Tel. 304-947·7730P.O. Box 155Great Cacapon, WV 25422

;iJJf7ilJ) lJtJJJT27/(J1(JJ l/611R

Part II Pisces

9fCl"UJ- tu cLea.t. tive. ,qce~ to' l1-n..'y­Sa €aa 1; a f::. .£"n. e pok: e.z. ~alree wi..-en.a, s.h-u.b~eed: a rui: c:.1A.t cl e.c tc: •

THE ARE ESTATE AT

Ittua .IDeE. W.VA.

Tel. 304-947-7730P.O. Box 155Great Cacapon, WV 25422

7i(J7!J) lj6/tRcopyright (1997) by Al Mannexclusives

Pieces-Fishes, 2/19/20, Restless, littleself-confidence, Fears furure andpoverty, steno traveler,bookkeeper, lucky in July,November. mon., violet, purple.Travel if possible, Strengthen willpower.

I have been told by magicians who should know, that Pokerdemonstrations and Mentalism should not mix.

I disagree with the above 100%. The Mentalist is playing thepart of a Man of Marvels, a master-mind, a unique person witharcane powers. His complete mastery over the devil's playthingsis to be expected.

I have seen the amazed look in the eyes of a person when theMentalist reads his mind. Many half-believe in mindreading so thesurprise is not unexpected. "He read my mind!" "He told meexactly what I was thinking!" The event becomes one ofconfirmation.

1

MIND YOUR POKER

AND I have also seen the terrible look in the eyes of thespectator after the Miracle Man deals five aces (4 aces· and thejoker), to any seat at the poker table, from a shuffled and cutdeck. The controlling of four aces at the poker tablerepresents to the laymen unti1mate power, tbe Ne Plus Ultra of thehuman experience, an uncanny talent indeed. , and Mega bucks!Many consider the power Satanic and will stay clear of you in thefuture.

I remember the time when a young man (non-magician) came fora visit to my office. He did not know that I practiced magic. Hesat at a large round table where I had a deck of cards. After thegreetings he saw the cards and said. "I can do you a card trickthat only Scarne, Dunninger and Houdini could do." I becameinterested and watched him carefully. He did an amazing job. Hespread the cards face down allover the table. It looked like theentire top of the table was covered with cards. Then he proceededto do the one-ahead with cards telling me ahead of time what threecards I would choose. I was amazed by his presentation. In themean time another young person came in also for a visit. I thenmade the mistake of saying.

"Let me show you something with cards. Let's pretend this isa poker table and there are five players. Please choose one.ofthe players and I will deal the winning hand to that seat." Theychose the third player across the table from me. I then took thedeck and shuffled it and placed it in front of them for a cut.They cut the deck once and then I dealt a poker hand to fiveplayers and the five aces fell to the third seat. When I lookedup I saw the two young men walking backwards out of my office witha terrible look on their faces. They appeared to be floating.They never again came for a visit. Later one of them said. "Youhave the power to deal a winning poker hand. That is great!"

The dealing of the four or five aces to any seat at the pokertable from a shuffled and cut deck, is quite easy (to be detailedlater) and every Magician and Mentalist should master the art. Toyour audience the feat is devilish and so is any card trick thatshows that you can actually controll the devi1's playthings.

Forget about learning to deal a Royal Flush or a straightflush for the winning hand. Many laymen have never seen a royalflush, and couldn't care less if they ever did. BUT thedealing of the five aces from a shuffled and cut deck catches theeye and the imagination of the viewer instantly.

It creates an awesome atmosphere. Every body knows that thefour and five aces is a winning hand that represents Big Bucks.

I do not imply by the above that the Mentalist should do astage show of Poker demonstrations. For this treatis, let usconsider the poker demonstration and the control of a deck ofcards and the aces as a seperate branch of the cardician's art.The Mentalist can do the Poker demonstration when asked, in aparty, restaurant, club gathering, etc.

MIND YOUR POKER cont.

The poker table falls victim to the zynchronicity ofcoiincidence, sometimes with dire consequences. Mistakes andaccidents can happen at the poker table that can land you in thehospital with four broken limbs. Being too lucky can be fatal.

I sat at a poker table with four other young men one time. Itwas a day when I felt lucky and I started winning smallinsignificant pots and bets. After some wins, the other players,all strangers to me, started looking at me funny and suspectingthat I must be doing something crooket.

Another 5-card-draw poker game was started and I got my usual5 cards, two of which were Queens! For the draw I discarded threecards (a dead giveawy that I was holding at the most one pair),and drew three cards. The three cards contained another twoQueens!

I was now holding a hand with four queens, a powerful handindeed but one that was hard to believe.

The chances of getting four of a kind in a poker game arerare. In my lifetime I could only expect to get four-of-a- kind(in a pad hand) 25 times, providing I play poker eight hours a dayevery day of the year for the rest of my life.

I play poker very rarely and visit the Bahamas once everyfive or ten years.

The young player across the table had a good hand so heraised the bet. I called his bet and raised again. He thenraised me again, so I pushed all my money into the pot. Needlessto say I won BUT what hard and dangerous looks I got from theother players. Now they were absolutely sure that I was cheating.I had to plead with them and explain. "Please fellows, I am justplaying the cards you deal to me. I got two queens in the first5 cards and two more on the draw. Should I have discarded them?"

