Cardistry move

How to do the Charlier cut

Updated October 2026 · Beginner move · One-handed cut

What the Charlier cut looks like

The Charlier cut is a one-handed cut. With one hand only, the bottom half of the deck is pushed out, up and over the top half, so the two halves swap places while the deck stays in your hand. Wikipedia's article on cardistry calls it the classic one-handed cut and describes the same idea: you hold the deck in a straddle grip, your thumb lets go of some pressure and drops the lower part, and your ring finger pushes the bottom part through. It is said to be a 19th-century flourish. Many other moves start from it, including two related one-handed cuts that Wikipedia names: the Revolution cut, which adds a 180-degree turn of the part, and the scissor cut.

Before you start

• The deck. Use a regular, full deck of standard poker-size cards. A deck you do not mind wearing out is best. Our beginner guide says how to choose and break one in.
• The grip. This move does not start in the Biddle grip that the swing cut uses. It starts in the straddle grip: the deck held out near your fingertips, away from your palm, with your thumb on the middle of one long side and your fingers on the other long side. Hold it for a few minutes, relaxed, before you try the move.
• Left-handed? Everything on this page is for a right-handed person. Mirror it: swap left and right in every step. The guides we read also say to learn the move with your other hand once it works.
• Small hands? If your hand feels too small, take 10 to 15 cards out while you find the movement. No guide we read treats small hands as a barrier.
• Where to practice. Over a bed or a sofa. Dropped parts of the deck dent corners on a hard floor.

The steps

Read the five steps, then look at the diagram. The first panel is seen from above and shows where each finger goes in the straddle grip. The other two panels are seen from one short end of the deck, so you see the two parts as a stack, with the thumb on the left and the fingers on the right, where both parts hinge. The part that starts on the bottom is the outlined one, so you can follow it as it comes up and over.

1. Hold the deck out near your fingertips, away from your palm. Put your thumb on the middle of one long side and your fingers on the other long side. This is the straddle grip.
2. Use your thumb to lift about half the deck, so you have a top part and a bottom part.
3. Curl your index finger and push the bottom part up until it rises above the top part.
4. Ease your thumb back so the old top part falls into your palm.
5. Bring your thumb toward your fingers so the raised part falls square on top.

The diagram is simplified. It shows the two parts hinging on the fingers' side and passing each other on the thumb's side, where the thumb lets the lower part drop, but not every finger's exact position, because the guides we read describe the result more than the path.

Common mistakes

• Holding the deck too far back in the palm. That leaves no room for the part to move. Hold it out near the fingertips.
• Rushing before the grip feels natural. Spend a few minutes just holding the straddle grip before you add the movement.
• Dropping parts on a hard floor, which dents the corners.

Practice tips

• Go slowly and smoothly first and add speed later. Smoothness comes before speed in every guide we read.
• If your hands feel too small, use 10 to 15 cards while you find the movement, then add cards back.
• Once it works, learn it with your other hand.
• Work in short bursts and rest the hand whenever it tires. If it hurts, stop. This is hobby advice, not medical advice.
• Our two-week plan puts it on days 3 and 4, then asks you to link it with the swing cut on day 12. One shop's rough guide, for 20 minutes a day, is about a week for this cut. That is one shop's estimate, not a measurement, and nobody can promise how long it takes you.
• It is the base for the Revolution cut and the scissor cut, so it is worth getting clean before moving on.

Where guides differ

Most guides say the index finger pushes the bottom part, but some say the middle or ring finger, and Wikipedia names the ring finger. Some say the thumb lifts the top half, while others say the thumb eases off so the bottom half drops toward the palm. They agree on the result: the two parts swap places in one hand. Our confidence in these steps: medium. The outline (straddle grip, thumb, finger push, parts swap) is the same in the sources we read, but the finger details are not, so treat the steps as a starting point and adjust to what your hand can do.

Questions people ask

What is a Charlier cut?

It is the classic one-handed cut. The bottom half of the deck is pushed up and over the top half, all in one hand, so the halves swap places. Guides say it was developed in the 19th century. It is also called a one-handed cut, and the same page on Wikipedia lists the Revolution cut and the scissor cut as related one-handed cuts.

Is the Charlier cut harder than the swing cut?

The guides we read do not agree on one order. They treat the two as close to a toss-up for the first move to learn, and we put the swing cut first because several sources call it the easiest. The Charlier cut uses only one hand, which some beginners find harder to control. If one feels awkward, switch to the other for a day and come back.

What grip does the Charlier cut use?

The straddle grip, not the Biddle grip used by the swing cut. The deck is held out near your fingertips, away from your palm, with your thumb on the middle of one long side and your fingers on the other long side.

Which finger pushes the bottom part up?

Guides differ. Most say the index finger, curled, as in the steps above. Some say the middle or ring finger, and Wikipedia names the ring finger. Try the index finger first and change if another finger feels steadier.

Do I need a special deck?

No. Any standard-size paper deck works for learning. Use a deck you do not mind wearing out. Our deck guide covers decks made for cardistry, which are an optional upgrade.

Watch it done

These are free. We have not watched them ourselves. We opened each page and confirmed what it covers from its title and description. The links go to other sites and open there, and nothing from them loads on this page.

• Charlier cut, from the New Deck Order's School of Cardistry beginner series (about 1 minute)
• Charlier cut, from Fontaine's “Learn the Classics” lessons