Card College - Volume 1

A Complete Course in Sleight-of-Hand Card Magic by Roberto Giobbi
Card College - Volume 1

The first volume in a landmark course in card magic, Card College Volume 1 sets the groundwork for the rest of the series.

It begins by defining clear terminology, not only to be used in the course but as is commonly used throughout the industry. Then it dives into lessons on the proper ways to hold a deck of cards, how to deal and shuffle them -- and once you have the basics down, that's when you're given the introduction into sleights and techniques.

Card College Volume 1 contains so much information, original ideas, and refinements directly from Roberto Giobbi that readers of all experience levels will receive fresh techniques and insights into the world of professional card magic.

Just a glimpse at the contents below, a word-for-word copy of the Table of Contents from the book itself, can easily show how much content is jam-packed into this volume. But don't let that phrasing turn you away -- it may have a lot, but the level of detail given and the ease at which Mr. Giobbi explains each sleight and routine can build the proper card magic foundation for every reader.

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Last I checked, you should be able to pick up Card College - Volume 1 at Amazon.

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Contents of Card College, Vol. 1

The Art of Performing Magic with Cards

  • A Personal Note
  • How to Get The Most from this Book
  • The Best Way to Learn from this Book
  • A Comment on the Illustrations
  • On the Terminology
  • Thinking Beyond What is Immediately Required
  • Art and Expression in the Handling of Cards
  • How Much Theory is Necessary?
  • The Path of the Master

A Brief History of Playing Cards

Instruments and Tools

  • The Hands
  • The Playing Cards
  • The Close-up Pad

Chapter 1: Fundamental Techniques

  • Dealing Position
  • The End Grip
  • Elevated Dealing Position
  • Squaring the Deck
  • The All-around Square-up
  • Giving the Deck a Complete Cut
  • Spreading the Cards in the Hands
  • Outjogging Cards as They are Spread Between the Hands
  • Dribbling Cards
  • Dealing Cards
  • Dealing Cards Face Down - The Draw Method
  • Dealing Cards Face Up - The Stud Method
  • The Swing Cut
  • The Break
  • The Little-finger Break
  • Forming a Little-finger Break Under the Top Card - Two-handed Method
  • Forming a Little-finger Break Under the Top Card - One-handed Method
  • Forming a Little-finger Break Under Multiple Cards
  • The Thumb Break
  • The Step
  • The Riffle
  • The Ribbon Spread

Chapter 2: Overhand Shuffle Techniques, Part 1

  • The Overhand Shuffle
  • Running Single Cards
  • Control of the Top and Bottom Cards
  • Control of the Top Card
  • Control of the Bottom Card
  • Controlling the top Stock of the Deck - The Injog Shuffle
  • Controlling the Bottom Stock
Tricks with the Overhand Shuffle
  • Thought Stealer
  • The Spectator Cuts the Aces

Chapter 3: False Cut Techniques, Part 1

  • An Optical False Cut from the Hand
  • The False Swing Cut
  • A Simple False Cut
  • A Triple False Cut
  • The Slip Cut from Dealing Position
Tricks with False Cuts
  • Hat Trick
  • Court Card Conclave

Chapter 4: Card Controls

  • The Overhand Shuffle Control
  • The "Whoops!" Control
  • The Diagonal Insertion
  • The Peek Control
  • The Post-peek Overhand Shuffle Control
  • A Peek Control for Two Cards
  • The Multiple Peek Control
  • The One-card Middle Pass
  • Other Controls
Tricks with Card Controls
  • The Shamus Card
  • The Question Is...

