Dan Garrett's Underhanded Overhand Shuffle

[Bob Farmer]

The full-deck false shuffle I've been using for years is Dan Garrett's, "Underhanded Overhand Shuffle," which I explained in one of my 1996, Flim-Flam columns. It is included in Dan's $10, TOP TEN lecture notes:

http://www.dangarrettmagic.com/magic-fo ... -only.html

It looks great and has a lot of advantages.

Lately, I've come up with a variation, that is even more fun to do which I'll call the, "Optical Underhanded Overhand Shuffle."

A good reference for the usual, "Optical Shuffle," is Roberto Giobbi's Card College Volume 2, pp. 260-261.

The basic principle of the Optical Shuffle is that no cards are shuffled off; your thumb appears to pull off cards but only the motion of the thumb is made, no cards are actually pulled off. The sound is created by dragging the top packet across the top of the bottom packet.

What I did was to take the Optical Shuffle mechanics and applied them to the Underhanded Overhand Shuffle mechanics like this:

1. Start the Underhanded Overhand Shuffle in the usual way but instead of pulling off cards singly, do the Optical Shuffle.

2. Undercut as usual, but instead of simply throwing the undercut on top, do the Optical Shuffle 2 or 3 times and then throw the undercut on top.

This combination looks really, really, good, the final Optical Shuffle and throw selling the entire thing.

[Philippe Billot]

If you look for Dan Garrett's Shuffle, it's in Stan Allen Magic, Vol. 5, no. 11, july 1996, page 72.

[Bob Farmer]

I've using this for a little over a week now and no other sleight has given me so much secret enjoyment. There is nothing better than performing a giant lie that nobody realizes is a gargantuan whopper of a deception. I will never actually shuffle a deck of cards again--this is too much fun.

[Pete McCabe]

I've been working in this area for the last couple of years. Here's a very nice Red-Black shuffle based on the same techniques.


Say we have Reds on top. Start by shuffling freely for about a third of the deck. On the next chop, the third of the deck in your left hand is kind of jammed into your right hand under the remaining cards it already holds, without your fingers having to move visibly.

At the same time, your right hand drops the 2/3rds it holds into the left. The result is to swap the packets; the left is now holding the original bottom 2/3rds of the deck, while the right has the reds you just shuffled freely.

Finish by shuffling the reds in your right hand freely onto the cards in your left.

This process shuffles the top 1/3rd of the deck only. It ends with reds on top, blacks on bottom, as it began.

This has several positive features. No breaks required at any point. No single card runs. No need to pay much attention to how close to the middle you are, as you never get anywhere near it. Every second of the shuffle is real except for the swap of packets, and it ends with a deck that has cards unsquared so you can openly tap them square, leaving a memory of the end of a real mix. This is the memory I want them to have of the shuffle. 


[Bob Farmer]

The difference is with my idea no cards are shuffled off, it simply appears that they are. The Garrett technique is used to smoothly swap one half of the deck for the other half.

I've asked Dan Garrett for permission to describe his shuffle here because if you don't know it, everything I've said here must be completely confusing.

[Curtis Kam]

Agreed on the optical shuffle being more fun than people should be allowed to have playing cards. As to the shuffle you’ve described, I’m not sure, but have you seen Jared Kopf’s? Seems to be the same thing.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Bob Farmer]

I haven't seen Jared's--is it published?

[Bob Farmer]

Here is Jared doing his shuffle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiTNT0BN9kM

It looks very good. The cut at the end obviously looks like a cut, whereas with the Garrett idea there is no obvious cut--it just looks like the last of the cards are shuffled off.

[Bob Farmer]

For an explanation of the Kopf shuffle and Johnny Thompson's shuffle, see the, "Double Optical Shuffle," pp. 225-227, The Magic of Johnny Thompson by Jamy Ian Swiss and Johnny Thompson, edited by David Ben and Karl Johnson.

I think my idea combined with Dan Garrett's idea is much better for several reasons. First, the mechanics are much simpler and surer, and, second, at the end of the Kopf/Thompson shuffle the deck has been cut, whereas with the Garrett/Farmer combo the deck is in the same order it started in.

[Bob Farmer]

The Underhanded Overhand Optical Shuffle

“The best ways are the most straightforward ways. When you’re sitting around scamming these things out, all kinds of James Bondian ideas come forth, but when it gets down to the reality of it, the simplest and most straightforward way is usually the best, and the way that attracts the least attention.”

