As a professional magician I am always getting asked about sleight-of-hand; I think people are curious as to what it is: Is it hiding stuff up the sleeve? Moving the hands very fast? Punching spectators? I can’t answer this question here but I can give you a little bit of information: Also known as prestidigitation (quick fingers) or légère de main (from the French for ‘lightness of hand’), sleight-of-hand is all about the art of manipulating objects secretly, It is a set of specific skills and techniques that a magician may employ in order to bring about a desired result.

It is commonly believed that sleight of hand works because “the hand is quicker than the eye” but this is rarely the case. In addition to manual dexterity, sleight-of-hand depends on the use of psychology, misdirection, and natural choreography in accomplishing a magical effect. Understanding human psychology is critical to effective and elegant sleight-of-hand. This doesn’t mean that one should underestimate the dexterous technical heights to which sleight-of-hand can be taken; Many techniques can take a lifetime to master and there are only a few sleight-of-hand artists in the world who are able to claim mastery with specific techniques.

Caravaggio - The Cardsharps (1594)

Sleight-of-hand techniques can also be used to cheat in gambling games by crooked gamblers, hustlers and cardsharps. The techniques used by these notorious characters are often very different from those employed by magicians;  the different working conditions, contexts, motivations, applications, styles and consequences gives rise to a very different sleight-of-hand beast.

Regardless of it’s employment and application sleight-of-hand is a very complex psychological/dexterous system of manipulation that is as fascinating to study as it is to amazing to see in action. A seductive set of tools for deceit…I may use them for world domination on Thursday.