Coincidence? Luck? Who knows. Experiencedsay that discarding three cards from a one-pair handPairs of cards stick togerther from a previouschances of improving a one-pair hand are very good.

Poker Playersis good odds.game and the

Annemann said the same thing. Annemann said that he took aSi Stebbins stacked deck and riffle shuffle it once and thenlooked at the cards. To his surprise he noticed that severalbunches of cards stuck together in Si Stebbins order. Annemanncould stil do a Si Stebbins trick with the shuffled deck.

If I ever get another four-of-a-kind hand in Poker it willshock me.

3

MIND YOUR POKER

FOUR-OF-A-KIND BY DESIGN.

I entered a second floor bar salon in Chicago and noticedthat all the sharpies there took one hard look at me. They becamesure that I was loaded with mucho-moo1ah. There were about threepoker tables going plus one empty one. I sat at the empty tableand three more players came to join me. BUT the seat to my leftwas avoided.

One of the players was bragging that he had lost his house tothe owner's son at the table. He seemed to be proud of it. Hewas the macho-man who wagered his home at Poker. It takes a lotof guts to do that. A crippled brain helps too.

At the last minute the owner's son, a sharpie, came to sit onthe seat to my left.

I knew very little about Poker then. I should have suspectedright then a plot against me. The chap on my left could do anumber of things unnoticed by me. He could also triple the raiseafter my raise. They were defenite1y setting me up for the bigkill. BUT I did become wary. The chap to my left was too damnedquit and motionless.

I got a good hand BUT not good enough to bet my house on.Lucky for me the pot was small. I did call the raise and thefellow on my left had to show his hand to collect the small pot.

He turned his cards over and he had four deuces. He won thesmall pot. I quietly and politely left my seat and went home.

The plot had failed. While the player tocollecting deuces, the dealers were tryingbetting hand so I could bet my last penny onme with the four deuces. They failed.

my left was quite1yto give me a goodit and then clobber

Being a total stranger to these tough guys can be a blessing.Incognizance feels most cozy when in bad company and is a form ofdefence. (I fear not my enemies but my friends, someone wiselysaid.) They do not know who you are. You could be a killer or adetective in disguise, or maybe you served in the special forces.

So they respect you as long as you keep your mouth shut.

I know of several other persons who have lost their homes atthe poker table. One sad case was the young man from a wealthyfamily who's father left him enough money to live comfortably forthree life times. His one admirable talent was spending money. Hecould not spend it fast enough until he discovered the gamblingcasinos. There he lost everything he had plus all the money hismother had plus several acres of ocean-front property worth

4

MIND YOUR POKER

several millions. He died destitude.

A Police Officer in San Francisco told me that gambling debtswere not legal under the law and did not have to be paid. So Ifyou lose your house at the Poker table you really do not have toturn over your deed to the crookes at the gaming house. Theycannot take you to court. The law looks with askance at suchgoings on.

BUT you may have to pay for two broken legs,your wife and children will have shelter.

(your own) but

I knew one chap who loved to play Poker on credit and hepassed out several hefty I.O.U's that he never paid.

HOUSE RULES. House rules at the Poker houses are intendedto keep the poker players honest and solvent. And settlearguments. I was in a game that had a three dollar limit to anybet. Plus, all you could bet was table stakes. Supposedlyeveryone could afford that. You can not bet your house in thisgame. A five hand game was dealt and three of the players folded.The other two players were obsolutely sure they had the winninghand.

So one player starts the betting with the three dollar anteto the pot. The other player stays and then raises three dollars.The first player called the raise and then raised again, threedollars. These two chaps stood toe to toe over the table makingthree dollar bets back and forth until out of money. Their was apyramid of dollar bills three feet high over the table.

Only one player won,excitement of the challenge.

of course.The name

The looser enjoyed theof the game is money.

GETTING BACK TO OUR BELOVED ACES, I can tell you that theAces can pack a wallop. (Wild Bill Hickock probably had the besthand at the table, Aces and Eights, when he was shot.)

During a two-week leave in Oakland California, I visited thePoker houses. Found one very clean, friendly and peaceful. I waswelcomed to an empty seat at a table. The four other players weretotal strangers to me, but were permanent fixture at the table.They were there everyday of the year and sat at the same seatalways. These would rather play Poker than eat. A young manselling cigarettes, drinks and sandwiches was also a permanentfixture and apparently was getting a good education in the waysof the gambling house.

The first two or three hands were ineventful, But on the nexthand I got three Aces! I looked at my cards and felt very happy

5

MIND YOUR POKER

with what I saw without betraying it to the other players. I knewI had a winning hand. The Three Aces will beat all hands holdinga pair or two-pair or three-of-a-kind.

I decided that I had a winning hand and intended to play it.The player across the table from me, an old gentleman with a sourlook in his face pretended that he also had a winning hand. So heraised the bet. When the bet. came to me, I called the raise andthen raied again.

The old gent across the table gave me a hard look and calledthe bet. I called for cards. The old gent stood pad and I (notbeing a good gambler) drew two cards. (Most pro gamblers wouldbe reluctant to draw two cards to three Aces. Your oponents cantell that all you had at the start was three-of-a-kind or a pairand a kicker. A pro might draw only one card to his three Aces.That way it looks like he is trying to fill up a flush or astraight. Or is holding two-pair at the most. Few ever imaginthat you are holding three Aces or four-of-kind. That will bringmore money into the pot.)

