Card Flourish - Terminology

Terminology

• Packet - Any amount of cards separate from the rest of the deck; the word "packet" can also mean the deck itself.
• Card cut - Any move that cuts the cards, which means to switch or re-arrange the positions of two or more packets of cards.
• False cut - A move that cuts the cards without switching or re-arranging the positions of the cards.
• Display - A display of packets, single cards or fans, usually held still, then closed.
• Shuffle - Any move that mixes the cards thoroughly, this is different from a card cut because a card cut mixes larger packets of cards, but a shuffle usually mixes 1-2 cards on top of another all the way through the deck.
• False shuffle - A shuffle that uses prestidigitation to keep the cards in the original order, prior to initiating the shuffle.
• Grip - The way the deck is held in the hand.
• Long sides of the deck - The sides of the deck that are longer than the other two sides.
• Short sides of the deck - The sides of the deck that are shorter than the other two sides.
• Mechanic's grip - A way of holding the deck where it lies across the palm, and the index finger is on one short side of the deck, the other fingers are on the long side next to it, and the thumb is lying across the other long side of the deck.
• Biddle Grip - Another way of holding the deck, in which the palm is face down, the second and 3rd fingers are at the top short edge of the deck, and the thumb is at the bottom short edge of the deck holding it in position.
• Z grip - This grip is used as the base of many card flourishes. It is accomplished by holding the deck in Mechanics Grip, then raising a packet of cards up from the deck in Biddle Grip while holding another packet between the thumb of the hand in Biddle Grip and the index finger of the hand in Mechanics grip to create a 'Z' formation. This grip is commonly used as it is versatile in its applications for beginnings of flourishes.