Also by Stephen Hobbs ‘Mobus OrERANDI: THE CARD MAGIC OF JACK CARPENTER, MEI YEDID'S MAGICAL WISHES LABYRINTH GENE MAZE AND THE ART OF BOTTOM DEALING Written by STEPHEN HOBBS Illustrated by EARLE OAKES Edited by MATHEW FIELD Published by KAUFMAN and GREENBERGPrinted and Bound in the United States of America Book Design by Stephen Hobbs Cover Design by Richard Kaufman First Edition 654321 © Copyright 1994 by Stephen Hobbs All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information and retrieval system known or to be invented, without written permission. For SAM SCHUMAN (1940 - 1991) The greatest talent I'll ever know. Keep smiling Boss. Wherever you are. GENE MazeCONTENTS Iniroduction: Richard Kaufman. Foreword: Darwin Ortiz Preface: Stephen Hobbs. Acknowledgment: Gene Maze. Chapter One: Bottom Deal Technique & Theory Basle Bottom Deal. Underhand Stud Botwom Deal. Double Deal. Back-Take Bottom Deal. Chapter Two: One-Hand & Center Deal Technique ‘One-Handed Bottom Deal. Maze Center Deal. Chapter Three: Additional Sleights Table Replacement Control Push-Through Subllery, Second Deal Lap. Unit Grip. Chapter Four: Introductory Routines for the Bottom Deal Triple Threat The Zodiac Card. (Odd Man Out Cased Lightning. Miss-Matched Chapter Five: Routines with the Underhand Stud Bottom Deal Match-Missed. MindBreaker Follow the Joker Passing Through. Return Trip vx is 3B 7 2 29 B 2 5 7 e 6 66 0” 70 74 76 30 32Chapter Six: Routines with the Double Deal Double Deal Aces Magnetic Attraction. Open-Face Poker Stack Inverted Poker Big Oversight. Chapter Seven: Routines with the One-Handed Bottom Deal Duo-Mental. Mated. "5 && 10, Not the Store Face-Up Locator Toss-In. Caught in the Act Sympathetic Thoughs Passing Through Criss-Cross The Flying Color Change ‘Chapter Eight: Routines with the Center Deal Mirror Image. Center Deal Mated: Nes. 1 & 2 Control of the Colors Hard Way Poker. Chapter Nine: Advanced Routines A Touch of the Mentalist. Daley's Ghost Ace 10 Five Reprise, Maze Cards Across. Witd Card Nos. 1.& 2 Chapter Ten: “Birds of a Feather” Routines Blockbuster Aces. Ezam Aces. “Going Up!” Uncle Charlie's Aces Mercury Aces. Maze’s Progressive Aces Disassembly of the Aces. Select Bibliography (With Annotations) 90 92 95 98 104 106 109 12 ia 116 us 120 123 128 130 12 7 140 146 1ST 138 158 166 mm 173 176 18) 189 191 INTRODUCTION | first met Gene Maze in my early teens, He did not hesitate in introducing himself and showing me remarkable card tricks. Even at that ‘age I could tell that what I was seeing was beyond the abilities of most other cardmen, 1 was so intimidated by his ability that it was not until years later that 1 was able to perform a irick in his presence. This was not, however, because Gene was the least bit egotistical, or pretentious about either his ability or his creations. It was simply his prodigious talent that prevented me from doing a trick for him. There were others who might have said, “This kid doesn't even have the courtesy 10 do a trick for me, what the hell am I talking to him for.” Gene did not say that. On the contrary, he ‘was (and still is) among the most unassuming and modest individuals 1 have ever met. If he thought it strange that he was showing me lots of unbelievable magic and | was not reciprocating, he said nothing about it and did not behave any differently because of it. When I eventually did find the courage to do some card stuff for him, 1 found him to be the finest critic in all of my experience. Gene never minced words, for he feels that it is of no use whatsoever to tell someone that a thing is fine when it is not and, furthermore, that it is a disservice to a friend to do so. And so he did the thing so rare: he always told the truth. Yikes! Sometimes it was tough — some great idea that I had been nurturing all week, shown tentatively to Gene on a Saturday afternoon, and many times he didn’t like it. Many times. He had only the best intentions, and it was very helpful to count on having a “true” eye among your friends. There are too many bullshitters on the prowl. And he never began, without being asked, to add his own ideas to your trick in order to turn it into something else — he had no ego, no need to put his imprimatur on someone else’s trick All of this was in contrast to some others I knew as a youth who shall remain anonymous (the worst possible fate from their point of view). It was only in contrast to their egomaniacal babbling and insistence upon “fixing” tricks created by others that I was able to see how Gene stood out as being an entirely different type of person in so many ways from the crowd. And J’m sure he took pleasure in this.1 began spending my summer months at a sleep-away camp in the Catskills, and during this two-month period rarely did a week go by without an envelope