The Portland daily press., 1894-04-17
GAMBLERS AT POKER.
A Veteran Explains Some of the Cum
ming Tricks.

How Greenhorns Who Daily With Cards
Are FIeeced by the Professionals When
Greek Met Greek and the paper Man.
Was Completely Routed.
There are men who think themselves
good poker players, In fact, they pride
themselves on their ability to play the
game and occasionally boast of their win
nings. It must be truthfully said that
| bome of these men do know how to play
draw poker-that is, as far as playing
square game is concerned-but their mon
ey would not be worth 2 cents on the dol
lar gam bling with professional gambler.
Professional gamblers are continually
travelling. They go from place to place,
always looking for game. They gener-
ally travel in pairs, under the guise of le-
Ultimate business agents or as wealthy
pleasure seekers, They have letters of in
PRODUCTION from prominent people, and as
4 result they are introduced into the fash
ionable clubs and subsequently into the
game. They will try to hide their win
nings as much as possible, so as to avoid
suspicion, and very often they will claim
to be losers, when, in reality, they have
won many dollars.
Some are known as "paper men, !" others
rs ''holdouts," while more are called "sec-
ond Dealers.
They all, of course, have general knowl-
edge of the various methods for cheating,
but they excel, as a rule, in some one OF
these systems.
In conversation the other evening with
| a retired gambler, who, in his time, was
the most skilled "seoond DEALER in the
country, he said:
1T took me over four years OF hard prac-
tice to learn how to deal seconds properly.
A ssccond dealern is man who can deal
cards fror, any part of the pack without
detection, 80 that, previous to the players
drawing cards, he skillfully slips his
thumb along the bottom of the pack and
catches glimpse of the cards to be dealt.
If he sees anything he needs, he can deal it
to himself as easily as il it were on the top
| of the deck If he has partner, he will
know by signs just exactly what he wants,
and if he can't give it to him he will mo-
tion him to stay out
ssIf his partner has pair, he will look
| through the deck, and if he observes the
other pair OF the same there he will make
sign TO tho partner, who will thereupon
raise the price to draw cards. As rule,
partners sit together when they play, SO
chat one can cut to the others liking, and
this in itself is science, for the man cut
ting the cards will do it to the satisfaction
of the whole board, as he apparently mixes
them up, while in reality he does not dis
turb his partners arranged cards.
"Now, in this instance the man who
cuts the cards cleverly is dealing, so that
his partner is the one to draw first. Now,
it is rather difficult to pull two cards from
different parts of the pack, and then all
eyes are watching the dealer when he is
giving out the first cards, SO that while
holding the pack in his left hand, just be-
fore starting to deal to those drawing, he
will find soma pretense for reaching his
right hand across the table, and in this
manner he will hide the deck. He will in
that instant skillfully shift with his fin
gers one of the cards his partner needs to
the top of the pack. He will repeat this
movement the same as before and bring
the other card on top. His partner will
draw three cards and will of course hold
four of a kind. They will continue this
system Of playing and will undoubtedly
get the money"
He then showed how he could bring cards
from the center to the top of the pack.
Holding the pack in his left hand as II
about to deal, he would shove his forefin-
ger between the deck and right above the
card he was to bring on the top. He would
then raise his forefnger, thereby lifting
the cards above it, and then with his mid
die finger he would slide the wanted card
out about half an inch toward his fingers.
Then he would press down on the edge OF
the card, and in this manner raise it out
side the pack. He would then remove his
forefnger, thereby allowing the cards to
fall back again. The needed card would
be standing on it's side alongside the pack,
and it would then be an easy matter to
shift it on top. He did this slowly several
times, and it appeared easy enough until
tried. and then it was found difficult.
Paper men," he explained, fare men
who make a speciality of reading cards.
They have system of fixing the backs of
the cards SO that they can tell all the aces,
kings, queens, jacks and eventually the
whole pack, if it is used long enough.
They always have the advantage, especial
" in two handed game, for they can tell
just what the other player holds by look
ing at the backs of his cards.
"I'll never forget the first time had an
experience with paper man. was In
Denver one day, and fat stranger with
whom had been talking for some time
suggested game of draw poker. accept
ed his proposition, and we retired to an
anteroom, Before we had been playing
long discovered that my friend was using
a pack of readers, for had given him
few good hands, but he wouldn't play, for
of course he could see had better, SO i
made up my mind to fool him. It finally
came to my deal in pretty good jack pot.
had lost little money, but now resolved
to get it all back with interest, SO stacked
my fat friend three aces and gave myself
three kings. After I had given out the
two hands laid down the deck, and the
top card was an ace.
Directly under it had the five of clubs
and another king under that. AS soon as
the man saw the ace he smiled, for he
knew he would draw to four aces. He
opened the pot for small amount, and
gave it good lift. He came back at me
with another raise, and we kept it up I'M
| eli ba final said ha had ouJv little pnOn-