In my 30 years of learning and performing, I don't believe any 1 trick comes closer to perfection than "Unshuffled". It is the best reason to learn a Faro and the 1 effect to perform to "get the show" or close one.

I thank you for all your contributions, but for "Unshuffled" I owe you!

Best Regards,

Gary

Gary,
Thanks for the very nice comments. I have to say Unshuffled is my all time favorite trick. I just came back from a two-hour cocktail reception this evening and I did the trick twenty times and still love to watch their face when the changes happen. There are five strong impact points in the trick and each builds upon the other.

I agree it's a great reason to learn the Faro. For anyone who wants to learn the faro you can check out Unshuffling the Faro Shuffle on my website. I teach the Faro and it comes with a custom hand lettered UNSHUFFLED DECK.
Paul

Is the Unshuffled instructions on the dvd the same ones from your earlier video? I have your dvds and your GREAT book, but I love Unshuffled and need to get serious about learning it. If its the same thing I already have, I'll just pick up the deck.

Shomemagic,
No, it's a new set of instructions which teach the Faro in Detail. The other DVD's assume you already know the Faro or have learned it from another source. The new product also has new Unshuffled instructions which have a few fine point changes that I have made over the years. You can also just get a custom hand lettered deck on my website. Crazy as it sounds writing good clean letters on the side of the deck is almost as hard as learning the faro, but I can do them pretty fast by now. Custom messages are also available.
Paul

I really recommend that people who do the faro take the time and personalize it with their venue or clients name. One of the restaurants I perform at is called "What if..". It didn't take too much thought to come up with lines for this. I've turned this into quite a piece. Right before the first shuffle, I ask "What if, you could actually read the special marks on the side." The deck now spells What if... Then, "What if your eyesight isn't so good and you need it a little bigger?" Now it says What if bigger. "What if the guy at the far end of the table can't see it?" And now, it says What if in big letters. Of course, I continue on, "What if I could actually shuffle the cards so much, that they go back in brand new order" etc.

Here's one tip I'll give someone who wants to learn this. Keep the deck in a Porper clip with the Jokers and ad. cards in the deck too. I talk about paying $100 for this specially marked deck in Vegas and I want to protect it. That sort of makes sense. The 4 extra cards ensure that it will be kept really tight.

This has really become one of my favorite tricks to perform, thanks a million Paul!

Hi Paul,

Thanks so much for being with us this week. You have always been a great inspiration to me. I first saw you on a Magic Circle(?) show many years ago and was seriously blown away!

I've always wanted to do Unshuffled while strolling, but the reset has always put me off.

Do you go off to a corner of the room and do the faros or do you carry several Unshuffled decks with you?

AP.

Hi Paul,

When you are working at a cocktail when do you take the time to reset the effect, Do you walk from one group to the next doing the faros?

Sean

Hi Adam and Sean:
Regarding the reset question on Unshuffled. I sometimes have two decks not due to reset time but just to have two different cards at the end in case someone watches me do the trick again.

I just do it as I walk to the next group or stand aside for a moment. Once you get the Faro down it really does not take that much time to do five quick Faros as you can see on this clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvg2fIerHao

Paul

Dear Paul,

Unshuffled indeed is one the greatest card tricks, over the years I cannot imagine how many audience be amazed by this effect... including me of course.

Oh, by the way, magician Cyril Takayama loves to perform this effect on his TV special just in case you did not know yet:

http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=eXJxaUNLk34

Steven,
Thanks for sending that. I like his handling of the ending reversing the deck after the ace of hearts miscall.
Paul

This is such an amazing card trick. The new DVD goes into extensive detail regarding the proper grip and execution of the faro shuffle. Highly recommended!

I appreciate you taking the time to tell all these wonderful stories, Paul.

Robert

Hey Paul if you don't mind me asking, what led you to come up with unshuffled? How did you figure out that writing something on the side of the deck would cause the words to vary sizes?

GREAT trick Paul! beautiful piece of art right there!

Pepka,
I agree the personalizing the deck with Unshuffled is what I do all the time. I've probably used this trick to help close more deals than any other. When they see their name on the deck they are seeing something they have never experienced before.
Glad you like Unshuffled, as its my favorite trick.
Paul

Soccergod,
The original concept appeared in a Genii magazine in 1973 by a Dr. Ewer. He was the one that discovered the idea of the marks on the side of the deck growing etc. A few issues later a man named Bob Wicks send in about ten different ideas for the concept among them was to write Unshuffled on the side of the deck and then show it to be Unshuffled. I took that concept added having a card selected and the morphing of the card along with the presentation about Unshuffling to turn the concept into an actual trick.
Paul

Thanks Paul that is interesting. I have been performing this since my friend Woody Landers showed it to me like 3 years ago.