Chapter 5: Force Techniques, Part 1

  • The Crisscross Force
  • The Balducci Force
  • The Goldin Force
  • The Ten-to-twenty Force
A Trick with the Force
  • The Lie Detector

Chapter 6: Transfer Cuts

  • The Double Cut
  • The Triple Cut from Top to Bottom
  • The Triple Cut from Bottom to Top
Tricks with Transfer Cuts
  • Triple Coincidence
  • Seventh Son of a Seventh Son

Chapter 7: Riffle Shuffle Techniques

  • The Closed Riffle Shuffle
  • Squaring After the Shuffle
  • The Open Riffle Shuffle
  • Riffle Shuffle Stock Controls
  • Control of the Top Stock
  • Control of the Bottom Stock
  • Th Waterfall Riffle Shuffle
Tricks with Riffle Shuffle Techniques
  • The Red-black Location
  • Royal Flush Finale

Chapter 8: The Glide

  • The Glide
Tricks with the Glide
  • The Acrobat Family
  • The Coué Test

Chapter 9: The Double Lift, Part 1

  • A Double Lift
  • A Double Turnover
Tricks with a Double Lift
  • Rise and Swap
  • A Card in Hand

Chapter 10: The Key Card

  • Key-card Placement
  • The Key Card in a Hand-to-hand Spread
  • Key Card in a Ribbon Spread
  • Glimpse and Placement
  • Location, Identification and Control with a Key Card
  • Control in a Hand-to-hand Spread
  • Tabled Ribbon Spread Control
  • Further Thoughts on the Key Card
  • Shuffling with a Key Card
  • Letting the Spectator Shuffle with a Key Card
Tricks with a Key Card
  • A Phenomenal Memory
  • Your Number - Your Card
  • Thot Echo

Chapter 11: Hindu Shuffle Technique

  • The Hindu Shuffle
  • Placing a Key Card with a Hindu Shuffle
  • Glimpsing the Bottom Card with a Hindu Shuffle
  • The Hindu Shuffle Force
  • Hindu Shuffle Card Controls
  • Controlling a Single Card
  • Controlling Multiple Cards
Tricks with the Hindu Shuffle Technique
  • The Magus Card
  • The Lucky Card

Chapter 12: Flourishes, Part 1

  • Turning Over the Top Card I
  • Turning Over the Top Card II
  • Turning Over the Top Card III
  • The Charlier Cut
  • The Swivel Cut
  • The Boomerang Card
  • The Spring Riffle Shuffle
  • Jack Merlin's Riffle Shuffle
  • The Pop-up Card
  • The Wind-up Gag
  • The Two-handed Fan
  • The Broad One-handed Fan
  • The Reverse One-handed Fan
  • The Ribbon Spread Turnover

Chapter 13: Spread Cull Techniques

  • The Spread Cull
  • The Under-the-spread Force
Tricks with the Spread Cull
  • The Magic Phone Number
  • As You Like It

Chapter 14: Useful Auxiliary Sleights

  • Thumb Counting
  • The Little-finger Count
  • The Secret Addition of Cards
  • The Braue Addition
  • The Tip-over Addition
  • ATFUS
  • The Single, Double and Multiple Push-over
  • Buckling One or More Cards

Chapter 15: Force Techniques, Part 2

  • The Classic Force
  • Technique, Handling and Structure
  • The Psychological Management of the Spectators
  • The Inner Game of the Performer
  • How to Practice the Classic Foce
  • Outs
  • Direct Methods
  • Indirect Methods
  • Final Observations
  • The Riffle Force
More Tricks with the Force
  • The Jumping Pulse
  • Headliner!

Chapter 16: The Top Change

  • The Top Change
  • Top Change Covers
  • The Top Change as an Out for the Classic Force
Tricks with the Top Change
  • Metamorphosis
  • The Lucky Coin

Bibliographic Notes

Index

This book is written by Roberto Giobbi, featuring the work of various others. It includes illustrations by Barbara Giobbi-Ebnöther. Mine is a hardcover copy published in 1995 by Hermetic Press, Inc., printed in 1996 (2nd edition) with a total of 250 pages. A version of this book was published in German as Grosse Kartenshule, Band 1 by Magic Communication Roberto Giobbi in 1992.

ISBN: 978-0-945296-18-8

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