Amaze Your Friends …

Royal Straight Flush

And even yourself with this card trick.  This is really a “mathematical” trick in the sense that there is no real magic involved.  If you follow the instructions to the letter it will work out almost all the time.

First the scenario:  This is best performed with a new deck of cards (less the jokers and other extraneous cards).  If not, then set up the deck with each suit in ascending sequence (two, trey … king, ace) and then the suits likewise (clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades).  This is to be a seven-player, five-card draw poker game.  No need to actually have seven players there, but if you do, it is even more dramatic.

Start by having each player cut the cards.  (Thin cuts are discouraged, but I’m not sure this trick fails if they are performed.)  If you don't have seven players, some players can cut the cards multiple times ... but only for a total of seven cuts ... ending with you the dealer.  Make these real cuts and don’t try to fake people out by restoring the card deck after each cut.

Next deal out seven hands and then the second card to each of these hands … only when you come to the dealer’s hand, deal the card from the bottom of the deck … not trying to hide this fact.  Then deal the third cards, dealing the dealer from the top of the deck.  Then deal the fourth cards, again dealing the dealer from the bottom of the deck.  Finally deal the fifth cards legitimately.

At this point announce that one of the players has seen the dealer dealing from the bottom of the deck and that he has to throw in his cards and get five new ones … which he does.  At this point turn over each player’s hand in sequence.  They will all be full houses!  Except the dealer’s hand which will be a straight flush (which beats a full house)!   If you are lucky, the dealer’s hand will be a royal straight flush (to the ace)!

Don’t be discouraged if this trick fails … it happens every once and a while.  But I’ve only had it fail a couple of times in all the years I’ve performed it.