A slightly modified Erdnase Stack

The one aspect of the Erdnase Stack that I have never liked is the undercut and throw during the second part of the stack. Below is the description of the four card stack for a five handed game with that step in bold:

FOR any game in which cards are dealt singly. Three of the desired cards are placed on top, one on bottom. Under-cut about one-third deck, injog top card, run two less than twice number players, out-jog and shuffle off to last card, so that it will be left on top. Under-cut to out-jog, forming break at in-jog, run one less than number players, throw to break, run one, in-jog running one less than twice number players, out-jog and shuffle off. Under-cut to in-jog and throw on top. Under-cut to out-jog, run one less than number players and throw balance on top. This gives the four desired cards to the dealer in four rounds.

Erdnase, Expert at the card table

Normally during an overhand shuffle you don’t simply cut a block off and throw it to the top. Instead, what I do is what was done in the first halve of the stack, namely, undercut to the out-jog and form a break at the in-jog. Then as I start the second part of the shuffle, I let the cards below the in-jog drop onto the top of the deck as I run one less than the number of players. This effectively hides the throw and reduces the right hands shuffling motion.

I think it makes the shuffle more deceptive.

Faro stack for 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 hands, four aces

This was a “problem” I gave myself. Obviously you can stack four aces for a four handed game with two faro shuffles, but what if you want to deal a five handed game. Using my faro shuffle simulator I found a pattern that once the aces are in the correct locations a single faro out shuffle will stack them. (I used my faro shuffle simulator to work out the pattern)

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Bottom Run Up – Riffle Stack

I am still exploring the topic of riffle stacks. I came across this one in Ed Marlo’s “The Cardist,” Vol. 4. It builds the stack at the bottom of the deck during the shuffles as opposed to building the stack at the top of the deck. The problem with many of the riffle stack techniques that build at the top is that unless you are super-humanly good you will end up slowing down the shuffle as you near the top of the riffle so you can insure that you have the correct number of cards controlled by your thumbs. This change of speed occurs at the point in the shuffle where other players attention is the sharpest.

Not to mention how difficult it is to accomplish. As Marlo says:

JEAN HUGARD in one of his card books has described run-ups
from the top of the deck, in which it is necessary to hold
back a certain number of cards with each thumb in making the
riffle shuffle, at the finish of the riffle…I found this
very difficult of accomplishment at that time with any speed
or regularity in the riffle…FRANKLY, I STILL DO years later,

The Cardist, Vol 4
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EXPERT CARD TECHNIQUE: A SYSTEM OF STOCK SHUFFLING

Going back to one of the first books on card magic that I owned, “EXPERT CARD TECHNIQUE: Close-Up Table Magic by JEAN HUGARD and FREDERICK BRAUE”, I took a look at their system of stacking a poker hand. They described stacking four cards for a four handed game. Below I have shown instructions, using their system, for stacking four cards to fall to the dealer on a five handed game. I recommend looking at the book for more information.

As noted in some of my other posts on stacking with overhand shuffles, this stack has some drawbacks. In particular, in step 4 you have a run of 20 single cards. Also, twice you have to manage an injog and outjog together, and throw a block of cards. After the description I will offer some modifications that I think make this better.

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