TCS taxonomy v0.4 ​

Experimental: structure may change in a subsequent edition.

Glossary ​

• Deal — Distribute cards to targets
• Collect — Gather cards from sources
• Spread — Display cards in a spread
• Cut — Divide deck at point
• Shuffle — Randomize card order
• Riffle Shuffle — Riffle shuffle technique
• Overhand Shuffle — Overhand shuffle technique
• Palm — Conceal card in palm
• Classic Palm — Classic palm technique for concealing a card
• Steal — Remove card secretly
• Load — Place card into location
• Force — Control spectator selection
• Reveal — Show card or state
• Turn — Flip card orientation
• Flip — Reverse card order
• Separate — Divide into groups
• Reassemble — Combine groups
• Double Lift — Lift two cards as one
• Multiple Turnover — Turn over a top packet while preserving its actual order
• Control — Control card position
• Take — Take object from source
• Return — Give back object
• Memorize — Remember information
• Indicate — Point to or specify
• Display — Present for viewing
• Open — Open container or object
• Speak — Verbalize
• Burn Card — Remove one or more cards from play as burn cards
• Deal Community Cards — Deal cards into a shared community-card layout
• Draw Card — Draw one or more cards from a source
• Discard Card — Discard one or more cards from a source
• False Deal — Appear to deal one card while secretly dealing another
• Down Under Deal — Eliminate cards by repeatedly dealing one aside and moving the next under
• False Count — Appear to count a packet differently from its actual state
• Cull — Secretly relocate a selected card while preserving the apparent context
• Locate By Feel Control — Locate a physically altered card by touch and control its position
• Rough And Smooth Cut Control — Cut at a rough-and-smooth treated boundary to control a card position
• Controlled Return To Position — Return a known card to a controlled final position
• Deceptive Controlled Return — Appear to return a known card to one position while actually controlling it to another
• Stock Control Shuffle — Shuffle while preserving selected stock cards at controlled positions
• False Shuffle — Appear to shuffle while preserving the required order
• Hindu Shuffle — Hindu shuffle technique
• Mongean Shuffle — Mongean shuffle deterministic permutation
• In-Faro Shuffle — Perfect in-faro shuffle permutation
• Out-Faro Shuffle — Perfect out-faro shuffle permutation
• Straddle Faro Shuffle — Faro shuffle variant for an odd packet by straddling one card
• Straight Cut — Complete a deterministic straight cut
• Running Cut — Complete a sequence of running cuts
• False Cut — Appear to cut while preserving the required order
• Reverse Deck — Reverse the order of a deck or packet
• Recombine Deck — Recombine packets into one deck or packet
• Sort By Rank — Sort cards by rank
• Sort By Value — Sort cards by numeric or configured value
• Sort By Color — Sort cards by color
• Sort Mates — Sort cards into matching mate pairs or groups
• Sort By Suit — Sort cards by suit
• Sort Named Stack — Sort cards into a named stack order
• Layout Eliminate — Eliminate a card or option from a displayed layout
• Selection Reveal — Reveal the selected card or option
• Select Card — Establish a spectator's selection by privately noting a card
• Conceal card — Move a card to a concealment location without making it visible (palm, ditch, or lap)
• Cut into packets — Divide a deck or packet into a stated number of resulting packets
• Mark card — Apply a physical mark to a card
• Unmark card — Remove a physical mark from a card
• Crimp card — Set a card's physical crimp state
• Jog card — Set a card's physical jog (protrusion) state
• Reverse card end — Set a card's end-for-end orientation
• Spell — Remove a phrase-derived number of cards one at a time from a source, optionally recording the outcome card
• Transfer custody — Hand a prop or packet to a declared participant
• Says Stop — Spectator says 'stop'
• Indicates Pile — Spectator indicates a pile
• Card Drops — Card falls or is dropped
• Spectator Chose — Spectator makes a choice
• Chose A — Spectator chose option A
• Chose B — Spectator chose option B
• Chose C — Spectator chose option C
• Playing Cards — Standard playing card deck
• Playing Card — Single playing card
• Sealed Envelope — Sealed envelope containing prediction
• Pause — Temporal pause
• Gesture — Physical gesture or movement
• Look — Direction of gaze or attention
• Beat — General timing beat
• Display — Display or show action
• Attention — Call attention to something
• Tension — Build tension or anticipation
• Assisting — Spectator actively participates (e.g., selects card, handles props)
• Observing — Spectator passively observes
• Camera Operator — Camera operator controlling attention
• Stooge — Confederate or plant in audience
• Remote Viewer — Remote viewer (online, recorded)
• Performer Error — Performer made a mistake in execution
• Structural Fragility — Method is inherently fragile under these conditions
• Context Mismatch — Method doesn't match performance context
• Inferential Collapse — Spectator reasoning collapses belief

What changed ​

• Spell — added
• Transfer custody — added

Projection generated from the source edition; publication baseline: 2026-10-08.