The Expert at the Card Table
  • Artifice Ruse and Subterfuge at the Card Table
  • Preface
  • Introduction
  • Card Table Artifice
    • Professional Secrets
    • Hold Outs
    • Prepared Cards
    • Confederacy
    • Two Methods of Shuffling
    • Primary Accomplishments
    • Possibilities of the "Blind"
    • Uniformity of Action
    • Deportment
    • Display of Ability
    • Greatest Single Accomplishment
    • Effect of Suspicion
    • Acquiring the Art
    • Importance of Details
    • Technical Terms
    • Erdnase System for Blind Shuffles
      • Position for Shuffle
      • Blind Shuffles
      • I. To Retain Top Stock
      • II.To Retain Top Stock and Shuffle Whole Deck
      • III. To Retain the Bottom Stock and Shuffle Whole Deck
    • Erdnase System of Blind Riffles and Cuts
      • Blind Riffles
        • I. To Retain the Top Stock
        • II. To Retain the Bottom Stock
      • Blind Cuts
        • I. To Retain Bottom Stock. Top Losing One Card
        • II. To Retain the Complete Stock
        • III. To Retain the Top Stock
        • IV. To Retain the Bottom Stock
      • Combination Riffle and Cuts
        • V. To Retain Bottom Stock. Riffle II and Cut IV
      • Fancy Blind Cuts
        • I. To Retain the Complete Stock
        • II. To Retain the Complete Stock
    • One-Handed Fancy True Cut
    • To Indicate the Location for the Cut
      • I. This is located by the Crimp
      • II. This is located by the jog
      • III. This is located by the crimp
      • IV. This is located by the jog
    • Bottom Dealing
      • Top and Bottom Dealing with One Hand
    • Second Dealing
    • Ordinary Methods of Stocking, Locating and Securing
    • Stock Shuffle
    • Erdnase System of Stock Shuffling
      • Two-Card Stock
      • Three-Card Stock
      • Four-Card Stock
      • Five-Card Stock
      • Twelve-Card Stock
      • Euchre Stock
      • Euchre Stock
    • The Erdnase System of Cull Shuffling
      • To Cull Two Cards, Numbers 8, 4
      • To Cull Three Cards, Numbers 7, 5, 9
      • To Cull Four Cards, Numbers 3, 6, 2, 5
      • To Cull Nine Cards, Numbers 5, 1, 1, 1, 3, 1, 1, 7, 1
    • The Erdnase System of Palming
      • Top Palm. First Method
      • Top Palm. Second Method
      • Bottom Palm. First Method
      • Bottom Palm. Second Method
      • Bottom Palm When Cards are Riffled
    • To Maintain the Bottom Palm while Dealing
    • To Hold the Location of Cut while Dealing
    • Shifts
      • Two-Handed Shift
      • The Erdnase Shift. One Hand
      • Erdnase Shift. Two Hands
    • To Ascertain the Top Cards while Riffling and Reserve Them at Bottom
    • Mode of Holding the Hand
    • Skinning the Hand
    • The Player Without an Ally
      • Dealing Without the Cut
      • Replacing the Cut as Before
      • Holding Out for the Cut
      • Shifting the Cut
      • Dealing Too Many
      • Crimping for the Cut
      • Replacing Palm When Cutting
      • The Short Deck
    • Three Card Monte
      • Mexican Three Card Monte
  • Legerdemain
    • Shifts
      • Single Handed Shift
      • The Longitudinal Shift
      • The Open Shift
      • The S.W.E. Shift
      • The Diagonal Palm-Shift
    • The Blind Shuffle for Securing Selected Card
    • Forcing
    • Palming
      • The Back Palm
    • Changes
      • The Top Change
      • The Bottom Change
      • The Palm Change
      • The Double-Palm Change
    • Transformations. Two Hands
      • First Method
      • Second Method
      • Third Method
      • Fourth Method
      • Fifth Method
      • Sixth Method
    • Transformations. One Hand
      • First Method
      • Second Method
    • Blind Shuffles, Retaining Entire Order
      • First Method
      • Second Method
      • Third Method
      • Fourth Method
      • Fifth Method
    • Methods for Determining a Card Thought of
      • A
      • B
      • C
      • D
    • To Get Sight of Selected Card
    • The Slide
    • Favorite Sleights for Terminating Tricks
      • Catching Two Cards at Fingertips
      • Leaving Selected Card in Hand of Spectator
      • The Revolution
      • Cards Raising from the Hand
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  1. Legerdemain
  2. Shifts

The Longitudinal Shift

This shift, for which we have to thank no one, is given a very long name, but the reader who is interested sufficiently to practice the process, will find it a very short shift and comparatively an easy one.

Hold the deck in the left hand, face down, first joint of thumb at middle of one side, first joint of second finger, and second joint of third finger, at opposite side, and the lower corner of the deck fitting in between the third and little fingers, at the base of little finger, the first finger curled up against the bottom. Now bring the right hand over; second, third and little fingers at outer end, first finger curled up on top, thumb at inner end. Separate the deck with the right thumb, at the inner end only, about half an inch, and press the third joint of the little finger in between the corners of the two packets to be shuffled. (See Fig. 67.) Now the deck is ready for the shift, but the right hand may be withdrawn without disclosing the break at the inner corner, or the fact that the little finger runs between the packets. The left thumb and finger hold the packets firmly together and the deck could not have a more innocent appearance.

To make the shift, bring the right thumb against the side of the first finger, straighten out the first finger, press the end of the lower packet in against the left little finger and down against the curled up first finger, with the four right hand fingers; and with the left little finger and thumb draw off the upper packet towards the person (see Fig. 68), and as the lower packet springs into the right palm bring the upper packet back underneath.

The right thumb takes no part in the shift, and a favorable feature of the operation is that it may be performed without the right hand appearing to be used at all. The right fingers may be held almost straight, and the palm well away from the deck, the hand being slightly closed as the lower packet springs up. It can be made with practically no noise, and the action is well covered.

If desired this shift can be made with almost the whole deck exposed, by employing right second and third fingers only at end, and keeping first finger curled up on top. In this case the right thumb tip catches the end of the lower packet as it springs up.

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Last updated 6 years ago