Do Card Shuffling Tricks
In magic, very few things are actually as they seem. It should come as no surprise that very few tricks that appear to rely on card shuffling actually are dependent of card shuffling. One easy to do trick shuffle involves keeping the top card on the top. It is useful in "discovering" a selected card.
Instructions
1. Direct a spectator to select any card. Have him memorize it and even show it to other audience members. Next he should place the selected card on the top of the deck.
2. Pick up the deck with the left hand. Hold the deck so that the bottom of the deck faces the right (or the fingers) and the top of the deck faces the left (back of hand). Allow audience to see the bottom card.
3. Using the right hand, pull a small amount of the deck (this group is called a packet) from the middle out and place it on the bottom. Repeat this several times.
4. Drawing attention to the fact that previous packets have been from the middle, pull the entire top half of the deck up and place them at the bottom of the deck. In doing this, apply the left thumb to the top of the deck so that the top (selected) card is not removed. If the packet is removed and replaced smoothly, the fact that the top card is retained can go unnoticed.
5. Repeat this top shuffle move, using the thumb to hold the top card in place several times.
6. Cut the deck so that the top half is in the left hand, and the bottom is in the right. Perform a riffle shuffle on the table, being careful to start the right before the left so that the top of the left side packet stays on the top of the entire deck.
7. Reveal that the selected card has magically ended up on the top of the deck
