Monday, April 07, 2008
Friday, April 04, 2008
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Marlo on Erdnase Review Part 1
I’m skipping the history lesson and getting right down to the nitty gritty.
Lessinout cull
I would argue that this is not an improvement of the Erdnase system of cull shuffling at all. The beauty of the Erdnase cull is that the entire deck appears to be shuffled.
The Lessinout cull is weak because of continually running single cards from the top of the deck. Anyone with half a brain could figure out that the majority of the cards are never shuffled.
Erdnase easily could have described the Lessinout cull. He explains how to bring a card that’s on top to the bottom by undercutting to the top card and throwing the other 51 cards on top, but provides a more complicated alternative with an injog because the point of a cull shuffle is to actually appear to shuffle the cards.
Erdnase explains the sequence should be made....
“in a manner so natural and regular that not a movement is made that indicates anything more than the purpose of thoroughly shuffling the deck.”
The lessinout cull fails in this aspect.
The Lessinout cull may be good for magic, but at the card table it is a lazy and obvious alternative for the Erdnase culls.
Lessinout Stack
Marlo apparently didn’t like using injogs or outjogs to stack. The alternative presented in the Lessinout Stack is a crimp. The crimp is really only used in the last sequence of the shuffle where (finally) some cards are actually shuffled in groups to the top. The book quotes Marlo as saying “You will find that the final fair shuffle will throw off students of Erdnase”. By that I think he means this last sequence is the only part of the lessinout stack that isn’t ridiculously apparent to an infant.
Besides, Erdnase thinks preparing cards by crimping them is a makeshift technique that should be dispensed with by anyone who knows any better methods anyway.
Streamlined Lessinout Stack
This is a neat little routine for demonstrating overhand stacking using a secret crimp. While this is good for magic, is has little to do with Erdnase and is a bit redundant. We have the same issues we do with the other Lessinout shuffles.
Marnese Overhand Stack
Unless there is something I am missing, this is identical to the technique Erdnase describes in the first method he gives for stock shuffling on page 68.
Marlos Methods of Injogging (1st-4th methods)
1st method
Okay here is the first thing out of this book that is of use to an Erdnase student. Basically this is a way to conceal the breaks that are sometimes visible when a performer stacks or culls via an Erdnase method. This is a good substitute for those that do not want to put the time necessary to perform the Erdnase techniques to his specifications; by having breaks “from an eighth to a quarter of an inch wide”.
2nd, 3rd, and 4th methods
These are more ways of concealing/eliminating the breaks by angling the jogged cards to control their position.
The downfall of these techniques are that the angled cards (especially when using a deck with borders) are easily visible. If you can’t perform the shuffles/culls up to Erdnase standards, it is still better to have a large break in the back of the deck then to have a card visibly angled.
Overhand Cull Shorts
Great idea for culling using short cards, but has no relevance at all to Erdnase. This is an idea that’s really worth toying with if you don’t mind making/using altered cards.
The 3 1/2 Second Stack
This is a technique for stacking the four aces for five hands. This trick falls under a category I would call ‘cheating at cheating’. Think of using a deck full of duplicates to demonstrate a flawless pass. It just doesn’t make much sense to me. if you are going to demonstrate something difficult- just put the time in to perfect your chops. I’m not a big fan of these type of shortcuts. This trick requires a crimp and a sneaky get ready. No relevance at all to Erdnase and is only impressive when a magician is timing you with a stop watch.
The 4 1/2 Second Stack
Erdnase never talks about the milk shuffle. He talks about alternating taking tops and bottom during the overhand shuffle, but never at the same time. The 4 1/2 Second Stack is exactly that.
Riffle Shuffling
Under this heading the author describes in many words he doesn’t have the space required to explain Riffle Shuffling (?)
Strip-out shuffle
Here is what Erdnase says about strip outs and push throughs:
“The blind process of riffling the two packets truly together, and squaring up in a slightly diagonal position, then withdrawing the packets, throwing the original top one on top again; or pushing the two packets completely through in the diagonal position, leaving the order of the whole deck the same, is quite possible, but very difficult to perform perfectly.”
Not very proficient for an explanation eh? Hopefully Marlo on Erdnase does a better job explaining. Racherbaumer writes:
After undercutting and interlacing....“execute all the steps leading up to the strip out position. Then strip out...”
Wait, what the hell? Erdnase gives us more specific technique then Racherbaumer does. A huge waste of space here.
Then a one step up-the-ladder cut is explained with three photos. I’d say page filler here.
Roman Shuffle
“This technique permits you to apparently perform a conventional in-the-hands Riffle Shuffle and a straight cut without disturbing the entire order of the deck”
Racherbaumer continues....
“Table the deck for a riffle shuffle..”
