Best double lift?

[Lionsden123]

Is there a specific double lift you guys consider the best?
I usually do the one where you put a finger on the front and back and just kinda flip it over, but I've seen some where you'd never know it was a double.

I can't wait to hear some info!

Thanks,
Evan

[kissdadookie]

I personally use a strike double but a perfect (and also a 100% accuracy) push off double is undetectable!

[Lionsden123]

What's the best way to learn these? I don't know many doubles and would like to learn 1 or 2 or a bunch (lol) of good ones.

Thanks,
Evan

[Sin]

Im with kiss on this one. If you could learn it well and get it down, the strike double lift is very useful. I also find myself riffling along the back of the deck to catch a break to double lift as well fairly often. In the end, do what you find most comfortable.

A few double lift sources off the top of my head are the Card College series and The Card Magic of LePaul.

[magic mysteries]

I often use a "flying" double lift. Just a hand move to make the cards turn over. By this way, spectators cannot think there are two cards...
But, in fact, they never see two cards with any of the double lift...

[drorange]

i think the best double is larry jennings snap double as it can be done the same way for a double or triple lift. this also the favourite for Daryl taught in his encylopia (sp) of card magic

[Sleight_of_Hand]

Well to learn use Daryl's Encyclopedia of card magic I think its Volume 5 that covers double lifts..

[btaylor]

I used to use a strike double, and still do to catch my break on an off beat, but then i was talking to some magicians and they were talking about a strike double breaking tempo. It makes sense to me, so now i just get a break under 2 and perform it like a strike double. also the Stuart Gordon (i think) double is great and i sometimes use that.
hope it helps.

[kissdadookie]

The key to a truly convincing double is for you to lift the cards, regardless of them being singles, doubles, triples, etc., in the EXACT SAME WAY or as close as friggin possible. If all your lifts, regardless of how many cards you're lifting, are the same, it will look natural and you will not draw unwanted heat or burning when you perform your double. You will also not break your rhythm.

[silent]

I personally use a strike double but a perfect (and also a 100% accuracy) push off double is undetectable!

This is probably my favorite as well

[jibjibman]

The key to a truly convincing double is for you to lift the cards, regardless of them being singles, doubles, triples, etc., in the EXACT SAME WAY or as close as friggin possible. If all your lifts, regardless of how many cards you're lifting, are the same, it will look natural and you will not draw unwanted heat or burning when you perform your double. You will also not break your rhythm.

That is exactly how you should do your double lifts, as Dai Vernon said, everything must be natural, EVERYTHING. So if your normal lifts look like your double lifts, the spectators are none the wiser...

[Slavin]

Now I haven't seen that many double lifts but the best I've seen is the ultra natural double. You can see a video of it here (http://www.rpaulwilson.com/videos.htm).

[kissdadookie]

The one in the link is a perfect push off double.

[Jack The Magician]

The best looking double-lift, in my opinion, is David Blaine's. He's so smooth with it, and it looks natural. He pushes off as many cards as he wants his thumb, though it looks like one, and then uses his thumbs to seamlessly flip the cards over the deck. It's quick, but so natural that I don't even think he's performing it, though he is.

Cheers,
JTM

[RebelAce69]

The best looking double-lift, in my opinion, is David Blaine's. He's so smooth with it, and it looks natural. He pushes off as many cards as he wants his thumb, though it looks like one, and then uses his thumbs to seamlessly flip the cards over the deck. It's quick, but so natural that I don't even think he's performing it, though he is.

Cheers,
JTM

If you watch the clip of him performing for Dallas Cowboys head coach his DL is seemlingy un-noticable. So natural and smooth. I really have no tips it's all be covered. Good luck practicing.

-RA69

[coin_aholic]

I cant do it, but Harry Lorane's "Pop up" D.L.

[Jack The Magician]

If you watch the clip of him performing for Dallas Cowboys head coach his DL is seemlingy un-noticable. So natural and smooth. I really have no tips it's all be covered.

I've been practicing it for a couple of weeks, but I still can't perfect it. He uses his thumb to push off as many cards as he wants, but they all stay together, making it look like its one card. Then, maintaining all the cards while flipping them over with just two fingers is tough.