arriving from the Bronx, bearing a familiar return address, but always from a different fictitious sender such as “Three Fingers O'Toole,” “Packet Switch O°Leary,” “Side-Steal Mulligan,” “Kelly De’ Version,” and “Slick Palms O"Heam.” Of course the letter inside was always from Gene, and the best part was his latest miracle, typed out on onionskin paper. I still have all of these tricks, sent over a period of many years during the summers of my youth. I'm sure it seemed strange to my bunk-mates that I would rather sit inside and read the description of a card trick than play softball, but there you are. Many of these tricks utilized a sleight that no one else in New York did: the bottom deal. In fact, in all my travels since then I have rarely seen anyone do a bottom deal, and almost never seen it utilized in tricks, In fact, with the exceptions of Larry Jennings and Wes James, both of whom had bottom deals published in Epilogue and were happy 10 demonstrate them (and deceptively!) upon request, as well as Darwin Ortiz, I have seen few others even attempt the s ‘Time passes. Gene continued working at his trade of carpentry, periodically whacking his fingers with a hammer but doing card tricks anyway, while I moved on to the writing and publishing of magic books. During this period, Gene also perfected a remarkable and utterly invisible center deal which you will find explained herein. Gene and I have been talking about doing a book called Twelve Tricks with the Bottom Deal for at least thirteen years. We even videotaped about twenty routines in the early “80s. Things always seemed, however, to get in the way of my part of the project. Fortunately for both Gene and this book, Stephen Hobbs moved to New York City the same month I fled for the more pleasant grass and trees of the outer Washington DC area, They became friends for the same reason Gene and I became friends, and it seemed only natural for Stephen to at long last complete this project. It is now considerably larger than originally planned. since the interim Gene created more material and polished the existing tricks. Both Hobbs and Earle Oakes, who did the artwork, have done a remarkable job and Iam very pleased, at long last, to bring you this wonderful book, RICHARD KAurMAN FOREWORD There is a good chance that you have never heard of Gene Maze. That fact says more about the nature of the amateur magic scene than it does about Gene; magicians with a fraction of his talent have become household names in the magic world. If the name Gene Maze is new to you, don’t make the mistake of thinking that he is a brash, young newcomer with the audacity to publish a book after a couple of years in card magic. I first met Gene twenty years ago when, as a law student, I started hanging around the New York City magic scene. | quickly discovered that there were a couple of cardmen in the area who towered above the others in technical skill and creativity. One of them was Derek Dingle. Another was Gene Maze. There were several things that set Gene apart, One was his willingness to befriend, encourage, and nurture the talents of young magicians, myself included. Another was his interest in exploring the potential of moves largely ignosed by other cardmen — moves like the Mexican turnover, hand mucks, the double deal, and most of all the bottom deal. Still another was his skill in executing these moves. This skill in execution was matched only by his talent for applying the moves in offbeat ways to create really memorable effects. In the intervening years, while other magicians have followed each new fad like leaves blown about by every passing wind, Gene has continued to follow his own muse. One result is the material you'll find in this exceptional book. ‘The work is both a fine instructional manual on the bottom deal and its variations, and a great collection of performance material. Only recently 1 was teaching one of my students the bottom. deal and T began bemoaning the fact that there are no good descriptions of the move in print. This book gocs a long way towards changing that. For the magician who wants to learn the move, it provides excellent instruction. For the magician who has already mastered the bottom deal, it ofters a great deal of food for thought from a skilled exponent of the move who hhas devoted great study to its techniques and applications.However, the most impressive thing about this book is the effects Gene has fashioned with the bottom deal. If by chance you're interested in fooling other magicians, you'll find material here that can baffle the best. I've always been very difficult to fool with cards, even in my younger days. So I can vividly recall every time someone has succeeded 1 well remember when, almost twenty years ago, Gene utterly baffled me with the effect you'll