Left handed deck of cards question

All beginners in magic should address their questions here.
Guest

Left handed deck of cards question

Postby Guest » April 19th, 2007, 7:13 am

Hi,
an year ago i've posted a question regarding problems that left handed magicians have with the glimpse.
Now i want to narrow down my question.
The problem with the decks with four pips is that, as i understand the quality of the decks or at least the finishing of the back of the card is not so refined as the tally ho or bycicle decks.
I very much like to play and exercise with tally ho and bycicle cards,
but i'd like to start to exercise glimpse and other sleight of hands with four pip decks.
Some of you know if there are very good quality cards and without a plastic coat finish decks,on the market.
I like the cushion finish of bycicle or tally ho, and i really don't like the plastic coat finish.
Hoping that some of you could help me..
or some of you may also suggest other left handed methods for picking,
best regards
Crim

Guest

Re: Left handed deck of cards question

Postby Guest » April 19th, 2007, 7:16 am

I can't help you with your specific request, but i can tell you that if you haven't checked out Darwin Ortiz's "Scams and Fantasies", you should. There's one item in there that makes me wish that i were left handed.

Guest

Re: Left handed deck of cards question

Postby Guest » April 19th, 2007, 7:35 am

Waddington's Number Ones are similar to Bikes and have four indices. (I think that they may also be available with two indices, so don't assume that all such decks have four.)

Dave

Guest

Re: Left handed deck of cards question

Postby Guest » April 19th, 2007, 8:02 am

Rather than moving to four pip cards I would encourage you to think about what you are doing and work out the glimpses. If you rely on a four pip card you will limit yourself.

There are peeks you can do left handed. Unfortunately most of the standard peeks do not work left handed. Watch closely when you practice standard sleights and you will find some instances where a peek can be obtained.

Vague but hopefully helpful.

~ Dan

Guest

Re: Left handed deck of cards question

Postby Guest » April 19th, 2007, 8:36 am

Thank you Dan Strange for your suggestion.
The only problem is that it is not easy to devise a glimpse that comes unnoticed.
I mean, i thin kthat the glimpses for right handed people which you normally used, where devised and tested by grat magicians or great magical thinkers.
It is not so easy to invent a new credible glimpse.
Maybe some left handed magician could have some tip, or book where he learned the move.

Ian Kendall
Posts: 2631
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Edinburgh
Contact:

Re: Left handed deck of cards question

Postby Ian Kendall » April 19th, 2007, 9:10 am

The standard bottom heel peek works when the deck is in the right hand, and the bubble peek can be adapted by looking at the bottom corner instead of the top one.

Take care, Ian

Guest

Re: Left handed deck of cards question

Postby Guest » April 19th, 2007, 9:46 am

Thank you Mr.Kendall for the reply.
When could i find the standard bottom heel peek?
And the bubble peek?

Ian Kendall
Posts: 2631
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Edinburgh
Contact:

Re: Left handed deck of cards question

Postby Ian Kendall » April 19th, 2007, 10:48 am

Oh, ok - I thought you already knew them.

The Bubble Peek is all over the place, start with Lovell's gambling related books and/or videos. Actually, he teaches the bottom peek as well.

They are both covered in Steve Forte's books, and I'm pretty sure they are in David Malek's video as well.

Martin Lewis is left handed; I understand he published a couple of peeks as well.

Hope that helps, Ian

Guest

Re: Left handed deck of cards question

Postby Guest » April 19th, 2007, 10:55 am

As mentioned above, there is a great peek for the lefty's in Ortiz' Scamas and Fantasies with Cards.

check it out.

Guest

Re: Left handed deck of cards question

Postby Guest » April 19th, 2007, 11:30 am

I'll get hold of the Ortiz book.
Thank you.

Guest

Re: Left handed deck of cards question

Postby Guest » April 19th, 2007, 5:09 pm

I'm left-handed and there are times when I decide to take the "if-you-can't-beat-them join-them" attitude.

When I was a kid in 5th grade and learned to fence, I just decided "the heck with being left handed" and switched to fence right-handed so I was learning the same as everyone else.

When I learned the Steve Draun's Underground Peek I decided it was worth it to just "be" right handed for that too. If this is what you're referring to, just bite the bullet and in 1 week it'll be all over and you'll be in the club.

I have no issues doing the peek right handed. It's just automatic now.

