Someone mentioned earlier that they had tried the center deal as outlined in ECT. That was, in fact, Jack's technique - the following is an excerpt from an as yet unpublished book on Jack McMillen. "JACK'S CENTER DEAL" The Center Deal was a subject that fascinated many card handlers at the time, Jack and Charlie among them, but few came up with a practical approach. The chief difficulty was to find a method that allowed the dealer to grip the deck in a natural manner. The The FOLLOWING was Jack’s contribution to the discussion. Charlie was impressed with its merit, and still thought well of it thirty years later (Intermission, MAGICANA, August 1966). Apparently, some thieves actually adopted its use. Braue thought enough of it to attempt a description (The Middle Deal, Method A, HUGARD). But, although Jack executed the deal for Fred, he did not explain the work, so predictably the published account was in error. PREPARATION Eight desirable cards (e.g. Aces and Kings) are together at the bottom of the deck. EXECUTION Have the deck cut. Complete the cut and hold the deck as shown in figure 1, page 24, HUGARD, but do not hold a break. To deal a center, curl the bottom half of the deck with the left four fingers, splitting the deck by approximation at the desired cards. The outer end of the deck will show the bowing of the bottom portion of the deck. Due to Jack’s great skill it looked fine in his hands, but the technique itself was less than ideal and Jack was never satisfied with it. However, there is an additional touch to this technique. This was obtained by Gerald Kosky from a card cheat he visited in jail who was using this center deal. To conceal the bowing of the bottom portion of the deck, do the deal onehanded: Push off the top card with the left thumb and then, as the left hand moves upward and turns palm down, pull the top card back square, buckle the bottom portion and, as the left hand comes down to toss the card face up on the table, push the center card out. In this form Jack’s deal is absolutely practical. [This entry is derived from Bill Woodfield’s Private Notes] Best, PSC P.S. The above is interesting from an historical perspective - just goes to show, there is very little new under the sun...
