The Hindu Shuffle or Running Cut

I have dubbed this very useful series of moves "The Hindu Shuffle" because it was first shown to me over thirty years ago by a Hindu magician. Since then I have never seen a Hindu performer use any other kind of shuffle. Passing strange if the despised Indian juggler has given his vastly superior Western confreres another valuable legacy.

You hold the pack face down on the left hand, the top left corner near the base of the thumb, first finger tip at the middle of its outer end and the other three fingers at the outer side of the deck.

Grasping the inner end of the pack with the tips of the right thumb and second finger you pull out all the cards except a small packet on the top. This is held back by the tip of your left second finger pressing these cards against the base of the thumb (Fig. 4). In this action both hands move, the left hand a few inches outward, the right hand a few inches in the opposite direction. The packet thus drawn off you let fall on your left palm by releasing the grip of your left thumb and second finger.

You bring your right hand, with the rest of the pack, back over this packet to the same position that it originally had, and then you repeat the action by drawing off a second small packet from the top in exactly the same way.

This packet is allowed to fall on top of the first and the tip of the left forefinger acts as a stop, keeping the outer ends of the deck squared.

Successive packets are thus pulled off into the left hand until the cards in the right hand are exhausted.