Paul Gordon’s That’s Not Possible

About thirty years ago, I performed this powerful routine (from Gold Dust) at The Magic Circle for
some of the boys in the bar. The general response was, “That’s Not Possible!” This is the original
routine, by the way, and not one of the hundreds of incorrect (and illegal) exposures you might have
seen on the internet. Anyway…

The set-up: From the top of the deck: KH, 10S, JS, KD, KC, AC, KS, QS, AS, AH, rest of deck.
Flip the deck face down, spread off the top four cards (to display) and as you re-square them,
pick up one more. This face-down five-card packet (supposed four cards) is placed to your left.
Repeat this exact same procedure with the next five cards. It should look as if you’ve placed four
more cards to the right. The deck is placed to the side.

Pick up the right-hand packet, turn it face up and perform an Elmsley Count to show four
Aces. Return it face down on the table to position. Pick up the left-hand packet, turn it face
up and perform an Elmsley Count to show four Kings. Say, “If one was to play poker, four
Aces would beat four Kings. Correct? I thought so, too!” Flip the King packet face down and
deal the top two cards onto the centre of the table. (I place them by using the Biddle Grip
to pick up the cards off the packet. You can see me do this in the promo video.) Put the remainder
of the King packet back (face down) to position. Pick up the face-down Ace packet into dealing
grip and spread over the top three cards to display four. As you close the spread, catch a
break under the top two cards. Deal (place) the top two (as one) onto the already-dealt cards
(at the centre of the table) followed by placing one more. (It looks like you’ve dealt two more
cards but you actually have five cards on the table at centre.)

Drop the remaining inhand Ace packet (two cards) onto the remaining (three-card) King packet
and scoop up the whole into right-hand Biddle Grip. Using the left thumb, peel the top three
cards into the left hand (dealing grip) and the last card (a double) goes to the bottom. You
are simply displaying four cards. Your patter here is, “If I place these two Aces with these two
Kings and shake the packet, watch what happens.” Flip the inhand packet face up and Elmsley
Count it as you say, “I’ve now got the four Kings here!” Flip the packet face down and drop
it onto the tabled deck. (Complete cut the deck to lose the evidence.) Say, “And I guess these
must be the four Aces?” Pick the tabled (to centre) packet up and spread it to show five cards!
Say, “Five cards?!” Flip the packet face up as you say, “Well, if I’ve got five cards, I might as
well have the best ones in a game of poker!” Here you reveal, in order, the royal flush in
Spades!

That’s it! It’s been in my bar repertoire for thirty years. Excuse immodesty, but it’s a winner. Credit for
original inspiration are Alex Elmsley and Jerry Sadowitz. (Btw, Alex liked this routine!)

Copyright © 1987 by Paul Gordon and Natzler Enterprises. All rights reserved.