Friday, April 9, 2010

   Most perfect Faro shuffle cycles  - world record set by David Willmott

  BRISTOL, UK -- British magician David Willmott completed 2,784 ‘Faro’ shuffles at Illusions Magic Bar in Bristol - setting the new world record for the most complete perfect Faro shuffle cycles in 12 hours .

 Photo: Magician being watched on by a few magicians for a World Record faro shuffling. ( enlarge photo )

The previous Guinness world record for the most complete perfect Faro shuffle cycles in 12 hours was achieved in Hollywood by John Walton in August 2009 - 2,784 ‘Faro’ shuffles in 12 hours.

David Willmott says: “I work full-time as a magician and the sleight of hand practised over many years in my close-up table magic proved invaluable when beating the world record for perfect Faro shuffles. I’m happy to bring this world record to the UK.”

   And where his predecessor had changed regularly to clean, specialist decks, David used just one deck of cards – a run-of-the-mill United States Playing Card Company Bicycle deck, bought locally.

   A perfect 'Faro' shuffle is one in which each individual card is slid between two others in each shuffle, meaning that eight consecutive shuffles returns the deck to its original order. One mistake of one card in any one shuffle, at any time, would have invalidated the whole record attempt.

David Willmott is a full-time, professional magician and entertainer based in Bristol and London, catering for clients across England and Wales.

   About the world record for Faro shuffles Defined as such:
   • This record is for the most complete perfect Faro shuffle cycles in 12 hours.
   • This record is to be attempted by an individual.
   • In a perfect Faro shuffle, the deck is split into equal halves of 26 cards which are then pushed together so they interweave perfectly.
   • When eight perfect Faro shuffles are performed in a row, then the deck of 52 cards will be restored to the original order. This counts as one cycle.

   Guidelines for most consecutive, complete, perfect Faro shuffles in 12 hours
   • Standard 52 pack playing cards must be used. Multiple sets of cards may be used during the 12 hour period.
   • The claimant must mark the side of each deck of cards use (i.e. writing the claimant’s name in marker pen). This makes it easier for witnesses to confirm that a Faro shuffle cycle has been completed correctly.
    • The attempt begins with the cards in a single stack and the markings in the correct and original order and with the stack of cards in the hand of the person making the attempt.
    • If a cycle of the shuffle is incorrect the attempt is over and the number of correct cycles counted towards the record.

   Subscribe to our RSS News feed to receive updates.

Related world records : 

Friday, April 9, 2010