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- All four aces.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Two of the aces must be on top of the deck.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The other two aces must be on the very bottom of the deck.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nStep 1: Stack the First Two Aces using the “Open Riffle Shuffle”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
This shuffle will stack your two top aces to be dealt as the 5th and 10th cards. The “Open Riffle Shuffle” is performed on a table, with your thumbs placed farther back from where the cards interleave. This allows you to clearly see the edges of the cards and better control how many you are holding back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Preparation:<\/strong> Hold the deck as if you are about to split it for a shuffle on a table.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Separate the Deck:<\/strong> Use your right thumb to lift the back of the deck, separating it into two halves.
<\/li>\n\n\n\n- Create the “Block”:<\/strong> With the deck split, quietly and quickly, your right thumb releases four cards from the top half, letting them fall onto the bottom half. Your left thumb keeps these four cards separated by holding a small gap (a “break”). These four cards are a crucial part of the trick.
<\/li>\n\n\n\n- The Shuffle:<\/strong> Now, you are ready to perform a normal-looking “Open Riffle Shuffle.” While you’re shuffling the two halves together on the table, you must secretly do three things at once:\n
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- Right Hand:<\/strong> Your right thumb holds back the two aces on top of its half of the deck.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Left Hand:<\/strong> Your left thumb holds back the four cards you just separated, and also grabs another four cards from its half of the deck. This is basically stopping the left hand riffle when you have only four cards left below the four you are already holding back.
Here you can see the four cards from step 3 and the four cards “grabbed” as the left hand cards riffled of the left thumb<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n- The Final Release:<\/strong> As the two halves are shuffling, release the cards in this specific order:\n
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- Release one ace<\/strong> from your right thumb.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Release the four cards<\/strong> you’re holding with your left thumb.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Release the second ace<\/strong> from your right thumb.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Release the final four cards<\/strong> from your left thumb.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Square the deck. You have now stacked the two aces to be the 5th and 10th cards dealt.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Step 2: Move the Bottom Aces to the Top<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Now you need to move the two aces from the bottom of the deck to the top without anyone noticing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Hold the deck in your left hand.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Use your right hand to grab the bottom half of the deck.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- As you slide this bottom portion on top of the deck, secretly release the two aces from the bottom so they land on top of the deck you’re holding in your left hand.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Hold a small gap (a “break”) with your left thumb to mark where the original top and bottom halves met. This makes it easier for you to quickly cut the deck again, which brings those aces to the top.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- This whole process gets the two bottom aces on top of the deck.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Step 3: Stack the Second Two Aces<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Now that you have the other two aces on top, repeat the exact same special shuffling technique from Step 1 (“Open Riffle Shuffle”).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- This will stack these two aces so they also get dealt to the dealer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The key to this second set is to riffle the left hand cards faster, and leave a large block of the right hand cards as to not disturb the first two aces stacked.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Step 4: Combine the Stacks (Optional, but more professional)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Marlo talks about avoiding this issue of disturbing the first aces stack by using a “double block transfer” and strip-out cut. Refer to his “Riffle Shuffle Systems” book.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- I found that you can also do what is basically a Zarrow shuffle, pushing the top single ace on the right side under the top four cards from the left. As you do this push all eight top left hand cards to the right. Then, using those nine cards as cover, twist the right hand block out and lever it up under the nine left hand cards as in a Zarrow shuffle.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The Final Result:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
After performing these two shuffles and two cuts, all four aces will be set up to be dealt as the 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th cards in the deck. In a five-handed poker game, this means the dealer will receive all four aces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is a performers view, done slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Release the four cards<\/strong> you’re holding with your left thumb.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Left Hand:<\/strong> Your left thumb holds back the four cards you just separated, and also grabs another four cards from its half of the deck. This is basically stopping the left hand riffle when you have only four cards left below the four you are already holding back.
- Separate the Deck:<\/strong> Use your right thumb to lift the back of the deck, separating it into two halves.
- Preparation:<\/strong> Hold the deck as if you are about to split it for a shuffle on a table.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/robertjwallace-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250801_090413-1024x745.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/robertjwallace-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250801_090124-scaled.jpg\")
<\/li>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/robertjwallace-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250801_090133-scaled.jpg\")
<\/li>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/robertjwallace-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250801_090214-scaled.jpg\")
Here you can see the four cards from step 3 and the four cards “grabbed” as the left hand cards riffled of the left thumb<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n