I knew Del had something up his sleeve!
The poker episode. First broadcast 4 November 1982.
Del is getting into financial trouble — even his double-headed coin can't help him win. He's gambling away his money with no sign of stopping, and he's already £150 down. Nevertheless, when Boycie challenges him to a winner-takes-all poker game, Del is eager to host it in his flat in Nelson Mandela House.
As the night progresses, Del's luck goes from bad to worse as he ends up owing Boycie all his money, the van, Grandad's cash, jewellery and even a collection of loose change. But all is not lost, as Del finally turns the tables on Boycie in revenge for fixing all the previous card games in his favour.
Tropes:
- Artistic License – Statistics: Boycie refuses to bet on a coin toss against Del because, having beaten Del in the previous few tosses, the "laws of averages" dictate that he would likely lose this one. When Del suggests that Boycie challenged Rodney instead, he agrees!
- Broken Win/Loss Streak: Subverted. Del constantly says to Rodney that the reason he keeps losing money to Boycie at poker is because he is on a "losing streak" which he feels is about to come to an end. It's actually because Boycie cheats. Del does end up winning a lot of money off of Boycie, but only because he can cheat better.
- Fixing the Game: Both Boycie and Del are at it.Boycie: Where did you get those four bloody aces from?Del: Same place you got them kings. I knew you was cheating, Boycie.Boycie: Oh yeah? How?Del: Because that wasn't the hand that I dealt you.
- Gambler's Fallacy: After beating Boycie at poker, Del Boy offers him double or nothing on the spin of a coin. Boycie declines, as he's beaten Del twice on a spin, and reckons that the law of averages dictates that Del must win the next one. The coin isn't fair, as it happens, but Boycie doesn't know that.
- Honest John's Dealership: Boycie is well aware that his business is this, as evidence by his response to Trigger's car being offered as a wager.Boycie: You must be joking, I sold it to him!
- The Magic Poker Equation: A poker game eventually comes down to Del and Boycie. Del insists Boycie is bluffing. Turns out, he's not — he has four kings (which he acquired by cheating), and Del only has two pairs. He then waits for Boycie to start raking in the winnings before inevitably adding "A pair of aces, and ... another pair of aces". The subversion comes when Boycie demands to how Del got four aces, and Del replies that he cheated ... but only because he knew that Boycie was cheating.
- Two-Headed Coin: Grandad gives Del a two-headed coin, which he tries to use to win bets with Boycie. Unfortunately, because he tosses, Boycie gets to call and keeps calling heads. At the end, after Del's beaten Boycie at poker, he offers Boycie double or nothing on the coin, but because Boycie thinks the law of averages means he's bound to lose this time, Del suggests that instead Rodney could call it as Del's representative. He spins the coin...and Rodney calls tails.
