The card slide is used in casinos as well as private card play.
The card slide, or the spreading of a deck of cards, is done to check a deck of cards for imperfections and completeness before the start of play. The dealer spreads the deck across the table, sometimes in the shape of an arc. The cards can be counted to ensure that there are exactly 52, and any differences in the cards, such as marking on the backs that could give away which cards the players are holding during play, can be identified. The spreading movement and equal distribution of cards also produce quite an impressive show for onlookers.
Instructions
1. Hold the deck of cards in your right hand, with your thumb holding the bottom edge of the deck, your index finger holding the long edge and your last three fingers holding the top edge.
2. Rest the deck of cards on the table face-down at the 9 o'clock position (level with the left side of your body), still holding the deck as before. Apply a little pressure to the deck and drag it in a sweep before the front of you, dispensing the cards quickly, one by one, onto the table. Pull the cards in a straight horizontal line. You should have an evenly spaced line of cards, each overlapping, resting on the table.
3. Flip the entire pack over using only one card. Do this by slipping the fingertips of your left hand under the first card on the left. Turn it over, and as you do, the next cards in the sequence will also turn over, continuing on until the entire pack has turned.
4. Flip the pack over again by doing the same action. Slip the fingertips of your right hand under the card on the extreme right. Turn it over and watch as the entire deck returns to its original facing.
5. Pick up the pack by slipping the fingers of your left hand, underneath the first card on the left. Push across to the right as if you are scooping up the deck. The entire deck will be pushed into a pile in the palm of your hand.
6. Practice your card slide technique and try spreading the cards out in an arc instead of a straight line. Turn the cards over and scoop them up in the same way.
Tags: deck cards, card slide, card left, entire deck, entire pack