After the draw bets were made and raised. When the oldgentleman showed his hand he had absolutely nothing. Not even apair. He had been bluffing from the beginnig. I showed my threeAces and collected the pot.

The sandwich boy whispered in my ear. "I am glad you beatthat old S.O.B. He is always pulling a bluff."

6

MIND YOUR POKER

CONTROLLING THE ACES

There must surely be a good 100 tricks that can be done withthe four aces. What I consider the very best is Dai Vernon's"Cutting the Aces." Cardini zaved about it and said that thetrick 'Cutting the Aces' went beyond its calling.

The proper presentation of Cutting the Aces can take a goodfifteen minutes. It offers the viewer thrilling surprices and fineentertainment, intrigue, deceit, betrayel, magic and a mostdramatic surprice finish. It is a show in itself.

CUTTING THE ACES: In the late 1940's Dai Vernon was in NewYork City and he was contracted by Tannen to take part in TheStars of Magic Series (recommended reading). Dai Vernon preparedfor the series several fabulous card tricks containing newsleights never before in print. One of his best was Cuttingthe Aces. It was copyright as of 1946

At about the same time Lloyd E. Jones was finishing a book byOrville Meyer titled "Magic in the Modern Manner," (recommendedreading).Orville Meyer included his version of Cutting the Acesin this book. Ed Marlo's name is mentioned by Orville as havinggiven him the basic routine in "Let's See The Deck •• " Magicin the Modern Manner was copyright in 1949 by Lloyd E. Jones.

Altogether, Dai Vernon is credited with having originated theeffect and he made a masterpiece of it and his method is the best.

THE ONE ARM TIJUANA GAMBLER.

Dai Vernon tells the story of a one arm Tijuana gambler. Thestory is great entertainment. The Performer can tell a storyabout the one arm gambler that was born and raised in the gamblinghouse. It could be the son of the owner of the gambling house. Hemastered the gambling art well and was making a very good livingplaying poker until the day that he lost his one arm.

BUT Poker was his only means of support so he painstakinglytrained his one arm to play poker by shuffling, cutting anddealing cards with one arm.

Here is where the Mentalist can show his mastery of thedevil's playthings. The Mentalist can show his audience how it ispossible to shuffle, cut and deal cards using one hand only. Sohe shuffles the cards with one hand. Then he demonstrates severalways of cutting the cards and then dealing the cards with onehand. All of this can be garnished by one-hand spreads and turnovers on the table. Plus one hand fans and other flourishes.

7

MIND YOUR POK~R

If you can do a convincing second deal and bottom deal withone hand, do it. Your audience has never seen this done beforeand they will love it. See Card Magic ps. 209 to 212.

THE ONE-HAND SHUFFLE:

ALWAYS USE A BRAND NEW DECK OFBRIDGE SIZE CARDS.

STEP 1.shuffle takeparallel toshown in Fig.

Tothethe1 •

do the one-handdeck face up andhorizontal as

Fig.1

Fig. 1

Fig.2

tip of the firstinto two halves as

(Note: Place the deck in your left or right hand,depending which hand you wish to train. I use my left hand. Inthe illustrations that follow, the picture may imply either hand.Amazingly, your audience never notice if you do one sleight withone hand and another with the other hand. They are amazed at whatthey are seeing. I have never been challenged on this point. Butif someone comments about it, tell them that you are not theone-arm gambler. You are simply showing them what can be donewith one hand.)

STEP 2. With thefinger separate the deckshown in Fig. 2.

STEP 3. Allow the top half of the deck to slide towardS thetips of the fingers as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. and at the sametime insert the tip of the first finger between the two halves.

Fig.3 Fig.4

The position of the cards will then look like in Fig. S. Thefirst finger separates the two halves and both halves are in avise-like grip and you are in full control.

8

MIND YOUR POKER,-

FIG.5 FIG. 6

Step 4. As seen in Fig. 6, the two halves are separated andyou can move them and aligne them and then make the two lowercorners butt agains't eah other.

Step 5. With slight pressurethe cards of the two halves willinterlace into each other as seenin Fig. 7. Show this to theviewers and then turn your handpalm down over the table andrelease and squeese the twohalves together and the deck isnow squared and shuffled! Fig. 7

- I

(Ju.e':1f.&l2.d

Fig. 8

We have several one-hand cuts. Most of these are used forexibition purposes to show dexterity. Fig. 8 shows thequestionably titled Charlier pass. Evry one knows this one. Itcan be used as a color change. As a pass and as a one-hnad cut.

9

MIND YOUR POKER ONE-HAND CUTS, cont.

A fresh new deck makes everything easier.

Figs. 9 and ·10 show two fLourishy passes from HOFFMANS .... STRICKS WITH CARDS.

Figs. 9A and 9B, shows cutting part of the top of the deckwith the left ring finger and then flipping the card over 180degrees in the air and bringing the two packs together.

Fig. 9 A Fig. 9B

Figs. llA shows the cutting of the deck with the thumb andfirst finger, while holding the deck with the ring and littlefinger. Fig. 11B, The pack with the Jack of Diamonds showing isplaced behind the pack with the nine of hearts. A bit of practiceneeded.