Cheers,
JTM

[Blindside462]

Lee Asher's Diving Board Double silly

[Mesmer]

Now I haven't seen that many double lifts but the best I've seen is the ultra natural double. You can see a video of it here (http://www.rpaulwilson.com/videos.htm).

The DL that I use most is Wilson's Hit and Pinch, which can be found in the same PDF that teaches the Ultra Natural. The best part? The PDF is only $5! VERY much worth it...

[Eddie]

I just double lift as I would do with a normal lift...

[Scorch420]

I use several of the DLs taught on Gregory Wilson's Double Take. Alot of them don't require any sort of break whatsoever. This can be very helpful when a spec is burning your hands. If you are looking to learn many different variations of a double lift, I highly suggest you check this DVD out. It also teaches a few great tricks.

[MagicIsDead]

right exactly

[Jordan Lapping]

I think the best doubles lifts are the ones that you perform the most effortlessly and comfortably. If you are unsure of yourself when performing them, then they will look like a move and not just a simple turning over of a card.

The best double lifts should not look like a move.

Jordan

[Brundo]

I often use my own version of the instantaneous double lift.

-Brundo

[elementalconjurer]

i use the double taught in the trilogy in the trick tivo 2.0 I just love how good it looks and how easy it is to do. i also like using the push of double and the knock out double

[zodiac192]

I always do the turnover double. That always words the best for me.



-Zodiac-

[TRM]

I agree with Scorch420
Gregory Wilson's Double take is a great DVD to learn many DLs
I personally like the Strike DL

-TRM

[The Dark Angel]

I use a thumb count DL, but that's only because I've been having difficulty with the push-off DL.

[kissdadookie]

The thumb count get ready double is one of the worst doubles. It's a break in rhythm as well as habit since the only time you lift up the card that way is when getting a double, all other times you are lifting single cards off the deck in your regular way which 99% of the time IS NOT the same way as you lift off a double via thumb count.

[JustinClark]

I almost always do a push-off double lift. The key to getting it right is your first, middle and ring fingers must be almost flush with the top of the deck. Those fingers are what control how many cards get pushed off by thumb. Give it a try, it takes a lot of practice but it is so worth it. Mine is darn good but I am still practising it every time I have cards in my hand. You can never be too perfect right?

[mousquebiere]

I use several different DLs, depending on the situation :

- the Diving Board Double by Lee Asher, that's a very convincing DL, it can be done one handed, has an acrobatic variation where the card spin one foot above the deck, and is definitively a magician fooler !
- the DL taught in Born to Perform by Oz Pearlman (I don't know it's name, but it's a good one)
- the DL used by David Stone on "the Real secrets of Magic", again a very convincing one (he takes the 2 top cards in biddle grip, and then snaps them face up holding them between the first and second finger)
- a DL that I found myself, though it must have been already found by someone else ! :D : Holding a break below the top 2 cards, you put your thumb on the lower right corner, and your second finger on the top left corner. You then just move your right hand to the right (turning clockwise), using the fingers of your left hand to flip the card. As the cards are held diagonally, they stay flush.

Hope it helps ! :)

[Jack The Magician]

- a DL that I found myself, though it must have been already found by someone else ! :D : Holding a break below the top 2 cards, you put your thumb on the lower right corner, and your second finger on the top left corner. You then just move your right hand to the right (turning clockwise), using the fingers of your left hand to flip the card. As the cards are held diagonally, they stay flush.

I think that's its been already invented. I've seen Marc DeSouza, though he may have gotten it elsewhere, perform that in his DVD. Nice try, though.

Cheers,
JTM

[mousquebiere]

I think that's its been already invented. I've seen Marc DeSouza, though he may have gotten it elsewhere, perform that in his DVD. Nice try, though.



Yeah, but look at the end of the video, Marc gives me credit I think (at least he told me he would !) :D

Btw, I just checked : it's more my right index finger that flips the card over than my left hand's fingers.

[Daghda06]

The double lift I use is where you just pinch the deck with the thumb and use the index finger of the other hand to feel out and pick up two cards. The name has left me for some reason but I learned it from Greg Wilson's Double Take which i would recommend to anyone wanting to learn multiple double lifts. Although, when learning multiple double lifts it is important to remember that picking up the cards in a different way every time will lead the spectator into suspecting you are doing something special with the cards every time you handle them.

