Hi there,

I'm a hobbyist whose primary interest is mentalism. However, I'm finding more and more that there'd be utility in having a deck (sometimes gimmicked, sometimes not), available to use.

My challenge is, I'm coming at this as someone who hasn't been playing with a deck of cards since I was a kid. So my basic skills for handling cards (cutting, shuffling, etc.) are pretty dismal.

What would y'all recommend as resources for learning some of those basics? Again, I'm looking for simple things--how to shuffle, how to do a ribbon spread, maybe a couple of false cuts or a double lift. Any advice would bve appreciated.

The Magic Book by Harry Lorayne.

Ryan Pilling just put out a free course that sounds like it might be exactly what you’re looking for! You can check it out on his site https://magictipsandtricks.com/

Search the web for the moves you are interested in.