The Encyclopedia of Cardshooting

This is an another shot I first saw performed by Flip. Hold the deck by the tips of the fingers. With the middle, ring en pinky finger, you glide the card down and under the deck. Just pull it with these fingers under the deck. When the card is clipped by the ring en pinky you get a bit of a bend in the card. With your thumb you slide the rest of the deck over the single card and stretch your fingers fast so the card shoots out of the deck.

Daryl’s Hot Shot Cut is probably the most beautiful card shooting move there is. Many people are asking me to learn them this move. This move can really be used to perform magic. David Blain used it on his first tape “street magic” and the shot is completely explained by Daryl on the encyclopedia of card sleights volume 7. Get his DVD’s if you want to learn 80% of all card sleights. Basically the move goes like this. Get the preferred card on the bottom. Hold the deck on the fingertips and push the index finger in the deck and struggle the finger in the deck so you can make a cut. This one handed cut is end by shooting the card pushed by the middle finger. Here you will find a video of the tricks and a explanation video. On YouTube you can find many more explanation video’s of this shot.

I never managed to master this one either but to be complete:

Found on page 126, in The Tarbell course in magic vol. 4. See picture for instructions.

First a double lift and take the cards as one in the right hand on the fingers. Ring finger on the top right corner, thumb on the bottom right corner index finger bends the cards downward let the cards shoot from the thumb to shoot it to the left hand (or from the ring finger to shoot it forward). You need to get the knack and to get the cards together the thumb holds the cards more on the top and for splitting the cards in mid-air get the thumb a bit lower on the cards. Watch “Cards Stunts”!

Cards jumps from right to left hand package and from left to right. (as seen on David Blaine Video Street Magic and even better on his “Showman” tape). Take cards in left hand and do similar to a snap double lift (Larry Jennings). i.e. the top card is buckled (curved) and you put your index finger in the gap. You push with your index finger up and rotates your hand a bit to the right as the cards releases from the deck.

Extra: Card turn over flicking
Card turnover flicking (as seen on the pass video of Brad Burt, not explained) – similar as the 2 cards as one but with one card. You hold the card between your ring finger and thumb. Index finger in the middle of the side and presses inward so the card gets a bent downward. Now when you let the card run of your fingers, the hand moves upward and the index finger pushes inward. The card will twist upward onto the deck.

Gregory showed me this one at the Dutch Magic Convention in may 2002. Grip a card between the index and the thumb at about the middle of the long side. Then you flick with your middle finger the card strait up or a bit with an angle to boomerang the card.

Extra:
An alternative which is even better, is the flick up flight. Pick the card with the thumb and index finger off centre to the right. (see picture). Now flick it with your middle finger and it will fly to the left and you can catch it after a beautiful flight.

This shot is probably based on Paul le Paul’s “Rapid one hand deal” but this one is performed by the index finger and not with the thumb.
This is the technique: Index finger on right corner of the deck and the rest of the deck is holding it on the most right ends with the thumb and the middle finger. The index finger curls the top card back towards the thumb and releases it when it bends inward. The card shoots forward from the deck. (see picture)

This can also be done with a single card without a deck: hold the card between your index and thumb and flick your index finger inward to the thumb. You can choose to bend the card inwards or outwards. Some people prefer to do the single spin with the middle finger.
If you repeat the action fast it looks like a shooting machine.

1999 version:

Extra:

Riffle Topshot
Riffle the cards in a table riffle way but with an angle of about 100 degrees. Keep the top right card as the last card of the riffle. If you push the cards flush, with the right index finger you do like you do the martin lewis spin on the short side of the cards. The card will shoot forward as you push the cards flush.

This is a really basic one but I added it to be complete: The index or middle finger flicks the card from the top of the deck. This can also be done without the rest of the deck, you can also grip it with the left hand and flick it with the index or middle finger.

Nicholas Einhorn “Nicks’s flick” or Jean Pierre Vallarino “kick deal” as seen on World Greatest Magic: This is more like a fast top throw or push off with the index finger with a twist in the wrist. See Nicholas Einhorn’s lecture note “commercial magic 2000” for a complete instruction and a method for catching by using the first part of the swivel cut. The idea is the same as with the long distance shot done by the thumb.

Another version of the shot is Jean Pierre Vallarino “Turn kick deal”. Same as one before but now the card turns in midair. He does a slip cut and let the top card of the right hand pushed a bit to the right as he pushes and flicks his finger forward.

This picture is from page 125 in The Tarbell course in magic vol. 4. This move is hard to do and the shot is not very far. But to be complete here is the picture from the book.