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.
Videos
Related Posts
88 Responses to “Twirl”
Pages: « 9 … 6 5 [4] 3 2 … 1 »
Pages: « 9 … 6 5 [4] 3 2 … 1 »
Comment #40 by justin
November 19th, 2004 @ 1:17 AM
i have this trick down almost perfectly, i do it with my left hand even though im right handed =/ i could send you a video of me doing it left handed so all the leftys have something to learn from, it woulda been easyer for me i know that =)
Comment #39 by Elvis
November 18th, 2004 @ 8:54 PM
I can pull out the chips and all, but I can’t do the spin. The chip starts off perpendicular to my other fingers, and then I spin in 90 degrees, and then it’s flat in between my fingers, and then falls off. Any help for that?
Comment #38 by Mike
November 9th, 2004 @ 6:15 PM
For you guys who can’t get enough room between the two outer chips and single chip after dropping it down, try moving your ring finger closer to your thumb when sliding it out. Instead of catching the chip in the middle, catch it at about 4 oclock.
Comment #37 by PwNeR
November 8th, 2004 @ 7:17 PM
That scissor twirl is damn cool and it’s teaching me to do the twirl the proper way, between my ring and index finger instead of pinky and index.
Nice addition!
Comment #36 by Scott
November 8th, 2004 @ 6:42 PM
If anyone has a hard time seperating the chips, or find themselves taken too much time seperating them. Try a combination of the thumb flip, then move right into the twirl. I find that once you flip the one chip overit has them sligthly off centered from each other which alows for easy removal of the center chip.
I too do it slightly different than shown in the video here. My pinky is never involved, I slide the middle chip out with my ring finger and twirl it with my middle finger.
Comment #35 by Barnett
November 4th, 2004 @ 11:45 AM
Sorry — click the picture on the bottom LEFT of the page
Comment #34 by Barnett
November 4th, 2004 @ 11:45 AM
JL - and anyone else looking for the Ultimate Twirl Move — go to: http://www.coinmanipulation.com/Coin/Tricks/Twirl.html
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and “click” on the “PICTURE” at the bottom right corner of the page. You’ll see one hell of a cool addition to this trick…
Comment #33 by Barnett
November 4th, 2004 @ 11:30 AM
Chip Keeps Falling when you twirl it? Here’s how to stop that… Make sure that before you start the twirl that the chip is almost touching the quick of the pinky nail…This is important because as you start to spin it, the chip moves slightly toward your body. If you start with it almost touching your nail it will end up on top of the pinky finger. If you start with it on top of the pinky the twirling tends to move it past the top and it falls. Good Luck
Comment #32 by PwNeR
November 1st, 2004 @ 10:42 PM
What I suggest doing for your problem of spacing is that when you pop up the two outer chips, instead of keeping them there, move your thumb UP with them which spreads your hand a bit. Then drop the chip down to your pinky, spin it and put it back although putting it back becomes a bit harder when you do it this way.
Comment #31 by Wayne
November 1st, 2004 @ 9:46 PM
I have the same problem… i do the variation without the pinky but dont have much room when it comes to spinning. The chips dont separate far enough, any suggestions?