Hi folks,


I'm confused by Mr. Giobbi's explanation of how to control a card to the top (actually fourth from top); it's in disk 1. I'm with him until about 57 sec., but then, after getting a break at the jog, he shuffles off using 3-4 chopping motions. This works if one finishes the shuffle with just one additional chop, but somehow he's doing those three or four. What am I missing?


Thanks,

Bob

Hi Bob. It is likely you've got your answer by now, but here goes anyway. Giobbi's point, which he does not state until the demonstration is over, is that the selected card is to be controlled to a position fourth from the top. So immediately after the injogged card is in place, the first card shuffled on it is the selected card ( a black spot 3). If Giobbi stops there, the black 3 will end up the top card when the shuffle is finished. However, when he shuffles 3 more indifferent cards on top of the selected card, i.e., the black 3, it will have 3 cards on top of it,. So when Giobbi finishes the controlled shuffle, the black 3 will be fourth from the top, buried beneath the three indifferent cards.

It is somewhat clumsy to explain these things in words, but perhaps you can give it a try and it will make sense.

I haven't looked at that disc for awhile. I had forgotten what an excellent teacher he is. Going over his lessons gave me some useful tips. All four discs are a great contribution to introducing this stuff.

Hi TeddyBoy,


You're the first! Yes, the disks are really good, and often include tips that aren't in the books, good though the latter are.


I understand what you're saying, but I wasn't clear about my question. Here's what I *think* is happening, and where I get lost:


1. Giobbi starts an overhand shuffle, then offers the left half of the deck for spectator to return card.

2. He runs three cards on top of the selection, then injogs the fourth, then finishes the shuffle.

3. He pushes up on the face of the injogged card and slides it back into the deck, creating a break.

4. Now, the crux of the matter: At this point all the other descriptions I've read say, Throw *all* the right hand's cards in front of the left hand's cards. The selection will now be fourth from the top. But that isn't what Giobbi does at this point. Instead of throwing all the RH's cards in a single chop, he shuffles off the RH cards in a series of 3-4 chops. That shouldn't work! But it does. That's why I'm confused.


Bob

Without having the DVD and just basing it off your description - if the entire deck is in the right hand after a break is obtained under the jogged card, you can easily shuffle a few blocks of cards off the top of the deck into the left hand until you reach your break. Again, I don't have the DVD so apologies if I'm muddying your understanding of his description. Nonetheless, that would be one way to do it.

Thanks, Thomas. I think you may have solved my problem! To keep things simple, I tried this with the injogged card immediately above the selection, and I wanted to control the selection to the top. After I pushed the jogged card into the deck to create the break, I held the whole deck in my right hand, as you said. The selection was now just above (to the right of) the break. So yes, I was able to shuffle off the cards to the left of the break until I reached the break, and then shuffle off the rest of right-hand cards in one chop. And the selection was indeed at the top. Yahoo!


I'm not sure what I was doing before; in fact, I'll try not to remember it, since what you described is exactly what I wanted, and probably what Giobbi did, though I haven't looked at the disk again.

Bob