The Royal Road is a great book, especially when starting up. From there you will want to go to Hugard and Braue's Expert Card Technique, which takes the basic card slights to the next level. After that, if you are really brave, you might take a look at Daryl's encyclopedia of card slights in his multi-DVD series--this pretty much has everything, and it gives you the advantage of watching a skilled performer handle the slights.
The above approach is okay for surveying the scene of magic card sleights. However, if you try to do all these slights, you will find it to be an overwhelming assignment. You probably will get the idea that you can NEVER master what has to be mastered, and that would be too bad. That's why I have developed a different approach. Once I learned that I could handle a limited number of slights, some hard and some easy, I stopped learning a slight just for its own sake. Rather, I have taken the approach that I first find a trick that I want to do. Then I learn any slight needed to do that particular trick. Remember, it is the trick that is the thing; it is NOT the slight. I found that I was willing to practice as much as necessary any slight needed for a great trick. Following this approach, I mastered some difficult slights for some excellent tricks: the diagonal palm shift for card-to-wallet, the Mercury card fold for *#*@, the one hand palm for card-to-pocket, the Zarro shuffle and several fake cuts for Sam the Bellhop, the Elemsley Count for the Four Card Trick, the Marlow snap double for the Ambitious Card. And the list goes on. Nevertheless, I think this is the right approach because it gives you a real goal in learning any slight, and you end up with a fine selection of tricks, not just a bunch of fancy flourishes to show to other card magicians.
Go for the trick, not the slight.
Best of luck.
Jim Mullen
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