Extreme card manipulation

Extreme Card Manipulation (XCM) is the pure manipulation of playing cards as it's own artform separate from magic or card games. Jerry Cestkowski and De'vo vom Schattenreich were the first to create this artform in 2001. The term "Extreme Card Manipulation" (XCM) was coined by De'vo vom Schattenreich in 2004.

Through-out history card manipulation has been used in other artforms such as magic and card juggling but until now, it has never been an artform on its own. Houdini performed card manipulation to accent his act and called himself the King of Cards, and a juggler in Poland had a short act consisting of card manipulation and called himself "The card juggler". It is also been used by experienced gamblers and cardmen.

Today Extreme Card Manipulation as an independent artform is in full force with many websites, DVDs, magazine articles, television commercials, World XCM Tournaments, a radio show dedicated to XCM and much more due to the efforts of the leaders in the artform. In 2005 Dan and Dave Buck Released The System, A revolutionary video that separated Cardistry from XCM. XCM is now more focused mostly on one handed cuts, while Cardistry is mostly focused on two handed multiple packet speed cuts. So Far, the art of XCM and Cardistry has become increasingly popular for Magicians and some non-magicians alike, with best selling titles such as: Cradle to Grave by De'vo, And the Trilogy by Dan And Dave Buck.