*Billet - A small piece of paper, often folded, upon which a message has been written, usually for a mind-reading effect.

*Close-up magic -- When the magician performs right under your nose. There is no possibility of camera tricks, mirrors or trap doors. Quite often the magic will involve simple everyday items such as cigarettes, coins, finger rings and of course playing cards.

*Court card - A jack, queen, or king of any suit.

*Crimp - This involves putting a bend or crease in a playing card in such a way that you are able to locate it in the deck by feel alone. The crimp can be put anywhere on the card, but the corners or long sides are generally used. You can crimp the card simply by bending the corner slightly upwards when showng it. You can also crimp the side of a card by squeezing it gently at the side between the thumb and forefinger. Basically, any (subtle) identifying bend or crease in a playing card qualifies as a crimp.

*Contact juggling - An item such as a round ball is juggled but the performer never looses contact with the item that is being juggled. It appears as if the item is simply floating.

*Double Lift - This is were the two top cards are drawn up to be shown as one card alone. A fingerbreak between the two top cards before the sleight is executed, is very nice. Otherwise it requires really light fingers.

*Elmsley count - A false count of cards showing some cards twice while hiding other cards, also known as the Ghost count.

*Effect - A sleight or trick.

*Face Cards, Picture cards, or Court Cards - All of the jacks, queens, and kings.

*False Cut - Any cut that leaves the deck in the same order as it was before the cut.

*False Shuffle - Any shuffle that leaves the deck in the same order as it was before the shuffle. Click on title for complete description.

*Faro Shuffle - The faro, also known as the weave shuffle is a technique that perfectly interlaces the cards. It is not a false shuffle, but properly speaking a controlled shuffle. The shuffle can be made in the hands, or on the table which gives it the appearance of a tabled riffle shuffle. The in the hands method is, by far, the easier of the two and I will describe the method that I use. Click on title for complete description.

*Force - Causing a spectator to select a particular card or cards when the spectator thinks the choice was freely made. Click on title for complete description.

*Glide - The glide is simply pulling back a bottom card so that the second to the bottom card is revealed alittle(this is done face-down though, so no-one can see the faces) It is only revealed for touch. The second to bottom card is the slipped out as if it was the bottom card. (Usually it looks 'the bottom card is shown. then the deck is facedown(no attention drawn to this), then the bottom card is slipped out.(Of course, really the 2nd the bottom is slipped out.)

*Indicator Card - A playing card used to identify the location, value, or suit of a diffferent card, usually selected by the audience.

*IBM - International Brotherhood of Magicians - Founded in 1922.

*Misdirection - Any diversionary technique to make the audience look, think, or perceive in the way that you want them to.

*Overhand Shuffle - A shuffle where you hold the cards in your right hand and you pull them off a few at a time into your left hand.

*Patter - The things you say while you're doing a magic trick. Sometimes it is a story, or makes the audience believe something that helps fool them.

*Palm - To hide something in your hand in such a way that your hand looks empty.

*Raven - A magic utility item used to make small objects such as a coin vanish from the spectator's hand.

*Ring Flight - A barrowed spectator's ring vanishes and is found on the magician's key chain.

*Reversed Card - Any card that is face up in a face-down pack (or faced down in a face-up pack).

*SAM - Society of American Magicians

*SYM - Society of Young Magicians

*Shuffle - To mix the cards into some random order.

*Sleight-of-hand - Any cunning or crafty trickery performed with the hands.

*Self-Working Tricks - Tricks that don't require sleight of hand.

*Spot Cards - Any card from ace through ten in any suit.

*Svengali - The Svengali Deck consists of 26 ordinary cards, all different, and 26 short cards all of the same suit and value. The latter may be narrower as well as shorter, but short duplicates only are generally used. The pack is set up by arranging the two sets alternately, thus every other card from the top is a card of the same suit and value.

*UFO card - A floating card effect that can be completely controlled by the magician.

*Woofle dust - An imaginary powder with magical properties. Magicians use woofle dust as an excuse to reach into a pocket to obtain or get rid of a palmed object.

*Vegas Shuffle - The vegas shuffle is the same as the reno shuffle when you cut the deck into two piles and with your thumbs merge them together. It is the same except you only merge the two piles in the corners, and then you straighten them out.