Faced pack - explorations

[Jonathan Townsend]

Hi Folks,

This is likely a beginner's level question -
Is there a reference for using a faced pack ( you turn the deck or packet in hand over to make a new "top of the pack" when you want) usage? Preferred cover actions/sleights/setup?

thanks in advance,

Jon

[Tom Frame]

Jonathan,

Whaley tells us that facing a deck was first described in 1793 by Henri Decremps in his Testament de Jrme Sharp. It was described again in 1877 by Edwin Sachs in Sleight of Hand.

In Expert Card Technique (1940) Hugard and Braue describe covertly facing a deck with a pass, a half pass and the Charlier pass.

[Jonathan Townsend]

Thanks Tom,

It seems, like the glide, a basic strategy and I don't see it used or referenced too often. I was expecting it to be the second way anyone thought to do tricks like "your card at any number" or swap in dupes for an ace assembly. With that in mind, and not finding "Marlo Flips His Pack"... figured it's time to ask the gang here for pointers.



Jon

[Chas Nigh]

Vernon had a technique using a reach.

[Pete McCabe]

Is the goal to secretly turn the deck over? If so this can often be covered by putting the deck on the table. If you hold a deck in dealing position and place it on the table, you will almost automatically turn it over. Just the slightest distractioni.e. ask a spectator a questionwill eliminate the turnover from the spectator's thoughts.

[Jim Maloney]

I was expecting it to be the second way anyone thought to do tricks like "your card at any number"

It's used exactly like that for a trick in Royal Road. Can't remember the name of the trick off the top of my head, though.

-Jim

[pixsmith]

It is, I think, "Mentalivity" in the Reverses section. It's a pretty good starting point for tricks of that ilk.

Pix
(who has too much free time and too many things cluttering his brain)