St. Paul daily globe., 1886-07-26
Clever Hold Out" Devices in the Poker
Line-A Thing Of Straps and
Steel Springs.
Raking in the Wealth of a Country
Town--How Eat-'Em-Up Thomas
Came to Grief.
The Bold and Dashtng Play of Cuff
Sfmms - From Poker to
Faro.


worming themselves into the confidence of
some responsible club man for the simple
purpose of being introduced into the club.
there TO fleece the suckers who never
suspect they are playing against cross
roader.' l have even known card-sharp
of good address, to start business in a
country town and join church that he
might be able in the course of six months
to get in with quiet little game in which
the best merchants of the town and several
of the church deacons were interested"
''HOw did he come Out?"
''Oh, he skinned the party out of a cool
six thousand in the course of a few days
and then he quietly disappeared while the
losers gave Hail Columbia to the unsus-
pectlng old dutfer who had been the means
OF his introduction to the party. At the
same time the old man was innocent, for
he had been completely deceived by the
gambler, who was posing as well-to-do
merchant with love for quiet little game
of draw. And very clever, 'sure-thing'
man he was, too"
''Supposing you enlighten me little on
this 'sure-thing' business. How is it
worked?"
There are any number of devices for
enabling clever man to win at poker,
which is, of course, the favorite short-card
game; but it has to be a clever man with
lots of nerve to play without detection In
party OF poker lovers. among whom there
are usually at least two heads who are
On the lookout for anything of a crooked
nature"
''Am to understand that mechanical
devices are used by these gentlemen to
whom you deIicately refer as sure thing
men""
Certainly. They are known to the pro-
fession as 'hold-outS,' and there are any
number of forms in which they are made
Only the other day Hebrew sport here
came to me and showed me what consider
the most ingenius thing in his line | ever
saw. 1t consisted of a combination of
levers made of thin band steel and termi-
mating in an arrangement looking like a
pair of scissor handles, to which is attached
a lattice work of steel so arranged that
when the handles are brought together the
lattice work extends for twelve of fifteen
inches. 1t is good deal like the lazy-scis-
SOrS some ladies use, and very like the
wooden toy sold on the streets that may be
elongated for several feet ard carries on the
extreme end mouse. Well, this hold-out
is adjusted with a system of straps and is
put on under ones clothes. The scissor
| like extension arrangemet lies along the in
| side of the left arm, while the long feXi-
| BILE levers are made to fit closely to the left
| side of the body down to the thigh. Here
rubber band is fixed to be placed about the
| legs. Spreading the knees slightly acts
| through the levers to the extension device,
| which is thrust down the sleeve and carries
at its lower end a pair of small clips.
''NOw, suppOSing the wearer of this is
sitting in game and gets his hands on any
desirable card. He spreads his legs slightly
and down comes the little clips. Into one
of these he cautiously tucks the desired
cards, and then, letting his legs move to-
gether, the arrangement disappears with
the cards up his sleeve. Let us suppose
that he has held out pair of kings. Pres
emily he gets hand containing two kings.
He diScards the three other cards and calls
for three in the draw. When he gets them
he makes the clips appear. takes from them
the kings he has been holding out, and puts
in their place two of the cards he drew,
which are pulled out of sight up the sleeve.
O, it's great scheme, l tell you, and he
will sell it dirt cheap-S500 cash. Why, l
could make $50 900 if | were in that bus
mess now, but I amt" and here he sighed
as he let his fancy run back over the days
when he was in that sort of thing.
what else is there in 'hold-out devices?"
| his reverie with snort.
''Well, there's an arrangement on some
what the same principle as this last one.
that works out from beneath the lapel of a
vest and is intended to be used when play
ing in shirt sleeves. That is worked by
| pressure on the sides with the elbows.
Then there is what is known as the cuff
| hold-out. The operator wears large cuffs,
| the right one being lined with soft ma
| terial that prevents the cards rustling as
| they are slipped up until wanted. The
most daring man l ever knew who used this
style of hold-out was known as Cuff
Simms. He had more nerve than is usually
allotted TO card players. and he made
fortune out of his trickery which was
promptly played into the bank-faro, you
know.
''He used to work it slick" continued
the veteran, as his eyes sparllled at the
recollection; 'he would always sit with
his chips to his left pretty well one to one
side. He would hold his cards in his left
hand, which would carelessly drop into
his lap. Then he would slide his right
across in front of him toward the pile of
chips on the left, and, as he muSingly re-
marked, ''Well, guess I'll go that about
fifty better, he would rapidly and deX-
trously exchange cards of low value from
his hand for those of higher value that he
had put away in his cuff. and then he came
pretty near holding winning hand. He
always had some one i'll with him at the
table to help him out in case new pack
were suddenly called for. In that case,
the confederate would say to the man who
called for new pack: Just let me look
at them a minute and after running them
| through he would remark: i would have
| l.
and then throw the cards down in front of
Simms. who would thus obtain the desired
opportunity to get rid of any he might
have been holding out at that moment
He was very nervy fellow, and the en-
trance of a stranger into the game never
caused him to let up for minute, as one
might expect a cautious man to do. He
worked il right along. and to this total in
/ difference and boldneSS much of his sue
cess was DUE"
''Are they ever caught at it?"
Sometimes, but not when they are real
clever. Then there is the bug by which
cards are held out under the edge of the
| table. and some of the boys simply hold out
in their laps. Then, too. there are any
number of tricks for dealing oneself desir-
able cards. 1t is comparatively easy
matter to mark all the higher cards with
| the nall, or WITH Small steel p0lnI carried
under the nail of the first finger. This
marking will indicate not only the value of
the card but the suit. and. while practically
invisible to the average player, can be read
across the table by an expert. Supposing [
have marked the cards from jacks up and I
am dealing. L come along to king that 1
want, and which, if fairly dealt, would fall
to someone else. slip it slightly down
ward by little movement OF the thumb,
and deal from below it until come to my
self. when deal it fairly. This is known
as dealing seconds and is very valuable
thing for card-player to be able to work