[Jack The Magician]

Btw, I just checked : it's more my right index finger that flips the card over than my left hand's fingers.

Ah, now I see the difference - I guess you are the rightful and original creator; you might want to consider creating a instructional DVD because the move sounds complicated, but the effect is flabbergasting. :D

Cheers,
JTM

[Bernard Brandon]

The best dl I always perform in my routines is Lee Asher's diving board double and I also use the push off dl.

[Cody Fisher]

I would recommend looking at the very first chapter of Expert Card Technique where it is said:

"The ideal double lift is the simple pushing off of two cards, as one, with the left thumb in exactly the same manner as in dealing."

This chapter and quotation are often referenced by the great Harry Riser, who puts this advice to use wonderfully in his versions and other versions he teaches of the double lift and turnover.

Hope this helps.

Cody

[madisen]

I would say, the classical as said in the previous post.

Just turn over 2 cards as one, as you would normally do to 1 card.

[Beans25]

yeah, heres what you can do, turn over a card, usually you push over the top card with your thumb, catch it on your middle finger tip and push it over (thats how I do it) now, work out a double lift with the same principal, simply put, make it look as close as possible, if you practice it enough times you can get your double to go off the pack and flip as one card, which I think helps as a convincer.

Another way if you want to know how to look totally natural if your just wanting to change completely, is to hand the cards to your family or friends, and just say, show me the top card, and it's an unbiased show of the top card, don't say flip over the top card, because then they're told to flip it over, tell them to show you the top card, and see how they do it, and you can learn to do it like that.

you don't need someone to tell you how to do a double lift, have your own unique double lift, that nobody else uses, or maybe they do but you figured it out on your own, and that will be the most natural one for you, and the cleanest one.

~Beans

ps. sorry for the essay, but it's a broad topic that should be explained in depth.

[Ting]

my favorite is the snap double because its very reliable, like you wont accidentally pick up 3 instead of 2 (i did that a few times with the strike double, i know if i practiced more that wouldnt happen but sometimes even sankey messes up. if you watch his vids he will fidget with the strike double sometimes.) also the snap double catches peoples attention, that little snap is great

[manipulator]

I hold a break and then as I turn over the the cards i us the deck to keep them in line. I have benn doing this for years and I have never been caught. To Practice Start turning over one card and then try to simulate it with 2 cards.

[Jackhammer]

A good resource for double lifts is www.cardtricks1.com. The cost to access the site is only $9.95 which gives you a 1 year membership.

It provides closeup videos for a bunch of different doubles along with a ton of shuffles, controls, sleights, flourishes etc... The teaching is very detailed and the video of good quality.

I highly recommend the site for any beginning magician but there is also some good sleights and flourishes for intermediate and advanced workers.

[palmer]

Simply the best DL, is the one where you don't get caught.

[Jack The Magician]

Simply the best DL, is the one where you don't get caught.

Very true.

One of the best double-lift I have seen is Cyril Takayama's because he was performing for a group of people, and, as Cyril begins to perform it, one of the spectators, halfway through, sticks his hand in and forces it over, without actually revealing the double-lift.

Simply flabbergasting.

Cheers,
JTM

[harapanong]

Some that I have seen:

1. Diving Board Double, as mentioned by many. The first time I saw it, I thought it was SO nice.
2. Pinky Count. The one I use day in, day out.
3. Brian Tudor has this one handed DL that looks very smooth.
4. Spooky Altman Trap by Allan Ackerman. It just seems to float off the deck and slide off (think haunted deck effect, but as a DL moving across the deck)

I never liked those DLs where u pivot a corner of the card on the base of your thumb and "spin" it around. No one flips over cards like that. At least I haven't seen anybody do it before.

- harapan. magic!

[Nick W]

There is not a "best" double lift Paul Daniel's answer to this exact question was "it depends what you're gonna do next."

[BlueBackedBikes]

The Diving Board Double but that's CRAZY. So if you're not Diving Board Doubling, the best double lift would be the one that looks exactly like how you would flip over a single card.

[ZeroPhun31]

I personally do the strike and push-off... can't remember the difference off the top of my head. I don't catch breaks to do my DL's most of the time as it can get suspicious in my opinion. I could post a little how-to on practicing the double lift that i do... but i'm at work and dont want to type it all... But if you want it, let me know and i can type it out.

