Gambling

Originally entitled Artifice Ruse and Subterfuge at the Card Table, is probably the most cited and referenced book about card gambling moves - a classic in the history of magic literature. A must read for any card magician or aspiring gambling expert and an indespensable reference book. While the authorship of this book is hotly debated we are convinced it was Edward Gallaway. (For a detailed work on the search for Erdnase see Hurt McDermott's Artifice, Ruse & Erdnase.)

[A copy of this book is also included in Michael McDougall's Card Mastery. This ebook is also available in a German translation.

Paul Fleming wrote:

This 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

3. Preface
7. Shot One - Income of a Criminal
12. Shot Two - Professional Burglary
19. Shot Three - Difficulties of Burglary
25. Shot Four...

A classic textbook containing numerous swindles for those who desire to take down and rope the public! It is unique in that it has the only written description of the coin purse swindle - complete with photographs. Many of these cons are being used today, some with minor changes and some exactly as they were played when Rich Uncle was written. There are monte mobs working today in the same manner they worked a hundred years ago.

published 1911 by The Exchange Press, Melbourne; later reprinted by Gamblers Book Club, Nevada; 64 pages

Table of Contents

page

3. Foreword
5. Rich Uncle from Fiji Yarn ...

Weldon traveled this country during the last 20 years of the 19th century, learning and perfecting tricks of the street peddler. Many of these ploys are still used today in one form or another. He helped pioneer the many subleties of "street selling" and "percentage moves." His self-taught mastery of man's basic needs enabled him to manipulate people into buying things, sometimes using their own greed as his tool. Must reading for those interested in studying a true American phenomenon - "The pitch man."

1st edition, 1899, Gate City Book and Novelty Co., Omaha; reprint, 1980, Gamblers Book...

This is the story of a boy who ran away from home to become a cabin boy on a Mississippi riverboat at age ten. At fourteen he could stack a deck of cards. And for forty years after this point in time he bilked people from all walks of live, businessmen, thieves, soldiers, ... This is the fascinating story of the King of the Riverboat Gamblers.

1st edition, 1887, Devol & Haines, Cincinnati; reprinted, ?, Applewood Books, Bedford, Massachusetts; 300 pages.

22. A Religious Captain
24. A Cold Deck
27. A Woman With a Gun
150. A Shrewd Trick
163. A Paymaster's Bluff
177. A Crazy Man
186. A Good Night's Work
212. A Euchre...

Dieses Buch ist in Deutsch verfaßt und ganz dem falschen Spiel mit Karten gewidmet. Es behandelt unter anderem Griffe wie das Falschmischen, Spielaustausch, präparierte Karten und Gehilfen.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

3. Vorwort
7. Die Geschichte der Karten und ihrer Spiele
12. Die Volte
17. Das Falschmischen
19. Das Eskamotieren der Karten
21. Das inkorrekte Abheben
23. Das korrigierte Kartengeben
25. Vorbereitete Spiele
26. Karten-Präparationen
26.    A. Gezeichnete Karten
32.    B. Beschnittene Karten
34.    C. Gebogene Karten
35.    D. Durchstochene Karten
37. Das Vertauschen präparierter Kartenspiele
39. Der Gehilfe...

Sharps 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. Preface to the Second Edition ...

This book is one of the classic books in gambling. It is an autobiography and describes Jonathan Green's conversion from a gambler to an exposer and teacher.

Among others it exposes: game of thimbles; diamond cut diamond, or the gentleman's game; Dead open and shut; church gambling; five aces beaten; lotteries; post office game; pound cake, or ring game; the preacher and the gambler; grab loo.

It commences by showing how he became a gambler - why he resolved to reform - destruction of his gambling instruments - he makes restitution - the question of reformation - his conversion - unites with...

This is a reprint of the sections dealing with card magic from Professor Hoffmann's Modern Magic. There are however six new pages (four in the front and two in the back) which are entitled "Canfield's Expose". These six pages expose scams such as 'short changing', the 'soap game', the 'spindle game', ...

Reprint is too kind a word, rip-off is more appropriate since this was an unauthorized republication of Hoffmann's material. Also interesting to note is that the correct spelling of Herrmann is with two r's and two n's, the book title however only shows one n. Probably a deliberate error to avoid legal troubles. (Information...

How to Protect Yourself from Being Scammed at the Card Table
Cheating at Hold'em is not a cliché exposé. Cheating at Hold'em is a course in protective strategy. Cheating at Hold'em will provide you with all the knowledge needed to become an expert in game protection and enable you to participate in any and all Hold'em games without fear of being cheated.

The top professional poker players are all conversant with the card cheater's ploys. No one can become a top professional Hold'em player without knowing how card cheaters take insurmountable advantages.

The information contained...

If you love gambling and everything associated with it, or if you love reading about gambling you will cherish these stories, which are some of the greatest gambling stories ever told.

