Poker Chip Tricks

Back To Front
Butterfly
Chip Bounce
Domino Chip Sweep
Finger Flip
Johnny Chan
Knuckle Roll
Muscle Pass
Shuffle
Thumb Flip
Twirl

Muscle Pass / Anti-Gravity

The muscle pass chip trick, also known as the anti-gravity chip trick is the most difficult poker chip trick that you can attempt to learn.  It involves popping a chip up out of your hand anywhere from a couple inches to over two feet.  The muscle pass isn't performed very often and is surrounded by silly rumors.  I've heard people say that performing the muscle pass will cause everything from arthritis to permanent muscle damage.  How ridiculous.  Just like everything else in life, if something starts to hurt then stop! Give whatever body part you've irritated a rest.  If you one day decided to become a runner and suddenly went out and jogged 15 miles after spending a year on your couch watching TV and eating potato chips, then most likely you'd injure something, possibly quite badly.  That doesn't mean that jogging is an inherently dangerous activity.  It simply means that you need to listen to what your body is telling you and use some common sense when undertaking new activities.

If you decide to attempt to learn the muscle pass in one day, then your hand is going to hurt.  So give yourself some time with this one.  When I first learned the muscle pass I practiced it anywhere from 10-15 minutes a day.  And this one took awhile to learn believe me.  With enough practice eventually you'll develop a small callous on the edge of your thumb muscle. 

Dry hands are a must with the muscle pass.  Moisture will cause the chip to slide out as well as make it harder to "pop."  Also be for warned that I honestly don't believe that everyone can learn this poker chip trick.  It takes a certain amount of hand strength and ability to learn the muscle pass.  Having said that, with a bit of determination most people should be able to perform the muscle pass to some extent.

Begin the muscle pass by positioning a poker chip in your hand as shown above.  The position is similar to the classic palm position used by magicians in coin manipulation.  Using two fingers push the chip down into the center of your right hand, held in place between the muscles at the base of your thumb, and the muscle at the base of your pinky finger. 

The chip should rest at a slight angle as shown above.  The left side of the chip where it meets the base of your pinky muscle is the pivot side.  The right side of the chip held in place by your thumb muscle is where the chip will pop out from.

Now increase pressure on the chip with the muscles at the base of your thumb.  You may need to further develop these muscles before you can successfully perform the muscle pass.  Continue to increase pressure against the right side of the chip until it pops up and out from underneath your thumb muscle as shown below.

The right side of the chip should now pop up, the left side pivoting at the base of your pinky muscle.  Do not allow the muscle at the base of your pinky finger to move.  Keep it stationary only exerting force with your thumb muscles.  As the chip stands up, the momentum will lift it up and away from your hand.  The last place the poker chip should touch before leaving your hand is the base of your pinky muscle area. 

You'll know you're starting to get the hang of it when you begin to flip the chip over to the left.  It takes a tremendous amount of practice before you'll be able to get the chip to actually pop up and out of your hand.

Once you can pop the poker chip up a foot or more, hold your left hand up above your right hand, palm facing down.  When you pop the chip up catch it with your left hand.  The chip will appear to float from your right hand up into your left, which is why some people call it the anti-gravity chip trick.

Good luck with this one!  And remember that the muscle pass doesn't have to hurt!  If your hand begins to get sore, than stop and practice something easier like the knuckle roll or chip twirl.

[Home]
 

 Note from the editor: Tricks with Chips is strictly and education site offering instructions on popular poker chip tricks. If you are looking for online poker rooms or reviews of casinos, we recommend visiting OnlineCasinoConditions.com

               Home | Terms Of Use | Resources | Online Casinos | Contact Us

                           © 2005-2006 TricksWithChips.com, All Rights Reserved