find here under the title “Double Deal Aces.” This is a trick that will stump anyone who hasn't read this book. (Of course, it'll help if you don’t tell them the title of the trick.) There are many other effects here of which the same can be said. However, I think you'll discover the real value of these effects only when you perform them for lay people. Few magicians appreciate how valuable advanced card technique can be in producing strong and memorable magic for lay audiences. The prevailing attitude is that fancy “finger flinging” (what an obnoxious phrase!) is fine for impressing, ‘magicians, but if you want to work for lay people you should stick to the sponge balls and the thumbtip. Nothing could be more wrong. Real sleight-of-hand skill can give a performer a tremendous advantage when working for lay people if he knows how to exploit it. Yet we card technicians bear much of the esponsibility for this misconception. So much of the technically advanced card magic isn’t worth doing for lay people even if it were self-working. Here, I think, is the greatest value of this book. It shows what can be done with advanced card technique when it’s intelligently applied to Produce strong magic. The handlings are direct, the methods are devious, and the effects utterly inexplicable. As you read the routines in this book, try to imagine how impossible and how intriguing they must appear to lay people. Then try to imagine any way these effects could be duplicated without skill. This is precisely what card technique should be about Stephen Hobbs has done an excellent job of recording Gene’s material. In the process he has established himself as one of the very few good writers in magic. He has also provided you with hours of reading that should be a source of both inspiration and great material, He may also have finally helped make Gene Maze an overnight sensation after only twenty years. DARWIN ORTIZ, PREFACE “The art of dealing from the bottom, although not the most difficult (o attain, is perhaps the most highly prized accomplishment of the professional.” S. W. Erdnase, The Expert at the Card Table (1902) Erdnase, when he refers to the “professional” in the above quotation, naturally has in mind the professional card cheat. Given Erdnase’s high praise, it is somewhat surprising that, in the almost one-hundred years since the publication of The Expert at the Card Table, the bottom deal thas received only minimal attention from magicians — the “other” group of professional card workers and worriers. This is not to say that the bottom deal has been completely ignored; many of the brightest names in magic have devoted considerable thought and energy to per- fecting the sleight. Nevertheless, the bottom deal has not gained wide- spread popularity and has garnered a reputation as a difficult move of limited application. Gene Maze is one of @ handful of individuals who have heeded Erd- nasc’s advise and mastered the bottom deal. Gene began experimenting with the bottom deal more than twenty years ago and has expended considerable time and energy in analyzing and perfecting its technical aspects. More importantly, he has also sought to explore and develop magical applications for the bottom deal in an effort to showcase the move's power and utility. It is Gene’s hope, and mine, that this book will inspire card workers to reconsider the bottom deal as a useful, practical, and workable tool. ‘What is the value in leaming to bottom deal? Darwin Ortiz suggests, in The Annotated Erdnase, that the trend in modem card magic has been towards the utilization of a “wide array of moves for specific purposes.” I would certainly agree. I would suggest, however, that there has been a parallel trend that emphasizes the use of powerful utility sleighs of general application. The pass is the best example, but it is by no means unique (the pinky count and certain add-on moves also come to mind). The bottom deal falls squarely into this latter category. The bottom dealis a move of potentially limitless application. It can, of course, be used to force a card — and this is probably its most common role. But the bottom deal can also be used as control, to switch a card, as secret add- on, and to displace or reposition a card (to name but a few of its many uses). In short, the bottom deal is a utility sleight of the highest order. From the beginning, I have considered this to be a “teaching text.” My Primary goal has been to teach a basic handling of the bottom deal as well as several important, but essentially straightforward, variations. To this end, the decision was made to emphasize a single method for each of the deals described — the text does not contain multiple variations or alternative handlings. Rather, only the dealing techniques that Gene actually uses and