Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-06-11
GAMBLERS TRICKS.
Means by Which They Pluck Their
Victims Faro-dealing Bores and
Roulette Wheels for Rogues.

esty, but only few people know what
crooked-sharpers most professional
gamblers are or the ingenious mechan-
ical contrivances which they employ to
aid them in swimming" the dollars of
their victims. The man who makes
gaming profession rarely or never
depends upon "luck" for his existence
In faro, roulette, monte, hazard and
in all other games known to the gen
tlemen of the green cloth, there is GER
tain well-under stood percentage" in
favor of the proprietors. This is I'M
derstood by all who play, but it is so
trifing that they are willing to pay it
for the privilege of hazarding their
money. There is another "percent-
age" in all these games as played at
many places that is only understood
by the professional dealers and is
never suspected by the players.
In the game faro the known per-
centage is very small When two
cards of the same denomination come
out of silver plated dealing box"
together, the dealer takes one-half of
the bets which happen to be on that
card on the "lay-out" Sometimes an
entire deal is played without this &C.
curing and it rarely happens more
than twice in deal, so that visible
percentage is quiet small; so trifing in
fact, that if faro game is dealt fairly
it must have an almost unlimited
capital or eventually become bank
Fupt.
1t is to guard against this mishap
and to make the game a profitable
one that the unknown percentage is
introduced. To accomplish his pur-
pose the gambler has both the cards
and the dealing-box fixed" This
"fxing" process of the cards is done
as follows: A new pack is used and
one in which every card is exactly the
same size, to hairs breadth. There
is al almost imperceptible difference
In the sizes of the cards in nearly all
cheap packs, so that the gambler buys
for his purpose expensive cards that
have been squared" especially for
faro. The first step in fixing is to
separate the low and high cards; that
is, to put in separate piles all ranging
from the ace to the six and from the
eight to the king. The seven being
neither high nor low is equally d.
vided, two sevens being put with the
high and two with the low cards.
Then with a pair OF sharp shears,
made especially for this purpose. the
gambler cuts a thin slip form
the edge of each card. The high
cards are clipped in this way from
the upper right-hand corner to point
on the lower edge about the thirty
second part of an inch from the lower
right-hand corner. The low cards are
clipped in the same way, except that
the gambler commences at the lower
right hand corner and clips to a point
on the upper edge near the right cor
ner. The cards now are wider at one
end than at the other, but the differ
ence IN width is so slight as to be
almost imperceptible, except to the
touch. The cards are then shuf1ed,
care being taken to keep the wide ENDS
of the high cards and the ends of the
low cards at opposite ends of the pack.
1t IS an easy matter now for an expert
manipulation to catch the wide ends of
the cards between his thumbs and
forefngers and SO draw all of the high
cards into one hand and the low ones
into the other. When the game is in
progress the dealer shufles the cards
thoroughly and then in this way
separates the high from the low.
Next he so shufles them as to ''sand-
wich" each low and high card and
when the pack is in the dealing box
they should come out alternately.
This wouldn't suit the dealer at all,
as he must not only know just how
the cards. are arranged but at the
same time have perfect control over
them. In order that he may have
this power specially-arranged deal
ing-box is procured. The ordinary
dealing-boxes have slit in the side
just wide enough to admit of one card
passing through it at a time; the
special boxes have slit wide enough
to allow two cards to pass easily
through them. Armed with these sim
pie contrivances, all the dealer has to
do is to watch where the bets are and
win every time by either showing out
enc card or two, as occasion requires
If a player bet that high card will
win the dealer can very easily make
1t lose or vice versa. OF course, the
game keeper is confederate and at a
sign from the dealer can tell how to
arrange the ceases so that they will
tally with the cards that are out.
This is what is called 'sbrace game, "
probably because it can only be sue
eessfully worked by a brace of
rogues. Thousands of faro player
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