Hardin's Magic Brain

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S.W. Erdnase's
Expert At The Card Table

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CONTENTS (We have amended the original contents to links to the
probable most used sleights)
Preface
Introduction
Professional Secrets
Technical Terms
Erdnase System of Blind Shuffles
Blind Cuts
Bottom Dealing and Second Dealing
Ordinary Methods Of Stocking, Locating And Securing
The Erdnase System of Palming
To Hold the Location of Cut While Dealing
Shifts
To Ascertain the Top Cards While Riffling and Reserve Them at Bottom
The Player Without an Ally
Crimping for the Cut
The Short Deck
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Three Card Monte
Forcing
Changes
Transformations
Card Tricks

Preface
IN OFFERING this book to the public the writer uses no sophistry as an excuse
for its existence. The hypocritical cant of reformed (?) gamblers, or whining,
mealymouthed pretensions of piety, are not foisted as a justification for
imparting the knowledge it contains. To all lovers of card games it should
prove interesting, and as a basis of card entertainment it is practically
inexhaustible. It may caution the unwary who are innocent of guile, and it may
inspire the crafty by enlightenment on artifice. It may demonstrate to the tyro
that he cannot beat a man at his own game, and it may enable the skilled in
deception to take a post-graduate course in the highest and most artistic
branches of his vocation. But it will not make the innocent vicious, or
transform the pastime player into a professional; or make the fool wise, or
curtail the annual crop of suckers; but whatever the result may be, if it sells it
will accomplish the primary motive of the author, as he needs the money.

Introduction
THE passion for play is probably as old, and will be as enduring, as the race of
man. Some of us are too timid to risk a dollar, but the percentage of people in
this feverish nation who would not enjoy winning one is very small. The
passion culminates in the professional. He would rather play than eat. Winning
is not his sole delight. Some one has remarked that there is but one pleasure
in life greater than winning, that is, in making the hazard.
To be successful at play is as difficult as to succeed in any other pursuit. The
laws of chance are as immutable as the laws of nature. Were all gamblers to
depend on luck they would break about even in the end. The professional card
player may enjoy the average luck, but it is difficult to find one who thinks he
does, and it is indeed wonderful how mere chance will at times defeat the
strongest combination of wit and skill. It is almost an axiom that a novice will
win his first stake. A colored attendant of a "club-room." overhearing a
discussion about running up two hands at poker, ventured the following
interpolation: "Don't trouble 'bout no two hen's, Boss. Get yo' own hen'. De
suckah, he'll get a han' all right, suah!" And many old players believe the same
thing. However, the vagaries of luck, or chance, have impressed the
professional card player with a certain knowledge that his more respected
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brother of the stock exchange possesses, viz.--manipulation is more profitable
than speculation; so to make both ends meet, and incidentally a good living,
he also performs his part with the shears when the lambs come to market.
Hazard at play carries sensations that once enjoyed are rarely forgotten. The
winnings are known as "pretty money," and it is generally spent as freely as
water. The average professional who is successful at his own game will, with
the sublimest unconcern, stake his money on that of another's, though fully
aware the odds are against him. He knows little of the real value of money,
and as a rule is generous, careless and improvident. He loves the hazard
rather than the stakes. As a matter of fact the principal difference between the
professional gambler and the occasional gambler, is that the former is actuated
by his love of the game and the latter by cupidity. A professional rarely
"squeals" when he gets the worst of it; the man who has other means of
livelihood is the hardest loser.
Advantages that are bound to ultimately give a percentage in favor of the
professional are absolutely essential to his existence, and the means employed
at the card table to obtain that result are thoroughly elucidated in this work.
We have not been impelled to our task by the qualms of a guilty conscience,
nor through the hope of reforming the world. Man cannot change his
temperament, and few care to control it. While the passion for hazard exists it
will find gratification. We have neither grievance against the fraternity nor
sympathy for so called "victims." A varied experience has impressed us with
the belief that all men who play for any considerable stakes are looking for the
best of it. We give the facts and conditions of our subject as we find them,
though we sorrowfully admit that our own early knowledge was acquired at the
usual excessive cost to the uninitiated.
When we speak of professional card players we do not refer to the proprietors
or managers of gaming houses. The percentage in their favor is a known
quantity, or can be readily calculated, and their profits are much the same as
any business enterprise. Where the civil authorities countenance these
institutions they are generally conducted by men of well known standing in the
community. The card tables pay a percentage or "rake off," and the
management provides a "look out" for the protection of its patrons. Where the
gaming rooms must be conducted in secret the probabilities of the player's
apparent chances being lessened are much greater. However, our purpose is to
account for the unknown percentage that must needs be in favor of the
professional card player to enable him to live.
There is a vast difference between the methods employed by the card conjurer
in mystifying or amusing his audience; and those practiced at the card table by
the professional, as in this case the entire conduct must be in perfect harmony
with the usual procedure of the game. The slightest action that appears
irregular, the least effort to distract attention, or the first unnatural movement,
will create suspicion; and mere suspicion will deplete the company, as no one
but a simon-pure fool will knowingly play against more than ordinary chances.
There is one way by which absolute protection against unknown advantages
may be assured, that is by never playing for money. But a perfect
understanding of the risks that are taken may aid greatly in lessening the
casualties. An intimate acquaintance with the modus operandi of card table
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artifice does not necessarily enable one to detect the manipulation, but it
certainly makes plain the chances to be guarded against, and with this
cognition the mere suspicion of skill should at once induce symptoms of cold
feet. This knowledge, or thorough comprehension of the possibilities of
professional card playing, can be imparted only by practical illustration of the
processes employed, and the reader desiring a complete understanding should
take the deck in hand and work out for himself the action as it is described.
To discriminate and show clearly the two phases of card manipulation, the first
part of this work is devoted to an exhaustive review of the many advantages
that can be, have been, and are constantly taken at the card table, and to
those particular methods of obtaining these advantages that are least liable to
arouse suspicion. The exact manner in which each artifice is performed is fully
described in minutia. Part second describes the sleights employed in conjuring
and many very interesting card tricks.

