Curious Weaving Preview

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I’d like to thank Jeff Hinchliffe (from whom I first learned the tabled faro) not only for proofreading this book, but also for consistently being such a generous and encouraging mentor from the moment I first set foot in my local magic store. Also thanks to Jeff Pinsky for making the Browser’s Den of Magic more than just a store, but a gathering place for magicians which in addition to keeping the Toronto magic community together, has also on a personal level been a wonderful escape for me.

Curious Weaving First Edition Published by Ryan Murray

Copyright 2018 Ryan Murray. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without prior written permission from the publisher. For permission requests, contact the publisher at: [email protected]

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 Printed in Canada

Contents Introduction

vii

Prologue: The Faro Shuffle

ix

CHAPTER 1: THE LOPSIDED WEAVE

1

Weave in Thirds

2

Weave in Fourths

5

Bizarre Weave

6

CHAPTER 2: THE DOUBLE WEAVE The Double Faro

7 8

Weave Count

15

Triple Faro and Beyond

16

Facilitated Weave in Thirds

16

Double Weave in Thirds

17

CHAPTER 3: RELATED TECHNIQUE AND APPLICATIONS Separation in Thirds

19 20

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The K-Shuffle

20

The Perfect Riffle Shuffle

22

Inverted Rising Card

25

Ace Production

33

Stacking

34

Ultra Memoria

36

FINAL THOUGHTS

47

APPENDIX: REFERENCES

49

iv

INTRODUCTION

I

a day when the teacher didn’t even bother to try keeping the class under control, a slightly cocky teenage boy was sitting back drinking in the deliciously flattering comments from his friends about a trick he had just shown them. Suddenly his bubble was burst as one of them mentioned the other magician in his grade, who happened to be about ten times better than he was at sleight of hand. They started talking about how they’d seen this other magician take the red cards and the black cards, and riffle shuffle them together on the table so that they alternated one by one throughout the whole deck. The boy stubbornly told them that this was impossible and that this other magician must have faked it somehow using a false shuffle. Afterwards, the boy went home and spent hours trying to reconstruct how this demonstration could have been faked, never even considering that such a thing could be possible to do for real. NSIDE A CLASSROOM ON

That was me ten years ago when I first heard about the faro shuffle. It wasn’t until about a year later when I learned the in-hands and tabled faros for myself and realized not only that what I’d thought was impossible is really possible, but that it is also much easier to accomplish than one might initially think. Over the years it has become my favourite technique to practice and during my time experimenting with it, I’ve discovered some interesting variations that gave

me that now familiar feeling that more is possible with a deck of cards than I had initially thought. After reading up on everything I could find on the subject, I have found that some of my ideas were obscure techniques that I rediscovered, while others don’t appear to be anywhere in print. I have included as many references as I could for those who are interested in further reading. Although I have always considered myself primarily a performing magician, this work comes from the part of my brain that loves sleight of hand for its own sake. Although during my experimentations I have discovered a few practical applications for these techniques (included in Chapter 3), the purpose of this book is primarily to explore what is possible with weave shuffles, which I think is a good enough reason to share it with the curious minds of our community. And who knows, maybe there is some young magician out there who will master every technique in this book and do things with them beyond what I thought possible. I would be happy to once again have my preconceptions on sleight of hand’s limitations shattered.

Ryan Murray Toronto, Canada August, 2017

viii

PROLOGUE:

THE FARO SHUFFLE

M

faro shuffle to be intimidating (particularly the tabled faro), and some even avoid learning it at all in the belief that it is a difficult move. Personally, I think magicians hugely exaggerate its difficulty, which is really too bad, because it ends up discouraging many people from ever learning it. I remember my own fears when first learning the technique, but once I started using it, I was surprised that I’d ever been scared of the move at all. ANY PEOPLE FIND THE

Some of the wonderful things about faro shuffles are that they don’t require quick or strong fingers, they don’t require concealments, they are angle-proof, and the moment when one would most logically suspect trickery to take place (the square up), is perfectly clean. All that faro shuffles require is precision and discipline in the fingers. This means that constant practice is essential for consistent success and it will require a lot of patience to develop the feel for the move. Before getting into the fascinating variations of the faro shuffle that are the focus of this book, I will go into a brief description of the ordinary faro shuffle and its many properties. One who already knows everything there is to know about faro shuffles may skip the remainder of this

prologue and straight to chapter one, but for any readers who are in the process of learning the move, then I hope the following sections are helpful.

