Ok lets make this the top informational thread about your hands. Some discussion questions:

1. How do you measure you're hand?

2. What sizes would be considered small, average, large

3. What flourishes are commonly thought as impossible by people with small hands, but actually are.

4. What flourishes really are not possible with small hands.

5. Are large hands a hinderence to flourishes

6. Double-jointed thumbs, do you find that ability helps or hinders in any way.

7. Missing Digits, do they move you out of the ability to do this type of work?

8. Long term affects... for the older crowd.. has years of doing this caused you any medical problems? Will McBride be doomed to have severe authritis when he ages?

9. Fingernails, Do they prevent women from doing this work? Do guys who have long nails find it helpful or hurtful?

10. Moisture - What do you do to prevent sweaty or dry palms?

11. Windows - Some people have windows between thier fingers... what do you do to keep that from hampering your work?

Let the discussion begin!

Ah! Those dreaded windows! I, personally, have a big, gaping bay window (with curtains!) in between my pinkies and my ring fingers. Talk about flashing a palm. Also, my pinkies won't move independantly without my ring fingers wanting to move with them. Must be a tendon thing. I do my best to get around them, but with such a gap there, I have the sneeking suspicion that my back palms are a bit more difficult for me than most people without the window issue.

Well moving your pinky is a common problem among people, I still cant move mine as much as my other fingers, but it's getting there.

Anyone else find find that they are better with thier off hand then thier favored hand? Meaning I'm right-handed, and I tend to do better with my left.

Hey, I’ve actually got ten minutes to sit so here it goes…

1. How do you measure you're hand?

I don’t, or never did at least. Who actually has? I know my hands are smaller than average. A good way is on a piano. Who says size doesn’t matter?

2. What sizes would be considered small, average, large

Um….I feel funny about thinking about it.

2. What flourishes are commonly thought as impossible by people with small hands, but actually are.

Everything from palming a card to a one hand riffle shuffle. Almost everything is possible with any size hand with the right amount of practice and dedication, given you are not unusually small handed like Mini-Me.

4. What flourishes really are not possible with small hands.

Although I am in denial about it, I’m pretty sure that the family of flourishes that involve the deck to be firmly grasped against the palm by the thumb (such as Charlier Thumb Shuffles and Hugard’s Five Cut Shuffle) are not possible if your thumb is not long enough to initially hook around the long end of the deck. Been trying over fifteen years and it just isn’t going to happen. Thank God for the Thumbanator http://www.geocities.com/fingerjack/thumbanator

5. Are large hands a hinderence to flourishes

I wouldn’t know but I suppose they could be, but I don’t see how.

6. Double-jointed thumbs, do you find that ability helps or hinders in any way.

Lemmie break my thumb and see.

7. Missing Digits, do they move you out of the ability to do this type of work?

Lemmie get a hatchet

8. Long term affects... for the older crowd.. has years of doing this caused you any medical problems? Will McBride be doomed to have severe arthritis when he ages?

I’ve had serious effects after several years. I dealt poker for almost three years and THAT caused some tendonitis and radial ulna syndrome (imagine your funny bone nerve always numb and hurting). Physical therapy and a career change helped, but unless I stretch out before flourishing I get some strange aches and pains that I know are caused by excessive use of muscles that aren’t normally abused in such a way. Card throwing can be extrememly painful if ou are not careful. Magic for me has hurt at times, but everyone is different. I guess I was just prone to it (just had back surgery this year).

9. Fingernails, Do they prevent women from doing this work? Do guys who have long nails find it helpful or hurtful?

I knew some female dealers with long nails that found ways to accommodate them. I know Harry Lorrayne has that big, long, yellow, crusty thumb nail. Woman with long nails can do some amazing things you wouldn't think possible. Haven't you ever seen....oh, nevermind. For me I keep ‘em short as painlessly possible.

10. Moisture - What do you do to prevent sweaty or dry palms?

My hands are usually dry. The perfect solution for me was http://www.geocities.com/fingerjack/dryhandz

11. Windows - Some people have windows between their fingers... what do you do to keep that from hampering your work?

Got no windows thankfully, but I guess you would need to work on your misdirection when palming to avoid flashing, but in regards to flourishing I can’t see it being a problem. Now, if I could just find out what’s causing these hairy palms…