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Miracle Play

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SIDE STEAL

Effect: The right hand seems to square the deck, usually after a selected card is lost in the middle of the deck.

Method: Hold the deck in left hand dealer's grip. Have a pinkie break in the middle of the deck. The card to be stolen is above the break. The right hand also holds of the deck in biddle grip. Use the third finger to push the half of the deck above the break upwards. This opens a gap on the right side of the deck, which is hidden under the right hand. Place the left hand fingers at the face of the top half and stretch these fingers, thus jogging the bottom card of the top half to the right. As the fingers stretch, the gap at the right side of the deck closes. When the right top corner of that card touches the pinkie, the card pivots around it, so it gets parallel to the right hand fingers. The card is pressed against the right palm, and the right hand moves to the right and back, so the card is set apart from the deck, in a right hand palm. The whole sleight should look like you just moved the right hand back towards yourself.

Comments: The sleight looks more deceptive if the top half remains still. Instead of moving it up to open the gap at the right side, you could also twist the left hand slightly downwards, so the the bottom half moves. This should be hidden by either an angle or the right fingers. When the gap is opened, be careful to keep the two halves well squared. Some cards above the stolen card tend to move right as the steal is done. This usually happens if the left fingertips apply too much pressure upwards against the face of the top half. The right hand should look relaxed when having the stolen card palmed.

VARIATIONS

Instead of moving the right hand back to set the palmed card free from the deck, you could move the left hand forward, as to offer the deck for shuffling. Depending on the occasion, this looks more natural.

There is a method for the side steal where the stolen card is not palmed. This version is usually performed to bring the stolen card to the top of the deck. In this case, when the card top right corner touches the right pinkie, it is pivotted just enough to make the left bottom corner to appear at the bottom end of the deck, right at the point where the ball of the thumb rests. The card is then held between the right pinkie and thumb by its top right corner and bottom left corner. The hands separate a little bit to set the card apart from the deck. As soon as this happens, the stolen card is placed on top of the deck. It should look like you are just squaring the deck.

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