On Jan 29, 2022, tenchu wrote:

Quote:

On Jan 29, 2022, ssibal wrote:

Quote:

On Jan 27, 2022, Merc Man wrote:

Quote:

On Jan 25, 2022, ssibal wrote:
The double lift just isn’t a natural movement. It’s an artificial movement that many can flawlessly execute but anyone with a shred of common sense knows that something funny just happened.

Sorry but I think that's utter codswallop.

For example, if you perfect either (or both) the Dai Vernon DL or the Harry Lorayne Kick version, they're about the most natural way of flipping over and displaying the top card of the pack possible.

The only downside of the move in my honest opinion, is that it has influenced many Ambitious Card Routines to go on for far too long.

DaiVernon and Harry Lorayne ( and anyone who mastered their techniques ) may have very good and undetectable double lifts but they don't perform the action of turning over a card like any normal person does. The next time you perform, hand the deck to your spectators and ask them to turn over the top card and place it on top of the deck. I guarantee that most will not do it in a manner similar to how Vernon and Lorayne perform a double lift.

Agreed. But, if you're trying to show you're a card expert, handle cards like one. If you want to hide your skill and play it sloppy like Lennart Green, for example, then yeah -- more sophisticated techniques are not the best choice.

Mike

On Jan 30, 2022, Merc Man wrote:

Quote:

On Jan 29, 2022, ssibal wrote:
DaiVernon and Harry Lorayne ( and anyone who mastered their techniques ) may have very good and undetectable double lifts but they don't perform the action of turning over a card like any normal person does. The next time you perform, hand the deck to your spectators and ask them to turn over the top card and place it on top of the deck. I guarantee that most will not do it in a manner similar to how Vernon and Lorayne perform a double lift.

Well that's it - you've convinced me that I've been doing it wrong for all these years.

From now on, I'm never going to do a riffle shuffle again. I'm going to do what a spectator does - a half-arsed overhand shuffle, whilst dropping cards all over the floor.

No more one-handed cuts. I'm just going to slap the cards down into the nearest puddle of beer or gravy on the table.

Finally, the only card trick that I'm ever going to perform from now on is the 21 Card Trick.

On Jan 30, 2022, Wravyn wrote:
I too appreciated it. Looks like I am going to be purchasing a DVD in the near future.

On Jan 30, 2022, magicfish wrote:
Lol. Exactly.
This nonsense of handling cards like a layman is, well, nonsense.

On Jan 31, 2022, ssibal wrote:

Quote:

On Jan 30, 2022, magicfish wrote:
Lol. Exactly.
This nonsense of handling cards like a layman is, well, nonsense.

You’re missing the point. Nobody has said to handle the cards like a layman. All that is being said is that the double lift is not a natural move as most people don’t naturally turn over or show cards in that manner, which would lead to suspicion and doubt when executing it. It is no different than a fancy cut of the deck, where just like with the turning over of a card, most people don’t execute some fancy sequence to simply cut the deck.

A card professional would be expected to handle the cards better than a layman, but that doesn’t mean that a completely artificial move (ie almost every double lift) will not raise suspicions when it is so far off from the normal way of executing the action.

On Jan 31, 2022, magicfish wrote:
The best way that I can help, in my opinion, is to point out what I think is the biggest problem with the Double, and why some expert magicians don't use it. It is because so many new magicians believe it to be a beginner's move. They learn it, feel that it is mastered, and start using it right away and move on to more "difficult" sleights.
The DL/DT is an advanced sleight and requires a lot of practice to master.
The first thing I tell newer magicians.
Nothing makes the DL liftmore difficult than a beginner doing it in performances.
(In no way am I implying that you are a beginner) If one hasn't mastered this difficult sleight, like any, it must not be used in performance. But it is. Constantly. Repeatedly. Part of the reason Eugene stopped using it (I discussed this with him in Rochester in 1997).
Now, I can offer reading materials to study, or watch your video and give critique if you like, I'd be happy to.
But the best tip I can give anyone is to change the mental approach. Approach this as an advanced, difficult card sleight.
The idea that it is a beginner's move is perhaps the biggest obstacle to its mastery.
My point, as always, is to help.
Good luck with your double.
Good day.
P.s. Have you ever seen John Carney do a double? Neither have I
Pps. I offer advice based on having worked on almost every double in print and practicing the double anywhere from 50 to 100 times a day, every day, for over 35 years- that's about 1.25 million Doubles. One day, I'll master it.