I like to work FASDIU and so I find myself using the Mnemonica Half Stack almost all the time. I'm not a very experienced memdeck worker though and I'm interested in recommendations for published material specifically on the half stack. Having to remember less cards, easier to get in order and legitimately being able to shuffle half the cards would appear to be significant benefits. Any specific shuffle/sleight recommendations would be much appreciated too. Thanks!

Consider Chapters 8 and 9 of Mnemonica (by Juan Tamariz). Both deal with half stack.

Agree with alicauchy. Mnemonica is a great resource for the half stack. There's also a great trick to use to get into the half-stack from a shuffled deck in use. It's called "Memory Jumble" and I think it's the first trick in the half-stack section, if memory serves. He also goes into shuffles, etc.

Definitely a resource to check out.

I seemed to understand that MasterGrip already owns Tamariz's book.
In Hartling's "Card Fictions" there is a trick that uses half stack, if I'm not mistaken. Not home now to check...

Mark

I don't currently own the book but from what I understand Woody Aragon covers half stack material in Memorandum. I just invested a good deal of time memorizing Mnemonica so I don't plan on switching too soon, but I do plan on playing with the half stack material. The benefit of Memorandum is that right now it's in print

I do own Mnemonica and I'm interested in other material also. Particularly the strategies people employ for the false shuffle of the half stack, Pit includes such a dodge in his book. Pit's trick is great and one of my favorites, it uses a half stack although only a quarter of the cards are actually stacked, which makes it a great effect.

Strategies I employ (though none are my ideas, as they have all been around for a long time). Granted, these may not be new ideas for you either, but here goes:

• Assuming stack is on the bottom, overhand shuffle the top half of the deck back onto the bottom stock. It should look just like a normal overhand shuffle if done correctly -- this is the one I use the most
  
• If starting with a half-stack (instead of building it on the fly) I also set the deck so that I can faro twice and have the stack set the way I like
  
• Hand out half the deck to the spec while you "shuffle" the other half, then you each "switch" halves and shuffle again. The modus operandi is the Daley switch
  
• Use any normal full deck false shuffle: Truffle Shuffle, Push through/Strip out, Heinstein, Hollingworth, False Rosetta Shuffle, Overhand Cut Shuffle, etc.
  

The first two are the ones I use the most. As mentioned earlier, when setting up a stack, I'll perform "Memory Jumble" then overhand shuffle the cards. That combination is quite disarming.

Steve, do you have a cite for The Daley Switch? Thanks.

The move itself first appeared in The Phoenix issue #220, but used in this context the only cite I have is Darwin Ortiz' "Lessons in Card Mastery" but I'm sure it was used for this purpose before that book came out in 2012. It was Bob Cassidy, however, that turned me on to the idea of doing the switch forward-to-back instead of side-to-side, which is how it's normally done. The problem with the standard handling is that both hands are blocking the route the other hand is taking! Changing the direction of the switching action opened my eyes to how casual and deceptive this switch can be.

Nice idea. I have to give this switch a second try using the forward-to-back direction.

Thanks, okay, now I know where I've seen this before--Barrie Richardson, Act Two. Barrie's solution to the traffic jam is to pick up the packets from the get go with hands crossed--right hand reaching over left for its packet--and then the action occurs uncrossing the hands.