Sort by: Product Name Author- | Listed | Price |
The Odds Against MeJohn ScarneIf he'd had a touch of larceny in him, he could have been the number one card sharp of all time. Instead, the author of these fabulous memoirs, born to a mother who considered gambling the "devil's tool," puts his extraordinary gifts to far different purpose. He has used his incredible gambling sense, his miraculously dexterous fingers, his brilliant mathematical mind, his fascination with carnival and gambling life, to become America's number one authority on gambling and odds. He was the greatest practitioner and analyst of card and dice sleight of hand. His artistry impressed FDR as... | ★★★★★ $19 to wish list | |
The Mafia ConspiracyJohn ScarneSome say that John Scarne worked with and for the Mafia, because gambling and the Mafia are often thought as tightly linked. Others will be convinced by Scarne's collection of facts and reasoning in this ebook, that there never was a Mafia. Either way you read this ebook, it is a fascinating recollection of past events around crime, politics and gambling. You might ask why is this ebook in the gambling section? The reason is twofold. One, Scarne details several interesting gambling facts and stories in this ebook (ex. a gambling glossary), and two it helps to understand the person John Scarne... | $12 to wish list | |
Dictionary of GamblingJohn S. SalakA dictionary for the language of horse racing, dice and cards, bookmakers and runners, touts and tote boards, a colorful but expensive language to learn first-hand from the natives. Excerpt from the preface: The invitation to compile a Dictionary of Gambling was an intriguing one. One we wouldn’t turn down on a bet, so to speak. Here was a subject which just about everyone, to some degree, was acquainted with and one which, in the sober reflection of a depleted bankroll, just about everyone, to some degree, realized they just didn’t know enough about. It should prove to be, if not... | $15 to wish list | |
Why Gamblers WinJohn Philip Quinn | $10 to wish listPDF_facsimile | |
The Highway to HellJohn Philip QuinnThis is essentially a small excerpt from Quinn's primary work Fools of Fortune. A couple of chapters have been taken, some incomplete, together with endorsements and other promotional material, to produce this volume. 1st edition 1895; PDF 68 pages. | $5 to wish list | |
Fools of FortuneJohn Philip QuinnThe original description read: A history of the vice in ancient and modern times, and in both hemispheres; an exposition of its alarming prevalence and destructive effects; with an unreserved and exhaustive disclosure of such frauds, tricks and devices as are practiced by "professional" gamblers, "confidence men" and "bunko steerers." This is a massive tome on gambling, the largest one at that time, describing gambling locations, games, scams, fraud and how they are operated, as well as many personal stories from the author. Makes for fascinating reading if you are interested in the subject... | $10 to wish list | |
Gambling and Gambling DevicesJohn Philip QuinnBeing a complete systematic educational exposition designed to instruct the youth of the world to avoid all forms of gambling. This is a classic of gambling literature. It describes the implements and devices used by crooked gamblers and gambling establishments to fleece the unwary. Excerpt from the Preface: For a quarter of a century the author witnessed and practiced every variety of gambling known to the profession. The next quarter of a century he has devoted to exposing the frauds of the gambler. Starting out in the lecture field, he realized his efforts would be futile unless... | $15 to wish list | |
Sharps and Flats: A Complete Revelation of The Secrets of Cheating at Games of Chance and SkillJohn Nevil MaskelyneSharps and Flats is probably the most important early book on cheating devices and methods. Sharps being the cheaters and flats being the cheated, the mark. Maskelyne details among others, marked cards, holdouts (Kepplinger holdout), reflectors and manipulation. He describes not just cheating at the card table but also cheating with dice, cheating at Sporting houses, and at Roulette. The book is very thorough with many wonderful illustrations. 1st edition, 1894, Longmans, Green and Co., New York and London; reprinted, Gamblers Book Club, Las Vegas; 335 pages.
| ★★★★★ $7 to wish list | |
Wanderings of a VagabondJohn MorrisA classic in gambling literature.
| $9 to wish list | |
Poker StoriesJohn F. B. LillardThis is a collection of poker stores covering the time frame from 1845 - 1895. As the title page clearly states Lillard merely collected and edited them, he did not author them.
| $15 to wish list | |
Card SharpersJean Eugene Robert-Houdin & William John HilliarSubtitled: Their tricks exposed or the art of always winning Translated from the French of Robert-Houdin, first published in 1861, by William J. Hilliar. Robert-Houdin wrote this book primarily as an expose to reduce the number of people being cheated. He writes in his preface: "Enlighten the dupes and there will be no more cheats." This work was first translated in 1863 under the title The Sharper Detected and Exposed. In 1881 Prof. Hoffman translated it anew and brought it up to date under the title Card-Sharping Exposed. It is not clear why Hilliar would do a new translation in 1903. Perhaps he felt he could ride Erdnase's coattails after his groundbreaking... | ★★★★★ $7 to wish list | |
Card Sharping ExposedJean Eugene Robert-Houdin & Professor HoffmannA translation of Les Trickeries des Grecs by M. Robert-Houdin, one of the most valuable and interesting works on the subject of card sharping. Excerpt from the preface: Meanwhile, the march of science has continued, and the arts of deception, like other arts, have received many new developments. There are fashions in fraud, as in more innocent matters. I have endeavoured in the present pages not only to offer a faithful translation of Robert-Houdin's text, but by the aid of notes to bring down his work, so to speak, to present date. In so doing I have to acknowledge special obligation... | ★★★★★ $12 to wish list | |
The Sharper Detected and ExposedJean Eugene Robert-HoudinThe first part consists of stories about cardsharks and other crooks from Robert-Houdin's recollections. This is very readable and an entertaining part of the work. The second part explains some of the technical details of the methods used by cardsharks. However, the methods are for the most part only described in very rudimentary form. As Robert-Houdin writes himself, this is not meant as a way to teach you how to do it, but merely to give the reader insight in how the different ruses are accomplished. Nevertheless, it provides interesting insight into the ways and means of cardsharks. This... | $7 to wish list | |
The Destruction of Mephisto's Greatest WebJames Henry KeateAll grafts laid bare being a complete exposure of all gambling, graft and confidence games with stories illustrating the methods employed by the different operators. This is a wonderful book on all things cheating at gambling (sleight-of-hand and machinery), various confidence games and other scams and crooked methods with several revealing illustrations.
