The Faro shuffle is a little more in depth then just controlling where the cards are on the top and bottom.
The Faro shuffle is the ability to not only riffle shuffle cards together at a perfect 1 to 1 intersection, but by doing so knowing exactly where every card is, all the time, and being able to control where every card goes automatically. The only catch is that you need to know the cards starting positions to do it. Easy with a deck of unsorted playing cards. The key is that by shuffling four times, do a couple cuts and/or false cuts to get the cards where you want them. Though distinctly more powerful in a game like Poker, it is also an excellent technique for any card game, if you can learn it. Since there are only three people in the world who can do a true Faro, I doubt Mike Long is one of them. Though stacking a deck isn't hard when you learn how, the Faro is just the best way and the least obvious way to do it because it is real shuffling, just highly controlled. Thats why it is such a dangereous technique, imagine playing in the days of Trix against a player whos deck was perfectly set up every single time you played them and there wasn't anything you could do about it because they technically didn't cheat. The best way to spot it is if they reverse bend the cards when riffling so that they shuffle going upwards rather then down towards the table. They'll make an odd sound like a pop/snap rather then the normal riffle shuffle sound.
The only defense is the opposing players cut and any really good card sharp can easily overcome this as well in normal circumstances.
I could have sworn that players had to offer their decks to be cut before starting play in tournaments. Though it was foolish to refuse a cut I could swear that players had to at least be given an option.
Good to see you as well Orgg, been a long time.
My roommate doesn't check the board, I do. He just has a pile of old cards laying around still.
Otherwise I'd be happy to start writing again, though you'll have to show me a dumb magic player first.
Most magic players tend to be quite intelligent in many regards.
Perhaps starting a different thread and transfering the slight of hand stuff here to it would be good though as it is off topic for the thread.
See ya soon!
