I'm going crazy about this. I have been practicing magic for a year now. I decided that if I was going to improve on the sleight of hand that I needed to stregthen up my basics. One thing that I have allways wanted to do is the riffle shuffle (not on table). It is a beautiful thing when it flows. Well I have been trying to do this for 2 days and Im going nuts!!! I have big hands but not fat hands. I cant get the cards to flow from the sides of my thumbs evenly. I do better with my hands away from me or over a table but either of those is still poor and doing it close to my body just plain sucks. I have watched 3 videos of different people over and over again. Neither of the slieight variations that they do make any difference to me. I am using a plain bicycle deck. My wife suggested that mabye the cards are too stiff which I don't believe. The skin on my thumbs is a little rough and sometimes flakes. But I cant seem to acquire this touch. Can anyone give me some good ideas, links, or other video's? I can do better if the cards frow directly from my thumb tips but if I turn my thumbs sideways on top the deck like the 3 demos I have been watching its like a my kid play 52 card pickup trick on me over and over again. Like Groundhog day!

Try using a bit of your wife's moisturizer on your hands before you start. That will help with the dry skin.

Get your hands a comfortable distance away from your body. If you've got the cards flowing off of your thumb evenly you've already conqured the biggest obstacle. Then just keep the cards close enough to interlace (they should overlap by about an inch). Now apply a small bit of pressure to the top portion of the interlaced part of the deck and then pressure to the sides to get them to bow up. A bit of pressure down to will cause them to fall. It's a knack thing, but you will get it.

As someone pointed out in a guitar forum, when you're practicing some things will feel uncomfortable at first. Concentrate on these things and find out why they are uncomfortable because when a really good guitarist does those things, it feels natural for them, and it will for you too when you do it right.

Another tip is to do it while sitting on the middle of your bed. Then if you have to play 52 card pick up, they're not all scattered about.

I hope that was clear enough to understand . . .

Make sure that when you hold the two halves of the deck you bevel the cards at the thumb end by pushing with the palm on the upper rear edge of the cards. This will allow a much smoother riffle, etc. The bevel need not be that pronounced to get the effect needed. Best,

Here's my opinion. If you're not using a table anyway, use the pharoh (no idea how to spell ANYTHING-especially that) to get the cards together, then arc them and riffle together. It's the SHUFFLE itself that is the pretty part. I use that method when I do walk around all the time, and people are always somehow amazed by it. I don't think it's all that impressive, but give the people what they want! I'd keeo the standard riffle shuffle for when you have a table.

Good Morning - First, I believe that the cards must be well worked in - stiff/new cards are terrible for any in-the-hand work.... Do a whole bunch of tabled riffles and a whole bunch of springs - both face up and face down to get that middle section soft... Next, hold the packets deep down between the second knuckles and the base of the fingers, locked in place by the pinky and first fingers (I got that hint when learning Karl Hein's Heinstein shuffle)....Your thumbs should be on the short side of front corners, as close as possible to the corner, without being exactly AT the corner - this will help to automatically put a bevel in the packet, which will make the riffle much easier... By the 300th time you do it -- you'll have mastered it:) ... but be gentle - as Jose Carroll says - they are your 52 Lovers, don't be mean to them:))

Card-iciously yours, Rich

Allrighty Then, I finally got it! Thank you everyone for your help!! I am so excited now I just have to do it 300 times. I will mimic my son and carry around my cards all weekend practicing. Thank you very much!!!!!