Anyone else notice some inconsistency? Just because I use my hands doesn’t mean it’s in the hands. I’d prefer not using the table at all for a false in-the-hands riffle shuffle. 8 photos of page filling action for this move.
Kid Royal Concept
Under this heading Racherbaumer justifies the page fillers by reminding us that Erdnase spoke “briefly” about strip outs.
Block Strip Out With Triple Cut
A way to conceal a strip out by simulating a running cut. A better alternative is to cut the top half of a tabled deck to the left, interlace, push the bottom packet through the top packet, then pick up the deck and strip out as Erdnase describes in the second method for Ordinary Methods Of Stocking, Locating And Securing. Follow up with a false running cut by taking a packet from the bottom of the cards remaining in the right hand and dropping them on top of the tabled (stripped out) packet. Then drop the remaining cards in the right hand on top of the tabled cards.
This is better because (1) I made a reference to Erdnase (gasp) (2) There is no breaks and (3) there is no repositioning of the hands while you’re dirty with the packets jogged.
To Keep the Bottom Stock
Wow I’m glad I was sitting down while reading; this is an atrocious idea. On the other hand if you’re looking for a bottom stock retention that really appears to blind shuffle the entire deck, this is for you. The concept is to interlace the entire deck then just strip out the bottom cards you want to retain.
Why the hell wouldn’t you use the Erdnase method and not interlace the bottom cards at all? It’s far less difficult and according to Erdnase “it is absolutely impossible for any eye to follow “ when performed correctly.
Variation of the Zarrow Shuffle
Remember what Erdnase said about the Zarrow shuffle? Er, wait. Neither do I. Why are we reading variations of a move that’s not even discussed in Erdnase?
“Weave the comers only slightly into each other” made me chuckle
I really don’t see much to talk about here so I’m moving right along.
2nd,Variation
The 2nd variation is exactly what Herb Zarrow says not to do on his DVD “On the Zarrow Shuffle”
3rd Variation
This is almost identical to Erdnase’ third method of Blind Shuffles, Retaining Entire Order. The only difference I see is using the right forefinger instead of the thumb for spreading the top cards to conceal the unweave. Perhaps this shuffle is performed on the table distancing the technique a bit more from Erdnase, but Racherbaumer doesn’t specify.
What’s confusing about this technique to me is how it is presented as something new and innovative since Erdnase.
4th Variation
Another variation of Erdnase’ third method. Although it’s very simple, I like the idea. Definitely something I will work on.
Lessinout cull
I would argue that this is not an improvement of the Erdnase system of cull shuffling at all. The beauty of the Erdnase cull is that the entire deck appears to be shuffled.
The Lessinout cull is weak because of continually running single cards from the top of the deck. Anyone with half a brain could figure out that the majority of the cards are never shuffled.
Erdnase easily could have described the Lessinout cull. He explains how to bring a card that’s on top to the bottom by undercutting to the top card and throwing the other 51 cards on top, but provides a more complicated alternative with an injog because the point of a cull shuffle is to actually appear to shuffle the cards.
Erdnase explains the sequence should be made....
“in a manner so natural and regular that not a movement is made that indicates anything more than the purpose of thoroughly shuffling the deck.”
The lessinout cull fails in this aspect.
The Lessinout cull may be good for magic, but at the card table it is a lazy and obvious alternative for the Erdnase culls.
Lessinout Stack
Marlo apparently didn’t like using injogs or outjogs to stack. The alternative presented in the Lessinout Stack is a crimp. The crimp is really only used in the last sequence of the shuffle where (finally) some cards are actually shuffled in groups to the top. The book quotes Marlo as saying “You will find that the final fair shuffle will throw off students of Erdnase”. By that I think he means this last sequence is the only part of the lessinout stack that isn’t ridiculously apparent to an infant.
Besides, Erdnase thinks preparing cards by crimping them is a makeshift technique that should be dispensed with by anyone who knows any better methods anyway.
Streamlined Lessinout Stack
This is a neat little routine for demonstrating overhand stacking using a secret crimp. While this is good for magic, is has little to do with Erdnase and is a bit redundant. We have the same issues we do with the other Lessinout shuffles.
Marnese Overhand Stack
Unless there is something I am missing, this is identical to the technique Erdnase describes in the first method he gives for stock shuffling on page 68.
Marlos Methods of Injogging (1st-4th methods)
1st method
Okay here is the first thing out of this book that is of use to an Erdnase student. Basically this is a way to conceal the breaks that are sometimes visible when a performer stacks or culls via an Erdnase method. This is a good substitute for those that do not want to put the time necessary to perform the Erdnase techniques to his specifications; by having breaks “from an eighth to a quarter of an inch wide”.
2nd, 3rd, and 4th methods
These are more ways of concealing/eliminating the breaks by angling the jogged cards to control their position.
