The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-07
CHEATING AT FARO.
How the Dealers Fix the Cards
without Being Detected.
From the New York World.


From the New York World
Gamblers assert that faro is one of the
squarest games of cards ever invented.
Asked why the bank always wins in
the long run, they declare that the bank
er's advantage is simply that of the cap
itaiist.
The hacker of the game has large
roll" generally $1,000 to $1,000 The play
er rarely has any such sum. He can Stand
but few losses. The banker can afford to
wait as he has one positive percentage
of advantage-in the splits" That is
when a card of b given value both wins
and loses. In this case the "bank" takes
half of the wager. This would wear out
any player in time.
Faro dealers are enabled to do some
cheating by deft manipulation of the
cards in a Square" box, but are invinci-
BILE when aided by what is known Sin the
gambling world as hog box. In ma
nipuation the dealer so handles the cards
as to make splits plentiful-not so plen-
tiful, however, as to arouse the suspi-
cion of the players.
How are the splits put up? BY means
of what is called the "faro-dealer's shut
fie." BY its use a pack which has been
divided into two equal portions may have
all the cards of one half placed alternately
with those of the other half at one oper-
alton. In faro the manner of dealing the
cards necessarily divides them into two
equal parts This being the case. they are
taken up by the dealer. one in each hand
Holding them by the ends, he presses the
two halves together, so as to bend them
somewhat. This causes the card to fly
up one by one from either side alternately
Thus those cards which have been placed
with malice aforethOught in correspond
ing positions in two files, viii come to-
gether in this shuttle and form splits. BY
the use of such means he is also enabled
to arrange the cards so as to checkmate
any player who may appear to be follow
ing some particular system of betting.
Finding that the players are, on the whole,
inclined to back the high cards, the dealer
may so arrange the pack that the low
cards only win for them, the high ones
falling to the bank. In this, however, he
runs a great risk. 1t may happen that
the players, finding themselves constant
ly losing on the high cards, may alter
o one That Would Be bad for the G ba iGE
unless the dealer had a mechanical box
which enabled him 10 alter the run of
The two-eard or hog hox is one of the
most expensive cheating tools sharper
can use. The prices charged for them
are something exorbitant. They are
made in many varieties and are known
by many poetic names. Pressure being
applied to some part of the box, the mouth
is caused to open sufficiently wide to al
low two cards to be drawn out together.
When locked it appears to be genuine
and may be examined without fear of the
trick being detected
Some boxes are made to lock by sliding
them along the table. The bottom moves
a little, this movement serving TO fix all
that they are always locked. That is
their normal condition. 50 that they can
be examined at any time. When II is re-
quired to widen the mouth and allow
two cards to pass out together, a small
piece of wire, or needle as IL IS called,
is made to rise out of the
pPessing again against one 'aOS Of the
rivets or into a little hole in the bottom
of the box, unlocks the mechanism for
a moment. Another form of the tWo-card
box is one which has been the bottom
plate made of very thin metal, the
'springing in of which, of course, when
pressed upon the center, unlocks the
At the beginning of the game. then.
the cards are counted to make sure that
there are the proper number, and one
we will suppose IS a two-card with
"needle-tell" attachment. One of the
cards in the pack, therefore, will be cut
suppose 1t to be the king of diamonds.
Another king of diamonds, also cut to
tell" is held. out in the. mechanical
shutting board. While shutting the
cards the dealer causes the hold-out to
add the odd" card TO the pack Thus
there are two kings of diamonds in use
box the game begins. The dealer keeps
his eye upon the needle-tell and mean
while unlocks the mechanism of his box
that is If It is made to lock- which Is
not necessarily the case, although safer
When the needle indicates the fact that
one of the duplicate cards-in this case the
king of diamonds-is Immediately below
the top card in the box, the dealer has to
be guided by circumstances. If the card
will win for him, well and good. He deals
the cards,as they should be dealt and the
king falls to him.
1t is evident that It would never do 10
have two kings Of diamonds turn up in
the game-the cnekeeper would record five
kings So the dealer stin watches the
needle, and when he finds that the second
king Of diamonds IS the top card but
one, he exerts the necessary pressure
upon the box to widen the slit. Then, in
stead Of Withdrawing only one card, two