Cheating, Cons, Scams & Protection in 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...

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 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"...

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 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...

Now included is the 8-page yellow supplement.

Just 15 years after WWII, life was good. As the world rebuilt itself, prosperity reigned. Returning soldiers who needed an outlet to keep their competitive edge found what they were looking for in gambling. Neighborhood poker games, back-alley craps, and illegal casinos were everywhere if you knew where to look. Grifters followed the money trail, too, and not all of them relied on skill. Many used devices such as holdouts, shiners, gaffed cards and crooked dice to ensure that they fleeced the lambs just as surely as if the marks openly handed their...

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...

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,...

Have you ever wanted to win that stuffed toy at the fair? Would you like to impress that special someone with your skills? This ebook contains the secrets to many of the most popular carnival, midway and arcade games, along with advice on how to beat them. From the Basketball Toss to Hoopla. Cover the Spot to High Striker. The answers are all here!

The ebook is 68 pages, colour throughout with pictures for every game. It also includes five pages of construction tips for building the games.

1. Ball in the Bucket
2. Balloon Dart
3. Bank a Ball
4. Basketball Toss
5. Belt Swindle
6. Bingo / Lottery
7. Block...

This is an exposure of a psychic scam being worked today that is almost foolproof. The unusual thing about this scam is that the sucker in most cases never realizes he was conned. Therefore he never reports the psychic to the authorities and the psychic can operate in the same area for years with immunity!

Millions of people go missing each year and many unscrupulous psychics and mediums claim they can find these people for a FEE.

This is an exposure of a scam that was worked on the author in his younger years. It shows step-by-step how the psychic makes it appear that he has found the...

This manual exposes cheating at gambling of all kinds including more than 100 methods of rigged machines, tables, dice, marked cards, sleight of hand and more.

It is unclear when this book was originally published, but it does reprint some illustrations from The Expert at the Card Table which means it must be after 1902. Our best guess is that this was published during the 1920s.

From the preface:

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 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....

This is probably the best short-change swindle every created. In his younger years, Devin Knight worked at a carnival doing Robert Nelson's Horoscope Pitch. During his stint with the carnival, he met a professional short-change artist, who showed him the most ingenious short-change scam Devin had ever seen. It made the scammer $10.00 every time he walked into a store and bought an inexpensive item.

Devin was familiar with the sometimes crude short-change methods used by carnies, but he had never seen a swindle as sophisticated as this one. The scammer would very slowly and deliberately count...

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...

Scores of street scams, swindles, and card table ruses are explained in this 163 page ebook, guaranteed to separate a sucker from his money just as quickly today as when this tome was first written in the mid-1800s. Don't read this book to cheat -- instead, get it for protection so you don't become a victim.

This a fascinating study, filled with accounts of colorful, larger-than-life characters. Some were victims, others turned the tables and made suckers out of the swindlers. The author, "a reformed gambler," goes beyond playing cards to detail the inside work on thimbles (the precursor...

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...

Any red showing loses!

The spot game is the black widow of the midway because an untrained player has little chance to cover the red spot using the five zinc plates supplied. Rules: the player must drop the plates one at a time from a distance of at least an inch attempting to cover the entire red area. He is later allowed to drop fewer plates bettering his chances of winning.

The spot game is seldom seen these days because law enforcement consider it to be beyond the possibility of chance. It is an excellent aid to the magician, especially when combined with a demonstration of a short...

This is China's version of the Three Shell Game or the Three Card Monte Game. It is played with three sticks held between the fingers of one hand. One stick has a little string tied to it. The task for the spectator is to identify the stick with the string. As you can imagine this is a crooked game and the performer decides when he lets you win. This game was brought by Ching Ling Foo to America in 1899.

In addition to the PDF, you will be able to download 6 videos that demonstrate several ways to perform this con game as well as videos that show you the modus operandi.

1st edition...

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...

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...

A streamlined version of Ray Grismer's Shorty Routine.

1st edition 2017, 4 pages.

Here is a rare treat. A fascinating, inside look at how carnival midway cheats, street gangs, road hustlers, rigged racebooks, marriage bureau scammers, 'wildcat' oil frauds and many more were brought to justice by the author, a Chicago police detective.

Many of these scams are still in use today. Don't read this ebook to cheat -- instead, read it for protection so you don't become the next victim.

Colorfully written, this massive book is a true-life encyclopedia of scams, cons, swindles, ruses, devices and methods - and how the cheaters were taken down and brought to justice.

Includes...

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 ...

An underground classic, now available as an ebook! This amazingly insightful book, written by a newspaper reporter, contains full details of gambling devices and methods used by professionals to beat and cheat casinos and other players.

Also described and illustrated are rigged carnival and gambling games, card gambling games, marked cards, holdouts, and much, much more.

Not content to describe methods that others may also have exposed, Meyer went the extra step to purchase the rights to gambling systems that sold for as much as $25 each. These are also detailed, in their various author's...