On pages 44 to 47 of the original edition of The Expert at the Card Table, Erdnase shares two “fancy” blind cuts and one true cut that can be performed one-handed:
Even though Erdnase mentions that the two fancy blind cuts are in everyday use by “advantage players”, he admits that the previous two cuts—Cut III and IV—are far superior as card table ruses because they’re less showy and, as a consequence, draw less attention to themselves. Furthermore, Erdnase states that the “principle objection” to this kind of move is that once recognised as a blind, it can never be worked again. Although I agree, surely this is an issue with many false cuts that retain the entire order of the pack?
While it might not be wise to use such fancy cuts when gambling, they’re a good choice for magicians who want to demonstrate their manipulative skills. They work particularly well as part of a Gambler Vs Magician presentation. And if you combine them with Cuts III and IV, they become even more deceptive.
Fancy Blind Cut I
The first fancy blind cut explained by Erdnase is a triple cut to the table that retains the entire order of the pack. This is one of the best false cuts to perform when seated at a table.
You can see this cut performed in the 1973 American crime caper The Sting, starring Paul Newman as old-time confidence man Henry Gondorff and Robert Redford as Johnny Hooker, a grifter after revenge for the murder of his friend by mob boss Doyle Lonnegan.
It is a fantastic film and one of my favourites (don’t worry, no spoilers here). Anyone studying Erdnase should enjoy it. Even though the film is set approximately thirty-four years after the publication of The Expert at the Card Table, it accurately captures the spirit of the professional card cheat, as mentioned by Erdnase in his book. Coincidentally, the movie’s score uses Scott Joplin’s ragtime song “The Entertainer”, first released in 1902, the same year The Expert at the Card Table was published.
The Sting was inspired by The Big Con, a 1940 book about real-life con men Fred and Charley Gondorff. Much of the film’s plot also appears in an episode of the Orson Welles radio program The Lives of Harry Lime entitled “Horse Play”, first broadcast in 1951. David Maurer, the author of The Big Con, eventually sued the film studio for plagiarism, claiming that the screenplay was too similar to his book. Universal Studios quickly settled out of court (for a reported $300,000). You can borrow a copy of The Big Con from the Internet Archive for free.
In a scene set on a moving train—a situation Erdnase may well have operated in as a gambler—Henry Gondorff demonstrates his technical skills with the pasteboards to his protégé Johnny Hooker (see the video below).
Gambling expert and well-respected magician John Scarne was the hand double for Paul Newman. He also served as a technical adviser for the motion picture. It would have taken Newman a long time to learn the card manipulations and deck switches used in the film. He was also recovering from a broken thumb, which should have been in a cast at the time of filming. Scarne’s hands disappear off-screen at the twenty-eight-second mark in the above video clip. A clever invisible cut hides the switch back to Newman as the camera pans up to frame his face.
Scarne performs several moves from The Expert at the Card Table in the railway carriage sequence, including the second deal, Blind Cut III and Fancy Blind Cut I. He performs Fancy Blind Cut I particularly well. There is minimal hesitation between the formation of the break and subsequent cuts. I think you’ll agree that, in his hands, the ruse is incredibly deceptive.
The move itself is described well by Erdnase. However, balancing the pack on top of the card box can be helpful when practising the cut. This raises the cards a little from the surface of the table. When you have the basic manoeuvre mastered, you can remove the box. This should help you develop the correct action so that the cards fall flat and land neatly on the table.
Fancy Blind Cut II
Erdnase includes a four-cut variation of the fancy blind cut which is also worth learning. The cut appears to mix the cards haphazardly but still manages to return the pack to its original order.
This cut is more complex than its three-cut sibling but shouldn’t pose too much of a challenge to the dedicated magician, especially those well-versed in cardistry.
One-Handed Fancy True Cut
Finally, Erdnase shares an elegant one-handed true cut. Again, this technique sounds more complicated than it is in reality. The secret to performing the cut is keeping the upper packet parallel to the tabletop before you release your grip.
Erdnase also mentions that this one-handed cut can function as an effective running cut, leaving the cards in an uneven mess (allowing for the replacement of a palmed card). This cut would also be at home as part of an Ace Cutting routine that uses a crimp.
Are These Cuts Worth Learning?
Yes! I think these three cuts are all worth learning, and, along with the Charlier Cut (or Single-Handed Shift as Erdnase calls it), they provide an accessible introduction to the world of flourishing and cardistry. In fact, I think that they’re a lot of fun to learn and perform.
If you want to see some more interesting false cuts like the Fancy Blind Cut, take a look at this false cut compilation video by my friend and professional magician Doug Conn. As well as demonstrating Fancy Blind Cut I, he performs the Classic Pass False Cut, Up The Ladder False Cut, Jay Ose False Cut, Winnepeg False Cut, Frank Thompson “F.T.” Cut, and the Bobby Bernard False Cut! He also demonstrates some even fancier false cuts: The Gerry Griffin Blind Swivel Cut, the BRS (Blind Rotational Sybil) by Cap Casino and a very impressive combination cut that blends the Charlier, Hot Shot, and Revolution Cut with the T.G. Murphy Deck Flip and a few other flourishes. Now that’s a really fancy cut!