This is not for everyone, but it is something I have been playing with. It is based on the “Free Cut Principle”, and sets up the deck for a five handed poker game, with the four aces going to the dealer. For more on the “Free Cut Principle” see:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finnell, Gene.<\/strong> Free Cut Principle<\/em>. Self-published, 1967.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, you remove the four aces from a standard deck of cards. The remaining forty-eight cards<\/strong> are then dealt into four equal piles of twelve cards each<\/strong>. It’s important that each pile has the same number of cards. For this description, we’ll refer to them as Pile 1, Pile 2, Pile 3, and Pile 4, from left to right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The spectator is given a great deal of apparent freedom in this routine. The magician never seems to control the cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At this point, you have four completed piles on the table, each with an ace buried somewhere inside. Point out that you can’t know how many cards are in each pile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pick up Pile 4 and double cut the top card to the bottom, the drop the packet on Pile 3<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pick the combined piles 3 and 4 and double cut the the top card to the bottom, then drop the combined packet on Pile 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pick up the combined piles 2, 3, and 4. Double cut the top card to the bottom and drop all those on Pile 1 to finally have the whole deck reassembled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now you have to cut the deck so that the top ace ends up second from the top. There are several ways of doing this. If you crimped the bottom card of the cards that were cut off of Pile 1 then you can cut the deck several times ending with that crimped card on top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another easy way simple hold the deck in the left hand and riffle the top 13 cards until you see the ace. Riffle off one more and get a break. Lower the deck and do a couple of running cuts, cutting from the bottom of the deck to the top. Then cut to the break you are holding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now the hard part. Perform two perfect out faros and the aces will be stacked for a five handed game of draw poker, with the aces going to the dealer. Normally a difficult part of doing a perfect faro is to cut the deck exactly in half. To make that easier, when breaking the deck in two for the first shuffle cut a few cards below center and riffle up till you see an Ace, then riffle three more cards and cut there. That is the middle. Do the first out faro. Then for the second faro, spot the ace and riffle four cards to find the middle of the deck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of doing double cuts to move one card you can simply take the top card of the first pile, slide it under the pile to help pick up the pile and place it on the next pile. Then repeat that taking the top card of the combined pile and sliding it under the combined pile to pick up those cards and place them on the next pile. Repeat one more time for placing the third pile on the last.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This is not for everyone, but it is something I have been playing with. It is based on the “Free Cut Principle”, and sets up the deck for a five handed poker game, with the four aces going to the dealer. For more on the “Free Cut Principle” see: Finnell, Gene. Free Cut Principle. Self-published, … <\/p>\n\n
The Setup<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nThe Trick in Action<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Afterthoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n