With Applebloom and Applejack's efforts thoroughly undermined (way to go, by the way), both of you conclude that you'll have to think of a better trap. However, just as you sit down to begin brainstorming ideas, Ponyville's mailpony flies by Sweet Apple Acres to drop a leaflet on your heads, advertising what appears to be an all-purpose pest capturer. Any who are interested should visit Ponyville Square today, for a limited time only get half price off all fuel and self-repair kits.
Thinking that this sounds far too good to be true, but unwilling to ignore it and think of conceivably worse ideas to catch the Apple-Crab, the pair of you hurry to the square. Since the crab is nocturnal, you reckon that you should have until dusk to check if the capture mechanism is legit before heading back to the farm in time for lunch to bemoan a wasted morning.
Unfortunately, it IS too good to be true, as Applejack instantly recognises the salesponies pitching the device: a very poorly disguised Flim and Flam: they appear only to have swapped the moustache to the other brother, which has been dyed a very fetching bright red.
Before Applejack can even begin to give the brothers a good earful, they point out their cider machine actually DID work, so she shouldn't write them off just yet. You do recall that Flim and Flam first arrived in Ponyville on a strange locomotive/cider squeezer, and for the most part were able to demonstrate a working product...until things sort of escalated and the brothers were chased out of town by an unruly mob who found sticks in their drinks. To be fair, if they weren't so hasty, they probably would have succeeded.
Willing to give them a chance even if Applejack won't, you ask for the price. It's admittedly a bit much for your average pony's wages, but Applejack's desperate, and no matter who loses, you win, since you can still charge Applejack, so you decide to purchase it...after a long series of anticipated haggling. However, eager to make a quick bit, Flam offers to skip the tedious price haggling and play a game with you: should you win, you get the product for 75% off the usual price, but if they win, you pay the full amount, plus standard VAT. They say it's a game that offers a 50:50 chance of winning, so it's all fair.
Taking two playing cards out from under his hat, Flam shows that one of them is your standard Ace of Spades, the other, a misprint he got in his pack, which is a card with two backs. He places them in a small burlap sack and then shakes the bag. As he shakes, he explains the rules:
The cards are randomly mixed inside the bag. You will then draw one of the cards at random from the bag, making sure that the back of the card is facing you. You will then flip the card over: should you reveal the Ace underneath, you win a point, but if it's the double-sided card, Flam gets a point. First to ten points will win the game, and will suffer all consequences associated therein.
Applejack urges you to just play, since you two need to get back and the chance to only pay a quarter of the price is too good to pass up. Silly honest pony, you think. Still, now that you're resigned to playing, how should you exploit this game to actually win and save yourself quite a lot of cash?
How can there be a strat to this? Its just pulling a random card
Time to cheat the cheaters.
What you need to do is manipulate the cards in your favor.
As you reach in the first time, bend one of the cards corners small enough that they can't see it, but you can feel it.
Now you can tell which one is which.
Remember to pull the double back one a couple of times so they don't think your cheating them.
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You're on the right lines, but this doesn't cover EVERY base. At least not in its current state.
I'm afraid I already know the manga you are talking about (I agree that it is quite good), so I'll sit this one out.
Couldn't you stack the cards on top of each other and draw both at the same time? So that if you wanted to show the ace, you'd have it facing outwards or if you wanted to show the double, you'd have the ace facing inwards?
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But it would be very easy for them to know you drew both cards.
All they have to do is look in bag.