Palming

Introduction

To palm a card, in conjurer’s language, means to take a card in the hand–generally the right hand–and hold it concealed there without its presence being suspected by the onlookers. The principle is a very important one in card magic, for many of the finest feats possible depend upon it. The best methods of palming cards are not difficult to learn. The reason that palming is neglected or badly done by cardmen is because of lack of confidence. The first thing a beginner is likely to say is that his hands are too small; he cannot conceive that he should hold so large an object as a playing card in his hand secretly. To show what a mistaken notion this is, test it in this way: [Note: Palming was considered the pinnacle of card manipulation in the early 20th century, though modern magic has evolved to rely less heavily on these techniques in favor of more natural handling methods – RJW]

Take a card and lay it on your hand with the fingers extended in such a way that its outer left corner is at the outer phalanx of the little finger and its inner right corner against the ball of the thumb. Flex the fingers slightly and turn your hand over. You will find that the card is held (that is, palmed) securely, and so long as the fingers are pressed together it is completely hidden. Since one’s hand always has a half-closed appearance when in repose, the position of the hand will appear to be a perfectly natural one, Fig. 54.

At first you will be so conscious of the presence of the card in your hand that you will want to drop it to your side or even put it behind your back. To overcome this self-consciousness the best thing to do is to become so accustomed to having a card in your hand that you no longer take any notice of it. When you are reading a book or listening to the radio, place a card in your hand in the proper position, bend the fingers slightly, and then try to forget all about it. In a very short time you will become so used to it that you will be able to move your hand freely and naturally, always remembering, of course, that the back of your hand must always be outwards. Do not be afraid to bend the card; you cannot palm it naturally unless you do. [Note: This practice method remains one of the most effective ways to develop natural-looking palming technique, emphasizing muscle memory over conscious control – RJW]

Practically everyone, when beginning to practise the palming of cards, will be careful to keep the fingers curved naturally but will overlook the importance of having the thumb lie in its natural position along the side of the hand. When the thumb extends at a right angle from the hand, a reflex action which must be overcome, its unnatural appearance at once attracts attention to the hand and arouses suspicion. [Note: The thumb position is often the tell-tale sign of amateur palming – maintaining natural thumb placement is crucial for deception – RJW]

Top Palm

  • Single Card
  • Several Cards

Top Palm, I (Single Card)

  1. Hold the deck in your left hand by the sides between the middle, third, and little fingers, the tips of which are flush with the top of the deck, pressing the left side of the deck against the ball of the thumb. Bend the thumb at the outermost phalanx on the top card, with the tip resting a little below its middle, and place the tip of the index finger against the outer right corner (Fig. 49).
  2. Bring the right hand over the pack as if merely to square it, the hand being well arched. Place the fingers, held close together, against the outer end, with the third (outermost) phalanges pressing against the outer end. Rest the tip of the thumb against the left inner corner (Fig. 50).
  3. Straighten the left thumb pressing it on the top card and so push the card into the position shown in Fig. 51. (Right hand not shown.)
  4. The outer right corner of the top card is thus brought against the tip of the little finger. Press lightly downwards with the right little finger and lever the card upwards, at the same time bending the left thumb inward to its original position, and the card will be tilted upwards against the palm and the fingers (Fig. 52).
    [Note: This leveraging action is the key to the entire technique – the little finger acts as a fulcrum to lift the card into palming position smoothly – RJW]
  5. Draw the right fingers and thumb along the ends of the deck, squaring the cards. Grip the outer corners between the thumb at the inner end and the index and middle fingers at the outer end, at the same time flexing the ring and little fingers (Fig. 53).

The two essential points in the correct palming of cards are:

(a) The right hand must remain arched throughout.

(b) The right hand must retain the deck after the card is palmed, while the left hand moves away to make some appropriate gesture or natural personal action. For example, you may gesture to illustrate what you want done, which may be for a person to stand closer to you. Or you may brush the table clean of an imaginary speck, touch the corner of your mouth with the knuckle of your index finger, touch your chin as if in momentary thought–in other words, make some personal action that is natural and characteristic of you. Because of this, the transfer of the pack from your left to your right hand will seem to have no connection with the trick you are performing. [Note: This misdirection principle – using natural gestures to cover the transfer – is fundamental to successful sleight of hand and demonstrates the psychological aspects of magic beyond mere technical skill. Also, do not look at your hands when performing the palm. Look at the spectator and ask them a question. – RJW]

Do not make the mistake of trying to palm a card with the utmost rapidity, for all rapid actions of the hand arouse suspicion. The quickness of the hand does not deceive the eye. The palm must be made in exactly the same time as–neither more nor less than–in merely squaring the cards. [Note: This wisdom contradicts the popular phrase “the hand is quicker than the eye” – successful magic relies on timing and misdirection rather than speed – RJW]

  1. A moment later, take the pack from the right hand with the left and dispose of the palmed card as required by the trick.

