Cheating, Cons, Scams & Protection in Gambling

This is a card punch 3D printed from durable plastic. A card punch is used to mark cards imperceptible to people who are unfamiliar with it. If you do not know how to use it this item is not for you. You will be better served to first read more about it and what can be done with it, for example in The Punch Letters. There will be no instructions supplied with the item.

The primary innovation in this model, besides that it is 3D printed, is a screw-needle combination which makes adjusting the depth of the punch a breeze. Simply turn the screw a bit more in or out to set the needle tip deeper or higher. If...

Blistr is a new card punch with two important differences to more traditional card punches. First, it is built like a pair of small pliers and therefore very easy to use. The pliers are a flexure design 3D printed from durable plastic. (Starting design was created by BYU Compliant Mechanisms Research which I modified to fit my needs.) Second, this punch creates a bigger smoother blister than needle-based punches. The tip is not sharp and therefore does not punch through the playing card. For many, this will be easier to feel than a fine needle prick. The blister is a half-dome about 1 mm in diameter. The...

The intentionally unassuming grey cover, designed to match the dull-sounding title, suggests a dry emotionless record of events is likely held within. However, this humble exterior belies the valuable secrets hidden within its pages. Annals of Gaming was an article series published over four years, between 1772 and 1775; its sole intention was to expose the sharpers, hustlers, and cheats, by detailing their methods of defrauding the unwary. Now, for the first time, every article in the original series has been retyped in full and published in a single volume of over 200 pages. This work covers over...

A false cut that uses the action of burning a card as misdirection. Particularly useful for cheating at BlackJack.

Chuck Smith was recorded doing this cut. (A letter from Chuck Smith to Brick Tilley is reproduced in the PDF.) He used it to beat players during the years of WWII. The sequence of actions is the following. You first openly cut the cards and complete the cut. Then you take the top card, turn it face up and place it as the bottom card. During the action of burning the top card you undo the cut. The demo video will prove how honest and fair this looks.

You will receive a PDF...

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...

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 highly sophisticated work on gambling and cheating with cards. The author, Scott Edward Lane, is not only an expert card handler but also an engineer by profession. You will find formulas, flow charts, and graphs which you will not usually find in similar books on this subject. In that sense it is a unique work written by an expert for experts.

This ebook details mnemonics as applied to card sharping, Lane System for Calculated Cuts, Utility Holding Positions, Impromptu Systems to Cull and Stock, Strategic Communications Management, Utilizing Secret Accomplices, Cull and Stock Error...

"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...

Available again at last. This privately printed gem contains the real work for some of the best card marking inks, daubs, shading and blockout inks that the world has ever seen. Even the infamous luminous reader formula is explained, as is an easy method to produce short or narrow cards that doesn't require a card trimmer!

Best of all, this revised edition includes modern alternatives to the chemical and dye-based compounds, making it easier than ever to obtain professional results in the privacy of your home workshop.

"Your Red Daub is very fine. I find that Daub is the secret of the...

This very rare, and highly sought after, gambling book from 1915 is finally available. This book was the first to publish the fact that eight out-faro shuffles brings the deck back in its original order.

• Preface
• Stacking Or Running Up Cards
• Controlling Four Aces And Four Kings By Stacking And Bottom Dealing
• Stacking Cards With The Faro Riffle
• Combination Cold Deck And Faro Riffle
• False Cuts
• Marked Cards
• Controlling Cards In The Draw
• The Tip
• Telling Hole Cards In Stud Poker
• The Draw Out In Stud Poker
• Edge Work For The Draw Out In Stud
• The Spread
• Second Dealing
• Cold Decking ...

This ebook presents an analytical review of works on card cheating that are written in English and published before 1900. Given this scope, The Reference Guide to Early Works on Card Cheating takes 151 publications, and documents the card cheating techniques that they describe. Only card techniques discussed in the context of cheating at card games are considered. The 146 defined techniques are used to evaluate the publications based on their breadth and their contribution to the literature. The breadth is indicated by the absolute number of techniques each work describes, and the contribution...

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...

At one point it was believed that only one copy of this book existed. This and other myths are addressed in the introduction by Frank Lehmann, who has studied this book in detail.

The book exposes various ways in which the game of Faro was crooked. It was a very popular betting game in the United States and usually was rigged in one way or another. It was published by Richard K. Fox, the proprietor of the Police Gazette.

• Introduction
• Part I
  1. The Game Of Faro
  2. The Cards In Faro
  3. Dealing The Cards
  4. Keeping The Game
  5. Technical Terms Used In Faro
  6. Laws Of The Game
  7. The Chances Of The...

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...