Professional Secrets

SECRETS of professional card playing have been well preserved. Works on
conjuring invariably devote much space to the consideration of card tricks, and
many have been written exclusively for that purpose, yet we have been unable
to find in the whole category more than an incidental reference to any card
table artifice; and in no instance are the principal feats even mentioned. Self-
styled "ex-professionals" have regaled the public with astounding disclosures of
their former wiles and wickedness, and have proven a wonderful knowledge of
the subject by exhuming some antiquated moss-covered ruses as well known
as nursery rhymes, and even these extraordinary revelations are calmly
dismissed with the assertion that this or that artifice is employed; in nowise
attempting to explain the process or give the detail of the action mentioned. If
terrific denunciation of erstwhile associates, and a diatribe on the awful
consequences of gambling are a criterion of ability, these purified prodigals
must have been very dangerous companions at the card table.
Of course it is generally known that much deception is practiced at cards, but it
is one thing to have that knowledge and quite another to obtain a perfect
understanding of the methods employed, and the exact manner in which they
are executed. Hence this work stands unique in the list of card books. We
modestly claim originality for the particular manner of accomplishing many of
the manoeuvres described, and believe them vastly superior to others that
have come under our observation. We do not claim to know it all. Many
professionals have attained their success by improving old methods, or
inventing new ones; and as certain artifices are first disclosed in this work so
will others remain private property as long as the originators are so disposed.
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We betray no confidences in publishing this book, having only ourselves to
thank for what we know. Our tuition was received in the cold school of
experience. We started in with the trusting nature of a fledgling, and a calm
assurance born of overweening faith in our own potency. We bucked the tiger
voluntarily, and censure no one for the inevitable result. A self-satisfied
unlicked cub with a fairly fat bank roll was too good a thing to be passed up.
We naturally began to imbibe wisdom in copious draughts at the customary
sucker rates, but the jars to our pocketbook caused far less anguish than the
heartrending jolts to our insufferable conceit. After the awakening our
education progressed through close application and constant study of the
game, and the sum of our present knowledge is proffered in this volume, for
any purpose it may answer, to friend and foe, to the wise and the foolish, to
the good and the bad, to all alike, with but one reservation,--that he has the
price.