[LucasCG]

I think that it really doesnt matter what DL you do, so long as it looks the same as your singles.

I HATE Diving Board Doubles (my apologies Mr. Asher). I dont care how damned convincing it looks. Give a deck of cards to a layman, watch them flip over a card. Guaranteed they never do a diving board double.

Doubles should look like your singles. And if you cant find a double that replicates that action, make your singles look like your doubles. That's key. I'll see guys with flawless doubles, but when they lift of a single, it just doesnt look right, because of the way theyve been doing their doubles.

You will have to comprimise either way. Make your doubles look as close to singles as you can. Now, make up any discrepancies by making your singles look like your doubles.

That said, I use a strike. But most importantly, I mimick that action with my singles...follow?

[thehumanbomb]

I don't know what my double is called, I just sorta worked out different ideas to find what worked for me.

But I only ever use that one, would it be beneficial to learn a second variation?

[Timj32]

I think that it really doesnt matter what DL you do, so long as it looks the same as your singles.

I HATE Diving Board Doubles (my apologies Mr. Asher). I dont care how damned convincing it looks. Give a deck of cards to a layman, watch them flip over a card. Guaranteed they never do a diving board double.

Doubles should look like your singles. And if you cant find a double that replicates that action, make your singles look like your doubles. That's key. I'll see guys with flawless doubles, but when they lift of a single, it just doesnt look right, because of the way theyve been doing their doubles.

You will have to comprimise either way. Make your doubles look as close to singles as you can. Now, make up any discrepancies by making your singles look like your doubles.

That said, I use a strike. But most importantly, I mimick that action with my singles...follow?

I agree. This is the problem I have with the Jennings snap double. Its just not the way I (Not to mention any laymen) would turn over a card. I love the strike too BTW, And I try to get the same look with my singles.

Some that I have seen:

1. Diving Board Double, as mentioned by many. The first time I saw it, I thought it was SO nice.
2. Pinky Count. The one I use day in, day out.
3. Brian Tudor has this one handed DL that looks very smooth.
4. Spooky Altman Trap by Allan Ackerman. It just seems to float off the deck and slide off (think haunted deck effect, but as a DL moving across the deck)

I never liked those DLs where u pivot a corner of the card on the base of your thumb and "spin" it around. No one flips over cards like that. At least I haven't seen anybody do it before.

- harapan. magic!

I've never seen anyone (I assume we are talking about laymen here) Turn over a card in the same way as a Diving Board Double either. Come to think of it, I've never seen a laymen turn over a card with one hand as Tudor does.

Tim

[Lionsden123]

Holy cow this is becoming a huge thread.
Where can you learn the strike double? It seems most popular.

Thanks,
Evan

(PS: does anyone have a video of the diving board double? I've never seen it performed so I haven't bought it.)

[Shodan]

I do get sick of seeing the old chestnut about turning over a double like a layperson would. There is a fatal flaw in the argument!

How many of you went out and had laypeople turn over double cards to find out what was "the norm"? If you did, then obviously you didn't have a clear conception of how the technique would look. Logically then, neither do laypeople. Therefore, you don't need to worry about fitting in with "the norm", because nobody in your audience knows, or cares, what this is.

The key is to treat it as the mundane action that it actually is. We magicans get all excited about the fancy stuff you can do with a double because we are aware of the technical challenges. However, all you are supposed to be doing is showing people a card. It's not that big a deal!

What you treat as important, your specs will treat as important, and what you treat as unimportant...you know the rest.

Practise enough double lift techniques so that you can handle a double in any situation until you can do them flawlessly every time without thought. So long as they aren't overly flourishy that should be enough to make sure that the sleight occupies the correct place in your spectator's perception.

[ZeroPhun31]

I do the one that David Blaine did a lot of on his special- i can't remember what it's called. Strike or push...

[TeeDee]

It's ridiculous to attempt to turn doubles over the way a layman would turn a single. If you asked a lay person to spread out the cards for you to select on there's no way they would perform a Le Paul spread or a fan, or even spread the cards smoothly between their hands, yet there's no objection to these techniques. As a card performer, you would be expected to handle cards a bit more smoothly and more flashily than a layman would, so a flourishy turnover is completely acceptable in the right context.

