Indispensable Sleights

This is a teaching introduction rather than a single trick. It reassures the beginner that the word 'sleight' need not be intimidating, and that a few easy secret moves are well within reach of anyone

To the audience this looks like the most ordinary shuffle in the world, cards drawn off in small packets from one hand to the other.

The springy table-style shuffle, handled so chosen top or bottom cards quietly stay put.

A cut that looks like an honest mix yet leaves the entire deck in its original order.

A card vanishes from the deck and is later produced from thin air, a pocket, or anywhere you wish.

A chosen card is buried in the middle of the pack yet instantly ends up under your complete control on top.

You show what seems to be the single top card, yet it behaves impossibly, returning or changing on command.

You name the bottom card and deal it, yet a different card lands instead, exactly when you need it to.

A freely chosen card is shuffled back, yet you instantly bring it under your control without any visible effort.

A spectator freely picks a card from the spread, yet it turns out to be exactly the one you intended all along.

A spectator slides a knife into the deck wherever they wish, yet ends up cutting to the exact card you chose.