David Blaine was on the Joe Rogan Podcast recently. As always they had a wide ranging and off the beaten track conversation. At one point Blaine said one of the differences between magicians and card cheats is that magicians will work a lot of different moves while the card shark works just a few moves practiced to the point they are flawless. He focused in and said it's "really three moves" they use.

Was that hyperbole or fact? "...it's just three moves" could be a turn of phrase or he could be making a real point. I'm not really a card magician, I actually avoid card tricks because I'm more into mentalism and card tricks don't fit the persona for me. I don't gamble either (maybe a lotto ticket here and there) so I'm not asking for the keys to the castle here. What I am asking is if that's a realistic take on that line of work.

Blaine's statement is accurate ... his estimate may even be a bit high in some cases.

False shuffles, cuts and deals are the three things that spring to mind.

I knew a guy with one move to get the money. AND he used it sparingly to say the least! He perfected it and did it as few times as possible, at the EXACT time he needed to do it to maximize payoff.

I have no idea if this is a universal truth or just an anecdote.

It sounds about right.... Usually, the best will be a master of one move that they will be their go to, and rely on other subtleties to get to that move... I know of a dealer that stole one green chip a day for a good 20 yrs. and he left the industry eventually to open a small business with his wife... Also, it was at the dice table and not thee card table...

The thought was to keep in the game losing as little as possible until he moved for the money. As you said some subtleties but certainly not constantly making moves.

It would actually make a very boring movie. Then again so would most advantage play.