When David Devlin was in high school he never had a job. Not a summer job, not a part-time job, no nothin'. All of his friends did, but not David. That is not to say that he never had money. He always had plenty of cash in his wallet. He never stole money. He earned it. But how can this be if David did not have a job of any kind? The fact is that he scammed and hustled it from the friends who had jobs.

If you love scams, hustles, cons, bar betchyas, flim-flam, stings, snow jobs, bamboozles, chicanery, shams, fixes, baloney, and other dirty tricks then this book is for YOU!

In this eBook,...

If you love scams, hustles, cons, bar betchyas, flim-flam, stings, snow jobs, bamboozles, chicanery, shams, fixes, baloney, and other dirty tricks then this ebook is for YOU!

In this follow-up to his popular eBook How to Sell Bridges, David Devlin teaches the finer points of some of the many scams and hustles that have made him a lot of money. He also discusses some of the more elaborate cons that have been used throughout history and the cons who pulled them off. Also discussed are cons used today including selling ridiculous products, phony business "opportunities", scamming major corporations out of thousands...

This ebook takes an academic look at the second deal and its use at the card table, specifically in the game of Texas Hold’em poker. This is achieved by first examining the mathematical rules of the second deal. These rules are then applied to the basic structure of Texas Hold’em and the use of the move is advanced by also considering poker strategy. In addition to this, the probabilities of dealing target cards, when using a binary marking system, are derived. The use of the second deal in conjunction with stacking techniques is also considered, with a focus on the block transfer. Whilst...

The classic 1941 treatise on the grifter's short-change con, now available again. Don't let it happen to you!

Short-changing is is used by unscrupulous ticket takers, food vendors, carnival workers, clerks, cashiers - anywhere that money changes hands. This ebook contains the "inside dope" on how it works and how to protect yourself from becoming a victim.

Described are various short-changing techniques, including the Bar Room Clip, Carnival and Circus Take and the Bill Slip-Over.

Original copies of this privately printed book are extremely hard to find. A recent copy sold at auction...

You will get both a PDF and a video (download from your digital shelf).

PDF
3 Disk Monte is a variation of the street hustle often played with cards. Three black face down disks, one with a white dot, are mixed. The spectator tries to guess which disk is the one with the white dot. The disks have increasingly gained popularity due to their visibility and handling. This PDF illustrates and describes the various sleights that can be used while performing this effect. Topics include the basics plus some of the more advanced moves that can be used.

• The Disks
• The Mat
• Working Height
• The...

Collusion Strategy and Analysis for Texas Hold'em gives a focused and comprehensive look into the concept of collusion in the popular game of Texas Hold'em. The first half of the ebook details the many techniques and strategies that may be employed by colluders, as well as some of the considerations associated with each method. The second half of the ebook then analyses both pre-flop and post-flop play in order to determine the effect of various parameters on collusion strategy. This publication represents one of the most in-depth insights into the theory of collusion, currently available. ...

Reveals the inside story on how the con artist forces you, or a store, or even a bank teller to hand him too much change.

This bit of larceny gains the criminal five, ten, or more dollars each time -- and that from a $2 purchase. Also shows how to keep from being shortchanged. Almost defies detection, and practically works itself. This is no pie-in-the-sky con. Newspaper and TV stories report that victims of every age and ethnicity are taken in by this technique.

Audiences are hungry for this information, to avoid being "taken." Makes an excellent lecture to provide to banks, stores, senior...

A play-by-play exposé of the tricks of the card sharp's trade.

Moss gives general advice on how to avoid becoming a sucker or losing more money than luck alone would explain. The most interesting part is where he describes several sleights and strategies cardsharps use to cheat at the card table. Many of the sleights are illustrated with photos.

• Introduction 5
• Meet the Enemy 7
  • Who Are the Victims?
  • Suckers
  • Addicts
  • Defeating the Enemy
  • Luck
  • Greed
  • Amateurs
  • Advice
• Modern Cheating
  • False Cut Number One
  • False Cut Number Two
  • False Cut Number Three
  • False Cut Number Four
  • A Reverse...

A complete revelation of the cheaters' work at Bridge, Nap, Solo, Bluff, Banker, Baccarat, Faro, etc.

Published by Coe & Co. A rare booklet offered at the first 2023 Ricky Jay auction with an estimated price of $500-$800. Excerpt from the introduction:

A wonderfully interesting confession of a con man who was a contemporary of Erdnase, and just like him operated for a time while traveling with small circuses in Illinois and surrounding states. Of particular interest is a full dialog of how an unsuspecting person on the train was lured into gambling 3 card monte. The dialog demonstrates how skillfully these operatives were and how well they understood human nature. Other cons are also described in detail.

Excerpt from the preface:

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 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...

Here's an entertaining, 25- to 60-minute lecture that you, the magician or mentalist, can present on the topic of scams and cons. And it's a money-maker.

