Two step cull

Culling cards is the process of spreading a deck of card between the hands, and while spreading them moving one or more cards to the top or bottom of the deck. It is a very powerful tool. The Conjuring Archive lists almost 300 references to books and article on the technique.

I often use a two step method to control four aces to the top of the deck after a spectator has shuffled the deck. The reason for doing it in two steps instead of one is to overcome some of the psychological problems that I see with the traditional methods. Those are: what is the motivation for spreading the cards and if you just showed the faces of the deck shouldn’t you then shuffle the deck. Also when using a traditional spread cull you are “dirty” longer with four culling actions.

Have the spectator shuffle the deck. Take it back and turn it face up in your hands. With the faces towards you rapidly spread the cards looking for an ace. Comment as you do this that the deck looks very well shuffled. As you do this, take a break above the ace and double cut it to the top of the deck. Note that this is on an off beat. You haven’t started a trick yet so the spectator is not paying a lot of attention.

Now spread the cards again with the deck face up, but with the hands lowered so the spectator can see the faces. I start with the faces facing me and as I see the second ace I lower the hands as I cull the ace behind the deck. I comment to the spectator, “look how well you shuffled the cards”. The motivation is to show the spectator how mixed up the cards are.

I continue to spread the cards with the ace culled behind the deck until I come to the third ace. Here I feed the culled ace back into the deck next to the third ace.

I spread a few more cards over and tell the spectator that “not only are the faces mixed, but so are the backs” as I raise the cards back up facing me. (Note that this can throw off magicians who are looking for a cull.)

Continue spreading until you come to the fourth ace and cull it as you lower your hands again. Spread a few cards and then close up the deck feeding the culled ace to the top.

You now have two aces on top and two aces together somewhere in the deck.

Now there are three possibilities.

1. The two aces in the deck are nearer the top
2. The two aces in the deck are near the middle (most likely)
3. The two aces in the deck are near the bottom.

If the aces are not near the center you need to make an adjustment that appears to be a simple cutting action. If the aces are near the top turn the deck face up and riffle two or more cards off with your right thumb taking a break with your left little finger. Now swing cut a small block of cards off the face of the deck into the break, thus centering the two aces.

If the aces are near the bottom of the deck turn the deck face up into an overhand shuffling position. The right hand lifts up a block of cards from the rear of the deck, while the left hand “milks” at least the top two cards (aces). Shuffle the block onto the face of the deck, thus centering the two aces.

Now the aces are centered. Riffle up the side of the deck in preparation for splitting the deck for a shuffle looking for the two aces. This is easier than it sounds because you have an idea where they are and there are two of them together. Split the deck and shuffle the cards slowly and fairly.

The four aces are now on top.

Below is a video of me practicing the technique at a starbucks (no sound).  See notes below the video.