relies upon are described in detail, T have also tried to structure the text to simplify the leaming process. Chapter One concentrates solely on explaining the mechanics of the basic bottom deal and the variants that are closely related to it (the underhand stud deal, the double deal, and the back-take bottom deal) Chapter Two discusses the one-handed bottom deal and, for experts, Gene's handling of the center deal. Chapter Three outlines some additional sleights in order to avoid repetition at later points in the text. ‘The next five chapters then focus on teaching routines that use one of the dealing techniques already described. Chapter Four is dedicated to routines with the basic bottom deal, Chapter Five to routines utilizing the underhand stud bottom deal, Chapter Six to routines using the double deal, Chapter Seven to routines with the one-handed deal, and Chapter Eight to routines employing the center deal. Finally, Chapters Nine and Ten are devoted to describing “advanced” routines with the bottom deal, routines that employ several different types of bottom dealing, and routines that integrate the bottom deal with Gene’s card switching techniques. Traditionally, the bottom deal has been used primarily in “countdown™ effects and “gambling” effects. Gene, however, prefers to emphasize routines that are “magical” in nature. He strongly believes that the audience should have no idea that any form of false dealing is being employed. To be sure, there are several countdown effects included in this book, but with twists and subtleties that disguise the presence of the bottom deal. There are also a few routines that have a gambling theme, ‘but they do not require that you simply deal the aces to yourself from the bottom of the deck. There is little doubt that many individuals will look askance at a book devoted entirely to the bottom deal. I believe that this is due not only to ie : the myth of difficulty that surrounds the bottom deal, but also becaise there has been a lack of good, strong routines 10 encourage people to consider learning the technique. I hope that this book will serve as a first step in eliminating this impediment. One has only to experience the mpact of routines such as “Passing Through,” “Magnetic Attraction,” or ‘A Touch of the Mentalist” to realize that the bottom deal is a powerful and deceptive tool. It is a tool that, with a modest amount of effort, you too can master. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my warmest thanks ( Gene Maze. Gene was one of the first magicians | met after moving to New York City two years ago. From the beginning — well before this project was undertaken — he has been both a teacher and a friend. Ithas been an honor and privilege to work with him in preparing this text and can only hope that I have done justice to the man and his magic. : wi ike to thank Richard Kaufman, both for entrusting me wit toe eject and for his encouragement during its gestation. Earle Oakes deserves special thanks for the wonderful drawings that grace the tex: Finally, my greatest thanks is reserved for Shannon, It is her love and support that keeps me going. ‘STEPHEN HOBBSACKNOWLEDGMENT It would be inconsiderate of me not to mention the magicians who have strongly influenced me over the years. The first individual to publish any ‘of my material was Ellison Poland and that was twenty years ago in his book The First Addendum to Wonderful Routines of Magic. During t Period that I’ developed a great interest in false deals and realized that their use was not restricted to gambling demonstrations or “stop” effects. ‘Years later I met Karl Fulves and it was he that really opened the door for me by forcing my thinking in new directions. The result was wo Published manuscripts — Packet Switches: Parts Four and Five.| shall always be grateful to Karl for his encouragement and confidenes. Richard Kaufman and | have been friends for twenty or more years but we have never allowed friendship and business to clash. When he first approached me in regards to his writing a book on some of my material, | was hesitant — but he talked me into it and the result, The Gene Maze Card Book, was encouraging. Thanks (o Richard Kaufman and Karl Fulves, my little toe was in that doorway of recognition. Without the support of Meir Yedid, the video we produced together would never have been made, He is another person that I shall always be indebted to. Through Meir’s efforts on my behalf I had reached the point where my foot was in the doorway to success. Behind the scenes are my friends who have stood by me and offered suggestions and advice whenever necessary: Eric Dockery, Peter Lentini, Rene Clement, and Vinnie Sabatino are but a few that have had the patience to watch me demonstrate my latest effects and then openly