A B

FI G. 1 , A and B

In his excellent booklet "At THE TABLE," (recommendedreading), Neal Elias published his one-hand center cut. It is aflourishy one hand cut that is a pleasure to see. It showstechnique and expertise.

With the deck in the left hand as for dealing, first fingerover the top, pullout to the left (from the upper left corner)with the left thumb tip about one third of the deck. Then withthe first finger as a stop, pivot the one third of the deck outof the deck and over it to complete the cut.

10

MIND YOUR POKER ONE-HAND CUTS con t ,

Neal Elias' one-hand center cut

-Fig. 12

Perhapsseen severalknow is theyears. Let's

some day you will need a one-hand false cut. I havein print. The very best one-hand false cut that Ione that I invented and have been using for manycall it

jI: L,.}lQ.f/.n.'~ 'Pn.e ll.Q.n.cl. ~aL4J e.,-i! e: e«1.

Fig. 13A shows the bottom view ofthe right hand holding the deck as itrests on the table top. The long axis ofthe deck is perpendicular to the armtherefore forming a 't,' (hence thetitle). The deck is held between theright thumb at one end and the middleand ring fingers at the other. NOTE thatthe first finger rests on the long edgesof the cards and the little finger doesnothing.

The hand is in readiness to nake a"T" False cut.

11

13A

MIND YOUR POKER One-hand false cuts cont.

hand and thethe action.

The right hand then comes back andpicks up the former top half and placesit on top of the former bottom half, andthe deck is back to its original state.

Fig. 13B

Fig.13C

right armthe deckand drops

AT THE SAME TIME theholding the bottom half ofmoves forward about 10 incbesthe bottom half on the table.

Fig. 13C shows thewrist covering up most ofThe move is most deceptive.

Fig. 13B shows the top view of thehand holding the deck in readiness forthe False Cut. In action, the t.ip ofthe first finger moves the top half ofthe deck backwards until it clears thebottom half and the top half drops onthe table top in a neat pile. Theaction is slow rather than fast. The tophalf is not thrown back by the firstfinger, but simply slid back.

You have been hired to do a show at someone's party. Most ofthe people will be seated so it would be the ideal condtion forshowing your mastery over the 'Devil's Playthings.'

You decide to dazzle your audience with your mental show andthen dazzle them again by performing the 'Cutting the Aces,' anddealing the winning hand to any seat chosen by the audience at thetable with a shuffled and cut deck (your own). The deck to be cutby one of the audience!

C<J. it t"VL g Th. e rAce/.-To perform a very impressive and fa~ulous 'Cutting the Aces'

you will need the following.

1. A fresh new deck of cards, your own.you have been practicing with.

Same size deck that

12

MIND YOUR POKER Cutting the Aces cont.

2. Mark the Ace of Spades with a spot of ink or a pencil, at bothends so that you can identify the Ace of Spades from the back.

3. A Bowie hunting knife if you have one. If not then anykitchen or hunting knife with a sharp point will do. You will usethis knife to pierce the Ace of Spades over the meat-cuttingboard. Place the knife into a cloth bag to carry it in your briefcase and place the knife on your lap when you are ready to start.

4. Borrow a meat-cutting board .from the lady hostess.And place the board on your right at the;table.

5. The table should have a cloth cover.bath towel from the hostess. Children makepreparations and get all excited. The cardsa towel.

If not I borrow aa lot out of these

handle easier on

START by telling the story of the one-arm Tijuana gambler.Make it as interesting as you can. Then say that the one-armgambler offered to show us how he, having only one arm, couldcontrol the Aces in a deck of cards. - - Take out your deck andhave someone shuffle it. Then do some one-hand shuffling andcuts and fans, ribbon spreads and whatever.

6. Take back the deck and remove the Aces and while you aredoing that notice the second card from the top. It should be a 3to 8 spot card. If it isn't than you must place a 3 to 8 spotcard, by cutting. in position second from the top of the deck.Let us say that the second card from the top is a 5 spot. Next,count four cards more after the 5 spot and notice the fourth cardand remember it. I place a King of Clubs in the fourth positionafter the 5 spot because I can always remmeber the King of Clubs.The reader may use any card desired.

Fig. 14 shows the top ninecards of the deck exposed. Thesecond card at the top of thedeck, 5 of spades, is to indicatewhere the Ace of Spades will befound after the Ace of Spades issecretly inserted to the right ofthe King of of Clubs. The Kingof Clubs occupies the fourthposition after the 5 of Spades. Itis the key card).

13

Fig. 14.

MIND YOUR POKER cutting the aces cont.

Have spectaters cut the deck into four even15. In Fig. 15, pile number 4 is the top ofcontains the King of Clubs.

piles. See Fig.the deck which

Fig. 15

7. Pickup pile 4, (Fig. 15), which contains the King ofClubs and fan itwith faces of cards facing you. Pick up the Aceof Spades and secretly insert it tothe right and next to the Kingof Clubs. TheAce of Spades will then be in fifth position afterthe five spot. Square up pile 4 and hold it face-up in left hand.

Pile 4 will remain as the top of the deck but face-up

8. Pick up pile 3 (Fig. 15) and place it on pile 4 face up.

9. Pick up the Ace of Clubs and while doing that push the topface up card of pile 3 to the right with your left thumb and holda break under it with the left little finger.

