, the left forefinger naturally carries the clipped card under the pack as this left forefinger curls in under the deck for the square up.
5. After the Square Up the pack is placed on the table with the selected card, now on the bottom, to be used in the effect at hand.
Clip Steal Color Change
For this all you need do is follow the exact mechanics of the Clip Steal to the top except have the deck face up when you do them. You will be surprised at the reaction; however, the following technical improvements make the change even more startling.
1. In this case the right hand is above deck as in Figure 2 but with right fore-finger curled on the face of the deck, Remember the deck is face up during a color change.
2. The left fingers gently push the tom card to the right at the same time the right hand rotates slightly to bring the deck from a horizontal plane to a 45 degree angle. This double action enables the bottom card to glide gently over the bottom right long edge of the deck. At the same time the upper right corner of the bottom card goes between the right third and fourth fingers at their base into the Clip Position.
3. At this stage the left hand can move away so that the right hand seems to be holding the deck alone when in
real-93
CLIP STEAL COLOR CHANGE a card is also in Clip Position as
shown in Figure
4, The left hand now comes back to the deck but it goes above the clipped card as seen in Figure 42.
Figure 42
The left hand squares the sides of the deck and moves it upwards further, squares the sides again, then takes the deck.
5. The left hand has taken the deck by the sides with the tip of the left thumb at the center of the left side and tips of the four left fingers at right side. The deck is thus held on its sides with the face card facing audience. The right hand has receded towards the body to about waist height.
6. The r i g h t hand now gestures towards the face of the deck while slightly spreading the first and second fingers keeping the third and fourth as a unit. The gesture is accompanied by the remark, "Watch the
here name the face card of the deck.
7. The right hand now approaches the deck until the left side of the clipped card is against the tip of the left thumb at the top side of the deck as in Figure 43 where you will note that the card is also more or less in line with the deck.
8. All that remains is for the right thumb and fingers to move in against the sides of the then move down-wards along these sides. This will
cause the clipped card to fold onto the face of the deck and at the same time become disengaged from the clip of third and fourth fingers.
Figure 43
9. The above change can also be made by holding deck face up in left hand dealing position at about waist high with the face of the card towards the ceiling. To make the change the clipped card in right hand is brought forward and down onto the face of the deck to effect the change in a manner similar
to Softy.
It may be well to keep the Basic Clip, i.e., between base of third and fourth fingers, in mind as other uses for it will be detailed later when we come to sub-stitutes for the Side Steal
One more point of interest regarding the Clip. After the card is clipped as shown in Figure 41 the right third fin-gertip can reach over to the upper left corner and, by pressing on it, the card will now be held by pressure of the right third fingertip at upper left corner and at the base of the third and fourth fingers.
This may be useful at times when a firmer control of the card is desired. By exerting pressure inwards with the right third fingertip, the clipped card can be made to move further along into the palm.
94
THE SIDE STEAL
Palm Positions
Before going into the various tech-niques of side stealing a card to the bottom of the deck it is best if we first describe the position of the palmed card as this is most important in each case. Later we will describe how these positions are obtained.
Palm Position:
In this case the card must be obtained by the right hand so that the outer right corner is held or pressed by the right fourth fingertip. The whole right edge of the card is slightly curved and lies along the line of the right fourth finger until the card's inner right cor-ner ends by being pressed into the base of the right palm. The inner left corner of the card is pressed against the flesh or folds of right thumb just below its second crease. The whole front end of the card and its left side is away from the palm thus the card is actually gripped at three corners; the
Figure 44
Figure 45
upper right corner and lower right and left corners as shown in Figure 44 which is a bottom view while Figure 45 is a left side view.
Second Palm Position:
In this case the card is held so that its outer right corner is at the right fourth fingertip while its inner left corner is pressed at the first crease of the thumb. The whole right side of the card runs at an upward angle starting at right fourth fingertip and terminating at the center of the palm. The back of the right hand faces almost full to the audience on the right while the palmed card is at a 90 degree angle in relation to the palm itself. Figure 46 shows the position of the card from the bottom while Figure 47 shows the left side view of the hand.
Figure 46
Figure 47
Third Palm Position:
In this case the right thumb does most of the holding of the card as its second
95 PALM POSITIONS
joint comes over the left side of the card but near the inner left corner. The inner right corner is automatically pressed into the base of the palm. The card's right side runs along the side of the palm and ends with its outer right corner at the middle of the second joint of the right fourth finger. The back of the right hand in this case is more or less curved over the card, not as in the Second Palm Position. The Figure 48 the bottom view of the hand holding the card while Figure 49 shows the left side view. Naturally the audience on the right can see nothing.
Figure 48
Figure 49
Fourth Palm Position:
We refer to this Fourth Position as the Mario Position in that while it is a Rear Palm it differs greatly from the one in Expert Card Technique as well as the Palm. As a matter of fact, only with the Mario Position is an easy replacement to either the top or bottom of the deck possible as will be seen.
For the Mario Position the card is hooked at the center of the left side by the side of the right thumb against the inner phalanx, or, just under the large bone comprising the first joint.
Pressure exerted by the right thumb holds the whole right side edge of the card against the right palm.
The right side of the card runs from the base of the right fourth finger, diago-nally, up to the center of the palm. The inner right edge of the card practically rests in the large crease at the center of the palm near the wrist. The whole of the right thumb, which appears like a chicken leg, is above the back of the card and touching it only at the center of the left side. The Figure 50 shows the bottom view of the Mario Position while Figure 51 shows the left side view.
Figure 50
Figure
96