It has always baffled me why magicians, when demonstrating a gambling shift, will place the deck on the table and cut in a manner that wouldn't work in a game. They place the deck on the table with the long edges going perpendicular to their body, and cut the deck to the right or left.
Okay so far...
But then when placing the bottom half on the original top half, they pick up the deck with fingers on one short end and thumb on the other. This works great when the cut is performed DIRECTLY in front of you, but if you tried it in a game, you would quickly find that your elbow goes into the face of the person who cut the cards.
So then what do we do?
Take a look at good ol' Erdnase:
"When the cut is made, pick up the packet that was under, by the sides, near end, between second and third fingers and thumb of right hand, and lay it on top of packet cut-off, so that the then under packet forms a jog or protrudes about quarter of an inch toward the right wrist. Pick up the two packets the instant the one is placed on the other, by a sliding movement, with the fingers in the same position, and place the deck across the left palm with the left thumb on top to hold it in position. Then release sides of deck with right hand and seize ends to square up. In doing so the right thumb comes against the inner end and in contact with the jog or projecting under packet. Press this down a little with the thumb and square ends of deck, forming break at thumb end. Now shift the left hand slightly so as to hold the break with the tip of the left little finger at the side, close to the end"
Problem solved!
