# I. To Retain Top Stock

Under cut about half deck, in-jog first card and shuffle off. Under cut to in-jog and throw on top.

This is the very simplest form of the blind shuffle and leaves the upper portion of the deck in the same order. The shuffle may be continued ad libitum.

The reader who has prepared himself with a knowledge of the position given for hand shuffling, and the definitions of the list of terms, will have no difficulty in understanding the above directions, and executing the blind at the very first attempt. However, as a first lesson in the A, B, C of card manipulation, the following description of the action is given at length, viz.:

Hold the deck in the manner described for the Shuffle. Seize about half the deck from beneath with the right hand (under cut), draw out and shift the right hand a little inwards over packet in left hand, so that when the first card is drawn off by the left thumb it will protrude slightly over the little finger (in-jog). Then shuffle off the balance of the cards in the right hand on top of those in the left (See Fig. 2.) Then seize with the right hand all the cards beneath the in-jog card, which protrudes over the little finger of the left hand, and throw them in one packet on top. When seizing the under cards beneath the in-jog, its location is found by the right thumb solely by the sense of touch, and without the least hesitation or difficulty. The in-jog card is held in position by the little finger, and is concealed by the cards on top of it.

The weak point about the foregoing blind is that the last movement is a throw, or under cut, and it may be noticed that only part of the deck is actually shuffled. This objection is entirely overcome by the use of the break, which is illustrated in the following blind shuffle.


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