The Elmsley count tutorial. It is a card sleight.

Below we have TagsMagic teaching us the best way of performing this move to disguise another card in a pile of cards.

It requires plenty of practice and skill, but it is easy to master if you practice. You will find many tricks that use the elmsley (ghost) count.

You basically take the first card from the top of the pile and move it to the bottom, whilst doing that you push two cards from the top as one card..

That is the secret you will have to master.. then place those two cards on the bottom.. then continue showing the cards..

It will take a while to learn and to master it will take plenty of practice. You will need to just keep dealing out the cards then focus on perfecting the count as you deal.

It is very deceptive and the audience will not see if it is performed correctly.

There are many tricks that need you to learn this sleight so get practicing!!

Watch the trick below and learn a brilliant sleight to add to your arsenal!!

The Elmsley count tutorial. It is a Card Sleight.

Some history behind the move:

Alex Elmsley was born on 2 March 1929 and died on 8th January 2006.  Born in Scotland, he was a brilliant magician and programmer.

He invented the Ghost Count or Elmsley Count as it was renamed later; this special count was used in Elmsley’s 4 Card Trick and become one of the greatest magical inventions of the 20th century.

He created many mathematical card tricks, and published the maths behind playing card shuffling.

He started to learn magic as a teenager in 1946.  He went to Cambridge University and studied physics/mathematics.

He created many magic tricks, including the Ghost Count, Point of Departure, Diamond Cut Diamond and Between Your Palms.  The manuscripts he wrote included Elmsley’s 4 Card Trick (1967) and Cardwork (1975).

He became secretary of the Pentacle Club.

He day job was a patent agent, later becoming a computer expert.  Best of all, however, he was an amateur card and close-up magician.

He was awarded an AMA Creative Fellowship in 1972.

For further reading and inspiration this book entitled The Collected Works of Alex Elmsley <vol. 1 1991 and vol. 2 1994> is available to read.

For more free magic tricks like the Elmsley Count Tutorial, click here