discuss their “pros and cons.” I would also like to thank my friend and Scottish correspondent, Peter Duffie for his suggestions and comments concerning this material, Finally, without the efforts of Stephen Hobbs I am sure this book would not have been written. I am grateful that he was willing to tackle this project with the eagerness that he has. GENE Maze CHAPTER ONE BOTTOM DEAL TECHNIQUE & THEORY BASIC BOTTOM DEAL UNDERHAND STUD BOTTOM DEAL Douse DEAL BACK-TAKE BOTTOM DEAL.2 THE ART OF BOTTOM DEALING BASIC BOTTOM DEAL. ‘Over time, Gene has developed his own distinctive approach to bottom dealing. While the basic method is that of a “strike” bottom deal (also known as a “take,” “rip.” or “pull-out” bottom deal), Gene has carefully refined each element of the technique to create his own, unique handling ‘Gene does not claim to have the “perfect” bottom deal — he claims only that this technique works for him, Ultimately, every individual who wishes to master the bottom deal must go through the same process as Gene. adapting the technical specifics of the deal to their own abilities and style For those who are just beginning 10 Work on the bottom deal, however, the techniques and advice described below should prove invaluable The following description is quite detailed. It is unlikely that all of the information can be absorbed in a single practice session. It certainly was not imparted to me ina single sitting. Rather. it represents more than a year of studying Gene's bottom deal technique and theory. I have tried to include all of the relevant information that Gene has imparted to me in the course of this study — knowing that the significance of some elements will become apparent only after other elements have been absorbed and mastered. My hope is that this information will serve as an ongoing resource for those wishing to learn the bottom deal. Overview: In light of the rather technical description to follow, I want to highlight the two most important goals of the bottom deal: First, 10 consistently create the illusion that the top card has been dealt from te deck. Second, to maintain an even rhythm and tempo when dealing, regardless of whether the top o bottom card is being dealt. Keeping these ‘wo points in mind will help greally in integrating and mastering the technical details of the deal. ‘The left-hand dealing grip and the position of the right-hand fingers at Uwe ‘moment of the “take” are described first. This is followed by a description of the left-hand’ dealing action and the mechanics of the “taking” action. ‘The Left-Hand Grip: The left hand holds the deck in a modified Erdnase rip. The finger positions and pressures employed, however. are different from the “standard” modified Erdnase grip. 1 | BorioM DEAL TECHNIQUE & THEORY 3 “The first finger lies along the outer end of the deck, the outermost joint of the finger resting against the cnd of the deck about one-half inch from the ‘outer might corner. The lip of the first finger should rise slightly above the top of the deck — it will serve as a “guide” or “stop” for the top card when the left thumb pulls it back onto the deck during the false dal “The inner left corner of the deck rests at the base of the thumb, the exact, position being determined by the size of the hand, The deck is held by diagonal pressure between the first finger and the base of the thumb. 2 “The second finger rests next to the first finger. It, too, is curled against the outer end of the deck. The second finger is not pressed against the outer right corner of the deck. Moreover, the second finger plays no role in ‘gripping the deck. That is, it does not exert any pressure inwards against, the base of the thumb. Instead, the second finger presses lightly against the side of the first finger. This is an extremely important point and distinguishes Gene’s bottom deal grip from similar methods of holding the deck. Gene believes that using the second finger to grip the deck against the base of the thumb impedes the removal of the bottom card. This is especially true if the second finger is curled around the outer right corner ‘of the deck — in which case the bottom card must be physically buckled before it can move past the first finger. Any such buckling action hinders ‘a smooth take of the bottom card and unacceptably slows the dealing action, The second finger, therefore, does not take an active role in holding, the deck, but instead serves simply to conceal the right second finger as it moves beneath the deck to extract the bottom card,+ THE ARI OF BOTTOM DEALING. ‘The left third and fourth fingers rest against the right side of the deck, about an inch down from the outer right corner. ‘The precise position of these fingers is not critical — and will vary depending upon the size the hand — so long as