The same goes for jabbing some stranger with a sword. Right-handed, baby!

Ian Kendall
Posts: 2631
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Edinburgh
Contact:

Re: Left handed deck of cards question

Postby Ian Kendall » April 20th, 2007, 12:25 am

I'm predominantly left handed, but I hold cards in my left hand (as a right handed person). I'm pretty much ambidexterous for most other things.

When I was fencing competitively I was always left handed (as there is a definite advantage - Frank, you threw that away!) but when I started coaching I learned to fence right handed as well.

Frank does have a point about being able to switch; I made a concious decision to learn guitar right handed so I could borrow other peoples' instuments, which was very hard at first. When I found out that Mark Knopfler is left handed it made me feel better :)

Take care, Ian

Guest

Re: Left handed deck of cards question

Postby Guest » April 20th, 2007, 1:52 am

THnak you for the suggestion of trying to use the right hand.
I admit i thought of this and it is a fascinating challenge.
The problem is that i've tried for some months.
But i absolutely can't have the same sensibility(or sensistivity- sorry for the English-i'm from Italy!)that i have with my left hand.
I can open a bottle with the right hand.
I can even eat.
I can do some little small things like these.
But for example i tried for weeks to do a simple overhand shuffle with the right hand, and it's a disaster, regarding mainly the sensitivity of the hand.
I can't really FEEL the cards.
And i think a magician needs absolutely to feel the cards.
So i ask,
is it possible to do all left handed, and maybe when glimpsing, maybe with some misdirection, for some seconds switch the packet in the right hand?
Maybe that i can master.
Or is it to suspicious?

Guest

Re: Left handed deck of cards question

Postby Guest » April 20th, 2007, 2:31 am

This probably isn't much help, but I thought I'd post it as a bit of related info.
Simon Aronson and Aaron Fisher are both lefties who handle the deck right-handed. I don't know about Aronson but I believe in Fisher's case he has handled the cards that way right from the start.
I guess deciding whether or not to "join 'em" depends on how much you have to "un-learn".

Was it Ammar that said "practice makes permanent"?

I did sort of wish I was left-handed while learning to master the thumb fan in the right handalthough it only took a couple of days.

Guest

Re: Left handed deck of cards question

Postby Guest » April 20th, 2007, 5:47 am

There would be too much to unlearn.
But the real problem is that i'm a pure lefty.
It's very very dificult and would seem also unnatural if i'd use the right hand.
I think learning method of glimpses for lefties would be a better route to follow.
I'm not afraid of practice or long roads.
But i think in this case the problem is that my rith hand has no sensitivity at all.
It could never arrive at levels of my left hand.
Cards need to be handled with lightness and confidence.
Nor of the two i thinf could be attained with my right hand.
The same is with my right foot when i play soccer.
It is years i'm practicing with my right foot.
But i can't absolutely do a decent shot with the right foot.
Only the left!

Guest

Re: Left handed deck of cards question

Postby Guest » April 20th, 2007, 11:16 am

in learning a move with your right hand you need to focus on form. you might find you need to do it a bit differently than you would left-handed.

Almost everything I try right-handed at first seems impossible.

And even though you are left-handed there are probably many things you only do with your right hand that you just could not do with your left without significant practice. check it out in your daily routine. you'll see.

My recommendation is not to give up. The last thing you should be doing (as a leftie) is to start using different props to make up for you handed-ness.

For those that are not left-handed, here are some things that I find in everyday life that are created for right-handers:

pens
pencils
scissors (we all knew that)
knives
soup ladles
cell phones
keyboards
camcorders
cameras
can-openers

I'd go on but i'm too busy wallowing in self-pity.

(I even owned a left-handed pencil at one time. It read... "A left-handed pencil for a right good friend").

I thought you'd want to know.

Ian Kendall
Posts: 2631
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Edinburgh
Contact:

Re: Left handed deck of cards question

Postby Ian Kendall » April 20th, 2007, 12:14 pm

I find gloves to be a pain in the neck; sometimes they fit my left hand, then next time they don't.

I'm sure I'm doing something wrong somewhere...

Take care, Ian

Guest

Re: Left handed deck of cards question

Postby Guest » April 20th, 2007, 5:10 pm

I've had the same experience. Only about 50% of the gloves I've tried seem to feel ok on my left paw.


Return to “General”