Fool Us - Richard Turner Thoroughly Astonishes Penn & Teller

Tonight, anyone who tricks Penn & Teller will win a spot to perform in their long-running magic show in Las Vegas. Let's see if our first artist can do the trick. My vision started to get worse when I was 9, so I have no sight. But I don't consider myself blind because I see things in a way that other people can't see. People always want to know how I can determine different cards. My thumbs and fingers can feel things that other hands can't. Now I have 10 eyeballs. I'm a card mechanic. I show how many ways you can be

fool

ed at cards.

A card mechanic is someone who controls the outcome of a card game, and the techniques for the card table are literally a thousand times more difficult to develop than the techniques used to perform card magic. Ever since I started practicing karate, people say, "Are you a black belt? How can you possibly fight?" I haven't missed a workout in 45 years and 2 weeks. And we all have obstacles. All of us! Do you know what I consider the worst disability of all? Procrastination and laziness. Give me blindness on that any day of the week. Let's welcome the incredible Richard Turner.

Penn, Teller, can you sit with me at my table, please? Penn over here. Cashier on this side. Come on. It is an honor. It's a pleasure. Well hello! Hello! I love when the public shows up. Well, I'm Richard Turner and I represent why you should never play cards with strangers. As you've heard, I'm not a magician. I'm what's known as a card mechanic, but what I do can seem very magical. Now this is not to

fool

you yet, gentlemen. This is just to educate the audience. When you play poker, black jack, bridge, hold'em, whatever the game is, you want to make sure the cards are evenly shuffled.

This is a basic casino procedure known as... Riffle. Fast. You're supposed to do what's called a block cut or a strip cut. Another rifle. A cut. That is the basic casino procedure. Now, in a private game, that's where scammers hang out. Here's something you never do when you play for money. Never shuffle with one hand. It makes the other players nervous. And when they see you shuffling with one hand followed by a one-handed slash, they get up and run. You are left playing with yourself. Right, Penn? Exactly, I know what that's like. Now, Penn, how many times would you see me shuffle and cut this deck? 6 or 7.

Let's see if this deck is evenly shuffled. Seems pretty even, Penn? Do we have ace through king, ace through king, king through ace, king through ace? Did I return to perfect numerical order? You did it. Well, we made it then, Penn! Thank you. Penn, would you do me a favor? He reaches in and pulls out a card. Any random card. Tell me when you have one. I have one. Alright. Fix this mess here. I'm going to show you some moves. Pass me the card face up. Forehead? Forehead. Tell the audience what you chose. Seven of hearts!

Look at the seven of hearts. I'm going to show you how I can magically keep this seven on top by dealing under the top card. Look face up. This is called dealing seconds, but you must deal the card with the same precision as if you were dealing from above. Watch I'll do it in super slow motion. Super slow motion. Seven on top. See how the dealer will beat the other players in a black jack play. I have fourteen. Look face up. See how the card remains as the second card melts into the deck. Here's a hand.

Now, when the card is face down, you will find that you cannot tell that you have been scammed. Isn't it fun? Thank you. Now everyone saw that he had a full deck of cards here. Penn, I want you to take this half and give it a casino scrub. Forehead. I want, and Teller, take this half. I want the audience to see the cards shuffled, shuffled, and ruined randomly in every way possible. OK. I understand? Can I have your cards there? Penn, let's wash those... Teller, could you wash those two halves together, please? Square them for us, Teller.

And then place them face down. And when you're done, shuffle them however you want. Tell me when you finish. When you're done, place them face down in front of me. Alright. Penn. Mister. You're going to be my interpreter. I'm going to ask Teller some questions. Are you going to tell me if he nods his head yes or if he nods his head no. OK. If you understand what I said, nod. He said he did. Alright, we're in business. Have you ever played in a private game where it's your deal, it's Penn's deal, it's my deal? You know what I'm talking about?

Dealer... the deck is passed around the table. Yes, he knows what you're talking about. No, he doesn't play cards. He is clever. Now if this works, it almost seems magical because it will seem as if nothing happened. I'm going to do the same thing you just saw. Fast. And once again, you guys just mixed up these cards. We did it! Fast. And then you're supposed to do a strip cut. Another rifle. And a cut. Let's deal a hand of Hold'em. Penn, are you going to tell me how many players come to the table. Of course, we will do this after shuffling and cutting the deck.

OK. 5, 6 or 7. Choose your number. Hey, six. Six players. One two. Three. Four. Five. Six. One two. Three. Four. Five. Six. And then we have what's called "burnout," and then we have what's called "failure." Yes. Penn, what are those three cards? Can you tell the audience? My favorite three of clubs. Followed by the page of spades and the king of spades. And we have a burn and we have what's called the "twist." What is that card? That's the six of swords. And we have a burn and we have what is called the "river." What's that? That's the king of hearts.

Penn, you can take any of these hands here. Teller, these are yours, don't let anyone see your cards. And let's see if... he goes ahead, turns some hands and looks. Any hand he wants? Any hand you want. Ok, I turned the seconds hand around. What do you have? In fact, I'll turn them all around. What the hell. What the hell. Turn them all over. I'll tell you this, no matter how good those hands are, they're not going to beat my partner Teller's hand. We have a queen and a four. Nothing really exciting. Would you clear the table?

Of course, I'll do it. Clean that table. Let me have your cards there, Teller. You can let it go. I was afraid he was going to steal them. Now, once again, you shuffled and cut. He chose six players. Let's see what Teller has in his pocket. Penn, what is that? That's a king. And what is that? That's another king. Once again you shuffled and cut. You chose six players. And on that board we end up with four kings, right? Yes we did it. Well, gentlemen, now you can go back to your group and see if you can piece together, believe it or not, the thirteen different methods, techniques and controls that it took to take that washed and shuffled deck and give that hand to my partner.

Oh, and Teller? If maybe I cheated on you and you want to communicate with me, my right ear reads lips. Anyway, I hope you had fun. Thank you! Richard Turner! Fantastic! Alyson, we have nothing to say. He deceived us. Oh my God! That is fantastic! He had never seen movements like that. I had never seen movements like that. Thank you. That took years and years, you know? Oh, I know, I know. Get that trophy here. I want to make this very clear to you, Richard. This trophy we're giving you says *beep* *beep* from the bottom of our hearts, Richard.

From the bottom of our hearts. Well, thank you, thank you. Oh my. Oh, wow! Richard Turner! So Penn & Teller got fooled once. Let's see if there is another fool on the cards or on the magic wand. See you in a minute!