there is a fairly large gap between the third finger and the outer right comer of the deck (to permit the right second finger 10 travel smoothly beneath the deck during the deal) ‘The tips of the third and fourth fingers should not ride too high over the deck; instead, they should just come up to the plane of the top of the deck, IF these fingers are curled above the top of the deck, it will become necessary to lower them in order to smoothly remove the bottom card ‘resulting in the dreaded “ett finger flash.” The third and fourth fingers do not take an active role in holding the deck. That is, they do not continuously press the deck against the base of the thumb. During the course of the deal, however, the two fingers will naturally aid in squaring the deck should it become uneven or misaligned. 3 4 Finally, the left thumb rests against the top of the deck, the tip of the thumb roughly in line with the tip of the left first finger. The precise Position of the thumb is not critical, as Hong as two points are kept in mind: First, there should be some space between the thumb tip and the Outer end of the deck (to permit the right thumb room to brush across the op card of the deck, as described below). Second, the thumb should not Fest too near the outer left corner of the deck (a position which makes it somewhat difficult (o control the top card), ‘The left-hand dealing grip and finger positions, seen from several angles, are shown in illustrations J through 5. ‘The Right-Hand Grip: Here are the finger positions of the right hand at the moment of the “take” of the bottom card: BOTIOM DEAL TECHNIQUE & THEORY 5 ‘The right first finger travels in front of the left first and second fingers the pad of the right finger resting against the left first and second fingernails. The right first finger exerts no pressure against the left fingers, its sole function is to help conceal the fact that the second finger is traveling beneath the deck. ‘The right sccond finger is the finger that actually extracts the bottom card It moves beneath the deck hetween the left second and third fingers for as far as it can comfortably go — generally up to the sccond joint of the finger. Traveling deep under the deck increases the surface area of the second finger that is in direct contact with the bottom card; which decreases the possibility of the second finger failing to engage the boitom card and coming away empty during the deal. It is important that the second finger always travel beneath the deck as described, regardless of whether the bottom or the top card is to be dealt. Doing so maintains the uniformity of action that is critical to creating the illusion that only the top card is being dealt, 5 6 ‘The third and fourth fingers are curled loosely against the palm of the right hand, ‘These fingers take no part in the dealing action and coukd in fact remain open, traveling beneath the left third and fourth fingers as the cards are dealt. The curled position of these fingers, however, will become important during the “underhand stud bottom deal” and the “double-deal” and it is best to become accustomed to maintaining this position during the regular bottom deal. The pad of the right thumb contacts the top card near the outer end of the deck slightly to the left of midpoint. This means that almost the eatire6 IME ART OF BOTTOM DEALING thumb lics across the cuter end of the deck. Gene bel take” dealing action (similar in some respects (0 Marlo’s “thumb cross’ deals) is essential to a deceptive bottom deal. ‘The deep take not only Provides cover for the extraction of the bottom card, but really “sells” the act that the top card has been dealt to the table. es thal this “Weep ‘The position of the right fingers at the moment of the take are shown in Mlustrations 6 through 8, ‘The Dealing Action and the Take: Gene believes that the deceptiveness of the bottom deal depends largely on the natural dealing action of the left hand. He is firmly opposed to the notion that a deceptive illusion can be obtained with a “dead” or motionless left hand. It is therefore critical that the left hand 7iot rest on the table — doing so only ensures that the hand will not move. The hand must swing naturally above the table top, executing a small left-to-right arc, ‘The deck begins in the left hand about an inch above the table, its short ends parallel to the table's inner edge. The hand swings to the right (about 3 to4 inches) and slightly upwards (about 2 inches). At the same time, the wrist rotates inwards so that the outer end of the deck pivots roughly 30 BOTTOM DEAL TECHNIQUE & IHFORY 7 degrees to the right. During tis action. the plane of the deck remains parallel to the top of the table — do not “necktie” the deck to obscure the top card. See Illustration 9 which shows the hrands