10. Place the Ace of Clubs on top of pile 3 in your lefthand face up.- - Af ter the Ace of Clubs is placed in your lefthand you will be holding a little finger break under the two faceup cards, the Ace of Clubs showing.

11. Take the deck with your righ t hand, right thumb at lowerright corner of cards and right fingers at upper right edgetransfering the break to your right thumb.

12. Undercut half of the cards with your left hand and placethem over the Ace of Clubs and then undercut again and take allthe cards from the break down and place them over the face-updeck.

14

MIND YOUR POKER CUTTING THE ACES cont.

13. InFACE UP withpalm)

your left hand you now have about half of the deckthe Ace of Clubs second f~om the top. (next to the

14. Pick up pile 2 (Fig. 15) and place it face up on thecards in left hand.

15. Show the top card to the audience saying that the topcard is not an Ace. Then spread several cards of the face up halfdeck to show also there are no Aces there. Secure a little fingerbreak under the two top face up cards and square the deck face up.

16. Take the Ace of Diamonds and place it face-up on pile 2covering the two face-up cards over the break.

With the Ace of Diamonds showing, repeat steps 11 and 12.

the Acepalm.

You will then hold in your left hand 3/4 of the deck andof Diamonds is third from the top card next to your

17. Place pile 1 (Fig. 15) on top of cards in left hand faceup. Place Ace of Hearts on top of cards, face up.

18. Undercut about half of the deck with the left hand andplace it over the Ace of Hearts. HOLD A BREAK, with your rightthumb or left little finger, over the Ace of Hearts.

19. You must now cover the Ace of HEARTS with one card only.I usually wedge the top portion of the cut, to the left, above theAce, and peal off one card above the Ace, with my left ring fingerand then transfer all cards over the break to the top of the deck(next to he palm).

The Ace of Hearts will end up second from the bottom of thedeck after the face-up deck is turned over.

VIOLA! The deck is now stacked and you did it all in front

of your audience!

PLEASE, DO NOT BE DISMAYED with all the verbiage. It hastaken a lot of words and time to detail the instructions, BUT inactual performance the whole thing takes only a few seconds andthe audience sees all the action but is non the wiser.

If you spread the deck face up on the table, it will looklike in Fig. 16.

15

MIND YOUR POKER CUTTING THE ACES cont.

In Fig. 16 No. 1 is the top Indiffertent card.No. 2 , The Ace of Diamonds, second card from

top of deck.No. 3, Indifferent card.No. 4, Ace of Clubs.No. S, Indifferent card.No. 6, Position card indicating position of

Ace of Spades.No. 7, 8, and 9, Indifferent cards.No. la, King of Clubs, Key card indicating where

to place the Ace of Spades.No. 11 , Ace of SpadesNo. 12, Ace of Hearts, second from bottom of

deck.

...V

I

~

/0

'4'

Fig. 16 .

"Why not stack the deck before the show and be done with it?"The reader may ask.

The deck must be shuffled and cut by the viewers for thegreater impact.

The ideal ploy would be to take a brand new sealed deck tothe show. Then throw the deck on the table and tell the viewersthat the deck is brand new and factory sealed. Then ask anyone tobreak the seals and take out the deck and shuffle it and cut itall they want. BUT Once you have the deck in your hands you startthe story about the one-arm Tijuana gambler and after they see youdo a few one-hand cuts and shuffles and flourishes, etc, you willhave the audience in the palm of your hand and they will giveyou all their attention without questions.

16

MIND YOUR POKER CUTTING THE ACES cont.

ACTION: You are no~ ready for the kill. You inform theaudience that although the four aces are lost in the deck, youare going to cut the deck four times and find one Ace at each cut!

To do that you must master what Orville Meyer called "TheThrow Cut." This beautifull move is credited to Dai Vernon.

Note: Fig. 17. The deck is heldin the right hand. THE BOTTOM halfof the deck is held firmly betweenthe thumb and ring fingers. THE TOPCARD is held down by the indexfinger. BUT THE TOP HALF OF THE DECKIS NOT HELD BY ANYTHING. If you tiltyour hand over the table, the tophalf of the deck will slide outexcept for the top card!

Fig.

To perform the Throw Cut, take the deck as shown in Fig. 17and swing vnllt' right hand and arm to the left, then tilt the deckand pull your right hand back fast, leaving behind the top half ofthe deck minus the top card.

Before making the Throw Cut, I like to callout"Let's go for mega bucks. The Ace of Diamonds." You say.throw cut tell someone to turn the top card over.dazzled when they indeed see The Ace of Diamonds!

the Ace.After theThey are

Pick up the cards on the table and place them over the restof the deck in your lef t hand. (The Ace of Diamonds stays on thetable.)

The Ace of Clubs is next and it is second from the top ofyour deck. I call "Power. Let's have the Ace of Clubs." Yourepeat the Throw Cut and have the top card turned over. It is theAce of Clubs, on the table.

You are then challenged. "Can you do the cut with the cardsface up. "I never tried it that way but it should not bedifficult. You turn the deck face up and say "OH! mio Amore, mioCore (or whatever) Give me the Ace of Hearts." do the Throw Cutand the Ace of Hearts will now be totally exposed at the top ofthe face-up cu t ,

"Curses," you say. "Has anyone noticed that the Ace ofSpades, the Devil's own card has not turned up yet? "The Ace ofSpades is the hardest to find BUT I have not missed yet." Turnthe deck face-down and do the Throw Cut. "Look at the top card."you say.

