The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-09-13
easy TO CHEAT Ar
GAME OF BRIDGE WHIST

Bridge bns one very serious defect,
siays y writer in the Daily Mail h
ssaas.as, iaiMaself a Expert Card Player"
IEt ia istaAnfuily easy to cheat at 1T. one
kfs entirely at the mercy of an un5
aa~rcsz1ptaRa opponent, for the man who
liz so s,aanded can, by unfair means.
asasa1res advantages for his side which
ss.s,e slrEii of the finest players in the
world you'd fail to counterbalance. /
do MOI SAY that cheating is at all COM
ix,es,a "a. the bridge table or that bridge
Esaayerss yield more readily TO tempta-
zion Than other ~people-neither suppo-
sz5tiln is borne out by my own expert
ea9ce--tsMt 1t is. possible to play the
fgzn1e aafairly, and of course there are
TIaca slseep in every flock.
NesW. there are divers ways in which
IL. n1a1a lnay cheat at bridge if he
Ssresasea- In the first place, If he is the
.yls1sisa.sor OF sufficient legerdenlain he
Trfay sake the cards, dealing himself
ard his partner better hands than their
frartnrerl1s. But this form of cheating
.Is noS easy and would only be practiced
Mv IL ea.rsstnon s%Windler;; moreover, it
aaaay ssafsfy be asserted that anyone
UE1n faIcad cards at bridge or any other
game usssuJG be found out sooner or
Esater. Cheats of this kind are OBJ
served 10 win habitually. are watched
ard detection follows as a matter OF
e,surse- After that their card playing
days :2gss over.
Again. 1T is very much harder to
cheat tri a club, where there are sure
CO be ofze or two o~nlookers, than in a
Hrlvate house or rooms. where there
sasasy se rone. Under the latter condi-
e1pIsas marked cards may be introduced
o1tth eG1 less difficulty, or a carefully
He7ecGsa1 ssarty of "rooks' may have
cnaagrersltea by arrangement to pluck
ua,s. eHaHsGsdang pigeon. This sort of
G1aing has probably been done times
rgftIsost number, but one does not hear
me IL TfYe plucked one as a rulep pays
np- saaaG suspecting that he has beer
't<M1ne-~ perhaps, and hides his discom-
aEesirss 6yua,a his friends. But in a club
sssTEesa IL be an extremely disreputable
arae--et rza2y be taken for granted that
sa g.angspering with the implements of
the asxa1aa. is possible, and the company
rcay,ra1 Ia. selected. Moreover. it is very
unlikely that a player who would resort
to tfIess methods could ever obtain add
fIx1sagiur, for q man must nave sunk
pretty Few before he turns his hand to
1Enis. ss,rt of business.
Eitscc IS it possible to swindle in a
.ssna tGrea13' the reader will ask, "or in
q ~Ergvqse house of q respectable char
0a.1eyT" The answer is: In a variety of
'xEa vs.
Tie GIgnplest, perhaps, is to look over
Yxs,.r opponents hands, see what cards
&sHsey hold and flnesse accordingly. This
fs THE easiest thing in the world. and
Sssh'1~- ShAJ ~ NOA ~ 80
lraast they have acquired this unfortu-
zsslt-e reputation, and are greatly to be
g.f5sts If they do not deserve it. Why,
KEefe Uas q member of, a card club l
:srase OF who went by the name OF
sMFeeeTfssg Tom on account of this pro-
iue.sstfY- People naturally avoided his
iaracaeIY as much as they could, and
~.aaTsIs.tn uhAtae to play with him held their
xznrsLs cseaely packed together, with on
Eg the Indicators showing, after the
fsksassalss. 9g an expert poker player on
mn Atlantic liner.
: Emf a. Rwbtler and more prevalent
G1rrn OF Unfairness consists in giving
9anpruver Indications as to the contents
~G the Observation-Disclosures which if acted
uEuts by the players partner cannot
faan to prejudice the other side. 1t is
inx3rE rather a harsh term, perhaps, to
Gail EiIfS cheating, but 1t is cheating
80 ST Ia. dome deliberately. And the UNI
-Gs5FtuF1aSs thing IL that a partner may
quite srraeo1asciously allow himself to be
wHssnyed by Information conveyed in this
s1uzas1trnsr. and SO become IN innocent
a,cs,fedgzate of he cheat.
IL flns dealer hesitates a long time be-
Ng7e yHsEa1g the declaration, and when
Mfs sat East does so. dummy declares
11a trsianE,a or hearts on an absurdly
vEe4R hard, you may be sure hat there
Is 81 screw loose somewhere. One or
Fhan1h OF your opponents are having
ySsS7 aM,- and o had better refuse to
gDaaS with them next time they ask
-y0u, NRzng polite but firm in your re.
1nwa.L-
HI is, I know. a very unsallant thing
To say. but the ladies are greater often,
tdIers than the men in this matter. Elk.
,s.aassEzatIy as they have learned to pla!
soxiagceSanring the last year or so, Their
sIre ons or two little points Of etiquette
.ushfch they habitually ignore. 1t is un
Eair, for instance, for the dealers part
DEG. on hooking through her hand, sud
,Eenfy TO brighten up and ask eagerl,
nEho dealt. II she has really forgotten
saEa dealt, and thinks she may hav
lIaysse xB herself, she should wait unit
rfisT memory is refreshed by one OF tn
>a6saex sDazyeru or until her partne
-awtaxk.A The question is too much OF
sue for the latter to pass the call. an
SHOULD always be answered, with q de
sg1nskva apaile.
Again. the player Who when a trum
zkHs yHeen declared looks at the SEQ,
Nre7srs, asking II he may play, or befo,
Nssaassg fnfs partner permission to pla,
Hx the ease may be, marks himself wit
n strong sAit OF trunlps. The playt
sx71c se,1ases p%erceptibly before follow
1Srss s,Ear with a small card when q kir
Ez Ee1 shows that he is holding up tt
wee The player who when, forced
discard from strength instead of fro
I'm his e&S1ir before making up his mir
vvtlaE eaTra 10 throw tells his partner G.
afG1ly what he is doing.
-AM these are cases in which an In
SkKNEGE advantage is taken or the ~
ycrsary by conveying infornatit
ME1aSch could not be conveyed by ia
zssexssS- Mime times out of ten.
xtoIG6, tshsy arise simply through ina,
wartsszsess, ssut In the tenth the often
nN s~cnrFmuztted Intentionally. and VIII,
neIs ts so the dealer may fairly cor
1Eain that he is being cheated.
OF course the safeguard against tt
Sua1s Ut Cheating is that an honorat
aEaYcF will not, If he can help it, a
1zzDn Information that is conveyed
Itln In this n But he may do
tExcgnsEaauslY; ar "a perfectly ff
minded player may give indicatio
which are knowingly accepted by
.1~rsscrnpulous onc. A pair of partne
-xAss did not play the game fairly wor
SIC Us a -11scnd advantage over
p1utT st partners who did, whatever t
relative skill of the players, but the s
Eecr1on of partners by cutting usua