| $8 to wish list | |
The Open BookJ. H. JohnsonThis is the book that tells the truth about cards, dice, punch boards, gambling wheels, races, and all other kinds of gambling. Don't be a sucker! The Open Book reveals how crooked gamblers, cheats, and con artists fleece the innocent and unwary public out of thousands of dollars daily. Even that carnival game at the local fairgrounds may not be as innocent as it looks. Get the inside scoop. Valuable secrets of marked cards, gaffed dice, ink formulas, holdouts and other cheating devices -- all clearly explained. Also included are scams and cons used by the unscrupulous to bilk the unwary.... | ★★★★★ $12 $10 to wish list | |
Basic Chip TricksIan KendallIan describes carefully and in detail a number of beautiful and cool flourishes with chips. You are sitting at a blackjack table and you have won a stack of chips during the last plays. The dealer ran out of cards and has to shuffle his six decks, which takes a while. This is the ideal moment to impress with a few chip flourishes. Of course, all of these moves can also be executed with coins rather than chips. You will learn:
| ★★★★★ $14 to wish listMP4 (video) | |
American Gambling and GamblersHugh S. FullertonThis is an excellent series of articles on the history of gambling in America. Excerpt from the introduction: These articles are the result of long travels in many parts of the United States. They are real contributions of human and public interest.
| $7 to wish list | |
Secrets of GamblingHugh MillerThis is a great book on the secrets of how to cheat with cards and dice at many popular games - a guide to dishonest gambling. It offers a good overview of the various methods from mechanical cheating methods to sleight of hand. 1st edition 1970, original 128 pages; PDF 82 pages. Table of Contents
| ★★★★★ $12 to wish list | |
Sucker's ProgressHerbert AsburyAn informal history of gambling in America from the colonies to Canfield. Inside flap: Sucker's Progress is the first attempt to write a connected history of the most prevalent of venial sins, and traces the history and development of gambling in America from the card and dice games in the back rooms of colonial taverns to the days of Richard Canfield the last of the great American gamblers. The book is concerned with the picturesque and spectacular features of gambling, and only incidentally with its morals. The author commences with a survey of the origin and development of the principal... | $19.50 to wish list | |
Life Staked at CardsHenry MeyerA sketch of the life of Henry Meyer a converted gambler. Henry Meyer was by his own account a very successful gambler who would play predominantly in Europe. One day he played against a young man and won all his money. Subsequently, that young man took his own life. At that point, Meyer realized that the young man was his younger brother. This charring experience made him give up gambling completely. While I don't doubt that Meyer was a professional gambler who would later reform and give up gambling, the story with his brother rings a bit too fantastic. It is hard to believe that he and... | $6 to wish list | |
The Autobiography of an Old Sport: Fifty years at the Card TableHarry P. DodgeThe record of a career famous for adventure and vicissitude, and in which the jester won more tricks than the gamester.
| $5 to wish list | |
The Right Way To Do WrongHarry HoudiniThis is a fun book to read. Great stories about pickpockets, burglars, bunco men, thiefs, and others. Houdini collected interesting cases talking to detectives, and police chiefs. The book describes the methods used to scam innocent victims. Some of these schemes are still popular, which shows again, that one can learn a lot from the past. published 1906 by Harry Houdini, Boston MA; later reprinted by Gamblers Book Club, Las Vegas; 96 pages Table of Contents page
| $5 to wish list | |
Gambling and Confidence Games ExposedH. W. RoyalA famous reformed gambler reveals a multitude of gambling house and street corner scams, swindles, and cons used to fleece the unwary public in this fascinating text. Written by H. W. "Kid" Royal, this was originally put up as a pitch book for sale at his various lecture appearances, after he decided to "go straight." In fact, he had a funny way of selling them. He advertised the lecture as free, but he wouldn't let anyone leave until he had collected the price of the book. While original copies of this book do occasionally turn up, they sell for big bucks ($275 from one recent magic auction).... | ★★★★★ $10 to wish list | |
The Original Blue Book 1949H. C. EvansFrom the back cover: This, our latest SECRET BLUE BOOK with many features added, is the most complete catalog of the kind ever produced. The SECRET BLUE BOOK is but one of THREE CATALOGS of our complete line which covers the entire Indoor and Outdoor Amusement Field, supplying adult games of every description. In the SECRET BLUE BOOK we list and describe a complete line of Dice, Cards, Trade Stimulators and Counter Games, Table Games suitable for use at public gatherings, Adult Games for the home or private play and Various SPECIAL Games. Our CLUB AND CASINO EQUIPMENT Catalog, printed... | $10 to wish listPDF_facsimile |