* Standard Hop

BEATING THE CUT - chapter 4, page 306

This is one of the most interesting moves in the genre because it features so many variations. Most cardmen are familiar with a sweeping action to reverse the cut, but it's not normal to carry the cut in a sweeping action, nor is it normal to end up with half the deck or the full deck in the crotch of the thumb as required with this hop. Card players tend to lift the bottom half up, drop it on the top half, and slide/place the deck into the dealing hand. The best way to justify these actions is to slide the bottom half off the table, then do the same with the deck, but that's another story.

When asked about the variations presented in GSOH, I mentioned that there were even more and pointed to 'delaying the hop' (page 307) and a favorite demonstration. A little-known variant occurs from an apparently squared deck (holding a break). It's surprisingly fast, but it's darting and can be nosey. Either way, it's a great exposé hop that I like to demonstrate with the top card face up. My thinking is that you're not going to fool cardmen with hops and shifts, so why not let them appreciate the work you put into the move. Demonstrating the move with the top card face up garners the same response as the riffle pass in an ambitious card routine. I like to demonstrate three hops in a row with the top card face up . . . when I was practicing every day, I could do this move as fast as any shift!

Every time you come across a shift or hop that you like, consider two perspectives: 'round game' and heads-up. A round game refers to players on your right, left, and center in most cases, which is typical of the close-up performer. Heads-up refers to one observer.