Cardistry move

How to do the waterfall

Updated October 2026 · Beginner move · One hand to the other

What the waterfall looks like

The waterfall is a flourish in which a bowed deck is held over the other hand and the cards peel off one after another in a smooth falling stream, like water going over a ledge. It is not a cut, and it does not mix the deck. Beginner guides put it among the first moves to learn, and it is close kin to the spring, in which a more tightly bent deck sends its cards flying from one hand to the other.

Wikipedia's article on cardistry names the waterfall but does not describe it, so the steps below come from the beginner guide on this site, which in turn rests on the free lessons listed at the bottom of the page.

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, and a new one is stiff and slippery until you break it in. Our beginner guide says how.
• The grip. Thumb on one long side of the deck, fingers across the other long side. The other hand goes underneath, palm up, to catch.
• Left-handed? Everything here is written for a right-handed person. Mirror it.
• Where to practice. Over a bed or a sofa, so a stream of cards that misses the catch does not scatter.
• Small hands? Try fewer cards while you find the feel. No guide we read treats small hands as a barrier.

The steps

Read the four steps, then look at the three pictures. The first is from above. The other two are from the end of the deck, so a bowed deck shows as an arch. In the pictures the catching hand is the dashed area under the deck.

1. Hold the deck in one hand with your thumb on one long side and your fingers across the other long side. Hold your other hand underneath it, palm up.
2. Squeeze gently so the cards bow into an arch.
3. Slowly ease off the squeeze so the cards fall one at a time.
4. Catch the stream in the lower hand.

Those four steps are all the beginner guide gives, and they are the whole move: the skill is in how slowly you ease off and how well the lower hand catches. A big, even fall comes with practice, not on the first day.

Common mistakes

• Letting go all at once instead of easing off.
• Squeezing too hard, or in jerks. The squeeze should be gentle and steady.
• A poor catch. If the lower hand is not ready, the cards miss it. The School of Cardistry lesson gives the catching hand a chapter of its own for this reason.

Practice tips

• Practice the catch on its own. The catch is where one video lesson spends a whole chapter.
• One shop says the move teaches control of card tension and release speed, which carries over to springs and other moves where cards fly. That is a reason to go slowly now.
• Our two-week plan puts the waterfall on day 8 for 15 minutes and says not to worry about a big fall yet. Day 9 is 5 more minutes, then first tries at the spring.
• When the waterfall feels steady, the spring is the natural next move.
• Short sessions are enough. If it hurts, stop. This is hobby advice, not medical advice.

Where guides differ

The name is not settled. Some guides call this move a “cascade,” but others use that word for a different move that starts from two shuffled halves, and an old magic book uses “waterfall shuffle” for the end of a riffle shuffle. That is why this page describes the move and does not rely on its name. Guides also disagree about whether you squeeze the long or the short edges of the deck. This page follows the beginner guide, which puts the thumb and fingers on the long sides. Try it, and if the deck will not bow evenly, check the other way against a video. Our confidence in these steps: medium, because only one written source gives the steps, and the video lessons were checked by title and chapter list, not watched.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between a waterfall and a spring?

Both let a bent deck release its cards. In the waterfall the deck is eased open slowly over the other hand and the cards fall one at a time. In the spring, according to the beginner guide, a tightly bent deck releases its cards in a fast, curved stream that flies from one hand to the other. See the spring page.

Why do my cards all fall at once?

The guides name this as the first mistake: letting go all at once rather than easing off. Squeeze gently, make sure the deck is bowed, and let the pressure out slowly.

Do I need a special deck?

No. Any standard-size paper deck works. A brand-new deck is stiff and slick, so breaking it in first helps. Some decks sold for cardistry are made to bend easily, and our deck guide covers them.

How do I learn to catch the cards?

Practice the catch on its own, then add the fall. The School of Cardistry waterfall lesson has a separate chapter on the catching hand, which is a good place to watch one done.

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.

• Waterfall, from the New Deck Order's School of Cardistry beginner series, with a separate chapter on the catching hand (about 4 minutes)
• Waterfall, from Fontaine's “Learn the Classics” lessons
• Waterfall from the magic shop Vanishing Inc.