Robert Houdin The Sharper Detected and Exposed

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The False Shuffle
The Shaper Detected and Exposed
Robert Houdin
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CHAPTER VII.
THE FALSE SHUFFLE.
False shuffles: The arranged shuffle--The partial shuffle--The fan--The
dove-tail.
IT may be said that a false shuffle is not cheating, since the cards are
but retained in their original order. Such acts, however, are not far
removed from cheating, and the persons who are guilty of them may be
compared to the receivers of stolen goods, who, though not the actual
robbers, are judged to be so by the law.
When the pack of cards has been arranged by the sharper, whether he
prepares them beforehand, or only in the presence of his adversary, he
must be very careful not to disturb them.
To avoid this, he has recourse to various methods of evading a proper
shuffle.
Of these there are four kinds, which vary according to the circumstances
required.
They are:
1. The arranged shuffle.
2. The partial shuffle.
3. The fan.
4. The dove-tail.
PART I.
THE ARRANGED SHUFFLE.
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The False Shuffle
THE arranged shuffle consists in pretending to shuffle, whilst all the
time you are arranging the cards, in the order you require them for
cheating. Let us suppose, for example, that a Greek, in �cart�, places in
the pack four cards of the playing same suit, three of which are trumps,
and the fourth is the turn-up card; this he manages to do by arranging the
shuffle in the following manner. He divides the pack of cards into two
parts, holding one in each hand, as it is usual to do in shuffling in the
ordinary way. In mixing the two packs, he knows how to slip in
successively, above the four cards, seven others, which will complete the
series necessary for the deal.
He then hands them to be cut, makes a false cut, and when he has dealt
out the eleven cards, the four remaining are three trumps and the turnup
card.
The arrangement of the game of Piquet, mentioned in another chapter, is
a further instance of this trick.
PART II.
THE PARTIAL SHUFFLE.
THE partial shuffle is employed for those games, where only a portion
of the cards is distributed at a time, such as Ecart�. In this instance, we
will suppose the Greek to have arranged eleven cards, so as to enable
him to win the game, and it is of consequence that these cards should not
be disarranged.
He therefore puts these eleven cards at the bottom of the pack, and, at
the same time, carefully keeps his little finger between the upper and
lower packet, which he avoids mixing, until after dealing the twenty-first
card. This done, he performs the saut de coupe a second time, to bring
the arranged packet again on the top of the pack, unless, by making the
bridge, he gains the same end by forcing his adversary's cut.
PART III.
THE FAN.
THE following trick is termed the Fan, because the Greek, to do the
false shuffle, spreads the cards out in the shape of a fan. He then divides
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The False Shuffle
the pack into two parts, holding, as before, one in each hand; then, by a
certain manipulation with the fingers of his right hand, he passes the
cards under those in the left, which, to the spectator, gives the effect of
mixing the cards; but this is far from being the case. The cards retain the
position they would have done if the pack had been cut, as the upper
packet has passed beneath the lower one. The operation, consequently,
requires to be gone through a second time, to bring the cards into their
original position. This shuffle may remain in the above condition as long
as the Greek finds it convenient.
PART IV.
THE DOVE-TAIL.
THE ways of doing the false shuffle are numerous, each Greek having
some special method of his own. All of them are more or less derived
from the principles I have just described.
It would take too long, as well as be useless, to enter into the details of
these proceedings, as they are nearly all the same.
The false shuffle, with which I am about to close this chapter, is a
peculiar one, and is very often used by sharpers.
To prevent any suspicions which might be raised by the use of the
preceding shuffle, the Greek sometimes employs the Dove-tail, which
consists in separating the cards into two packs, and then shuffling them
one with the other; but, instead of finishing the shuffle by equalising the
pack, the Greek manages to leave them at an angle as they are
represented in figure 16 below.
Then begins an operation which is hidden by his right hand.
The Greek, after having passed packet No. 1 across packet No. 2, twists
round the lower portion in a semicircle towards the right, which
completely se}rotates it. from the other, and allows him to replace it
beneath packet No. 1, as it originally was.
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The False Shuffle
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Doctored Cards
The Shaper Detected and Exposed
Robert Houdin
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CHAPTER VIII.
DOCTORED CARDS.
Cartes biseaut�es--Tinted cards--Sticky or slippery cards--Slanting
cards--Pricked cards--Cards with indented edges--Wavy cards--
Chequered cards--Marked cards.
PART I.
THE CARTES BISEAUT�ES.
THE Biseaut�e Card was one of the principal methods of cheating in
the last century. the trick, at that period, was only known to the adepts of
the higher ranks, and with it they succeeded in victimising numbers of
people.
It is now chiefly made use of in public-houses, for it is so plain and
palpable an artifice, that it could not fail to be discovered by more
intelligent people than those who frequent these resorts.
The real signification of "biseaut6es" cards is, that they are larger at one
end than at the other, as in figure 17.
To do this, the Greek, with a pair of sharp scissors, cuts both sides of
every card, beginning at the twentieth part of an inch, and going off to
nothing.
All the cards being equally clipped at one end, if they are placed
contrariwise, it is evident the edges will protrude the smallest bit
possible beyond the other cards, and can be easily discovered by the
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Doctored Cards
sharper, however carefully they may have been shuffled by the opposite
party.
What answers with one card, will do so equally with all. Thus, we will
suppose the Greek has put all the court cards one way, and the common
cards the other, he can, by feeling the cards in cutting, cut a court card or
not, as he pleases.
This I merely give as one example, for slanting cards can be used in
various other way. s. Some Greeks make use of cards cut on both � sides,
in two opposite ways: it is the same thing under another form.
For instance, the cards represented below are cut so that the edge of
some are convex, as in figure 18, and others concave, as in figure 19.
The result, with these cards, is the same as with the preceding, only that
the latter afford a greater scope for cheating.
The more expert a sharper is, the less is it necessary to cut the edges of
the cards; indeed, I have seen some so slightly cut, that you were obliged
to examine them with the greatest minuteness to find it out.
PART II
THE TINTED, OR STAINED CARD.
WHEN white cards are not of first-rate quality, many of-them are
slightly tinted or stained; that is to say, the purity of the white varies.
This imperfection is caused by the bad quality of the card-board of
which they are manufactured.
From these slight shades, the Greek can, after seeing them for a few
moments, recognise many of the cards.
If there are no blemishes or stains on them, the Greek contrives to give [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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