Cardistry
Why cardistry?
I was always curious about magic.Is it science? Is it witchcraft? Is magic even real? To answer it simply,it’s mathematics out of context.The “magician” does a really complex mathematic ecuation and you have no idea of the variables,the calculation or the result.And that is the “Surprise” of the “magic trick”.Despite real or not magic tricks are really appealing in the eye and the mind.So having said that,allow me to tell you this.I really love Batman.And his world.We will talk more about that in the comic book category but with Batman comes the Joker.A trickster,comedian,psychopath,villain that does yes magic tricks.Sadistic ones I know but the more I read about the Joker and seeing him with a deck of cards,I always wanted to look for more about cards and their meaning.Sure I was exposed in an early age to a standard deck of cards but the Joker really made me associate the cards with something more.Something mysterious.
The Origin Story
The meaning of the cards is really a fascinating subject on itself but long story short it just depicts the way of living in medieval France.Searching for the history of the deck of cards and it’s meanings was really interesting.The cards themselves presumably started in china before the 1000 AD.Because of the many wars in the world,the soldiers had a lot of time waiting,so they created or used tools to “play” out of boredom.One of the games was a version of cards with symbols.And as soldiers move to countries so did the cards.
And we reach France between 1370-1390 AD.That period was the formation of the well known deck of cards with the King,Queen,Jack etc.Most of the symbols represented the royals out of respect and the other “lesser” cards represented argecalture “Clubs”,warfare “Spades”,romance “Heart” and so on.Of course due to time the deck of playing cards had tromendous variations but the basic deck as we know today originated at that time.Futhermore than “playing” with the deck of cards,many cultures used the cards symbols for telling or predicting the future which made them a really important cultural symbol for many countries.Fortune-telling was practiced so much and thus the “Tarot” deck of cards was born.
Death or Bad luck?
Even with the Tarot deck of cards in which you have only symbol-based cards exclusivly for fortune-telling,the standard deck of cards did not lose it’s mysticism.To mention a few,first we start with the infamous ace of spades.In many countries the spade symbol means weapon,sword,shovel.In French “pique” as they call it,the symbol means a sprear with an iron sharp edge.So it was usually associated with warface and battle but after time the “second” more malevolent meaning started to emerge.Shovel was and still is associated with death and grave digging and with mythos (word of mouth) the Ace of Spades card was a death warning or bad luck.
The Joker
And now we go full circle.We started with the Batman-villain ispired by the “Joker” card so it is time to talk about the actual card.To my surpise the word “Joker” comes from the german word “Jucker” and means “Jack”.It was in a way their version of the Jack but was used differently in some games.Namelly the game “Euchre” the Americans played in the late 1860s used a blank card or the Jack card as the highest ranking card.The game itself originated from the german game “Juckerspiel” which it means basically “cheat”,”trick”.Though time the Joker card was placed in the deck but never had a standard design neither a role in the deck.In some games it was the highest-ranked,in other the lowest-ranked and in some it was a wild card.The ambiguity of this card made it so interesting for artist/companies and so the desing of the Joker card was the most unique card in every deck.Still the Joker card associated with Anarchy,Liberation,Chaos.Very suitable for it’s our batman-villain I have to say.
How about a magic trick?
Finally we reached the section where I talk about magic tricks and more specificly cardistry.Of course I needed a Sensei (mentor/teacher) to start card tricks and I found the best at least for me.I searched a little on youtube about card tricks and I found this awesome human “Chris Ramsay”.After I found him I picked up a deck of cards and started to practice.He is very passionate about magic,he has a very direct and simple way to teach and he seriously knows his stuff.
LePaul Spread
So first I started to just having a deck of cards wherever I was and just play with the cards when I had the chance.It took a little time to find some easy card tricks and learn them eventually I began with the LePaul spread which is just a cool way of spreading the cards.The trick is to hold the deck in your palm and squeeze it while using your finger to guide the cards in the way you want.Really nice trick for begginers simple smooth and in addition you get used to the spreading-cards position at the same time,something you will do a lot when you perform tricks.
Spring
The most or one of the most recognizable tricks is of course the sping.And of course I just had to learn it.It is actually little harder than it seems the hardest part is the amount of cards you will drop practising it.Trust me there will be A LOT.So you diagnaly hold with your to fingers on your hand the deck and squeeze it quite hard to force the card to “fly” and the other palm of your had extended to work like a “bag” catching the cards.Sounds simple it is kinda hard to get the grip of it but after the many tries when you do it for the first time you will feel like Gambit from X-men.An unforgivable trick with a mesmerizing visual and satisfying feel.That is the Spring.
3pack Shakur
Next on the list is a begginers flourish that uses two techniques.Oh the flourish thing.Flourish is a category of tricks in which you shuffle the cards uppon doing the trick.Whatever trick has shuffle or false shuffle or a cut is a flourish trick.Spring falls in that category even though you kinda “shuffle” the cards.So 3pack shakur,nice name for the trick,thank you Chris again,you will have to do a straddle grip,a charlier cut on one side and flip a small pack of cards on the other.Not that tricky (bad joke) because of the many moves it will look chunky at first but with short practice you learn a grip,a cut and a flip method.Looks like a really smooth cut and really easy to master.
Waterfall
Another great trick is the Reverse Watefall.It is a flourish and you will need first to know the cascade.The cascade uses a specific grip which we will need to create the waterfall and then reverse it.So one hand you hold the deck with the edge of your fingers and press the deck to inflate it.Then you gently release and let the gravity do the rest.With your other hand you form a grip like a bag to catch the cards,just like in the spring trick.Once the cascade is fine by you we go to in reverse.So hold the deck for the cascade rotate hard 90 degrees and let the cards fall outwards your hand.That’s the coolest flourish you will ever see in my opinion.Really difficult but the payoff is worth it.
Fan
No need to explain that trick.Of course the fan just like the spring in one of the most recognisable tricks.It only requires doing it thousands of times.And trust me you will do it.
Kick flip flourish
This one is tricky(same bad joke).More advanced for an amateur as a flourish but it has a lot of grips to get your hands used to weird positions.It is a fancy cut.So for starters z grip.As the name indicates with one hand you hold the deck normally and with the other’s hands fingers you grap two small packs of the deck to form a Z shape.You cut the top pack in a quarter and place the quarter outwards your hands.Then you “kick” the outward pack with your freest finger (that is the hardest part) you place the pack back to the deck then a reverse scissors cut and you boom the pack that is left is your had in the again.Wow that was a lot.Propably the most fun and froustration I had trying to learn this tricks.In the end it is visually stunning but it has to be very smooth.