Card Sharpers

Subtitled: Their tricks exposed or the art of always winning

Translated from the French of Robert-Houdin 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."

1st edition 1903; original 201 pages; PDF 145

Table of Contents

4. PREFACE
6. PUBLISHER'S NOTE

   CARD-SHARPERS

9. A Dangerous Teacher
15. CHAPTER I: The Modern Greeks
18. CHAPTER II: The Greek Of The Fashionable World
20. CHAPTER III: The Greek Of The Middle Class
24. CHAPTER IV: The Greek Of The Gambling Hell
30. CHAPTER V: A Greek Caught In The Act
34. CHAPTER VI: The Gambler Raymond And His Infallible System
42. CHAPTER VII: Instructive History Of A Greek
46. CHAPTER VIII: Illegal Gambling Hells
50. CHAPTER IX: Secret Gambling Hells
54. CHAPTER X: Bleeding The Doctor
57. CHAPTER XI: The Paste Ring
66. CHAPTER XII: An Infamous Ambush

    THE METHOD

80. General Principles Of Cheating At Cards
81. CHAPTER I: The False Cut
83. CHAPTER II: Destroying The Cut
85. CHAPTER III: The Pass Stroke
86. CHAPTER IV: The Jump
87. CHAPTER V: The Big Card
88. CHAPTER VI: The Bridge
89. CHAPTER VII: Drawing The Card
91. CHAPTER VIII: Withdrawing Cards
92. CHAPTER IX: Placing The Cards
93. CHAPTER X: Seeing The Card
94. CHAPTER XI: Changing The Packs
96. CHAPTER XII: The Box Under The Cuff
97. CHAPTER XIII: False Shuffle
99. CHAPTER XIV: Cut Cards
100. CHAPTER XV: Marked Cards
101. CHAPTER XVI: Cards That Stick Or Slip
102. CHAPTER XVII: Cards Not Cut On The Square
103. CHAPTER XVIII: Pricked Cards
104. CHAPTER XIX: Cards With Marked Edges
105. CHAPTER XX: Cards With Bent Corners
106. CHAPTER XXI: Cards With Designs At Back
107. CHAPTER XXII: Spotting The Backs Of Cards
110. CHAPTER XXIII: The Chaplet
113. CHAPTER XXIV: The Marking Ring
114. CHAPTER XXV: The Snuff-Box
115. CHAPTER XXVI: Application Of The Preceding Principles
116. CHAPTER XXVII: Trick At Piquet
120. CHAPTER XXVIII: Trick At Ecarte
122. CHAPTER XXIX: Lansquent Concealed Cards
124. CHAPTER XXX: Observation On Games For Four Players
125. CHAPTER XXXI: Amusing Trickeries
127. CHAPTER XXXII: Ecarte
130. CHAPTER XXXIII: Trick At Ecarte
131. CHAPTER XXXIV: Another Trick At Ecarte
132. CHAPTER XXXV: Baccarat
133. CHAPTER XXXVI: Whist
134. CHAPTER XXXVII: Bouillotte
135. CHAPTER XXXVIII: Beqique
138. CHAPTER XXXIX: Trick At Picquet
142. CHAPTER XL: Little Tricks Innocent Through Use