The Twirl

Opponents behave differently toward you when you look like you’ve been around casino chips all your life. Learn to skilfully manipulate chips, and you can also manipulate your adversaries. In a game where so much is about psychology, a deft bit of juggling can add weight to your bluffs and make an opponent feel like a fish out of water.

The twirl, like most poker chip tricks, has many variations. There is no right or wrong way to do it, but the following, courtesy of www.21Ace.com, is a good method.

Hold three chips between the thumb and index finger with the outer chip about half an inch from the fingertips. The inside chip should be about an inch from the fingertips. Now put the middle finger on the bottom of the inside chip and put the ring finger below the three chips (about half a centimeter down). Slowly loosen the grip on the three chips with the thumb and index finger. Since the inside chip is held in place with the middle finger and the outer chip is held in place because it is closer to the fingertips, only the middle chip should fall.

Now that the middle chip is about a quarter of an inch below the outer and inner chips, it is ready to be moved out. Tighten the grip on the outer and inner chips with the thumb and the index finger. Move the ring finger directly under the thumb, pressing against the middle chip. Now move the middle chip out and away from the outer and inner chips by applying pressure with the ring finger, and using the index finger as the pivot point. Make sure the middle chip is completely clear of the outer and inner chips. While holding the middle chip between the ring finger and the index finger, rotate it 180 degrees by moving it with the middle finger, such that the middle finger moves towards the palm of the hand. Slide the middle chip back into place by moving the ring inger
and thumb towards each other using the index finger as the pivot point.

Once the twirl chip trick is mastered with three chips, it can be attempted with four chips. When doing the trick with four chips, I have two chips spin in the middle instead of just one. It is more challenging this way, but with practice and patience, it’ll become second nature.

The twirl trick becomes especially fun when you learn how to turn the middle chip more than 180 degrees. Once you master that, try turning the middle poker chip 360 degrees before sliding it back in place.

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