Poker Chip Tricks 101: The Pop-and-Catch
The pop-and-catch is a really simple poker chip trick. It is not that fancy at all to look at, but if you do it correctly and with style, it still looks cool. Another good thing with the pop-and-catch is that only one chip is needed for this poker chip trick. That means no fumbling and scattering around of poker chips!
The pop-and-catch is also popularly known as the anti-gravity trick. This is because one could do this in a way that the chip will look like it floats away from your hand. Here is a step-by-step procedure of how to do the pop-and-catch poker chip trick.
1. Put a chip on your palm. You should be able to 'cup' the chip, much like how a magician 'cups' a coin using their palm. To know if you are cupping the chip correctly, invert your hand in such a position that the chip would normally fall. If the chip doesn't fall and you are not holding it with any of your fingers, then you have cupped the chip correctly.
2. Squeeze the chip firmly with the pad at the base of your thumb and the base of your index and middle finger. Make sure you don't use any of your fingers to hold the chips.
3. Make sure that your thumb is not bending over. This means that your thumb should be completely straight. A bent thumb will hinder the chip from popping away from your hand.
4. Squeeze the chip hard enough so that the edge of the chip at the base of your thumb pops loose. If you do this with enough pressure, the chip will pop away at a certain trajectory. The chip must look like as if it jumped out of your hand.
5. Catch the chip with your other hand. This takes time to practice, especially if you are just beginning. Start with a horizontal passing around first, just to get the feel of it.
6. To do the 'anti-gravity' trick, just position your hand with the chip facing upwards. If you squeeze with enough force, the chip will fly away from your hand as if it floats. For a more dramatic effect, position your hands as if your empty hand serves as a magnet.
The pop-and-catch is a really easy and simple poker chip trick. Practice popping the chip several times in order to get to your desired strength. Practice catching the chip so that when you do this in the casino, you won't be distracting other players by losing the chip on the ground.