* Fast S.W.E.

BEATING THE CUT - chapter 4, page 289

In regard to shifts, the term "fast" preceding the move's name simply asks the question: Can the shift start before the right hand even reaches the left hand? The answer is yes.

I recently watched a clip of a talented cardman doing this shift. He cut the deck, carried the cut, brought the deck off the table into his hands, and did the S.W.E. shift. Although he did the shift as perfectly as I've ever seen, he completely missed the concept. He merely carried the cut and THEN did the shift—two independent actions.

The concept I was trying to convey uses a subtle tossing action of the bottom half as the upper half is shifted backward and under the bottom half. Most importantly, these actions should all occur BEFORE both hands establish their grip on the deck. When they do, the shift is essentially over and all that remains is a small squaring action before the deal that can be covered in different ways. Just remember, this is an exploratory move.

If you struggle with this shift, it will take a few months of practice before concluding that it's doable with this method. If things don't click, try it in reverse and shift the top half forward and under the bottom half, which is significantly easier. If flashing the bottom card is allowed, the move is almost automatic as the halves can tilt back during the transposition. Since I'm out of stroke with the original idea, I opted to demonstrate the reverse of the S.W.E. shift.

Ending the shift with a short, forward ribbon spread is consistent with many banking games where the games are dealt from table spreads.