Now why use the block instead of a breather crimp? Table the deck in front of the spectator and ask them to “quickly cut the deck in the middle.” The odds are quite high that the spectator’s fingertips will land on the block. They’ll cut to their own selection in the middle of a thoroughly shuffled deck!

If it’s impossible for you to find it, it’s even more impossible for the spectator to find it, and I always favor effects that make the spectator the hero.

There’s no pain if the spectator somehow misses the fat block even though they were cued to cut in the middle. Just complete the cut as if that was what you intended. The selection is still below the block, so you can find it yourself. (Or shuffle the block and selection back to the middle again and try for better luck with a second spectator.)

You can sometimes get a spectator to cut to their own selection with a corner crimp or a breather crimp, using the “quickly cut in the middle” instruction. This also works sometimes for a reversed selection if the deck has a natural bend – Try it if you enjoy being bold. But for the cautious performer, this is way, way more reliable with the glued block.

You can use quite a thick block and still have the deck handle and appear very near normal. Spectators never notice that the deck is actually cutting a few cards below where their fingertips have maximum contact.

More uses: The glued-block cut also makes for a very fair-looking force. Or put the block third or fourth from the top and enjoy the world’s easiest no-get-ready double- or triple-lift. (Using the gaff as a packet-trick version of Paul Harris’s Solid Deception, however, is somewhat lame.)

Since Jeff is a fan of the Tarot, I’ll also mention that having a spectator so freely cut to their own Tarot card can be made into a powerfully creepy thing.