The Hindu Shuffle as a Substitute for the Pass

This shuffle may be used by the magician as a powerful weapon to use in controlling a card, or cards, which have been returned to the deck by members of the audience, which he apparently loses among the rest of the cards by a thorough shuffle.

To do this by means of the two-handed pass the textbooks instruct the student to divide the pack into two portions, have the chosen card replaced on the lower part, then make the pass, false shuffle retaining the card on top. Again make the pass, bringing it to the middle, cut at that point, have the second selected card placed on the first, again make the pass, false shuffle, and so on and on, for as many cards as have been drawn. To make the pass cleanly is a difficult operation and to control four cards by the method outlined, you would have to do it seven times and false shuffle four times.

The use of the Hindu shuffle to attain the same end is so much easier and cleaner that I have no doubt that having tried it once you will "use no other".

Let us suppose that a card has been chosen and you are about to have it replaced in the pack. Holding the pack in position for the Hindu shuffle you pull off two or three packets into your left hand, as described, advancing toward the person who drew the card. "Kindly replace your card in the pack," you say, "anywhere you like," and you pull off another small packet, then' extend your left hand towards him.

He will naturally put his card on top of those in your left hand, you immediately bring the cards in your right hand on top of it and continue the process of pulling small packets off the top of the pack, letting them fall on those in the left hand.

Nothing could appear to be fairer and, to the audience, the card is lost among the others; in reality, you have it on the top of the pack. This is how you do it: When you bring the right hand packet on top of the chosen card, just replaced, you pick up the rear end of that card with the tips of the right third finger and thumb, holding it concealed under the other cards in the right hand.

It is immaterial whether you pick up one, two or three cards from the packet on your left hand, therefore there is no hesitation or change in the tempo of the action. Yon hold a small division, or break, between this picked up card, or cards, and the rest of the cards, at the back. This break is not visible from the front, but it enables you to draw off all the cards above it cleanly by the sense of touch alone, leaving the picked up card, or cards, only, between the thumb and second finger, to be dropped on the top of the pack as the last move in the shuffle.

The actual pick up is completely covered by the action of pulling off another packet from the top of the pack and letting it fall on the left hand, apparently on top of the selected card. You continue pulling off small packets until you are warned by the break that only the picked up chosen card remains and you drop this on the others. You have the selected card on top.

To collect and control several cards by this method, you proceed as described above to get the first card to the top. Then, as you go to the second person, you pull out about two-thirds of the pack, allowing the top third to fall on your left hand. The second card is replaced on this, i. e. on top of the first card. You continue the action exactly as before, except, of course, that you must pick up at least two cards.

You will readily see that no matter how many cards have been selected the action is simply a repetition of what is to all appearances an honest shuffle, yet at the conclusion 'you have all the cards on the top of the pack. You must remember, however, that they are in the reverse order to that in which they were chosen.