St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-25
TRICKS IN PLAYING CARDS.
A Man Who Sells Them Lets a Re.
porter Into His Secrets.


porter Into His Secrets.
New Y DIRK Telegraph.
''Do you want to buy pack of trans
parent playing cards?" said man last even
ing on Broadway, between Twenty-sixth
and Twenty-ffth streets, just below the
St. James hotel, to reporter who was
passing down. The card seller was short,
heavy-set man, with black mustache. He
was well-dressed, and stroiled 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-fifth street. and
from the light reflected from drug store
window exhibited pack of transparent
cards.
what is your price?"
II ask only So for this pack. I have
them as high as So"
do yon sell many packs?"
''Some days 1 do. l have to be very
careful. I am always afraid some one
will squeal on me. l can read human
nature pretty well. The minute | saw
you I felt that you would not squeal on
me-"
Suppose Anthony Comstock should find
you out?"
"Oh, know him by sight. l went to
school with his boys. He wants bigger
game than me. He is too high up to notice
my little racket"
'.Have you any marked playing cards?"
sect out, you don't mean it. Well, I
can get them for you for from 81 to $40
pack, but it's queer and ticklish work.
You can't play poker-you don't want
them"
Il invented Jackpot poker and taught
ex-Minister Schenck how to play. l want
more pointers" was the Munchausen
answer.
well, there are thirty-five different
.marked-back cards manufactured. l 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 a
monopoly of certain brands of marked cards
and make small fortune by selling them
to saloOnkeeper in the small towns. II
takes man with good memory, though,
to be able to tell at lightning glance what
card is by its back. These gambling
places up town here never use them. They
are afraid tot ruins customers, If 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-caEd racket down town in certain
skin 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 Joes fate hasn't
checked the swindling games going ON in
the city,
'sWhat other methods are adopted to
cheat at card playing?"
1.-THE great skim poker game now is
playing with sliding deck of cards. We
also call that kind of a deck 'sTippers.' 1t
is simply done by cutting the deck Arkan-
sas fashion, that is quick shuttle. The
saloonkeeper has sliding deck which he
hands out to US. After deal OF two wait
until my opponent is dealing. When cut
l shuttle the deck. The Sliding cards are
somewhat wider and when l shuttle | pull
them out and put them on top, l know that
have puta good hand on top, which will
come to me in the deal. My opponent gets
coed hand, too and the game is to break
him the first bet. remember not long
ago that played the game called twenty
one. knew the cards by their backs. I
had pair of tens. My opponent had
twenty also. / saw an ace on top, and on
the strength of it won $3.50 on that hand by
drawing it. The city is filled with crooks