Pass (sleight of hand)

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A pass is generally any sleight of hand technique used to transpose two roughly rectangular objects, such as packets of cards, without a spectator observing the transposition. It is, therefore, among the many tools available in card control. In a typical deployment in card magic, a spectator selects a card, and returns it to the bottom half of a deck of cards. The magician then secretly performs a pass, bringing the bottom half of the deck to the top. The spectator's card is now on top of the deck, despite the spectator believing it to be in the center of the deck. The magician may proceed accordingly (e.g., revealing the card, glimpsing the card, palming the card, etc.)

There are numerous methods of performing the pass, such as the classic pass, dribble pass, riffle pass, one-handed pass, Turn Over Pass, etc. In general, any type of pass requires a relatively large movement of the hands. Even so, a skilled performer can perform the pass so that spectators from many angles will not see it, even if they are staring at the performer's hands. Nonetheless, even skilled performers employing the pass often use some form of misdirection, such as an otherwise natural hand gesture before or after the pass, or establishing eye contact at the moment of the pass, etc.