The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-17
yards STACKED,
- BUT SKILL WON
Two Poker Games Showing That
Crooked Players Ass Scmssamss
Beaten BY Honest men.

room. from what have sssn In the lasl
ave or ten years that the most % the old
fashioned tricks In draw poksr have been
abandoned. even among professional
gamblers.
y dont mean hy that 90 say that the
crooked players have given mp cheating
and now play an honest game. Far
from u. what do mean 70 that in CON-
munitiss In which players generally are
well educated in the game n h no longer
safe 20 employ them.
Time was when mechanical devices
were much used. Mirrors were arranged
cunninGly ~ that the tricky player could
steal Eiances at his Opponsnts' cards.
Mechanical holdOuss were fastened %
the table or to tho players sleeves or
TO some other part OF his clothing. 10
10 possibls that thsre are players Who
still una such thlngs. but havsnr even
heard Of their being used OF late years
among the more skilled members Of the
profession.
Then there 10 another class Of tricks
that don't hear of.so often a I ussd.
mean dealing from the bottom or deal
Ina seconds or reversing the cut On pick-
Ing up the deck. This last feat always
seemed 10 mo one of the clevsress blts OF
slsisht OF hand that know o. never
actually saw u done but once. but have
bean told and believe that 70 b or was
not uncommon.
IT would seem. however. 90 be almost
indispsnaably q part az the proceedings
when the dealer ssaeAs shs cards. % psr-
haps u h stili Brsvalsnt. thouah I arm m
eiined 20 think the crooked dealer had
rather substitute a stacked deck for the
deck that b cut than 20 aetsmptt IN rsverne
the two packets In picking zap the deck
There 10 probably Isas rink Of detection.
Two kinds % swindiinx. however, are
still In use. and probably win be a. lOa9I
~ gadReons can he found 60 plAw psEer
with professionals. One h PLAYING with
marked cards and the other h stacking
the deck.
of the two am inclined TO think the
latter IN the more dangerous. II does
not take an experienced player long 20
learn how to discover Whistler q deck
ID marked or not. for msrk that can BE-
sen by one man can be found by another
" he knows how To look for u.
"Ths stacking Of cards h somethlne |
that an expert can do in . way 30 day |
dissection by the average man OF even
by Q trained observer. Tho best slsight !
oG hand performers win do this trick IN q |
way 20 surprise even old poker players. |
and they viii do Il magvellously well.
Z have taken q nsw deck oaIt % nv |
own buffet in my own house, broken the |
seal myself and handed the cards 70 a |
man who was never In the room before
and Who, could by no possibility have had /
llsNU ~ 49,
He threw them on the table without. 80
far a. ! could see. even glancing nc the \
faces. then scrambled them around appar-
entity at random. face down. then picked
them up with q motion 10 rapid that
could scarcely follow his fingers with
my eye. riffled and cut them and dealt
put five poker hands. all in a. little time
N IL takes to tell about "a. Then he told
he four Of us who were looking on just
What haneas each 81 us held and allowed
N that his own hand would beat NJ all
1T seems almost impossible g. tell
Z that such . thing could he done III,
NOW I almost doubted my own ssnses
Ehen ! saw IL. hut anybody who In at
III familiar with the work % prestidiGi- !
ators can recall seeing similar feass
lone a. mart % an entertainment.
1T seems az first thought a. 10 there
ould be no possibility Of an honest player .
IOinG anything in . game with q man 9
rho can and will do such tricks with q |
eek Of cards. but I know Of one or two &
Instances In which by tho exercise Of :
God poker sense q successful play has
cen made against the gambler who had q
ealt out the enact hands he Intended {
D and had kept for himself the hand he .
TAs positively certain would win. n
= myself was playing once In . game o
nth good men. three Of whom were per- r
0nally known to me while the fourth II
nd been introduced under circumstances n
'hich led I'm all TO believe that there was Y
n rsaaOn to suspect him Of being anything h
lher than what he claimed 20 be- trav-
hing representative 81 u business houss n
7 the highest standing In New York. q
He proved TO be an Afable. pleasant @
.Ilow. and not until after we had played y
,r some time did any % M entertain o
ny doubt of his honesty Afterward o
. learned that no was an impuIent
npostor and . professional card sharp. q
We noticed. a. We could not help r,
oticinG. that his luck appeared TO BE- n
unusually good from the beginning, but !,
- all had the usual run Of luck except- y
u when We STACKED up against him, =
nd a. We saw nothing out OF the way ~
hia handling Of the cards No felt tAaf
was nothing moro than luck that made J.
i'm the largest winner IN the game and !.
. plugged along. thinking that the y
lrds could NOT move the sane way all -
70 time and comforting ourselves with =.
70 thought Of how No would swat him ~
hen our turn should como.
1T wasn't q very large game. only a =
limit, and though he was considerably y