The Hugard Palm

By means of this sleight cards can be palmed imperceptibly, although the bottom card of the deck remains in full view.

Hold the pack in the left hand, vertically, the bottom card facing the audience, the thumb at the middle of the upper side, lower side resting on the first joints of the middle and third fingers, the first and little fingers doubled back so that their nails rest on the back of the rear card. Fig. 1.

Standing with your right side to the front bring the right hand to the pack and grip it by its lower corners with the tips of the thumb and first finger. The bottom card should be in full view over the back of the right hand, the fingers of which are held close together and bent in to the same extent as the forefinger which holds the outer corner of the pack.

At the same moment pull back the lower sides of the cards to be palmed, with the tips of the left middle and third fingers, gripping them against the backs of the left first and little fingers. Extend the left fingers downwards, thrusting the packet into the right hand, the left thumb remaining on the upper side of the pack throughout. An imperceptible contraction of the second, third and fourth fingers will hold the cards securely. Remove the left hand with a careless wave, and let your eyes follow it.

The palm can be made in a flash but there is no necessity for great speed since the move is covered by the back of the right hand. This is the cleanest method of palming yet devised for the production of fans of cards from various parts of the body. This flourish will be treated fully in a later chapter.