The downfall of these techniques are that the angled cards (especially when using a deck with borders) are easily visible. If you can’t perform the shuffles/culls up to Erdnase standards, it is still better to have a large break in the back of the deck then to have a card visibly angled.
Overhand Cull Shorts
Great idea for culling using short cards, but has no relevance at all to Erdnase. This is an idea that’s really worth toying with if you don’t mind making/using altered cards.
The 3 1/2 Second Stack
This is a technique for stacking the four aces for five hands. This trick falls under a category I would call ‘cheating at cheating’. Think of using a deck full of duplicates to demonstrate a flawless pass. It just doesn’t make much sense to me. if you are going to demonstrate something difficult- just put the time in to perfect your chops. I’m not a big fan of these type of shortcuts. This trick requires a crimp and a sneaky get ready. No relevance at all to Erdnase and is only impressive when a magician is timing you with a stop watch.
The 4 1/2 Second Stack
Erdnase never talks about the milk shuffle. He talks about alternating taking tops and bottom during the overhand shuffle, but never at the same time. The 4 1/2 Second Stack is exactly that.
Riffle Shuffling
Under this heading the author describes in many words he doesn’t have the space required to explain Riffle Shuffling (?)
Strip-out shuffle
Here is what Erdnase says about strip outs and push throughs:
“The blind process of riffling the two packets truly together, and squaring up in a slightly diagonal position, then withdrawing the packets, throwing the original top one on top again; or pushing the two packets completely through in the diagonal position, leaving the order of the whole deck the same, is quite possible, but very difficult to perform perfectly.”
Not very proficient for an explanation eh? Hopefully Marlo on Erdnase does a better job explaining. Racherbaumer writes:
After undercutting and interlacing....“execute all the steps leading up to the strip out position. Then strip out...”
Wait, what the hell? Erdnase gives us more specific technique then Racherbaumer does. A huge waste of space here.
Then a one step up-the-ladder cut is explained with three photos. I’d say page filler here.
Roman Shuffle
“This technique permits you to apparently perform a conventional in-the-hands Riffle Shuffle and a straight cut without disturbing the entire order of the deck”
Racherbaumer continues....
“Table the deck for a riffle shuffle..”
Anyone else notice some inconsistency? Just because I use my hands doesn’t mean it’s in the hands. I’d prefer not using the table at all for a false in-the-hands riffle shuffle. 8 photos of page filling action for this move.
Kid Royal Concept
Under this heading Racherbaumer justifies the page fillers by reminding us that Erdnase spoke “briefly” about strip outs.
Block Strip Out With Triple Cut
A way to conceal a strip out by simulating a running cut. A better alternative is to cut the top half of a tabled deck to the left, interlace, push the bottom packet through the top packet, then pick up the deck and strip out as Erdnase describes in the second method for Ordinary Methods Of Stocking, Locating And Securing. Follow up with a false running cut by taking a packet from the bottom of the cards remaining in the right hand and dropping them on top of the tabled (stripped out) packet. Then drop the remaining cards in the right hand on top of the tabled cards.
This is better because (1) I made a reference to Erdnase (gasp) (2) There is no breaks and (3) there is no repositioning of the hands while you’re dirty with the packets jogged.
To Keep the Bottom Stock
Wow I’m glad I was sitting down while reading; this is an atrocious idea. On the other hand if you’re looking for a bottom stock retention that really appears to blind shuffle the entire deck, this is for you. The concept is to interlace the entire deck then just strip out the bottom cards you want to retain.
Why the hell wouldn’t you use the Erdnase method and not interlace the bottom cards at all? It’s far less difficult and according to Erdnase “it is absolutely impossible for any eye to follow “ when performed correctly.
Variation of the Zarrow Shuffle
Remember what Erdnase said about the Zarrow shuffle? Er, wait. Neither do I. Why are we reading variations of a move that’s not even discussed in Erdnase?
“Weave the comers only slightly into each other” made me chuckle
I really don’t see much to talk about here so I’m moving right along.
2nd,Variation
The 2nd variation is exactly what Herb Zarrow says not to do on his DVD “On the Zarrow Shuffle”
3rd Variation
This is almost identical to Erdnase’ third method of Blind Shuffles, Retaining Entire Order. The only difference I see is using the right forefinger instead of the thumb for spreading the top cards to conceal the unweave. Perhaps this shuffle is performed on the table distancing the technique a bit more from Erdnase, but Racherbaumer doesn’t specify.
What’s confusing about this technique to me is how it is presented as something new and innovative since Erdnase.
4th Variation
Another variation of Erdnase’ third method. Although it’s very simple, I like the idea. Definitely something I will work on.
See my review of the earlier parts of the book here
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