I don't like the DL very much, and I'm wondering if there are any alternatives to it. I like the one Jim Pace teaches in "Visu-Antics", but it's angle-sensetive.

Are there any more alternates? (I'm also looking for something that gets one card on top of the top card if that makes sense.)

The reason I ask is because I'm trying to develop an ACR.

What I mean when I say "I don't like it" is I don't like that you have two cards in your hand, I'm looking for a way to not have two cards in your hand, etc.

There are tons! You probably should start with a pushoff of some sort. The first I learned was in Heugard and Braue's expert card technique but Derrik Dingles seems to currently be one of the most popular.

I suggest you get comfortable with the DL, as it is one of the most important sleights out there. I suggest learning an alternate form of the DL that you currently know. The Strike DL (I think it was Dingle's creation) leaves you with two cards on the deck rather than in your hands. If its only holding two cards that you dislike, simply place the cards on the top of the deck.

If you really must not use a DL, a top change or second deal may work in certain situations.

Hey Guys! are there a lot of DL techniques in royal road to card magic? because i have a trick i invented, but i need a DL, and i've never really learned it.

Doesn't Gregory Wilson have an entire video that only goes over the DL?

http://www.penguinmagic.com/product.php?ID=995

There is the Greg Wilson DVD. For true alternatives to the DL you might check out Dan and Dave's on demand. They have two that are billed as such. Chris Brown's "Venus Trap" and Kotsya Kimlat's(sp) "Undercover switch." The "Venus Trap" is very angly move and will require lots of timing to get down. I think it is a decent top card control but I don't have much use for it as a replacement for a DL. The "Undercover Switch" is pretty bomb proof and deceptive as edited but requires some setup. I actually find it more useful when routined into an effect that does the setup as a by-product. Truth be told neither will replace a DL. You simply need to find a DL that you are comfortable with. I currently use the basic Diving Board DL(Lee Asher) for my performances. It took me three months before I was ready to perform with it and I am just now (almost a year later) getting to the point where I can pull that double without a break. The DL is one of the most common moves in card magic. Find one you like and master it!

Performance tip: DON'T PANIC! I occasionally perform for some of the kids at the school I teach at. One of the kids there has an uncle who is a magician and the kid is kind of a Heckler at heart. He doesn't watch the magic, he wants to bust you! Consequently almost every time he sees me do something with a deck of cards he says, "Two cards!" whether I'm using a double or not. One time I pulled a DL and he chanted his usual taunt. I simply wrist killed the deck and handed him the card. Once he was satisfied, and the other kids were chuckling at him, I replaced the card and went back to work. I still rarely perform for that kid, less now because I'm afraid of getting busted and more because doing magic for people like that is just no fun, but I think you get the point.

Final thought: Many of the of the best card magicians in the world still use the standard DL. They just do it really well! Check out this free Aaron Fisher download. http://www.wizardhq.com/servlet/the-103 ... the/Detail

It's not that I hate the DL, I just need something that replaces the top card with the card below it. (Like the one in Visu-Antics) The point is to get a spectators chosen card underneath the top card.

Well then you could either do an Erdnase Color Change face down (it will look like you are just rubbing the deck thats it. Or you could do the Ed Marlo Tilt Move

A cull move should work. I use it to control cards all the time.

Most cover passes will also do that. Aaron Fisher's "Paper Engine" has two that will work for that, there is also a move in By Forces Unseen, just look up cover passes. Another way is to go to a top change. I do a move where you kind of do a half a top change. Instead of actually changing the cards you just replace the spectators card 2nd from top. I can't remember where I learned it to give credit but if you learn a top change the move should be self explanitory.

I actually came up with one that works really well, and looks really smooth. I don't know what it's called, but I'm gonna practice that and the one Jim Pace teaches, since both give the same desired result.

Thanks for all your help though, guys.