just before they meet 9 ‘As the left hand moves swings to the right, the left thumb pushes the top ‘card to the right in one of two ways. If the deal is to be executed slowly ‘with the emphasis on the fact that a single card is to be taken, then the card is pushed directly to the right so that its outer and inner ends of the remain aligned with the ends of the deck. Mustration 10. w u If several cards are to be dealt in rapid succession (either from the top or bottom), then the top card is angled inwards and to the right, using the base of the thumb and the inner left comer of the card as a pivot post. Mlustration 118 THE ART OF BOTTOM DEALING In cither case it is not necessary to push the {op card very far to the right, 4 quarter-inch is more than enough. The more the card is pushed 10 the Fight, the greater the distance that it must travel to return flush with the deck — which can hur the illusion that the top card has been dealt. ‘The right hand has not been idle during this time. As the left hand moves (o the right, the right hand moves to meet it, timing its action so that the ‘two hands meet at the peak of the left-hand arc, As the hands meet, the right hand moves into pesition to take the bottom card as described above ‘The take of the bottom card is ultimately hard to describe — it is an action that has a “feel” that will come only with practice. The right second finger presses up against the lowermost card of the deck. The bottom card. 4s not buckled or loosened in any way by either the left or the right fingers. ‘AS soon as the right second finger has contacted the bottom card, the left hand begins to move back to the left, retracing its original arc, The bottom card is held in place by the pressure of the right second finger as the lefi hand carries the deck away. In other words, it is the larger action of moving the deck to the Jeft that is primarily responsible for freeing the bottom card. I say primarily, because the right hand assists by moving to the right in a natural dealing action and the right second finger also curls rapidly inwards which serves to “snap” the bottom card free of the deck. Figure 12 is a stop-action shot showing the bottom card in the process of being extracted from the deck. 12 During the take of the bottom card, the right thumb simply slides across the top of the deck, between the left thumb and the outer edge of the deck. ‘This dealing action aids wemendously in creating the illusion that the top card is being dealt. | BOTTOM DEAL TECHNIQUE & THEORY 9 As the left hand begins to move back to the left, the left thumb pulls the top card flush with the deck. The fact that the left first finger protrudes slightly above the upper plane of the deck means that the top card can be pulled back quickly and with some force — the top card is almost automatically aligned with the deck as its outer end hits and then slides against the tip of the left first finger. Now comes a timing action that is crucial to the creation of a decepive itusion. As the bottom card clears the deck its traditional to deal the card directly downwards onto the table. Gene, however, actually moves the right hand upwards slightly, This upward acuon, combined with the left hand’s downward movement, leaves the card in the right hand above the plane of the deck. Mustrations 13. The fact that the card ends above the deck creates a strong positive illusion that the top card was actually dealt 13 As the card is being pulled from beneath the deck. there is a natural tendency to lower the left third and fourth fingers. Indeed, at first it will seem impossible to remove the bottom card without doing so, This tendency must be avoided at all costs. It is the one sure “tell” of a bottom deal. Rather, the bottom card is allowed to slide over the left third and fourth fingers which loosen their pressure very slightly to accommodate the removal of the card. During the course of dealing several bottoms in fairly rapid succession, the left third and fourth fingers may begin to slide beneath the deck Gene's advice is not to fight this — the lower the fingers ride the easier it is to remove the bottom card. Do not, however, allow the fingers to travel 0 far beneath the deck that the cards can not be regripped with ease.10 THE ART OF BOTTOM DEALING ‘That completes the technical description of the basic bottom deal. It may appear t0 be an overwhelming amount of information — all of it is, 'm afraid, essential. With detcrmination and some dedicated practice, however, the bottom deal is well within the grasp of most card workers, | would now like to briefly discuss some hints and advice past along by Gene in the course of our conversations. This material in this section might best be termed “applied theory.” Deck Thickness: It is a truism that the thinner the