17

MIND YOUR POKER CUTTING THE ACES cont.

A viewer turns over the top card, thesays, "You missed." "Don't tell me that. Ifor high stakes and can not afford to miss.that the Ace of Spades is the fifth card down

Five of Spades andnever miss. I playThat five tells me

the deck."

"I do not believe it." says one of the viewers.

"Great! How about a little bet, say $500. I bet &500 thatthe Ace of Spades is in fifth position, right now, from the top ofthe deck."

The chump puts up the $500. "And I tell you what.you count the cards in your own hands."

I'll let

Right there the chump knew that he had been had. "If he letsme count the cards with the deck in my hands then he is sure theAce is there." So the chump decides not to take any chances. Hecounts to the fourth card and then deals seconds for the fifth,dea1ng the sixth card on the table saying, "You missed again!" andthen palms off the top card, the fifth card, The Ace of Spades, tobe on the sure side.

You do exactly that with the cards in your hands. You dealseconds for the fifth card and palm off the fifth card, The Ace ofSpades and then place your hand over the meat-cutting board.

"I told you" said the one-arm gambler. "I never miss." and hewhips out his knife and tries to stab the hand on the meat board.The chump pulls back his hand and the knife pierces the card leftbehind. You can tell it is the Ace of Spades by the mark on theback of it, So - You triumphantly display the Ace of Spades atthe point of the knife saying, without looking at it, there is theAce of Spades!"

"Don't ever do that again" says the one-arm Gambler, "That ishow I lost my arm."

A more dramatic presentsation of card mastery is hard tofind. Your audience will be impressed and they will remember thetrick for years to come.

18

MIND YOUR POKER THE FULVES ACES

If anything proves to your viewers that you are in fullcommand of the Aces, the following will, and will surely dumbfoundanyone.

In the mid 1970's I went to visit with Karl Fulves in hishome in New Jersey. Karl was always very happy when visitorscame. John Scarne and other biggies were regular visitors.

Karl had just finished his second printing ofFaro and Riffle Technique." The book is masssivepages and jammed packed with fabulous techniques.reading [If you can find one})

"Karl Fulvescontaining 90

(recommended

Karl offered to show me what was in the book. It is onlynatural that he would wish to show me what he thought was the verybest in the book. So he took a deck of cards and cut them in half.

One half of the deck was thenshuffled into the other. Fulvespretended to push the two halves flushwith each other BUT he actually leftabout one inch of the cards stickingout from both ends. Karl thenseparated the two halves by pullingthem apart and LO! and Behold!Each half of the deck had one cardsticking out FROM THE CENTER OF EACHHALF! Fig. 19.

Karl asked me to take thetwo cards out and turn themface-up. THE TWO CARDS WEREACES! I was stunned BUT Karl wasnot finished yet. He repeatedthe same moves and then pulled thetwo halves apart and Would YouBelive it. Karl turnedhis handsover and there were the other twoAces! I had just seen diabolicalmagic. Satanic is a better word.Fig. 20

Fig. 19

THE EFFECT IS SO PROFOUND AND YET THE WORKING IS MOSTELEMENTARY.

All you need is to have a deck of cards with two Aces on thetop and the other two Aces on the bottom.

19

MIND YOUR POKER THE FULVES ACES cont.

Here is the way I wor~ the Fulves Aces.

You must work sittin~ at a table and the cards are riffleshuffled on the table.

Separate the deck in~o two even halves. Take one half, thetop half in your right handl and take the bottom half in your lefthand in readiness to riff~e shuffle. Two Aces are on top of thehalf deck in your right ha~d and two Aces are on the bottom of thehalf deck in your left han~'

1. With your right ihumb, release half of the cards in yourright hand onto the table.

2. Release one card o~ly with your left thumb, an Ace, ontothe cards on the table.

3. Release the rest of the cards in your right hand onto thecards on the table, BUT HOLP BACK THE LAST CARD (an Ace) with yourright thumb.

4. Release half of the cards in your left hand.

5. Release the Ace, th~ last card in your right hand.

6. Release the rest of thepretend to square the deck.

7. Push the cards into eachTHE CARDS STICK OUT FROM BOTHspectators. Your two hands coverriffle shuffle you have just made

cards in your left hand and then

other BUT LET ABOUT ONE INCH OFENDS. All looks fair to the

up most of the action and thelooks normal.

The deck should now looklikr in Fig. 21.

Fig. 21

To continue, pull the two halves apart BUT twist your hands abit. Push your right-hand-half away from you a bit and the lefthand half towards you and separate the two halves. The cards willnow look like in Fig. 19. DO NOT TURN YOUR HANDS OVER Because theother two Aces will be exposed.

20

MIND YOUR POKER FULVES ACES cont.

8. Replace the cards in your right hand over the cards inyour left hand and your deck is ready to find the last two Aces.The top card and the bottom card of your deck are Aces.

Repeat steps 1 to 7 and then turn your hands over and theywill look like in Fig. 20!

