Many are the poker tricks, set-ups, and continuous routines that have been
developed during the past few years. Some are good, and some, instead,
are just plain boring from the entertainment point of view. Generally a
spectator will make the remark “Can you deal four aces ?” or “Can you
deal a good poker hand to yourself ?” And it is all that worries them,
too. If you can immediately deal the cards and give yourself a definitely
good hand, you’ve accomplished the purpose, and satisfied them directly.
They’ll remember and talk about how you dealt the cards and gave
yourself something good, long after the other fellow has fumed around
with complicated build-ups. Four aces, or a quick royal flush are hands
that have a sort of hypnotic effect with a punch.
At any rate, the one deal I’ve been using steadily as an incidental poker
demonstration, consists of an original method of exchanging the whole
hand you deal yourself, together with an excellent idea in set-ups which
was devised by Michael Zens, of Kenosha, Wisconsin. This combination
of two principles allows one to answer the perennial query “Can you
deal yourself ANY hand you want ?” In short, it all is based on the above
mentioned exchange, and a set-up of ten cards from which you easily and
quickly acquire any of the eight types of poker hands that you want.
In effect you shuffle the deck a number of times, and have someone
mention which type of hand you are to deal to yourself. Then you go
further by asking how many hands are to be dealt in the game. You explain
that, knowing these two requisites, you are able to do your stuff. You have
shuffled the deck to start, and you call attention to the fact that you do not
change the cards again after hearing how many are to be in the hand. Once
you know where the various cards are, it is easy enough to get them at the
right time. Or, at least, that’s what you tell the onlookers !
Now you make the deal. Everybody looks at his hand, and you finally show
yours to contain exactly what was desired. And with such a presentation
you have actually settled and audience’s mind that you can locate and deal
yourself any kind of a hand that you wish.
On the bottom of the deck are ten cards, as follows, reading from the face
of the pack:
10H – JH – KH – QH – AH – AS – KS – AD – AC – KC
12
Always consider the five bottom cards as a unit or hand. By removing one
card from the bottom, the new set of five makes a different hand.
The removals and hands are as follows:
A greater percentage of the time, a straight flush (or Royal flush) will be
asked for, and it is always ready without removals. And for the others, it
will be seen that the number of cards to be removed correspond with the
type of hand.
So much for that part. Now follow the handling of the cards with the deck
in hand. The simplicity of the moves may be a bit disturbing if you don’t
follow through.
Sit down at the table, and give the deck a number of riffle shuffles without
disturbing the bottom ten. Ask someone to name the hand (type) they
want you to get. With your right thumb at rear, count off the right number
of cards and cut to the top, continuing with another shuffle or so. Now
stop and ask someone how many hands are in the game. As you ask this,
the slight stall enables you to thumb count five cards at bottom, and the
left little finger holds the break.
Now deliberately deal out the hands, giving yourself the last one. As
you deal yourself the last card, look up and ask the players to turn up
their hands and see what they have. At this moment your right fingers
and thumb square together the cards on the table in front of you, with
fingers at front end and thumb at rear end of the packet. This packet is
deliberately lifted, and deposited on top of the pack in your left hand,
the right fingers and thumb grasping the entire deck (except five cards
below the little finger break), and the deck is placed on the table with the
right hand, a bit to the left of where your left hand has been resting at the
finish of the deal. As the deck is put on the table, the left hand holding the
five cards turns them over as they are brought up before you as with any
ordinarily picked up hand, and the right hand comes back and helps to
spread them as you glance them over.
The whole thing is just done continuously, and believe it or not (you will
when you’ve tried it out), it is deceptive enough to get past good card
men, and I don’t mean the average magician; I mean veteran card players.
Mainly it is because the deal has been faire, and the underhanded business
comes in at the moment when players are wondering what they have and
start to look at their hands.
An all around gambler and old time shark was caught on this and says it
original and better than a similar method of handling. So that’s the most
I can say.
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