The Queen of Spades by Aleksandr Pushkin
The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark Twain
The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Rocking-Horse Winner by D. H. Lawrence

Although these stories were not written with the intent to make you a better gambler, I firmly believe that indirectly they will. They will cause you to reflect on the psychology of gambling and its peculiar characters which...

With the online poker scene being flooded with fish from television, there is more money to be made than in the stock market! Most of the new coming poker players saw the World Series of Poker and decided to play on Party Poker, Pacific Poker, or Paradise Poker. Because of their inexperience, these players (if you can call them that) are practically throwing their money at you. It is necessary, however, to be well equipped so you will know how to take advantage of them, as well as their chips.

Danny gives great advice on subjects such as 'knowing the odds', 'general ring game play', 'defending...

If 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...

Some 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...

This is a sound gambling primer covering Blackjack, Bingo, Poker, Craps, Gin, Lotteries and Sweepstakes, Horseracing, Keno, Numbers, Slot Machines and Roulette. John also touches in various places on cheating and game protection.

From the inside flap of the book:

This ebook can change your gambling future! John Scarne, who is widely recognized as greatest gambling expert, reveals the secrets and strategies you need to increase your enjoyment - and winnings - at the world's popular card game.

Scarne lays down the rules of all 117 forms of poker, including the latest variations, making this ebook invaluable as a source of new games and as the final arbiter of all disputes. Where at one time the ultimate verdict on rules was "according to Hoyle," today it is "according to Scarne." You will learn how to:

• Bet like an expert.
• Protect yourself from poker...

Ian 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:

• The Pickup Move
• Roll Down
• Double Cut
• Shuffle on a soft surface
• Shuffle on a hard surface
• Shuffling tall stacks
• The Twirl
• The Triple Twirl
• The Reverse Twirl ...

The Amazing World of John Scarne holds revelations and experiences in gambling, magic, carnival and show business; together with startling disclosures about hypnotism, extra-sensory perception and other mental effects.

The once world's number one expert on gambling tells in this no-punches-pulled, startlingly frank book the whole inside story of gambling, and reveals all the dodges, gimmicks and tricks used by cheaters at dice, cards, roulette and other games of chance. His sensational revelations extend also to magic and escape tricks, to the chicaneries of carnivals and even to the blasting...

This is probably the most important work John Scarne wrote. It is complete and authoritative. In this revised edition John provides the reader with a complete look at the world of dice, including for the first time an insider's view of how dice games are played at the Atlantic City casinos.

Scarne covers the history of modern dice and their earliest uses in games, and then analyzes the mathematics behind gambling to give players a solid foundation in odds and percentages. The most popular forms of dice games are then studied in detail. Bank Craps Las Vegas style gets full treatment with coverage...

This encyclopedia is the essential, all-inclusive guide to card playing. Here is everything you ever wanted to know about the histories and variations of the world's most popular card games:

• Draw Poker & Stud Poker
• Bridge, Whist & Euchre
• Canasta, Pinochle, Cribbage, Hearts & All-Fours
• Baccarat, Chemin de Fer, Card Craps, Quince, Black Jack, Faro, Monte & Bezique
• Solitaire, Old Maid & Others

The world still recognizes the legendary John Scarne as the most authoritative expert on gambling who ever lived. Author of dozens of books on the subject, Scarne collected and distilled everything he knew in this, the most comprehensive book on gambling ever written. Since its publication in 1961 and subsequent new editions, Scarne's New Complete Guide to Gambling has been far and away the best-selling book of its kind.

As gambling consultant to several governments and many of the world's top casinos, Scarne knew the world of gambling from the inside out, with access to many of the most...

Here is the most complete, most authoritative reference ebook on games available. Just about every game you can think of - in all, more than 1000 games and their variations - is described, together with the latest rules and easy-to-follow instructions. And to add to your enjoyment, here are hundreds of play-to-win tips from John Scarne, the famous authority on games and gambling.

In the more than 600 double-column, oversize pages you will find many old favorites as well as newly invented games including gambling games, variations of solitaire, social games, board games, and parlor games to...

How to win at Poker, Gin, Pinochle, Blackjack and many other games.

Scarne on Cards is not only a fundamental reference and rule ebook; it is a dependable guide for anyone who wants to avoid being victimized by cheating and sharp practice, and for anyone who wants to play a better game and thereby improve his chances of winning.

"John Scarne is to games what Dr. Einstein is to advanced physics." - John Lardner, in Newsweek

"John Scarne is the most expert exponent of wonderful card effects and table work that I have ever seen in my life." - Nate Leipzig

"John Scarne's one-man expose...

Included in this compilation are all 13 issues of the extremely rare John Scarne's Newsletter as well as the ebook Three Card Monte which was not written by Scarne, but he provided all the contents for it.

This is a treatise on the sucker effects of the Three Card Monte. It starts with an intro by Nate Leipzig, includes a definition of gambling terms and goes on to explain moves, routines and schemes to work the Three Card Monte. John Scarne was a master in performing and demonstrating this sucker effect. Learn everything about it in this digital reproduction, either to be aware of the various ways this can be played and thus be protected, or to learn to perform it for entertainment purposes.