Top Palm, II (Several Cards)

  1. Hold the deck face downwards in your left hand between the second (top) phalanx of the thumb on one side and the third phalanges of the middle and ring fingers on the other, the index finger bent under the pack and the little finger free. Not only is this a very open and graceful method of holding the deck but it is also essential to the proper execution of the sleight. [Note: This grip, known as the “mechanic’s grip,” became the standard holding position for most advanced card handling techniques – RJW]
  2. With your right hand square the deck, and under cover of this action lift the inner ends of the cards to be palmed and insert the tip of the left little finger into the break thus made (Fig. 55).
  3. Remove the right hand, making some appropriate gesture, then with it grasp the whole pack, with the fingers close together at the outer end and the thumb at the inner end, which maintains the break. Move the left thumb and fingers inwards along the sides of the deck, squaring it. Press the tips of the thumb and fingers into the break, and in the outward squaring motion push the separated packet of cards up into the right hand (Fig. 56).
  4. Slide the right thumb and fingers along the ends of the pack, squaring them. Grip the pack between the thumb and the index and middle fingers, and flex the ring and little fingers a little, thus palming the cards securely. Remove the left hand, holding the right hand stationary for a few moments. Use the left hand as you would when palming a single card, and a few moments later take the pack with the left hand again and dispose of the palmed cards as may be required.

Palm Glimpse

When a card has been palmed in the right hand, the mere act of handing the deck to a spectator affords a perfect glimpse of the card. Many performers prefer the palm glimpse to any other method of glimpsing a card. With a card palmed, a mere wave of the hand bringing the card within the line of vision is all that is necessary. The pack can then be placed in the left hand and the palmed card returned to the top in squaring the pack. [Note: This technique combines two fundamental skills – palming and glimpsing – into one efficient action, demonstrating the elegant economy of well-designed sleight of hand – RJW]

Note that when, having a card palmed in your right hand, you desire to hand the pack out for shuffling, it should be held by the lower left corners, thumb on the back and bent forefinger on the face, the other fingers curled inwards (Fig. 57). Hand the pack to someone on your extreme left.

Replacing Palmed Cards

  • First Method
  • Second Method

The replacement of palmed cards upon the pack is much more difficult than is their secret abstraction. Let us say that you have palmed a card and handed the pack for shuffling. The shuffle completed, you ask for the return of the cards. If you take them with your right hand your awkwardness will betray the fact that you have a card palmed, and you will probably turn your hand so far that it will be seen. If you take the cards with your left hand, you must then have a good reason for placing your right hand over the pack. Moreover, since placing your right hand flat on the pack will tell your audience that you are replacing cards, how will you transfer them from the arched right palm to the flat pack?

First method

The palmed cards may be replaced as follows:

  1. Extend your left hand, palm upwards, pointing to it with the forefinger of your right hand, and have the spectator place the pack on it. Hold the cards loosely as in Fig. 58.
  2. Request the spectator to cut the cards. When he lifts the upper portion, bring the right hand over the remaining packet, the fingers slightly in front of it (Fig. 59), and grasp it with a little backward motion of the hand between the thumb and fingers. At the same time bend the index finger, pressing its nail downwards on the palmed card, flattening it and adding it to the packet (Fig. 60).
  3. Immediately take the cards away with the right hand, and extend the left to take the spectator’s cards. Drop those you hold in your right hand on top of those now in your left, saying, “You shuffled and cut the cards. Thank you.”

This procedure is entirely natural, for, in assisting in making the cut, the right hand would move to the left to pick up the cards remaining in the left hand even if there were no sleight involved. [Note: The genius of this method lies in using the spectator’s action (cutting the cards) as natural cover for the replacement – the magic is hidden within a logical sequence of events – RJW]

Second method

There are occasions when you will want to replace palmed cards and when it is not desirable to have the pack cut–as, for example, when performing the Card in Pocket, the next trick to be described. In such cases you use the procedure given in the first method, but the left hand with the pack is held at the centre of the body so that the two hands come together naturally. The left hand places the pack in the right, which adds the palmed cards as already described.

To understand the importance of placing the pack in the right hand, rather than reaching for it and taking it with the right, stand on someone’s left and hand him an object. Next offer him another object. He will move his left hand to his right, which will move very little, then place the first object in the right hand, and move his left hand back to take the second object.

In making the replacement, you simulate this natural action.

The best way to gain complete confidence in your ability to palm cards successfully is to do tricks in which the palm is used. In the feats which follow, the sleight is executed under such favorable circumstances–the attention of the spectators being directed elsewhere–that the student need have no fear of being detected if he times his movements properly. [Note: This pedagogical approach – learning techniques within the context of complete tricks rather than as isolated exercises – remains the most effective method for developing practical magical skills – RJW]