Become an Expert on Cons and Swindles...
Or just talk like one. This is a new field for most magicians and mentalists, allowing you to give your lecture to civic groups, security seminars, government agencies, corporations -- anywhere people gather. And these organizations have deep pockets, too, able to pay you well for your time.

Fabled Bunco Games of History...
Now become practical, effective tricks in the magician's hands, each...

Full exposition of all the various arts, mysteries, and miseries of gambling.

It is a complete exposure, of the different and various ways of deception and cheating in all the numerous games played, such as Faro, Two, Three, and Four-Handed Poker, Shuffling Cards, Roulette and Rolling Faro, Vingt-Un, Brag, Euchre, Game of Boston, All Fours, Cribbage, Whist, Dice, Stealing out Cards, Palming, Playing by Signs, Marking Cards, Backgammon, Solitaire, Playing Three against One, Spring Tables, Spring Boxes, Pulleys, Ingenuity of Gamblers, Card Manufactories, Lotteries, then modes of drawing and...

A 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:

Gaffed games, clever cons, sensational swindles - how to spot the bunco artist before he cheats you.

This may well be the greatest exposé of gambling methods, swindles, confidence games and carnival midway hustles ever published. No matter if you're a magician, gambler, carnival midway patron (or operator), law enforcement professional, or simply want to protect yourself, you're going to enjoy this book.

Especially valuable to those with an interest in carnival and gaming paraphernalia are the methods used to gaff the devices as sold back in the day by H. C. Evans, K. C. Card Co., and...

This short ebook focuses on one of the most popular tactile card marking systems, in the context of Texas Hold'em Poker. Punch Work for Texas Hold'em begins by commenting on the history of the technique and detailing the numerous methods in which the marks can be created. Following this, how the marks can be utilised is explored from the perspective of each stage in standard Hold'em game procedure. The ebook then considers the ways in which these tactile marks can be varied to convey more information. Finally, given the ambiguity inherent in the way this marking system is commonly implemented,...

The Ace to Six of each suit are placed on the table, and the two players turn cards face down alternately and a running total of the pips is maintained. The winner is the one who takes the total to no more than 31. Even after the spectator is told the secret to winning, the magician still wins. Ends with an extra kicker.

PDF 10 pages

From the preface and introduction:

From the back cover:

A proposition bet is one which appears to give the taker an even chance and at times the best of it, but does just the opposite. Like con men, proposition gamblers pretend to be pleasant, friendly, easy-going, good fellows who would never think of double-crossing anyone. They also usually pretend that their prepared proposition bets are something they just happened to think up on the spot. They take great pleasure in beating seasoned gamblers; money is not the main objective. It's the prestige and self-satisfaction they derive from having outsmarted a top gambler, be he friend or foe.

While...

This is an improvement in the handling of the Curry Turnover that makes this move easier to accomplish and more deceptive. A simple get-ready makes the exchange faster and infinitely more rewarding. It was perfected during hundreds of hours behind a Black Jack table without ever once being detected.

It can be used for magical purposes as well. Add this subtle weapon to your card arsenal.

1st edition 2021, PDF 4 pages, video 30 s.

A 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)....

"Must reading for all card magicians!" - Allan Ackerman

"Outstanding!" - Darwin Ortiz

"This book should be on your shelf alongside The Expert at the Card Table, The Man Who Was Erdnase, The Annotated Erdnase, and Loaded Dice." - William P. Miesel

His name is not "Marks," but when you buy this ebook you will learn why he had to write under an alias. The ebook covers advantage play, cheating, and the moves that get the money.

"Exceptional. Controversial. Highly recommended." - Michael Dalton / Blackjack Review

"WOW! The real world of cheating and the plays that get the money." - Bob Snyder / Gaming Consultants

• Introduction
• My Credentials
• Casino Organization ...

The dark side of gambling.

"Loaded with rare, inside information." - Darwin Ortiz

"Absolutely fascinating and enlightening! Ingenious methods that boggle the mind." - Daryl

"Inside techniques exposed for the first time in print." - George Joseph / Director of Surveillance, Bally Entertainment Co.

It may be shocking and it's certainly dangerous. Nevertheless, this unique ebook represents the definitive resource on how professional con men cheat at Blackjack and other card games. The author, a former high-stakes cheater, explains an amazing array of specific moves with clear, understandable text and...

Being an explanation of the game, and a warning against its dangers.

Excerpt from the preface:

An instructive warning to those who must play for stakes. Interesting amusement for those who do not.

Excerpt from the Foreword:

This book is nicely illustrated by Charles Remmers from photographs by the author. It contains a description of cheating at the popular Australian game of Two-Up which makes it unique.

• Foreword
• Spotlight On The Card-Sharp ...