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”
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Pages: « 9 … 8 7 [6] 5 4 … 1 »
Comment #60 by Matthew G. Tougas
January 6th, 2005 @ 11:33 PM
VARIATION: The Fast Lane
This a combonation trick I started working on tonight and it looks like it’ll just take a few weeks of practice to perfect.
First, I start with the chip twirl (the version I use has the middle chip under the first finger crease for easy dropping, and I catch with the pinky). When I replace the chip I don’t jam it all the way in. I keep the middle chip a little loose. (Helpful if you want to keep twirling)
Second, I take the three chips and position for a chip roll. Because the middle chip is loose, it’s possible to let it roll first at a slow speed.
Third, I release the other two chips simultaniously at a faster speed. It gives the effect that the two chips on either side are overtaking the first, or passing it.
The effect looks great, but only if you can keep the chips in their proper order and well grouped. The twirl is really superfluous, actually, but it gets you in perfect position for the roll.
Comment #59 by michael diamond
January 4th, 2005 @ 10:50 PM
at first i could not do the twirl untill i was trying to do it then the chip fell on my ring finger and i used my pinkey finger to act as a way to stop the chip if it stars to tiwrl off my ring finger then i spin it with my middle finger and while im tiwrling it i keep my middle finger on the chip the whole time while its spinning and i would like to say thanks for all the tricks when i saw dutch boyd do this on the wsop i wanted to do it so badly and i showed some of my friends the trick and also the bounce trick where u drop the chip and it lands on the stack and they think its so cool and now they r trying to do it
Comment #58 by Josh
January 4th, 2005 @ 12:44 AM
if you can’t get the chip to drop down and twirl, just use the same finger it falls down on and flip it up under the other two chips so it’s behind them and they’re all 3 together again. may not be the same trick, but if you can’t do this one, you can do one like it..
Comment #57 by Ray
January 3rd, 2005 @ 9:58 AM
I can do this trick slowly, and found it a fairly easy trick for a level 3. It took me a day of practice (here and there) to be able to do it. The first time I did it completely was at my weekly poker game, I got mad props haha. I found what helped me (as with most tricks) is to ensure the intial grip is ideal. I place my index finger low on the 3 chips so it can easily be the top support for the twirling chip. Otherwise you either get too contorted placing it at the top of the twirling chip, or your tempted to use your middle finger to support the top of the twirling chip. If you do that then your other fingers tend to flex when you twirl, causing problems with the top 2 chips etc.. I still have a 30% success rate with this, but I’m improving. I use my pinky finger to support the twirling chip, but the chip needs to be in good position once dropped.
and for ‘Matt’…it’s spelled “mastered”
Comment #56 by Matt
December 22nd, 2004 @ 6:03 PM
this is considered a chip trick??…i masterd this while i was watching the video
Comment #55 by Jeff
December 21st, 2004 @ 9:42 AM
For those having trouble with the twirl, I’ve discovered the following:
1) The “proper” way to do the trick is to use your RING finger to support the trick. Don’t use the pinky at all (at least at first). Later as you do the trick multiple times the pinky can lend a little support, but learn it by pulling the chip out with the ring finger, supporting it between the ring and index, and using the ring to reinsert it.
2) Where you support the chip on the ring finger makes ALL the difference. The chip kept falling and kept falling until I discovered a certain spot on my ring finger where I could balance it properly during the spin. I found the pressure on the chip between my ring finger and index matters much less than chip placement on the ring finger.
As specifically as I can, you want the chip on the side of your ring finger about as far back as where your fingernail starts (1cm or so). When you pull it out, you initially want the chip only about 1/2 cm (ie, very close to) the quick of your fingernail. IOW, you’re very high up on the side of the finger. As you rotate it, it will naturally come down a bit further on the side of the finger for reinsertion.
3) Practice each of the trick’s parts separately. I practiced the following way:
a) Chip removal: 3 chips, remove and reinsert very quickly over and over.
b) Chip twirl: 1 chip, between ring and index, twirling until it didn’t fall anymore
c) All together + reinsert. The reinsert isn’t bad by itself if you get the first two parts down.
In the end, as someone else said, it’s just practice practice practice… Good luck all.
Jeff
Comment #54 by Brandon
December 17th, 2004 @ 10:40 PM
yea i got aim, xerosecondz is my sn, i dont seem to use my pinky when i do the trick, my 3 finger i just cant work it like i can the middle, i just use my first finger to hold the top of the chip
Comment #53 by Paul
December 16th, 2004 @ 10:00 PM
YAY!..JOHN thanx!..that helped a lot for some reason..now i can do it pretty easy..btw anyone here have aim / aol ? id like to talk to someone on aim about tricks..thanx!
Comment #52 by john
December 16th, 2004 @ 12:41 AM
try holding your middle finger as support to the top of your chip when you are spinning the chip. Thats how i do it
Comment #51 by john
December 16th, 2004 @ 12:40 AM
most fun trick ever…after you get how to do it….i got it pretty consistent….