JoKER

H3~or

•we e~

A TESTED AND TRIED EASY METHOD FOR DEALING FIVE ACES (4 ACESAND THE JOKER) TO ANY SEAT AT THE POKER TABLE AS CHOSEN BY THEAUDIENCE FROM A SHUFFLED AND CUT DECK. THE DECK TO BE CUT BY ANYOF THE VIEWERS.

The above is indeed a tall order, yet I do it always to laypeople. I believe I have the shortest and easiest of methods forSTOCK SHUFFLING the deck.

If the reader has his/her own pet method for doing the samething, the method should be continued or improved. The followingis intended for the student who does not know how to do the stockshuffle.

21

MIND YOUR POKER THE FIVE ACES cont.

I learned my stock shuffling from the old master Jean Hugard,w~o was the first to put the methods in print. See Miracle Methodsnumber Two by JEAN HUGARD AND FRED BRAUE.

As with anything else, the more you practice, experiment andtoy with stock shuffling the cards the more experienced onebecomes and always you will stumbble on new ideas and your owninventions with short cuts and improved handling.

I found o~t by accident that if I stock shuffle the deck togive three Aces (via the easiest method) to any seat at the pokertable and if I place the fourth Ace in position fifth from thebottom of the deck. The chosen seat will get the four Aces!

AND if I place the Joker in position 10th from the bottom ofthe deck with the fourth Ace fifth from the bottom, the chosenseat will get the four Aces plus the Joker equaling to five Aces,a winning hand at any game.

The first step one must take to learn this technique is toconvince oneself that it is easy to do. We take it easy step byeasy step. We must learn how to overhand shuffle the deck.Everybody should know already how to overhand shuffle a deck ofcards.

A Fig. 21 B

Figs. 21, A and B, show the overhand shuffle in action.Half of the deck is taken by the right hand (Usually the bottomhalf) then held over the top half and the cards from the bottomhalf are slipped off with the left thumb tip, one at a time, ontothe top half. See Fig. 22.

22

MIND YOUR POKER THE FIVE ACES cont.

If the cards are brand new, theshuffling is easiest. What we want is topeal off cards from one half of the deckonto the other half with the left thumbtip without failing. Some Practice maybe needed to make sure that only onecard is slipped off each time.

Fig. 22

Let us call this the OH shuffle for short.

THE CARDS. You will need a new deck of cards with three ofthe Aces on the top and the fourth Ace 5th from the bottom and theJoker 10th from the bottom. Suspicion about a staked deck isavoided since you will be shuffling the cards in front of theviewers.

Your lecture: Many do not believe that a gambler can controla deck of cards. That is the reason why so many people lose theirlife savings at the Poker table. They do not believe that thedealer can actually control the cards. Let me show you how thedealer at Poker can deal a winning hand to any seat (of five) atthe Poker Table. Let's first choose the one to receive thewinning hand.

The INJOG card. An injogged card sticks out the back of thedeck towards you for about 1/4 inch or a bit more.

The OUTJOG card. The out jogged card sticks out about 1/4inch or a bit more on the front of the deck away from you.

CHOOSING THEwhite Poker chipsa paper bag andremember that and

SEAT. You can dramatize this bit by takingand numbering them 1 to 5 and throwing them

have anyone choose one. Your viewerstalk about it.

fiveintowill

You are in seat number 5. The numQers of the seats arecounted clockwise. The sitter to your left is number 1, etc. - Letus say that seat number 2 was chosen.

THE STOCK SHUFFLING

1. Take the deck into your left hand as shown in Fig. 21 A,and cut it in half.

2. Takethe TOP HALF (not the bottom half) of the deck withyour right hand in readiness to do the OH shuffle. The top halfcontains the three Aces as the first three top cards.

3. OH shuf11e two cards (Aces) flush unto the cards in yourleft hand.

13

MIND YOUR POKER 'tHE FIVE ACES cont.

4. Injog the next card. Deal four more cards flush with thedeck and out jog the fifth card. OH shuflle the rest of the cardson top of the out jogged card

The deck as you hold it in your left hand will now look likein Fig. 23

'"

5. Hold the deck firmly with your left hand.

6. Reach over with your right hand and with the tip of yourthumb push up on the injog forming a break and take half of thedeck with your right hand up to the out jogged card. When youseparate your hands the right hand will look like in Fig. 24

NOTE: Fig. 24 shows the break betweenfive cards (one card for each Poker playerat the table.) and the original bottom half(approx.) The original bottom half of thedeck contains the fourth Ace and the Joker,

Fig. 24

7. Continue OH shuffling the deck by dropping the five cards(at the break) on top of the cards held in the left hand, THENpull off ONE card flush with the deck (an Ace). injog the nextcard.

8. Draw off four more indifferent cards flush with the deck.

9. Out jog the next card and shuffle off the rest of the cardsin your right hand, ONE CARD AT A TIME. YOU MUST NOT FAIL TO DRAWOFF ONLY ONE CARD AT A TIME UN·TIL ALL THE CARDS IN YOUR RIGHT HANDHAVE BEEN OH SHUFFLED.

24

MIND YOUR POKER THE FIVE ACES cont.

10. Repeat steps 6 and 7, by separating the deck at theout jog and dropping the five cards at the break over the cards inyour left hand.

11. NOW since the seat chosen to get the 5 Aces was number2, you must draw off seven cards (2 plus 5, two more than thenumber of players), flush with the deck. Injog the next card andshuffle off, haphazardly.

