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magicpirate82 New user Bay area, Northern California 68 Posts |
Can anyone offer advice on the perfect faro? I've been working with Hugard, Expert Card Technique, but must be missing something. Just can't get them to "weave" as described. Any tips?
Thanks in advance. |
VernonOnCoins Inner circle NYC 1978 Posts |
Try Ed Marlo’s pamphlet on the Faro Shuffle. He’s very thorough and gives many methods to achieve a perfect weave. Denny and Lee carry it, I believe
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p.b.jones Inner circle Milford Haven. Pembrokeshire wales U.K. 2642 Posts |
How long have you been trying?
are you having problems getting them to wave at all or perfectly? phillip |
Paul Inner circle A good lecturer at your service! 4409 Posts |
You will find good information on the faro shuffle and tricks using it in The Collected Works of Alex Elmsley by Stephen Minch.
Paul Hallas |
magicpirate82 New user Bay area, Northern California 68 Posts |
Thanks for the replies. To answer one question, I've been trying a while but not really on the "perfect" shuffle. I came across a wonderful effect in an old Linking Ring recently that requires it so my old "not so perfect" faro shuffle doesn't really cut it anymore. I will check the recommendations offered here; I find the Hugard explanation a bit unclear.
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Scott F. Guinn Inner circle "Great Scott!" aka "Palms of Putty" & "Poof Daddy G" 6586 Posts |
A couple of points on the Faro:
1) the cards weave due to a RELEASE of pressure, not an increase. Often, it doesn't work properly because people are too heavy-handed and are trying to force it. Relax! (This is true of most sleights). 2) It is significantly easier to faro a deck which is relatively new and in good condition than a dirty, frayed or old deck. 3) It takes TIME. I worked on it for about a year before I could get it every time. Now I can do 26 in-faros in a row (which is what it takes to return a deck to its starting order--as opposed to 8 out-faros), almost without thinking. 4) Instead of the common pratice of holding both halves in the same grip, try holding one in an overhand and one in an underhand, such that the pinkies come together. Use these pinkies as a sort of "table" to hold the deck at that end. 5) If you aren't already, try weaving from the CORNER as opposed to the entire edge. This is probably the single biggest contributing factor to success. 6) Make sure the edges are smooth. The Elmsley book addresses this, but he wasn't the first to think of it. If you need more info, feel free to contact me. 7) Don't give up! When you do finally get it, you'll have it for life, and a powerful weapon to accomplish things that couldn't otherwise be done will be yours!
"Love God, laugh more, spend more time with the ones you love, play with children, do good to those in need, and eat more ice cream. There is more to life than magic tricks." - Scott F. Guinn
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MichelAsselin Veteran user 20th century, 3rd dimension 326 Posts |
Check out the perfect shuffle, within Expert Card Technniques. It refers to Charlie Miller's technnique. It will help... and you have the book already.
" , ? ; !!! "
- Marcel Marceau, Feb 30, 1945. |
corpmagi Special user New York 725 Posts |
You also might want to try Michael Close's new CD ROM on the Faro Shuffle. Michael is an excellent teacher and he really goes into great detail on how to make this shuffle work for you. You can contact him via his web site at http://www.michaelclose.com
A Modern Trade Show Handbook
www.trafficstoppers.com/handbook |
Mike Powers Inner circle Midwest 2983 Posts |
I've been buying the 12 packs of Bicycles at Sam's Club lately and have found that some of the runs are difficult to faro. I generally don't have trouble with a new deck but there's something different about these Bikes which causes the cards to stop the weave until I adjust and play around. Decks bought about a year ago seem fine for faroing.
BTW - a good reason for learning the faro is the power of the "incomplete faro location" principle. There are a number of very cool routines using this principle. Mike Powers
Mike Powers
http://www.mallofmagic.com |
pnielan Regular user Northern California 154 Posts |
The first book I ever saw the Faro described in was Expert Card Technique and I couldn’t learn it from that either. I finally learned it from the description in Harry Lorayne’s Close Up Card Magic. Lorayne teaches you to weave from the top down (others say bottom up) and the illustrations by Ed Mishell are quite good.
Michael Close also gives tips on the Faro in the Workers books, and he recommends Marlo’s pamphlets as his original source. He recommends a weave from the bottom up (as did Marlo) and also talks about the importance of the "little finger table" described by Marlo. I still do it the Lorayne way and it works fine. Close also mentions working with someone who already knows the shuffle: they hold one half, you hold the other. The new tape by Andrew Wimhurst also spends a few minutes on the Faro with good closeups. He learned from the Lorayne book and faros (as I do) from the top down. This is a great tape (except for the center deal explanation), by the way, and Wimhurst seems like a very nice guy. The Elmsley books are great for understanding how to compensate/fix imperfect faros that were meant to be perfect and for understanding how to create tricks with the Faro. Finally, I understand the Martin Nash tapes have significant work on the tabled Faro, but I don’t own them yet. There are several steps in getting to a usable shuffle: (1) Get the cards to weave at all. This is a knack and once you get it, you never lose it. (2) Learning the perfect cut. Unlike the weave, if you don’t practice this constantly, you do lose the knack. (3) Getting them to weave perfectly most of the time. This is basically about good quality cards and keeping the packets square. Much of the technique described by Marlo helps to keep the packets square and control pressure. Good luck. Paul Nielan |
MichelAsselin Veteran user 20th century, 3rd dimension 326 Posts |
I found that thinner, more flexible cards do make a difference. Try Aviators over Bicycle, and stick to Poker size initially - bridge cards, of the same brand, are stiffer when narrower.
" , ? ; !!! "
- Marcel Marceau, Feb 30, 1945. |
magicpirate82 New user Bay area, Northern California 68 Posts |
Thanks for all the help and advice. It's clear I've got my work cut out for me and need lots of patient practice. Cheers!!
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DaveM Special user Germany 788 Posts |
I have had great luck(over time that is) in learning both in-hands and tabled Faros(though the tabled version made me feel like I was developing arthritis). Here are some tips that have helped me:
1. New Bicycle Deck 2. Either have a concave/convex bend in the deck to facilitate faros from the top or the bottom. Like Pnielan mentioned above, for some reason it seems easier to weave from the bottom. 3. Release pressure and twist ever so slightly to get the weave to start. 4. Having a slightly "bowed" deck greatly helps with tabled faros as well. Dave |
PatUmphrey New user 90 Posts |
Quote:
It takes 52 in faros to cycle.
“And you’ve got a perfectly logical reason for showing the cards like this” -Harry Lorayne
“Paging Mr. Herman” –Rafael Benetar |
Scott F. Guinn Inner circle "Great Scott!" aka "Palms of Putty" & "Poof Daddy G" 6586 Posts |
That is correct. It takes 52, not 26. And I see I wrote that in the early evening, so I can't use my standard excuse that it was late and I was tired! Just a mistake, plain and simple.
"Love God, laugh more, spend more time with the ones you love, play with children, do good to those in need, and eat more ice cream. There is more to life than magic tricks." - Scott F. Guinn
My Lybrary Page |
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