Properties I’d like to briefly describe some of the interesting properties of the faro shuffle, but in order to understand this one must understand the difference between an in-faro and an outfaro. With an even number of cards in the deck, there are two ways of doing a faro shuffle; one being when the top card stays on top and the other being when the top card moves to the second position from the top. If the top card stays on the top of the deck after the perfect weave, then this is referred to as an ‘out-faro’ (because the top card stays out of the rest of the deck), and if the top card moves to the second position, then this is considered an in-faro (because the top card goes in the deck). This nomenclature for describing the two different types of faro shuffle was coined by Alex Elmsley. Although it may seem as though there is only a minor difference between the two possibilities, they can produce drastically different results, so it is important to understand the difference and learn how to control whether your faro shuffles are in or out. The above description for in and out faros only applies to a deck with an even number of cards. If the deck has an odd number of cards, then there are no in or out shuffles as it makes no difference. A faro of a deck with an odd number of cards is referred to as a straddle faro, which has a very x

interesting property that I will describe in the following section. Cycling Order: The faro shuffle is of much interest to mathematicians due to its mathematical properties. Among the most interesting of these properties is the fact that a certain number of faro shuffles will return the deck to the order it started in. This will depend on the number of cards in the deck, as well as whether one is doing in-faros or out-faros. For a deck of fifty-two cards, it will take eight out-faros to return the deck to the order it started in. This is where it is important to understand the difference between in and out faros, because if one mistakenly does in-faros rather than out-faros, then it will take fifty-two shuffles to return the deck to the original order. If your deck includes the jokers (fifty-four cards), then it will take either fifty-two out-faros or twenty in-faros to return the deck to its original order. For some smaller groups of cards, the process can be faster; for example if one puts all the cards of one suit in order and add a joker (fourteen cards), then it will only take four inshuffles to return the packet to the order it started in. If one is using a deck with an odd number of cards, then the order will still cycle as described above, but in addition to that, the math also allows for the straddle faros to be interspersed with straight cuts. The only difference is that by the end of the faros, the order of the deck will have been cut. If the original bottom card is turned into some kind of locator card, then you can easily cut it back to the bottom at xi

the end of the sequence to restore the order completely. If one uses a deck of fifty-one cards, it will take eight straddle faros to return the deck to its original order, and any number of cuts done in between the faros will not affect the order. And if one happens to be performing a trick with a deck of one-hundred-and-twenty-seven cards, then it will only take seven straddle faros to return the deck to its original order. For those interested in the mathematical properties of the faro shuffle, I recommend reading S. Brent Morris’ book, Magic Tricks, Card Shuffling and Dynamic Computer Memories. His book has a chart at the back covering the number of in or out faros required to restore the order of any deck from three cards up to two-hundred cards. It’s a wonderful reference to have, and the book itself is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the faro shuffle, whether it’s from a magical or mathematical point of view. Controlling a Card to any Position: In Alex Elmsley’s studies of the mathematical properties of the faro shuffle, he discovered a beautiful way to control the top card of the deck to any position. To do this, take the final position for the top card to end up in and subtract one from it. Then convert that number to binary. The amazing thing is that doing an in-faro for the ones and an out-faro for the zeroes (from left to right) will place the card at exactly the position required. For example, place the ace of hearts on top of the deck. To control the ace to the fifteenth position from the top, first xii

subtract one to get fourteen. Then convert fourteen to binary, which will be 1110. This means that if one does three in-faros followed by an out-faro, the ace of hearts will be controlled to the fifteenth position. Because the first digit will always be a one, this process can be simplified by always stacking one card on top of the card to be controlled using an ordinary riffle shuffle. This will eliminate one of the faros required. Similarly, you can eliminate the first two faros required by stacking the card to third from the top, and if the second digit is a one, then simply add an extra card to the top of the deck so that the card to be stacked is fourth from the top.