12.the deck

Cut at the injog and placeAND THE DECK IS READY.

the cards cut off on top of

It has taken a lot of words, thought and time to write upthe instructions for the Five Aces. BUT in actual practice, afteryou have mastered the routine, the stock shuffling of the decktakes less than a minute of time. I TIMED MYSELF WITH A STOPWATCH r It took me 50 seconds of time to do it. Many can do it inmuch less time.

Mastering the technique is worth every minute of practiceneeded.

"lite Cat-The cutting of the deck by one of the viewers is

separates the men from the boys. If you want to baffleviewers silly, you must allow one of them to cut the deck.

whatyour

Please don't write to tell me it does notevery time I present the Five Aces as above. BUTfor lay audiences only.

work. I do ityou must do it

The cutting of the deck shatters all reasoning. Without itthe effect pales. Probably everyone watching you knows about falsecuts, Especially the ladies who play bridge or whatever. Theywill be watching you and the deck very carefully expecting to seea false cut. Thinking about that may make you nervous but believeme the following handling works every time.

After I finish the stock shuffle Ibend the bottom half of the deck downwardsinto an arch, over my left first finger andthen I bend the top half of the deckupwards. The bending· is covered by thehands. And then I CUT THE DECK AT ABOUTHALF AND COMPLETE THE CUT creating a bridgein the deck. I place the deck in front ofthe person across the table. The deck witha bridge on the long edges is shown in Fig.25.

25

Fig. 25

MIND YOUR POKER THE FIVE ACES cont.

The deckedges towardsseen from theplease cut the

is placedhim/her.cutter's

deck once

In front of the person with the shortThe bridge in the long edges can not beposition. He/she is then instructed to

at about the middle.

For some strange reason a bridge in the deckmeans absolutely nothing to your lay viewers andnever noticed.

or a bent cardthis things are

All the viewers are anxious with anticipation to see what isnext so the deck is cut hurridly. You then reach over slowly andplace the bottom half of the deck over the cut half and the deckis ready for the dealing.

Deal five hands of Poker from left to write and the secondseat will get the five Aces.

NOTE: Even is you fail you will be triumphant. In one partyI told the viewers that I was going to deal five Aces to thegentleman across the table. BUT the Five Aces fell instead to hiswife that was sitting to his left. The little wife was thrilledand she said, "Thank you for dealing the winning hand to me." Ithen told the gentleman that he had cut one card too deep when hecut the deck. That made the mystery deeper.

Notorious gambler Kepplinger(1888) willingly showing offhis ingenious holdout.

26

MIND YOUR POKER DEAD MAN'S HAND

The two-pair poker hand of cards above, and on the cover,Aces and Eights plus the Queen of Hearts, are reputed to be thetrue copy of the photo of the very cards that Wild Bill held inhis hands when he was shot from behind by Jack McCall who washanged for the crime. The cards started the legend of DeadMann's Hand.

James Butler Hickock better known as Wild Bill, was born May27, 1837 in Troy Grove Ill. He died Aug. 2nd, 1876 in Deadwood,Dakota Territory (South Dakota).

A legend in his own time. He fought the McCan1es gang andkilled three of them. in the Nebrasca Territory. He became famousas the fastest gun in the west. He died while playing Poker at theMann and Lewis Saloon of Deadwood, South Dakota.

Wild Bill was a young man when he died. He was only 39 yearsof age.

THE QUESTION IS:HIS HAND?

If Bill had lived, HOW WOULD HE HAVE PLAYED

27

MIND YOUR POKER DEAD MAN'S HAND cont.

A two pair hand is not very popular with Poker players. Manyplayers simply fold on a two-pair hand. Pro players know that thechances of improving a two-pair hand are rare. (about 12 to 1).We can be sure that Wild Bill knew that and that he was wellexperienced in playing Poker.

Wild Bill would surely not draw 'one card' in the hopes ofimproving the two pair. That would tell his opponents that heonly had two pair, OR a four-card-straight or flush. The lastthing his oppnnents would imagin is that Bill held four-of-a-kind,or three Aces.

We can almost be sure that Bill would stand 'pat' and thenmake a hefty bet. It is possible that Bill had the best handbefore the draw. Everything depends in who his opponents were.Would they call a big raise? Would they suspect a bluff?

Some pro players, if the pot is a big one, would take achance and throwaway the pair of eights and keep the Queen as akicker and draw two cards. The opponents would assume, after thetwo card draw that the player has three-of-a-kind or a pair with akicker. The two Aces is a strong hand by itself. Some playerswould discard the Two Eights and the Queen and draw three cards.The odds of improving the hand are much bettor.

According to John Scarne

6.258.7

98360

1 in1 in1 in1 in

1 im 11.75

The chances of improving a two-pair hand (to full house) are1 in 11.75

handThe chances of WId BII improving his two-pairby drawing one card. (to a full house) wereThe chances of improving a one pair hand

assuming Wild Bill discarded the 8's and theQueen of hearts to two pairs are

to three of a kindto a full houseto four of a kind

If Wild Bill discarded the two erghts andkept the Aces and the Queen as a kicker, hischances of improving the hand to two pairs

to three of a kindto a full house

to four of a kind

1 in1 in1 in1 in

5.912.91201081

29