St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-11-29
TRICKS In PLAYING CARDS.
Man who Sells Them Lets u he,
porter into His Secrets.
New York Telegraph.

New York Telegraph.
do you want to buy pack of trans
parent playing-cards?" said a man last
evening on Broadway, between Twenty,
sixth and Twenty-ffth streets, just below
the st. James hotel, to a reporter who was
| passing down. The card-seller was a
short, heavy-set man, with black mus
tache. He was well dressed and strolled
| along as if he were gentleman of leisure.
LET me see them?"
81 will. Come with me. Remember
| NUNS the word"
He turned into Twenty-fft street, and
| from the light reflected from the drugstore
window exhibited a pack of transparent
cards.
what is your price?"
81 ask only 50 for this pack. l have
them as high as S."
''Do you sell many packs?"
"Some days | do. I have to be very
careful. am always afraid some one will
squeal on me. [ can read human nature
pretty well. The moment 1 saw you felt
that you would not squeal on me-"
Suppose Anthony Comstock should find
you out?"
Oh, know him by sight went to
school with his boys. He wants higher
game than me. He is too high up to notice
my little racket"
Have you any marked playing cards?'
''Get out. you don't mean it? Well,
can get them for you from $1.50to $40 a
pack. But it's queer and ticklish work.
You can't play poker-you don't want
them?n
II invented Jackpot poker and taught
some sharpers how to play. l want more
pointers" was the Munchausen answer.
''Well. there are thirty-tive different
marked-back cards manufactured. I know
how to read with ease tWenty-SiX of them.
The marks are on the right-hand corner
and are read by the eye, and not by feeling.
as greenhorns suppose. If the cards have
flowers pictured on their backs. then the
marks are flowers. They are so cunningly
placed that an old professional, unless he
knows that style Of card is marked, will
never suspect anything. Of course these
cards are not manufactured by legitimate
houses. Certain crooked concerns turn
them out. This city is the only place
where they are manufactured extensively
A clique of gamblers frequently get mon
opoly of certain brands of marked cards,
and make a small fortune by selling them
to saloonkeepers in small towns. 1t takes
a man with good memory, though to be
able to tell at lightning glance what
card is by its back. These gambling places
uptown here never use them. They are
afraid tot ruins custom. If a man is
cheated once at a place he drops on the
house, and not only stops away himself,
but blows it to great many. We work the
marked-card racket down town in
certain skim saloons. Those who lose as
rule are professional men, who don't
know until too late that they are playing
in a skin establishment. Hungry Joe's
fate hasn't checked the swindling games
going on in the city,"
What other methods are adopted to
cheat at card playing?"
1.-THE great skim poker game now is
playing with a sliding deck of cards. We
also call that kind of deck Shippers.
1t is simply done by cutting the deck Ar
kansas fashion, that is, quick shuttle.
The saloonkeeper has a Sliding deck
which he hands to us. After deal or two
wait until my opponent is dealing. When
l cut shuttle the deck The sliding
cards are somewhat wider, and when
shuttle pull them out and put them on ton.
know that have good hand on tor
which will come to me in the DEAL NV
opponent gets good hand, too, and the
game is to break him the first bet l re-
member not long ago that played the
game called twenty-one. knew the cards
by their backs. had pair of tens. My
partner had twenty, also. 1 saw an ace
on top, and on the strength of it won S15(
on that hand by drawing it. The city i:
| filled with crooks. One crook don't minC
| cheating another. It's business. Wher
get busted take few packs of trans
parent cards and sell them on the streets
| haven't been arrested for it yet. I hope
| you wont squeal on me-"