Poker Blind Shuffles Game

Blind Shuffles

In the first part of our book we described two blind shuffles for retaining either the upper or lower half of the deck in the same order, yet apparently shuffling the whole deck. Retaining the whole deck in a prearranged order is seldom or never attempted, or even desired, at the card table. But the conjurer performs many very interesting tricks through such an arrangement; therefore it is necessary to provide a blind shuffle that will not disturb any part of the online poker deck. The following methods for retaining the entire order will be found sufficiently deceptive for his purpose, though by no means so perfect in appearance as the processes already described:

First Method

Hold the deck in the left hand, crosswise, in the customary manner for the hand shuffle. Under-cut with the right hand about three-quarters of the deck, and bring it down in the usual way of shuffling on top of the packet in the left hand, dropping a small packet from the top. Now, in raising the right hand again, still in the ordinary manner, seize the lower packet that was first left in the left hand between the right third finger and thumb, bringing it up with the rest of the poker cards, the packet that was dropped from the top now falling against the left fingers, concealing the fact that the under packet is withdrawn. Now, with the left fingers tilt the packet over against the left thumb, and drop another small packet from the top of the right-hand portion into the left hand between its packet and the fingers, still with the usual movement for shuffling. The left thumb now tilts the packet back on the other, and the right hand makes its customary movement downward, but this time drops the lower packet that is held between the third finger and thumb, by simply releasing the pressure of the third finger. Now the left-hand portion is again tilted against the thumb, the right hand dropping another packet from the top, then the left-hand packet is tilted back, and the right hand throws the balance on top. This process leaves the order the same, the deck having received but a simple cut.
The right hand makes five up-and-down movements in the ordinary or regular manner of shuffling, and without hesitating for an instant. The left fingers and thumb keep up the process of tilting its portion back and forth, allowing the right-hand packets to fall above and below it. The actions of the right hand in bringing up the first packet from the left hand, with the first upward movement, and in releasing it again on the third downward movement (instead of dropping a packet from the top) are undetectable if the shuffle is performed with some degree of rapidity and smoothness. It is not at all difficult, but some practice is necessary.

Second Method

This blind shuffle, or rather riffle, will require considerable practice to perform nicely, but it is worth it. Seize the deck with both hands, face down, second and third fingers at one side, thumbs at the opposite side, little fingers at opposite ends, held somewhat under the deck, and first fingers curled in with tips on top. The second fingers touch each other at middle of side, and the thumbs touching at opposite side. Each hand occupies identically the same position. Now divide the pack with the thumbs and draw off the upper portion with the right hand; place the inner corners of the outer ends together so that the two packets form a sharp angle, but the right- hand packet about half an inch further out. Now riffle or spring the corners of the left-hand packet into the right-hand packet, both thumbs springing the cards, but beginning with the left thumb and finishing with the right, so that the left hand holds several cards that are not interwoven at the bottom, and about half a dozen of the right-hand packet are still free on top. Now shift the left hand slightly so that the four fingers lie across the bottom of its packet, and with the right thumb spread the top cards fanwise over the left packet, at the same time bringing the inner ends of the two packets toward each other, twisting out the riffled upper corners and replacing the right-hand packet on top.