Double lift

Not to be confused with Double-deck elevator.

A double lift is a sleight of hand used by magicians in card magic. It is a method by which the magician can keep the identity of the top card secret by lifting the top two cards at once while making it seem as if only the top card is lifted. Hence, the audience is tricked into believing that they are shown the top card in the deck where in fact they are shown the second card. There are also other variations of this method such as a triple lift, which is used to perform the two-card monte routine, a famous card trick.

The ambitious card routine relies almost entirely upon this sleight. In combination with a few other mechanics and good showmanship, entire acts can and have been made out of this move. ^[1][2]

References

1. ^ Hugard, Jean; Frederick Braue (1974). "The Secret Lifts". Expert Card Technique: Close-up Table Magic. Dover Publications. p. 1. ISBN 0486217558. 
2. ^ Wilson, Mark (1988) [1975]. Mark Wilson's Complete Course In Magic. Courage Books. ISBN 0894716239. The Double Lift, pp. 83-96.