Ok, I just got the royal road to magic and startid from the basics with the overhandshuffle, and I really want to get this one right since its seems the most important piece in card magic and having a bit of trouble with this part:

Repeat the action until all the cards held by the right hand have been shuffled off on to those held by the left hand. "Pat the upper side of the deck with the outstretched fingers of the right hand to square the cards". Since the overhand shuffle is generally repeated, this action is absolutely essential to a clean execution

so does he mean to pat the cards during the suffling, or once you have shuffled off all the cards from tight hand to left hand? Also, when he says outstretched fingers, does he mean the pinky nad index, or the middle finger and the ring finger or all of them?

thanks.

Usually, the right hand has the thumb on the inside of half the deck and the fingers on the outside of the same half as it shuffles it onto the left hand.

As soon as the shuffle is complete the right hand in that same form is just squaring the cards a bit held by the left hand.

Then, the shuffle sequence can start again.

Ok, thanks a lot I understand. the trouble I was having was I was gripping the deck too hard so the cards were all out of order, and now that I am gripping and shuffling lightly, it is working out pretty well.