Bottom dealing or base dealing is a
sleight of hand 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 no ...
s and
mechanics, and as a method of
cheating in poker or other card games.
The deck is typically held in a modified
mechanic's grip 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 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 know ...
,
Darwin Ortiz, 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.
See also
*
Card manipulation
*
Cheating in poker
*
Second dealing
*
Card marking
Card marking is the process of altering playing cards in a method only apparent to marker or conspirator, such as by bending or adding visible marks to a card. This allows different methods for card sharps to cheat or for magicians to perform magi ...
Notes
References
* John Nevil Maskelyne, ''Sharps and Flats''. {{ISBN, 0-87019-049-0
Card game terminology
Card magic
Card tricks
Cheating in gambling