After visiting my local brick & mortar, and getting the suggestion, I am getting back into card magic. What are the go-to videos or books that show shuffling and card handling so I can improve my card handling? Nothing beyond basic card handling this point.

Hold 'em, deal them, overhand shuffle them table riffle them, thumb fan them. You can watch people handle cards online but early days, just get a feel for them. Cards are our friends.

-Mary Mowder

Daryl's encyclopedia of Card sleights (on DVD). Personaly I would recommend Michael Ammar's Easy to Master Card DVD's over Daryl's. I think it is more valuable to learn solid tricks than to master a bunch of sleights with no particular trick in mind.

Here is the trap to avoid.

First thing to DO is figure out how YOU want to handle cards. How do you want people to perceive what is being done? From that point forward everything you do needs to fit that “look”.

When you start with this perception you have a good leg up on looking natural. For an extreme example Lennart Green does odd moves by any standard other than his show. Yet when he does them it all looks perfectly natural.

The trap to avoid is when doing one move you have these movements and the next move others. Many change grip, angle themselves here or there and it becomes obvious SOMETHING is happening! Sure they may not see it or know it but they sure feel it. Don’t become Slydini to do Helicopter Card and then Daryl to do ambitious card. This happens WAY too often. (Actually please don’t do those two tricks at all but you get my point.)

Being yourself you are always natural. That is the biggest form of misdirection you can ask for and not many know it or utilize it properly.

Hi dacsus,

Welcome to the cafe. There's some excellent stuff on basic handling on youtube. I'd recommend look up 52kards and othmarius. Both channels teach advanced move, but they also have tutorials on the basics -- how to hold the cards, shuffles, etc.

Bob

P. s. Danny points out the danger of copying others' moves, but I'd argue that, at the beginning, we *have* to imitate the masters. Gradually, as we keep practicing and watching a variety of styles, we inevitably develop our own handling. Of course, that may not be an issue for you, because you already have card experience, even if it's been a while.

You might consider the early parts of Giobbi's Card College Vol. I, and Lorayne's The Magic Book. Much though I love Ammar's series that Mike referenced above, I think it's more advanced than what you're looking for now. But Daryl's DVD's are great, and he includes "trick breaks' that bring the sleights to life.

Good Luck!

Yea it is a tough way to go about it. Not enough get to that standard of their "own" style. It is the goal!

I HIGHLY recommend checking out the “Casual Card Magic” course by Ryan Pilling on his website https://magictipsandtricks.com you have to create a free log in to access it but the course is FREE and he starts from the very basic beginning and builds.

Ben Earl, Unreal Card Magic

I also recommend Ben Earl's Unreal Card Magic.

Another Ben Earl's Unreal Card Magic.

Is everything in Ben Earl's Unreal Card Magic also taught in The Family?