May I ask if when dealing cards, is there a difference between "sailing" and "pitching?"

And if anyone can suggest a best practice for a magician when dealing.

And finally, where specific teaching might exist?

Thank you.

The book you need is the Professional Dealers Hand Book. I will have a look to see what it says but I think pitching means keeping them down so not to expose them when sailing them to players. I am not sure about that. Dealing can be done in various ways: from a shoe, a table deal, by hand, etcetera.

There is quite a bit on it in the Professional Dealers Hand Book. In short, pitching is a certain technique of dealing to do with keeping the cards down when sailing private face down cards to players. The book is only cheap on ebay and it is worth getting to understand that and much more properly.

The terms are essentially interchangeable. Blackjack is one of the few games where it's okay for the dealer to see his/her opponents' cards, so it's not so crucial to pitch the cards low and flat, but the basic movement is the same as in poker and other card games where concealing the cards while you deal is important.

Jason

It's timely that Jason has responded to this, in his recently re-released bottom deal one on one attheiry 1- he gives some details about sailing to the cards which may be the easiest accessible resource!

I want to thank everyone who responded. What I take away is "pitch" and "sail" are virtually synonyms... I was fortunate enough to take a class given by Jason and this topic probably came up, but it was a while ago. And in our art we have a patois; hence gambling gets to have the same.

I'll have a look for the book Tommy mentioned, Jason, I thank you and have your video(s), and thanks Bobbycash for pointing this out.

I think it's important to at least be able to shuffle professionally, do a running cut professionally, and finally deliver cards, you guessed it, professionally. Demos of course.

These responses provide the answer, I was looking for, and again thanks to all!!!

"Pitching" a card is noted many times in the Pro Dealers Handbook (Paymar, Harris, Malmuth), but the term "sailing" isn't noted and isn't used at all in the book.
"Sailing" isn't really a pro poker term (although it's likely been spoken at a poker table more than once).

In the dealers handbook, the only other term besides "pitching" used in the context of tossing cards to players is "helicoptering" a card, which is severely frowned upon, and implies an amateur or "show-off" dealer ... a dealer not welcomed by most experienced players.

I've said it before here in the forum ... but for magicians who want to do ANY poker demo's, and who want to come across as authentic in their actions - The Professional Poker Dealers Handbook (authors noted above) should be read cover to cover, and procedures followed (within reason).
In the OP's instance, the use of the word "pitching", (if spoken) during a demo would imply knowledge ... whereas the use of the word "sailing" might (or might not) raise an eyebrow if experienced players were present.

It's an excellent book, and a must-read for everybody who plays 1-2 games or higher, especially the home game variety using a rotating dealer.

Hand held Blackjack games are called "pitch" games. Not "sailing".

Pitching in Blackjack is done while standing generally so at times you see other people's card and of course in the play if the game it didn't matter.

I know what "sailing" is by context, but never heard people use it.

Some call the opposite of pitching neck-tying. At our joint, we use a table deal, so the matter does not arise. In hand dealt poker games one often hears players telling novice dealers to keep them down.

I must be lacking in professional jargon. I still call it "dealing the cards."

Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uzny7tih8I8

Big problem and most player miss how dangerous this can be. Holding the front end of the deck a little too high enables some to catch a few or many of the hole cards. I think a table deal is much better, but for some reason it is not used in the U.S. casinos that I am acquainted with.

Tommy, I watched that video and others by the same person. I think they were pretty good. You?

Yes, he seems to me to show the way it is done in the professional game pretty nicely. I run a professional game but am not and a profession croupier. We employ professional croupiers that know their job better than I do and they might nit pick what he teaches perhaps.