From the preface by Nate Leipzig:

This is a pre-Erdnase description of moves and ruses to cheat at the card table by an unnamed 'retired professional'. However, Bart Whaley's research revealed that this retired professional was Gerrit M. Evans, that his real name was most likely Edward M. Grandin and that Evans/Grandin was not a professional gambler. (Bart is working on an upcoming book about Evans - The Mysterious Gambler.)

This ebook was created from the 1868 edition. There is also an earlier 1865 edition. The 1868 faked edition drops the name of the author who is, of course, Evans/Grandin, pretends that the "anonymous" author is a "retired"...

In January 1976 John Scarne started a monthly newsletter. It had eight pages per issue and covered all forms of gambling, from casino games like Blackjack to sports betting (horses, baseball, basketball) as well as the casual gambling at home with friends. You can even find some magic tricks explained.

End of 1976 John sent out a renewal notice asking all charter members to renew their newsletter. He was even promising 15 issues for $24 to the charter members, or subscribe for two years for only $30.

He must have received very few renewals because he published just one more issue, volume...

This little gem of a book consists of five chapters - with prudent advice backed up by years of painful observation and field work. Are you a winner?

• Does everyone you know seem to be having more sex than you?
• Do your facial expressions give away your intentions?
• Do you know when to "cut your losses?"

Illustrations by Muriel Alvarez.

1st edtion 2007; 63 pages.

The Score is an ebook that teaches a special playing card marking system inspired by a concept probably as old as playing cards. The system has been re-thought and re-mastered by Daniel Madison with help from sleight of hand junkie Randall Freeman and a retired card cheat who wishes to remain anonymous.

The Score markings system teaches you how to mark any deck of cards that has a white border, such as standard Bicycle Rider backs, Mandolines and Bee Stingers - we'd list all of those decks here but there are far too many to mention!

The Score is a minimalistic system; two simple tiny marks...

This 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

7. Introduction
13. Cheating at cards
13. Mechanical Methods: marking cards, sorts, deck switches, edge marking, daub, punch/nail marks
33. Strippers: types of strippers, Vernon's "Bathroom Strippers"
36. Locaters: short, corner shorts, thick cards, long cards, ridge/breather crimps
40. Holdouts: Kepplinger...

Subtitled: 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...

Formerly published under the title How to Cheat at Cards this is an updated version released under the title How to Cheat at Poker. The new version includes T.U.T., 50 pages by Chris Stanislas, his first and only publication.

The ultimate guide to learning all of the techniques for cheating at card games ...

An insight into the mind, mechanics and devilry of a card cheat.

This is a Craps Championship winning strategy.

This is an ebook about "how to win" at playing craps. It covers all of the basics of the game so you will have a working knowledge of the table layout and various bets. Many of the craps wagers that you see players make are sucker bets and don’t apply to this winning strategy. Yes, the house can be beaten on a regular basis!

Twenty five chapters of do's and dont's with full color examples including an explanation of why this winning strategy works. You will pay for this ebook with the first roll of the dice!

If you are a beginner or new...

A step by step system that can make you a millionaire in less than 12 months.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Have you heard a saying that goes something like: 'back favorites and lose your money?' Again, do yourself a favor and ignore it.

This Betting Plan may seem frustrating at times, because some of the dividends are small, but you must be disciplined and follow it step by step. Do not deviate from the formula, not even if someone tells you a horse is a sure thing?

This system involves backing favorites. But it is done with a set procedure and it is the Staking Plan that is the key to making...

This is one of the best explanations of the Three Shell Game or Thimble Rig including 24 moves and 3 full routines. Jack Lamonte has drawn 86 clear illustrations to make studying the moves and routines a lot easier.

Excerpt from the introduction:

[Note: You will also be able to download a facsimile version of this manuscript.]

1st edition 1959, 30 pages; 1st digital edition 2013, 49 pages....

"Much more than a mere gambling expose, Catch 33 is almost an act in itself! Twenty-first Century magic needs more brains like yours." - Guy G.

3 cards. 2 of them lose. 1 wins.

"..simple! "... Or so your audience thinks.

Each time he plays the game with you, your spectator falls into subtle traps you've set. He receives an authentic lesson on the con game that is not a game at all. Using beautifully choreographed sequences, you continually manipulate your spectator into choosing the wrong card. He just can't help himself.

Perform this routine surrounded; at a restaurant, trade...

The first part and majority of this book deals with marked cards. It shows numerous examples of how and where to mark various back designs popular during the early 20th century in the United States. The second part briefly describes sleight-of-hand for the card cheater such as second dealing, bottom dealing, shuffling, false cuts, and mechanical hold outs. Each technique is illustrated with a photo, which is quite remarkable for a book from that time. The third and final part deals with the mathematical odds of draw poker.

Some people believe that F. R. Ritter might be S. W. Erdnase, the unknown author...