The Cardsharp's Compendium.

Auckland Star, Volume XXV, Issue 143, 16 June 1894, Page 4 (Supplement)

The Cardsharp's Compendium.

How to Cheat at Cards and Dice.

Excerpts from Maskelyne's Book.

(From Our Special Correspondent.)

London, April 28. Having recently mentioned come of the stories contained in Mr Nevil Maskelyne's book of cheating, 'Sharps and Flats,' I now give some fuller excerpts therefrom, dealing principally with the machinery used by card and dice swindlers. Ib will probably surprise many people to learn whab an elaborate business card-sharping is as now carried on. Most people seem to still cling to the idea that the card swindlers depend mainly upon the • quickness of the hand deceiving the eye.' Mr Maskelyne proves, however, that dishonest gamblers seldom trust to dexterity in manipulating, bub depend chiefly upon mechanical ingenuity to defraud those with whom they play. Common Sharpers and Their Tricks. Mr Maskelyne explains first what he calls some of the 'primitive methods' of swindling, among which he includes the familiar system of • sharping.' The threecard trick, for instance, is successfully worked by ear-marking the cards. Spinning coins, so often resorted to. at race meetings, results in the cheats favour owing to his using coins with bevelled edges, which always ensures them falling with the righb side up. The • purse trick,' on the other hand, rests purely on sleight of band, the operator having usually a confederate in the crowd who receives the halfcrown and shilling in the purse for much under their proper value. When a stranger buys, the contents of the purse prove to be a penny and a halfpenny, and anyone who is taken in over this trick deserves to be. Ab ' Nap' the mosb ordinary way of cheating consists of ' putting up' hands for the dupe and one of the other players, the cards being so manipulated thab the dupe has always a good hand. Bub ib invariably happens thab one of the other players holds a hand which is slightly better, and thus while the dupe is allured by false hopes he never wins. Marked Cards. Cheating at cards in carried on mostly by means of marked cards, and the marking has long since attained the position of a fine art. Of course if a player knows his opponent's hand, winning is a very easy mabter. The chief desideratum in marking cards is to produce marks which are easily decipherable by the trained eye of the ex-. perb, but which, nevertheless, are invisible to others. Numerous methods have been resorted to, and some of them, in the shape of lines or dots, or very slight variations in the floral designs on the backs of the cards, are of the most ingenious character. So far, indeed, has this system been carried that particular shades, almost imperceptible to theordinary observer, are resorted to for the purpose of distinguishing tho different cards. Many examples of these are shown by means of illustrations. The curious thing is that not only are marked cards articles of commerce, but, according $&,; Mr-Maakelyne;-are readily obtainable at the right places, and the means of falsifying cards of any pattern can be obtained aba moment's notice ? Reflectors, Sometimes, however, the sharper is unable to avail himself of the advantages presented by the employment of marked cards, and then he has recourse to, among other things, 'reflectors.' These are exceedingly well made little instruments, costing about £5, and are used to ' reflect,' for the sharper's use, the cards held by the players. Some are made to fasten to the table, others are adaptable to a pipe ; while one, a perfect marvel of ingenuity, is made to lie ab an angle within the interior of a large quill toothpick. The operator who uses those latter usually enters tho room, where card-players are assembled, chewing his toothpick. Having taken bis place at the table, he throws the toothpick down in front of him, with the pointed end turned towards him. His mirror then comes into play; and although one wonders how his eyesight is equal to the strain, there seems no doubt thab the toothpick reflector is resorted to very frequently, with the beet results. 1 Hold-outs.' Tins' is the name given to a mechanical contrivance constructed with the objecb of enabling the card-sharper to ' hold out' or conceal cards—one or more—until such time as he finds thab they will bo useful to him by turning the balance of fortune in his favour ab some critical point of the game. One of these contrivances is called 'the Bug,' and is thus described in a dealer's catalogue : —• The Bug. A little instrument easily carried in your vest pocket, that can be used at a momenb's notice to hold one or more cards in any game. Simple, yet safe and sure. Price lOOdols.' The ' bug' is simply a straight piece of watch-spring bent ab one end The end nearest the bend is inserted into the handle of a very small shoemaker's awl. The point of the awl 13 stuck into the under side of the table in such a manner thab the spring lies flat againsb the table top, the point of the spring projecting about an eighth of an inch beyond the edge of the table. By standing his cards on the edge of the table the player has no difficulty in sliding those he wishes to ' hold out' bebween the table and. the spring, wheVe they are allowed to remain until required. They are as easily brought back again. The newest form of 'hold out' is known aa the 'cuff hold out,' which is worked up the sleeve, i With the ' ring hold out' the card is held in the palm of the hand, and there are numerous other contrivances for the same purpose of a more or less ingenious character. Manipulation. The low-class sharp relies almosb entirely upon certain forms of sleighb of hand to deceive the senses of his dupes, and there are tricks and dodges which are practiced by even the mosb high-class cheats. But: according to Mr Maskelyne mere sleight of hand in cheating is to a great extent obsolete. There are, however, instances whero manual dexterity is successfully resorted to by the cheat, as in the caso of whab is known aa ' the bottom deal,' where tho bottom cards fall into the hande of the awindler or a confederate ; ' dealing seconds, where the second card from the top of the pack is dealt out instead of tho top one, and soon. Then there are different methods of shuffling, the cards which the cheat resorts to with advantage, and all of which are here fully explained. Many a | dupe who understands certain forms of manipulation thinks he knows 'all aboub it.' Mr Maskelyno bids such an one 'beware. 'There is no fool like the fool j who imagines himself wise.' Sporting Houses. There are chapters dealing with 'Collusion and Conspiracy,' the game of faro, and prepared cards, which the flab must peruse

for himself. The latter portion of the book is taken up with descriptions of the methods of cheating with dice, ab highball, poker, roulette, and so * on. Loaded dice everybody knows aboub, bub these, ib seems, are nob much in favour with the sharp. He much more frequently employs dice which are fair enough, and depends upon the dice-box, which is so constructed tbab the dice fall on the table in any deßired position. Ib is probable, Mr Maskelyne thinks, thab aa much money has changed hands over gameß of dice as in connection with any other form of gambling, horse ■ racing perhaps excepfced. There is a very interesting chapter on the so-called ' sporting houses,' dealing with bho firms who supply sharps with the appliances and tools of their craf b. A copy of the price list of ono of them is given. Ib is only fair to say thab mosb of these establishments seem to be in America, and, Mr Maskelyne affirms that the dealers carry on their business there with tbe knowledge of the police, who take no notice of what is going on. Whether the book will be of any particular service to flats may be doubtful. Ib may be well in any case for the sharps to know that the author has no intention ot relaxing his vigilance in keeping a look-oub for fresh developments and new devices on their part, and he will presumably continue to bako the public into his confidence in the matter, so long as the public cares to be so treated. The book contains a number of illustrations by Mr Alfred Bryan.