Technique The technique for the faro shuffle starts with the microscopic properties of the edges of each card. Depending on the way the cards were cut in the factory, the edges will be slightly curved on either the face side or back side. Traditionally cut cards are when the uncut sheet of cards lays face up when it is cut in the factory. In this case, the blade enters the face side of the card and cuts through to the back side leaving a slightly rounded edge on the face side. Due to this curved edge, traditionally cut cards are easier to faro from bottom to top (when the deck is face down). If you try to faro from top to bottom with one of these decks, then the cards will tend to catch on each other making it harder to get a clean weave. This is the preferable type of deck to use because it allows for much more deceptive tabled faros. The other possible type of cut is with the sheet of cards face xiii

down as it is cut with the blade, producing the opposite result. The best way to check if your deck is traditionally cut or not is to compare how easily it faros in each direction; the easier way will tell you the type of cut. Bee cards are usually traditionally cut and although Bicycle cards used to be hopelessly inconsistent, I have found that in the last few years every Bicycle deck I have opened has been traditionally cut. The In-Hands Faro: The in-hands faro is by far the most commonly used technique for the faro shuffle. To do the faro shuffle in the hands, divide the deck exactly in half. Hold one half at your left fingertips with your palm up. Your left thumb should be on one edge, your first finger on the end, and your other three fingers on the other edge opposite your thumb. This creates a cage around the packet which will keep it squared throughout the weaving. The other half you hold similarly in your right hand, expect you hold it with your palm facing downwards, and instead of your first finger on the end, it is your fourth finger. Also leave your first finger curled on the top of the packet. To make the weave, place the ends together, keeping them completely squared as you do. Make sure that the entirety of each end is in contact with each other. Many magicians do the weave with only the corners in contact with each other, but I have found that that makes it harder to be consistent with the weave. Extend your right first finger to rest on the point where the ends of each half meet, xiv

hard. Having said that, it still requires practice and experience with the technique to get the feel of how much pressure is the right amount, so don’t give up if you can’t get it right away. There are a number of card magicians who recommend that no one use this technique due to the fact that it is a very unnatural way to shuffle cards. The fear is that even though laypeople may not know what you are doing, it still makes it obvious to them that you’re doing some sort of move. This is a valid concern, however I do not believe that it justifies avoiding this technique altogether. I think that anyone who wants to learn from scratch how to do a faro shuffle should start with this method. Weaving the cards perfectly together requires developing a very precise feel for the action which one cannot learn the touch for without slow, careful practice. The standard in-hands method is the best for helping you develop this familiarity with the weave as it allows one to easily control the speed with which you do the shuffle, allows one to easily see what they’re doing, and allows for the correction of mistakes by gently rocking the weave back and forth. Even when one is more experienced with faro shuffles, this technique can be of use. Occasionally I have found myself in the middle of a trick that requires a faro shuffle before realising that the humidity had deteriorated my cards so badly that a tabled faro would be too risky. If I hadn’t had this easier method to fall back on then I would have been completely stuck. xvi

The other reason for learning it is that there may be times when you want it to look unnatural. The obvious example of this would be Paul Gertner’s Unshuffled, which I believe to be the best faro trick ever. For this trick the presentation is all about the faro shuffle being a special move, so the unnatural appearance is justified. Making the In-Hands Faro Look Natural: Of course, it shouldn’t be ignored that this method does indeed look quite unnatural, so after learning this most basic technique, it is worth exploring variants that might make the move look more acceptable. A fact that almost never seems to get mentioned is that there are a surprising number of laypeople who actually shuffle by pushing the cards together in a similar way to this method. Admittedly, most of these people do this from an overhand shuffle position, but if one simply alters the grip to be done in that position instead then it could pass as a regular shuffle for laypeople. The other option is to do an in-hands tabled faro. There is a method for this in Marlo’s Revolutionary Card Technique [11]. It’s extremely difficult to be consistent using this method, so I would suggest the following method of checking the weave before squaring the cards. After the weave, bridge the cards together, but do this in such a way that one half is jogged forward and the other half is jogged back exactly as would be done for an in-hands strip out shuffle. Then regrip the deck so that you hold it at the ends in your right hand (palm above the deck). As you pretend to xvii

