[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
caused by the projection of his nose.
He then takes back the pack, and whilst pretending to shuffle, he finds
the marked cards, and places them where he wishes, as will be explained
in the following part.
Some jugglers, instead of bending the cards, With the greatest, sang
froid, pass the twelve cards above alluded to, underneath the others, and
then pretend to shuffle.
PART II.
THE "COUP DE PIQUET"
How the Greek is enabled to Repique and Capot
his Adversary, although he has Shuffled the Cards.
As I am addressing those who are supposed to know piquet, I need enter
into no details about that game.
In playing the first hand, the Greek must secure a sixième-major (or
sequence of six cards from the ace downwards, which counts sixteen), a
quatorze of aces (the four aces), and a quatorze of kings (the four kings),
as seen by the table below:--
1 The ace of spades. 7 The ace of hearts.
2 The king of spades 8 The ace of diamonds.
3 The queen of spades. 9 The ace of clubs.
:
4 The knave of spades. 10 The king of hearts.
5 The ten of spades. 11 The king of diamonds.
6 The nine of spades. 12 The king of clubs.
His adversary must be the dealer, as it is in playing the first hand, that
the selection of these twelve cards is managed.
http://www.thelearnedpig.com.pa/magos/books/sharpers/029.html (3 of 11) [8/2/2003 4:34:59 PM]
Application of the preceding principles
This difficult trick is done in the following manner. It is customary,
before beginning to play, for each person to cut for the deal.
The Greek, in mixing the cards, with a rapid glance, seeks for an ace,
which he passes under the pack, and putting in practice the principles
which I have pointed out in the first chapter, part 5, figure 9, he makes
the bridge.
"Let us see," exclaims he, putting the pack on. the table, "who shall
deal?"
He cuts first himself, at the bridge where the ace (the highest card in
cutting at piquet) is placed, and as it does not often happen that his
opponent cuts another ace--" You shall deal," says he, "we will make the
game one hundred and fifty points."
The first hand is not of much importance; the Greek leaves to chance the
distribution of the cards. He well knows that his adversary will not gain
the game in one hand; he, therefore, only thinks of making himself
master of the cards before mentioned.
Twelve cards are dealt to him by his adversary, and five others are in
reserve for him in the "talon."
It is most probable that, out of these seventeen cards, he will find some
of the number mentioned in the preceding list.
He must, at all hazards, prevent those cards getting into his opponent's
hands, and must keep them near him for the following hand.
Consequently, he discards the weakest cards in his hand, and makes a
little heap of them on his right hand, on which he Places successively,
and without concealment, all the aces, kings, and spades, he can get
from his adversary.
We will imagine that, by the time the hand is played, he has only been
able to obtain six of the cards he wants.
To secure the other six, still in the pack, he has recourse to the following
manoeuvre.
Whilst playing, he has intentionally left all the tricks he has gained face
http://www.thelearnedpig.com.pa/magos/books/sharpers/029.html (4 of 11) [8/2/2003 4:34:59 PM]
Application of the preceding principles
upwards; and, as it is his turn to deal, he does the same thing with those
of his adversary.
Profiting by the moment when the latter is marking his points, in taking
up the pack, the Greek selects the cards required, and places them
underneath with those which he has already secured.
If my readers are not "au fait" at tricks of cards, they will doubtless find
the explanation I have given, both tedious and difficult of
comprehension. It is really nothing; it resembles those tricks of sleight of
hand, which require long explanations to make a very short operation
understood.
But that is not the question; my sole wish being to make myself
understood, which has perhaps caused me to be rather prolix.
The Greek having, in the twinkling of an eye, put the twelve cards he
wanted at the bottom of the pack, then places them, so that they will all
return to him in the deal, and whilst pretending to shuffle the cards, he
puts alternately on the pack,
1. Three cards from the bottom.
2. Three indifferent cards taken from the middle of the pack.
3. Three cards from the bottom.
4. Three indifferent cards.
5. Three cards from the bottom.
6. Three indifferent cards.
After which, a false shuffle, a false cut, and a deal of three at a time.
It will be seen that, out of the twelve cards which were placed under the
pack, nine must have come back to the Greek in the course of the deal;
the three others come to him in the exchange. He therefore has in his
hand:
1. A sixième-major in spades,
2. A quatorze of aces,
3. A quatorze of kings.
with which he gains the game by capoting his adversary.
In this hand, then, he has made a hundred and sixty-three points.
http://www.thelearnedpig.com.pa/magos/books/sharpers/029.html (5 of 11) [8/2/2003 4:34:59 PM]
Application of the preceding principles
This selection of cards, and their arrangement, is a specimen of what can
be done by cheating; however, a Greek usually will not venture to do it
on so large a scale; but contents himself with a quatorze of aces or kings,
or even a simple quint. The selection of these cards is simple and easy,
compared with the former trick.
PART III.
THE "COUP DE PIQUET."
Abstraction and Substitution of Cards.
IN former days, it was the fashion at piquet, when the deal was
finished, to divide the talon into two unequal packets, and place them
one on the top of the other, in the shape of a cross. Now, however, these
eight cards are left in one packet.
This new fashion has given rise to a fresh roguery, which, though a very
audacious one, is no less difficult to discover, where the parties are not
cognisant of it.
Once known, it is quite another thing.
This rascality is executed in the following manner:
The sharper, in dealing, gives himself three cards too many. He then
intentionally places the talon a little nearer to himself than to his
adversary.
The latter, not thinking about it, does not perceive that his opponent has
taken extra cards, being at that moment as much occupied with taking up
and sorting his cards, as with the discard.
Whilst his adversary is thus occupied, the sharper hastily takes the three
worst cards in his hand, and conveys them by a method I have pointed
out, and places them on the talon, pushing it at the same time, as if to
place it nearer to his antagonist. This movement is so natural, that the
artifice is completely concealed.
Thus the Greek is not only relieved of his three bad cards, but he passes
them on to his adversary, so that he gains an advantage in more ways
than one.
http://www.thelearnedpig.com.pa/magos/books/sharpers/029.html (6 of 11) [8/2/2003 4:34:59 PM]
Application of the preceding principles
PART IV.
THE "COUP D'ECARTÉ."
The King and the Vole.
BEFORE commencing this article on Écarté, I wish to point out an
error very generally diffused among players.
When speaking of a swindler, people are apt to say, "He is a man who
turns up the king whenever he pleases." This is a decided error. A Greek,
if he is clever, will never do any thing so imprudent. He knows very well
that, by turning up et king too often, he arouses suspicion, and only
marks one point; whereas, by keeping it in his own hand, he enjoys the
advantage of marking two. In the same way, a sharper of experience will
never deal himself so good a hand as that which I am about to describe,
because such an assemblage of trumps would create doubts in the mind
of his opponent.
The following hand must, therefore, only be regarded as an example, of
what can be done by tricking at écarté.
ARRANGEMENT OF THE PACK.
The Greek, whilst shuffling the cards with apparent indifference, has
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]