[TheAsian]

I do believe I just posted on this topic in another magic forum...oh well, here we go again. ;)

What is it that makes magic effective? It is the way that you present the trick. Therefore, I would say that there are no "Best" double lifts, just whatever is comfortable for you to use. Ultimately, unless you are doing something that is crazy different from normal, no one will question how you turn over the "top" card. In fact, they don't care that you're turning over a card, they only care about what card it is.

Now, obviously, if you flash the second card then they'll point it out. This is where picking a comfortable lift comes into play. I personally cycle through two or three different double lifts depending on what my mood is and how the cards are handling that day. It has never made a difference what lift I used. All that mattered was what was on the face of the revealed card.

Practice your mechanics, perfect your presentation, and the performance will take care of itself.

~The Asian

[Luke Dancy]

When it comes to the double lift there are a couple of things to keep in mind. I'd venture to say it's the move we use more than any other in our cardwork. The problem is that people tend to take the move for granted and end up practicing the tricks using the double lift and not the double lift itself.

Personally I use a pushoff double and make it a point to practice the move for at least two hours a day. I figure if I'm going to perform a double lift all the time then it should look as good as possible.

l u k e

[magicdude349876]

I think the diving board double is the best double lift. it is hard but if you practice it it looks really good.:)

[drorange]

i still reckon the snap double because you can use it for single, double and triple lifts with it staying the same action it is used by some of the elite magicians such as dayrl and jennings

[TeeDee]

It really comes down to how you handle cards, which is based on your performance persona.

If you're presenting mentalism with a deck of cards and what to appear to have no card handling ability whatsoever, then something mundane looking would be best. However, if your routines are flashy and flourishy and prove you to be an expert card handler, it would be perfectly consistent for you to turn over a card in a more ostentatious way, even using a different technique each time you turn over a card. I think it's a fallacy to argue that a flashy double lift always draws undue attention and makes the turnover look suspicious. If your audience are marvelling at your dexterity, they won't be thinking about the possibility that you turned more than one card over. A demonstration of expertise gives you authority.

[Sean_Raf]

Hmm, maybe I'll get hung, drawn and quartered for this, or maybe some of you will agree with me. To sum up my view though:

'The best double lift is a double lift that to you, is not a double lift'

What I mean by that is, if you're more conscious about whether they're questioning your double lift, then you're drawing more attention to the fact; and by drawing attention to it, they start to question and the more they start to question the more conscious you become of it... It's a vicious circle :p

It's been said so many times but it's so true! If you don't pay attention to it, they (laymen or spectators) won't pay attention to it. Let me give you an example:

I was playing with my cards and my magic friend was sat next to me, I dribbled the cards and when it got to the last two, I snapped them off my fingers and held them as one. I put them back on the deck and did a card-spin, turned it over to see the card change and my friend stopped what he was doing (also dribbling cards :p) and said "What!?... Wait did you jus--?"

Maybe that makes the point clearer, because I wasn't deliberately making the point of doing a double lift and was literally just playing around, my friend didn't notice and he has the magicians eye of a hawk. TRUST ME!

However...

There will be times when you come across a right meanie who will be looking for every discrepancy; and it's these times when I would say it's alright to be a little more careful. For instance:

I was doing a short ambitious card routine for my other magic friend (yeah there's 3 of us!) and I decided to see if I could lose him, just for fun. I started off with him picking a card and I controlled it to the top (he thinks my pass is amazing, but I would adamantly tell you it really isn't)... However, when I showed him, I showed him the (actually single)card in a solid double lift style (the one where you frame the card in a box and lever it over with your thumb) and he smiled a knowing smile and said "go on...". From here I did a Marlo Tilt and proceeded as usual, I showed him his card had come to the top and he must've thought I was crazy or something. I showed him I put his card in the middle and acted as if I was going to do another pass... I didn't of course and I turned over the card as I had been doing all throughout. Now I'm not one for feeling good about 'getting one up' on people but it felt good when the words that came out of his mouth were:

"Yeah... So, what is it? Dupes?"

Hopefully I've got my point across, I know it's a bit of a read! Thanks.

- Sean

[JackofJokers]

All I have to say...Larry Jennings Snap Double...