square the sides with your left thumb, tilt the inner end of the deck towards you to get a glimpse of the weave. If it is perfect, then just square the deck, and if there are mistakes that will ruin the required setup for your trick, then do a strip out and try again. This in-hands riffle shuffle method is a highly advanced one which should not be learned until after one has developed reasonable comfort with the tabled faro. If you have already learned the standard in-hands faro and would like to start learning the tabled faro, then read on. The Tabled Faro: In my opinion, this is the most beautiful secret technique in all of card magic. Done properly, it almost perfectly simulates an ordinary tabled riffle shuffle. Learning it is a two-step process; learning the weave, and then adding the simulated riffling with the thumbs that will make it look authentic. If one doesn’t first become proficient at the weave on the table, then the simulated riffling will hurt the accuracy of the tabled faro. However, I have noticed that after mastering the basic weaving, the simulated riffling will actually make the move slightly easier. This is the main reason for why one should become comfortable with the inhands method before learning this. I will start by describing the tabled faro without applying the simulated riffling. Divide the deck exactly in half and place them on the table in the standard tabled riffle shuffle position. As with the in-hands method, each half must be perfectly squared throughout this entire procedure. Place xviii

towards yourself to align the halves. It is important that you do not angle the cards upward, but bend them instead as you would for a typical riffle shuffle (see Image B). Obviously the ends must also stay in contact as you bend them upwards. The weave will start at the bottom, and you can keep it going right through to the top of the deck and the cards will be interlaced. The last important point is that the fourth fingers at the outer corners must press down firmly on the surface of the table during the weave. This anchors those corners to the spot and allows the halves to each rotate around the fourth fingers. This rotation, similarly to the rotation described for the in-hands faro, will help to improve the consistency of the weave by making it easier to gauge the amount of applied pressure. Only once you are reasonably comfortable with the weave on the table as described up to here should you begin applying this riffling to the technique. Adding the riffling is a simple matter, but you must never lose sight of the fact that the weaving is what causes the faro to happen, not the riffling; the riffling is nothing more than an ornament that is there to make the weave look more like a shuffle. The riffling is applied a split second after the weave is made, but still during the process of the weave. The idea is that the instant a group of cards are weaved together they are riffled of the thumb to fall onto the table. To put it another way, the riffling chases the weaving up the deck, never quite catching up to it. This means that the weave doesn’t change at all (which is why you should learn that xx

first), and the riffling is only done with the cards that have already been perfectly weaved together. It is best to practice this slowly to get the timing right before speeding it up to look like a real shuffle. Keep in mind that there are many variations on the technique for the faro shuffle. I am only describing the method that I use and have had success with, but it is not necessarily the best method for everyone. Essentially all that matters is that you can consistently weave the cards perfectly together while making it look reasonably similar to an ordinary riffle shuffle. If you can already do that using a different method, then there is no need to alter your technique at all. Checking the Weave: One of the problems with the tabled faro is that it can be awkward to check whether the weave is perfect before squaring the halves together. The typical way to do it is to quickly tilt the inner edge upwards just before squaring it, but I really don’t like the way that looks, so I recently came up with the following alternative. What I noticed is that if I slow down the weave by just a little bit (but not too much or it would start to look unnatural), then I can feel whether or not there are any mistakes in the weave with the only difficulty being that it’s hard to get a good feel of the top and bottom cards when they are weaving. This means that if I pay attention to how the weave feels, and then I only have to check the cards at xxi

Further Variations: A highly useful variation of the tabled faro which I never see other magicians use is to combine the faro with a riffle shuffle. I learned this from watching Steve Forte use it in a stacking sequence on his Gambling Protection Series videos [16], and immediately recognized how useful it would be. All you do is faro the bottom group of cards while genuinely riffling the rest of them together. If you can already do a decent tabled faro, then this variation will not be hard to do. Done properly, it should look identical to an ordinary tabled riffle shuffle, making the technique very useful for any trick that only requires a small group of cards to be faroed. Something else that I think should be mentioned in this section is the anti-faro, although technically it’s not a variant, but the reverse of a faro shuffle. This can be done by either separating out every other card one at a time, or by using Christian Engblom’s method of springing the cards to separate them out. Although the method of springing the cards to do the anti-faro is cool and fun to practice, it is not usually necessary as there are many routines out there that use an anti-faro openly without any need for difficult technique. As for the rest of the variations on the faro shuffle that I am aware of, that is what this book is really about, so make sure you are proficient with the basic techniques for the faro shuffle, and then read on to explore the further possibilities with weave shuffles.

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