Twirl
Poker amateurs may have first seen this trick when Gus Hansen performed it on an episode of the World Poker Tour. Dutch Boyd and countless others have also done it during World Series of Poker episodes. It is one of the hardest tricks to learn, but one of the most fun to do. Other popular names for the twirl are “chip spin” or “chip twirl.”
Before you begin
Trick Difficulty - 3
Chips needed - 3
There are variations that use more than 3 chips, which I’ll discuss later.
Tutorial
Start by holding 3 chips between the index and ring fingers (perpendicular to the fingers), with the middle finger bracing the back of the chips. The grip is exactly the same as when you start the thumb flip. The chips shouldn’t be any closer to the finger tips than a half an inch.
Using the thumb, loosen the two outer chips. Only the middle chip is still held firmly with the index and ring fingers. Once loose, pull these two outer chips up with your thumb so that they are held by the thumb and index finger.
You can also view this as pulling the single chip down and out with the ring finger.
This next section is different from the way that you will see most people do the twirl, but I believe it’s easier this way. I’ll discuss the other variation at the end of the tutorial.
As the ring finger pulls away and the chip rolls along the index finger, bring up the pinky to grab the bottom of the chip. Once you have a firm hold, remove the ring finger from the chip.
Place your middle and ring fingers on the edge of the chip held by the index finger and pinky. Bend these two fingers in towards the palm, spinning the chip 180 degrees in the process by using the index finger and pinky as axis points.
By using two fingers to spin the chip, you have more control.
Once the chip is perpendicular to the fingers, carefully pull the middle and ring fingers out. With your pinky roll the chip along the index finger and back up. At the same time, the thumb helps to bring the outer chips down so that the single chip gets inserted back in between the two.
This trick has several hard parts. Seperating the outside chips from the middle chip can be difficult the first few times you try. Spinning the chip, but keeping it in place between your fingers can get extremely frustrating at times. Stay patient, keep practicing, and you’ll catch on.
Variations
After pulling out the middle chip, a lot of people like to keep it between the ring and index fingers. They then spin it with only the middle finger. I’ve found this method to be more difficult. By bringing up the pinky and using it as an axis, you are able to get more distance between the two groups of chips, making it easier to complete the spin. I’ve also found it to be more stable to spin the chip with two fingers instead of one and this would not be possible if you didn’t use the pinky as an axis.
Once you can easily spin the middle chip, try using a total of 4 chips. Pull the two inside chips out and spin them both before inserting them back in the between the outer chips. Or take 5 chips, only pulling out one and spinning it.
Comment #10 by Scott T
October 8th, 2004 @ 2:28 AM
I noticed that it was easier for me to twirl the chip if I only use my ring finger it is easier to do. I tried it when i was learning and it worked on the first time.
Comment #9 by Gabe B
October 8th, 2004 @ 12:11 AM
the twirl is probably the most fun trick and has the most variations. here’s one i came up with. i twirl the chip w/o using my pinky. i roll the chip out with my ring finger holding it against my index finger. i sping the chip with my middle finger only. the variation is this. instead of spinning it and sliding it back, spin it and keep your middle finger behind or under the chip. then, flip it in the air and catch it between your fingertips and on the other chips. this will take lots of practice, but it looks cool when you get it right. once you catch it, you can go right back to twirling it. good luck with this.
Comment #8 by Nick
October 7th, 2004 @ 3:50 PM
Damn lefty!
Watch the video in a mirror for now…maybe later I’ll work on getting some left-handed videos of tricks.
Comment #7 by Mike
October 7th, 2004 @ 3:25 PM
I still am not getting this trick I keep watching the video and I still can’t get this trick. I am left handed so maybe if you guys did it left handed I could get it
Comment #6 by Jason
October 6th, 2004 @ 12:23 AM
I looked up how to do this trick a while ago and couldn’t even come close. Recently, I just picked up 3 chips and started foolin it around and within ten monutes had it down. I can now shuffle 30 chips cleanly. Dont you just love poker chips?
Comment #5 by Blake
October 5th, 2004 @ 7:33 PM
This trick took me a very long time to master; midway through learning i thought of 2 things; im a moron for not realzing gravity (your pinky/ring finger should be parrele to the floor) and your grip must be tight; handsize doesnt matter
Comment #4 by Nick
October 4th, 2004 @ 8:10 PM
Just takes a lot of practice. The spin is probably the hardest part of the trick.
Comment #3 by David
October 4th, 2004 @ 8:04 PM
this is mad cool, But can you help me out with something? When i start turning the chip, it falls out. Can you help? Are my fingers to smal or somethin?
Comment #2 by Son of Samurai
October 1st, 2004 @ 5:02 PM
Do you know the other variation to this trick where you bring your pinky up to pull down the middle chip? Once the chip is out it is balanced between the pinky and the thumb (the thumb is still used to hold the other two chips along with the index). The pinky is used as the axel, while the ring finger twirls the chip. The the pinky just slides it back on up. It looks really cool when you alternate between both variations. I just sit and go back and forth. I learned that one on another site. Sorry I can’t remember the link. By the way, nice site.
Comment #1 by clint
September 27th, 2004 @ 1:34 PM
A good tip on this chip twirl is to have the middle chip in line with the natural crease of your first finger. This allows the middle chip to drop easily, when pulling up w/ the thumb on the outside markers.