Bottom dealing or base dealing is a

sleight of hand Sleight of hand (also known as prestidigitation or ''legerdemain'' ()) refers to fine motor skills when used by performing artists in different art forms to entertain or manipulate. It is closely associated with close-up magic, card magic, card ...

technique in which the bottom card from a deck of playing cards is dealt instead of the top card. It is used by magicians as a type of card illusion, and by

card sharp A card sharp (also cardsharp, card shark or cardshark, sometimes hyphenated) is a person who uses skill and/or deception to win at poker or other card games. "Sharp" and "shark" spellings have varied over time and by region. The label is n ...

s and

mechanic A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars. Duties Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning and r ...

s, and as a method of

cheating in poker Cheating in poker is any behavior outside the rules of poker that is intended to give an unfair advantage to one or more players. Minimal-skill methods The easiest and most common types of cheating require no skill of manipulation, but rather m ...

or other card games. The deck is typically held in a modified

mechanic's grip The mechanic's grip is one of many ways to comfortably hold a deck of cards. The standard grip taught in many dealer schools around the world, it is also widely used by magicians and card cheaters as it provides a sturdy and versatile means by ...

in the dealer's non-dominant hand. The dealer slides the top card partially off the deck as if to deal it, while the dominant hand instead takes hold of the bottom card. The card is snapped away from the deck while the top card is reset. Unless the dealer is particularly skilled at bottom dealing, the technique produces a slightly different sound from standard dealing, and the second-to-bottom card may be drawn slightly out of place. This is called a "hanger." Bottom dealing and

second dealing Second dealing (also known as ''dealing seconds'') is a method of manipulating a deck of cards during a card game by way of dealing the second, rather than the top card of the deck, usually for the purpose of cheating. Second dealing and bottom de ...

both have application in performance magic. Bottom dealing and second dealing, pp. 27-31. The Glide, pp. 97-99. Bottom dealing experts include

Persi Diaconis Persi Warren Diaconis (; born January 31, 1945) is an American mathematician of Greek descent and former professional magician. He is the Mary V. Sunseri Professor of Statistics and Mathematics at Stanford University. He is particularly known f ...

Darwin Ortiz Darwin Ortiz (born 1948) is a magician, who is an authority on gambling and card manipulation. Life and work Ortiz was born and raised in New York City, where he had a keen interest in card tricks since childhood. In 1974, he dropped out of NYU ...

, Steve Forte, Daniel Madison, Jason England and Richard Turner.

In Popular Culture

* In the movie ''Rounders'', Worm is caught dealing off the bottom of the deck. The police officer who accuses him says "This son-of-a-bitch is base dealing. Caught a hanger, Sarge." They discover that Worm's partner, Mike, has A's and 7's as his first four cards, and the card on the bottom of the deck is an Ace.

Notes

References

* John Nevil Maskelyne, ''Sharps and Flats''. {{ISBN, 0-87019-049-0 Card game terminology Card magic Card tricks Cheating in gambling

In Popular Culture

See also

Notes

References