CARD SHARPING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1064, 2 July 1912, Page 4

CARD SHARPING.

Some of the many tricks practised by card sharpers at secret West Knd gambling clubs were explained recently by Mr David Devant, of St. George’s Hall.

He first made it clear that in baccarat games, where the cards are dealt from a “shoe” clip, the chances of being swindled are minimised unless the keepers of the bouse are in the conspiracy.

“Any given club may be perfectly ‘straight,’ ” said Mr Devant, “but I say this —that in the hands of au able card sharper the ordinary player is absolutely helpless, and I myself am as incapable of detecting the swindle as a player who has no knowledge whatever of manipulation.

“The public give the conjurer credit for such mystic powers that they believe he can break a brand new pack of cards and immediately deal himsell a nap hand. He cannot ; but alter playing a few rounds and when lie knows where the cards are lying, he can do au immensity to correct the chances of lorlune. .

“You might 'li vide cards swindlers into two classes —

“Where the sharper uses his owu cards. “Where he uses new ones.

“In the former they are, of course, prepared. Many people imagine that to see the new pack broken out of its covet before their eyes is a protection against fraud, but what can be easier than to steam open the cover belore hand, mark the cards, and seal them up again ! A little paste only stands between the victim and ruin.

“Marked cards are printed specially lor the purpose. They are openly sold by American firms and advertised as 'artist’s material. They are expensive to buy. “The back cl each card is printed irom a different plate. The marking is done iu the shading of the scroll work on the back, and this is read by the sharper as easily as the front, although the pack may be examined minutely by the average player. “The cards may not even be marked ; they may be ‘stacked’ arranged in a known order —and sealed up again. There are, of course, still the shuffle and cut to contend with, but both these can be dodged. There are several false shuffles—invisible—and the cards can be bent iu the middle and so made to cut at a certain place. “Or a confederate may cut them. A card-sharper’s finger tips are so delicate that he can cut at will any number of cards from the top. “In the second class—where the sharper uses strange cards —he must rely on manipulation or on mechanical devices. The expert trusts to the former, for this obvious reason —that it is sale. It leaves no proof behind it. “It would be surprising if card scandals were olteu shown up. What evidence can there be. The expert cannot detect the manipulation ; there is nothing on the cards, and no apparatus is found on the sharper. “In games where the same pack is used over and over again, the sharper works very largely by pure head work. He notes the position of the cards as they lie on the table after being played with, and keeps bis eye on them when they are being dealt for the next round. It is not the quickness of the hand that deceives the eye, but the coolness of the head.

“Bharpers have most elaborate lormulae for remembering where the Cards are placed and arranging them iu the pack before dealing.

'‘They may be beaten temporarily by the victim, owing to some oversight, especially when playing single handed, but with a confederate the thing is a certainty. A favourite trick is to keep the chosen cards at the top or bottom of the pack, and use the ‘cut shuffle’ to sandwich them between lower cards, which are to be dealt to the victim or victims.

“ ‘Dealing seconds’ is another popular swindle; instead of dealing the top card off the pack the sharper deals the seconds, and keeps the top card tor himself. This can be made quite invisible. “So can ‘bottom dealing’ —dealing from the bottom of the pack, although iu this there is a slight difference iu the sound from dealing the top card. These two sleights are the great stand by of the swindler who relies upon manipulation. “ ‘Taimiug’ is of doubtlul value. It is easy wheu holding the pack in the hand, but to palm cards off a pack lying on the table would excite suspicion, and if the sharper’s hand were seized and examined his career would be at an end. So lar Irom new cards being a protection, they are actually a help to fraud, as they are clean, and slip easily and don’t stick. “I never show these tricks on the stage myself; indeed X really do card tricks of any kind. They cannot be seen at a distance, and are not sufficient spectacular. We had a reformed card sharper on the stage at St. George's Hall. He played with members of the audience and always won; but his methods are still a secret, as he never published them.”