Sleight-of-hand - Definition and Overview

Sleight-of-hand, also known as legerdemain, is a technique of close-up magic in which small items are concealed in and around the performer's hands, sometimes by the use of misdirection, to enhance the illusion being performed. Sleight-of-hand illusions with playing cards include such things as the Ambitious Card Trick, in which a card placed in the center of the deck rises magically to the top, and False Shuffles, in which the magician pretends to randomly shuffle the cards when the order of the deck is actually being controlled.