The Riffle Pass

Why is it that there is next to no one who perform a decent riffle pass? There are a few things that I have read and seen that will help this pass tremendously.

The first tip is that there should NEVER be a "get-ready" of the riffle pass. I have seen so many people that go to perform this, and they do three things:

1. They station their hands. It's almost as if your are shouting I AM DOING SOMETHING NOW. WATCH ME DO SOMETHING COOL.

2. They riffle the cards a few times. This preemptive action is not necessary, and just adds tension to the sleight. It adds to the "LOOK SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE."

3. They pass. This is the only decent part I see of the move. And even then, it can be butchered.

If you are going to to the pass, the hands should only be together for the INSTANT the pass happens. The hands should then be apart.

If you are having trouble with the "flashing" of the top packet, you should do two things:

Use less cards for the upper packet.

Use more downward pressure in the left hands fingers. The opening and closing motion of the fingers should be instantaneous, and almost forcefully strong.

If you are going to square the cards, please have a reason for doing so. I don't care if it's from picking the cards up, just have a reason for squaring them. Don't square a squared deck. It's just another one of those things that screams "FUNNY SHIT HAPPENS NOW."

If you are going to do the pass as a color change, I wouldn't do it a thousand times. This should seem obvious, but you know.

Above all, no matter how invisible your riffle pass is, this is one of the worst passes your can do to direct attention away from your hands. That riffle will direct attention to your hands no matter what you do, so the riffle should be done AFTER you pass, not at any point right before.

It's a beautiful sleight when done well, so please, make it that way.