Here is a method of cutting a deck of cards with one hand that involves a nice little flourish--turning the top cut of the deck around your index finger. It's a little trickier than the standard one-handed cut.
All instructions below assume a right-handed dealer with all five fingers.
- With your hand palm-up in front of you, hold the deck of cards in your hand, face down, with your thumb at the center of the bottom edge (which should be one of the short edges), your index finger just below the center of the right edge, your middle finger at the top edge, and your ring and pinky on the left edge of the deck. The deck should be in contact with your fingers at about the first joint.
- Bring your thumb across to the lower-left corner of the deck. This is a bit of a stretch, but should be doable. It may require you to contort your hand somewhat, but your grip on the deck should not change too much.
- With your thumb, grab the corner of the deck along the edge of the cards, about halfway up the deck. Pull the corner of the cards to the right with your thumb. The moving cards will want to break free from the grip of your middle, ring, and pinky fingers. Allow them to do so. As you pull your thumb to the right, the top half of the cards will begin to turn around your index finger.
- You will be able to comfortably turn the cards until the top half of the deck is approximately at a 90 degree angle with the bottom half of the deck. At this point you will want to curl your ring and pinky fingers over the bottom cards to improve your grip on these cards. Your thumb continues to move to the right until the two halves of the deck are parallel to each other, i.e., the top half of the deck has made a 180 degree turn around your index finger. The bottom half of the deck is held by your curled up ring and pinky fingers (with some support from your middle finger) and the top half of the deck is held with your index finger on the left edge and your thumb on the right edge.
- By pulling your curled pinky down, you can cause the right edge of the bottom cut to be pulled up a little. This should give just enough room to pull your index finger below the bottom cut (bringing the top cut with it). Simultaneously push the bottom cut towards your thumb with your ring and pinky fingers.
- Slip your index finger out from between the two halves of the deck and bring it to the top of the re-stacked cards. You can now use all your fingers to square off the deck. Your hand is also now in a good position to perform the one handed cut described in the writeups above.