deck, the easier and more deceptive the botiom deal. Gene takes this advice to heart, and routines every effect s0 that he is bottom dealing from a half-deck or ‘ess. This is an interesting and revealing bit of information. If Gene Maze (who has eamed a reputation as a false dealing expert) elects to never orto deal from a full deck, then it only makes sense to do the same. Gene can, of course, bottom deal from a full deck when he has to. He understands, however, that it is rarely necessary to do so — particularly when performing magical, as opposed to gambling, routines. The safer land more deceptive approach is to work with less than a full deck. When Practicing bottom dealing, however, it is important to work with both a half-deck and a full deck. When you are comfortable dealing from a full deck, bottom dealing from a half-deck becomes much easier and bottom dealing from a small packet becomes almost ridiculously simple. Dealing Style: Gene invariably offers three pieces of advice to those who ‘come to him with questions concerning the bottom deal: First, be sure that the left hand is not immobile, Second, avoid dealing consecutive bottoms. ‘Third, practice “sailing” the cards to the table rather than dealing them into a neat pile. Together, these three pieces of advice emphasize the need to bottom deal in a relaxed and natural manner. ‘The importance of a natural left-hand dealing action has been discussed above. It is Gene’s firm conviction that it is impossible to deal a deceptive bottom with a “static” or immobile dealing hand. Avoid dealing consecutive bottoms. It is important to be able (0 move smoothly from dealing tops to dealing bottoms and vice versa. The only way to become proficient at doing so is to mix dealing bottoms and tops ‘when you practice, Practice dealing bottoms in set patterns (top-top- bottom, top-top-bottom, etc.) as well as bottom dealing at random points in a series of legitimate tops. One excellent way to do this is to turn the deck face up and deal the cards to the table, bottom dealing whenever you ‘come to a spade. BOTTOM DEAL TECHNIQUE & THEORY u Finally, avoid rapidly bottom dealing into a single pile in front of you ‘This is an easy habit to get into when practicing the bottom deal, but only reinforces a number of bad habits. One way to avoid this is to practice dealing as if you were playing a real game of poker or blackjack, bottom, dealing (0 yourself or another specified player. 14 Gene also strongly encourages his students to practice bottom dealing by “sailing” the cards into a haphazard pile some distance in front of you. Mlustration 14 15 ‘The action of sailing a bottom is exactly the same as if you were 10 sail the top card. As soon as the card clears the deck, itis spun forward by a combination of an outwards throwing motion of the wrist and a flicking action of the right third finger. Illustration 15. Sailing the cards as they are dealt forces you to deal in a loose and relaxed fashion.R THE ART OF BOTTOM DEALING Noise: When learning 0 bottom deal, many people become concemed about the difference in sound between the bottom deal and a legitimate deal from the top. Gene has two pieves of advice: First, do not worry too much about noise when you are first learning to bottom deal. The fact is that, in most performing environmen, and for ‘most audiences, the difference in “noise” between @ top and a bortom is not the most crucial factor in creating a deceptive illusion. This docs not ‘mean that it is not a factor at all; but Gene believes that if you are overly concerned about noise at first, st may impede the development of a smooth bottom deal Second, after you become proficient at extracting the bottom card, adjust your dealing 10 minimize any audible differences between your tops and bottoms. ‘This means attempting to extract the bottom card with a minimum of noise. It also means adjusting the sound of your legitimate ‘dealing from the top to match the sound made by your best bottom deals (a difficult process to explain in print, but relatively simple in practice). Cover: Gene also believes that is important to routine your effects so that the bottom deal is “covered” or “disguised” by natural actions, This is Particularly true when you are first learning to bottom deal. Many of the ‘effects described in this book have their own cover for the bottom deal built into them, in others (particularly the advanced routines described in ‘Chapters Nine and Ten) the choice of cover is left up 10 you. ‘There are several methods that Gene routinely uses to disguise the fact that a bottom is being dealt: (1) The bottom deal can be executed in the middle of a series of tops. This is very effective in certain situations as the bottom deal blends invisibly into the surrounding, legitimate deals. (2) The