—Thomas King Forcade, drug smuggler


With Dan Garrett’s permission, I will first describe his wonderful, “Underhanded Overhand Shuffle,” and then my variation, the “Underhanded Overhand Optical Shuffle.” Head over to Dan’s website and buy something in thanks:

http://www.dangarrettmagic.com/magic-fo ... -only.html

I believe Dan’s shuffle is the best full-deck shuffle there is for at least four reasons:

1. It looks great (I’ve used it for years).

2. It is easy to do and almost impossible to screw up no matter what the condition of the cards might be.

3. There are no jogs, in or out, or awkward pauses or rhythm bumps.

4. The deck remains in the same order at the end as at the start; there is no need to cut the deck or make any other adjustment.

You need to understand how Dan's regular false shuffle works before you can do the optical version.

First, I’ll assume you know how to do a regular overhand shuffle. Do one now and as you do, note what the first finger on your right hand does and where it does it. Most people either let it flop over the center of the top card or snuggle up with the other fingers at the outer end.

Neither position is used in Dan’s technique, rather, the right first finger is curled against the face of the bottom card, the nail of the finger against the card.

The left hand comes over and chops off half the deck, then the left thumb rapidly pulls off from the cards in the right hand five cards, one by one, one on top of the other.

You then appear to throw the rest of the cards from the right hand on top of the cards in the left hand. However, what actually happens, is that the right hand comes down with the block and the right forefinger ends up between the two halves. If you try this you’ll see the placement of the forefinger is automatic—there is no place else it can go if you start with it curled against the face as explained.

And a second wonderful thing has happened: your right hand is now in the perfect position to let go of the top block and grasp and remove the bottom block. You do this and immediately pull off 5 cards one by one from the right hand onto the block in the left hand. Finish by dropping the right hand’s block on the left hand. The deck is back to its original order.

I like this so much I use it all the time whether I need a false shuffle or not. As with all false shuffles, you need to develop a steady and casual rhythm and ignore your hands—look at the spectators.

The Underhanded Overhand Optical Shuffle

The basic principle of the various optical shuffles referenced at the end of this article is simple: hold the pack in the right hand in the position for an Overhand Shuffle. Chop off about half the cards with the left thumb.

The right hand moves its cards over the cards in the left hand.

The left thumb slides across the top card as if to draw it off the top card onto the left hand’s cards but does not take the card—the left thumb continues to slide off the top card and onto the left hand’s cards. Done repeatedly and in rhythm it appears cards are being shuffled off.

Persistence of vision makes this work: the right hand’s cards must come over and even with the left hand’s cards and then move up and back.

It is this principle that is used in the, “Underhanded Overhand Optical Shuffle.” Rather than pull off cards singly, you don’t pull off any cards at all, you just pretend to.

After the first chop, I pretend to pull off three cards, then drop the right hand’s cards as I grab the bottom portion. I pretend to draw off two cards from this portion then drop it on top of the deck. What really sells this is that final drop of the cards onto the top of the deck.

A good reference for the usual, "Optical Shuffle," is Roberto Giobbi's Card College Volume 2, pp. 260-261.

For an explanation of the Kopf shuffle and Johnny Thompson's shuffle, see the, "Double Optical Shuffle," pp. 225-227, The Magic of Johnny Thompson by Jamy Ian Swiss and Johnny Thompson, edited by David Ben and Karl Johnson. This description has some great tips on the optical shuffle generally.

The Conjuring Archive entry for the Optical Shuffle is here:

https://www.conjuringarchive.com/list/s ... al+shuffle

[erdnasephile]

Bob:
Thanks for this!
In the Garrett shuffle, after the exchange of packets, the right index finger ends up on the top of right hand packet. Question: should the right index finger curl back around to the bottom of the switched packet in the right hand before/during the second run of 5 cards or does it just stay on top of the packet?

[Bob Farmer]

The right first finger stays on top of the packet. Once the right hand drops its packet it moves away so that all the cards are in the left hand. Then, to repeat, the right hand grips the packet again with the right first finger curled against the face of the deck.

[Bob Farmer]

Here are a few more references for related or alternate shuffles that also have an optical element (i.e., the method relies upon an optical illusion), gleaned from, "Chopper," Ken Krenzel's Close-Up Impact by Stephen Minch, Hermetic Press, 1990, pp. 167-168:

"G.W. Hunter Shuffle," pp. 167-168, Greater Magic

John Cornelius's "Oh-Calcutta Shuffle," a full-deck Hindu shuffle, Apocalypse, March 1982, Vol. 5, No. 3, p. 604.