I have seen a clip of an excellent card effect which is being marketed. However one part rests on the spectator being able to riffle shuffle a set of cards. I would be very surprised if those I perform to would be able to riffle shuffle - more upto an overhand shuffle. Has anyone a suggestion how I might be able to get round this possible snag, apart from (sadly) giving up on this particular effect?

Thanks.

Neil

Neil,cut the deck in half for them and table spread each half downwards towards you, next to each other, and then have the spectator push the cards into each other.

Rosetta shuffle is a convenient alternative.

As in the previous answer, the spectator only has to push the two halves.

Thanks - that's really helpful.

You might also ask for a spectator who's comfortable with cards. Someone who plays a regular home session of poker with friends, someone who may have worked in a casino in the past as a dealer, etc.

I guess the method is similar to the method in the second post but you could do the riffle part on your own and then spread the cards in an interlaced condition to show them going between each other and then tell the spectator to square them.

"I would be very surprised if those I perform to would be able to riffle shuffle"

This might be usefull, in blind-sight (The Card Magic of Nick Trost (a wonderfull book full of marvels)), Nick Trost offers another alternative to the riffle shuffle (requested to perform effects using the gilbreath principle) :

Ask your spectator to take an half of the deck and hold it face up. You take the other and hold it face up.
Explain that the halves are now to be mixed together. Deal one, two or three cards as a unit face down on the table. Ask the spectator to deal a card or two face down onto yours. You both continue to deal cards randomly-one, two or more at a time face down on top of each other's. Ask the spectator to call "stop" at any point. When stopped, take the remainder of the spectator's half and turn it face down. turn the remainder of your deck face down, then riffle shuffle these portions together and drop this group face down onto the cards on the table.

Yes, this works well for youngsters/young adults who have not learned card skills and I have seen it shown as an alternative to the riffle in at least two DVDs that I own.

Rosette-and-smush shuffle awesome EXCEPT for those effects that count on orientation being maintained. For example, Max Maven's The Hawk would be ruined by a rosette shuffle, as it depends on the Gilbreath principle AND one-way back design. An end-to-end or side-to-side push of the piles in correct orientation could be an alternative.

Frankly, I far prefer to do the table riffle myself, partially push them together, spread to show the interweaving, and get the spec to push it together. This is what is recommended in Paul Harris's Galaxy to get the RBRB deck to an RB deck with as little crossover as possible in the middle cards--the riffle has to be tight so the subsequent clean-up of the central mixing is quick and unobtrusive.

I think savvy spectators and all magicians are aware that unless the magician surrenders the deck to be shuffled in whatever way, there is some manipulation afoot. Giving the illusion that the deck is irretrievably mixed by inviting the controlled participation of the spectator hopefully adds to the mystery for the majority of spectators who will simply remember that they participated in mixing up the cards.

Les