Hold Outs
MANY mechanical contrivances termed "hold outs" have been invented to aid
the card player. The simplest form is a steel spring with an awl-like attachment
at one end which can be pressed into the under side of almost any table in an
instant. The spring snaps up against the table, the end curving slightly
downwards to receive the cards. The thumb of either hand can put in or take
several cards from the apparatus without the hands leaving the table.
A more complicated table machine passes the cards from below completely
over the edge of the table, and the hands, held naturally on the table top,
receive and make the discard without a sign to denote the procedure.
"Hold outs" that are adjusted to the person are of most ingenious construction
and very expensive. A sleeve machine which passes the cards into and from
the palm by spreading the knees may be worth from seventy-five dollars to
several hundred dollars. Some are worked by arm pressure, some pass the
cards through an opening in the vest about the usual height the hands are
held. One of the most novel and perfect machines ever constructed makes the
"sneak" by simply expanding the chest an inch or two, or taking a deeper
breath than usual.
In almost all cases where "hold outs" are used the principal skill possessed by
the player is that of working his apparatus perfectly and secreting the extra
cards while in his hands; but to employ a machine successfully requires
considerable address, and especially nerve. However, a full description of these
devices or their uses is not contemplated by us. They can be purchased from
the dealers in "club-room articles," and, anyway, the expert professional
disdains their assistance. They are cumbersome, unnecessary, and a constant
menace to his reputation.
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Prepared Cards
THE subject of prepared cards is almost as foreign to the main purpose of this
work as the preceding one of "hold outs," but a cursory review of the
commoner kinds and their uses may not be out of place.
Marked cards, generally known as "readers," can be distinguished by the backs
as readily as by the faces when the key is known. Printed cards are
manufactured, but these are rarely used by professionals. The designs are not
the same as those now of standard make, and consequently would be difficult
to introduce. The usual plan is to mark the standard decks by hand. For the
benefit of the unenlightened or curious reader we shall describe the process. It
is not at all difficult, and a deck can be "doctored" in an hour or so.
Nearly all standard cards are red or blue. Marking inks absolutely
indistinguishable from the printer's ink can be obtained from any of the
dealers. Cards of intricate design are best adapted for the purpose. Each card
is marked at both ends, so as to be read in any position. The peculiarity of the
figures or design across the end is first closely considered, and twelve fairly
distinct points, or dots or dashes, are noted and located. Then the four Aces
are laid out, and with a fine pen the first point located is shortened barely
enough to notice. The point is white and the background red or blue, the color
of the ink used; and the slightest shortening of a single point or the
obliteration of a single dot on a card, is undetectable unless it is known.
The four Aces are treated in this manner, then turned end for end, and the
operation repeated. Then the Kings are doctored, the second point located
being shortened in this instance. Then the four Queens at the third point, and
so on throughout the deck for the twelve values; the absence of any mark
denoting the Deuce. Now the suits are marked. Three additional points are
located, possibly close to one corner. The first point marked say for Diamonds,
the second for Clubs, third for Hearts and Spades left natural. Thus the
operator at a glance, by noting the location of the two "blackouts," can
instantly name the cards as they are dealt.
Combination systems lessen the number of points to be located. The design of
the particular deck will suggest whether a dot, line, or blackout, would be least
noticeable. It is seldom that two operators work alike. Cleverly done, it is
almost impossible to detect, and unless suspicion is aroused quite so. Most of
the supply houses keep a skilled operator constantly employed, and will mark
any deck to order for about one dollar.
Some players make a practice of marking cards during the process of the
game. The most desirable cards are creased or indented at certain locations as
they happen to come into the player's possession, with the finger or thumb
nail, which is kept pointed for the purpose; and in the course of an hour the
principal cards can be readily distinguished. Another plan is to darken the
edges with different prepared inks that are conveniently adjusted in pads.
These manoeuvres, while making nothing sure in a given instance, always net
the operator a favorable percentage in the long run.
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Prepared cards known as "Strippers" are much used by certain players. The
desired cards are placed aside and the rest of the cards trimmed slightly along
the sides; then the briefs are trimmed from nothing at middle of sides to the
width of the cut deck at ends. This leaves a slight hump at sides of the desired
cards when shuffled in the deck, and they can be drawn out at will and placed
on top or bottom at option. The trimming is done with machines made for the
purpose, and the cutting leaves the edges and the corners as smooth as glass.
There are many other methods of doctoring cards to meet the requirements of
particular games, and the skill, or rather want of it, of the operator. By
roughening the faces of some of the cards they will hold together, and are
more easily retained while shuffling. Faro cards, used in connection with a
certain form of "brace" box, are treated in this manner. In the construction of
the various kinds of control boxes the acme of ingenuity and mechanical skill
has been reached, and most extravagant prices are demanded and paid, for
these innocent-appearing little silver-plated articles. Strippers may be used in
Faro with little fear of detection, as the cards are never shuffled or cut by the
players. A "crooked" box and a clever dealer can give the house a percentage
that would impoverish a prince. Millions of dollars are wagered annually at Faro
in this country. It is the most fascinating of layout games. However, we have
reason to believe it is generally dealt on the square in gambling rooms that are
run openly. The bank's percentage is satisfactory to the proprietors.
The "Cold Deck" is a pre-arranged pack that is introduced at an opportune
moment. The cards are not marked, but two or more hands are set up ready
for dealing. The name is probably derived from the fact that the deck must
await its opportunity long enough to contract a chill in the interim. Little skill is
required in making the exchange. It is almost invariably done quite openly,
and in company where the attendants and players are in collusion. In most
gaming rooms the decks are exchanged every hour or less. Sometimes the
players will call for a new deck, but usually the exchange is made at the
instance of the management. When the "cold deck" is sprung a "blind" shuffle
is made by the dealer, a "blind" cut by an ally, and the hands fall in the desired
order. Of course an exchange may be made by sleight-of-hand, but the player
who can accomplish this feat successfully is generally well versed in the higher
orders of card-table artifice, and will dispense with such makeshifts as "cold
decks" or any kind of prepared cards.

Confederacy
WHEN two card experts work together their difficulties are greatly lessened.
The opportunities of securing the desirable cards on the outset, that is before
the shuffle, are doubled, and this is half the battle. If they understand each
other perfectly they can often arrange one or two hands ready for dealing, and
find little or no trouble at all in getting several desirable cards together while
apparently gathering up the deck in the most careless manner. If sitting
together so that one cuts on the other's deal the possibilities become so great
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that ordinary chances will be taken in perhaps nineteen deals out of twenty.
Two or three coups in the course of an evening will not flush the quarry, and
are quite sufficient to answer all purposes.
Advantages without dexterity can be taken in almost any card game when two
or more players are in collusion, by the use of any secret code of signals that
will disclose the hand of each to the others. For instance, in Poker the ally
holding the best cards will be the only one to stay, thus playing the best hand
of the allies against the rest; quite sufficient advantage to give a large
percentage in favor of the combination. Again, the allies may resort to
"crossfiring," by each raising until the other players drop out. There are
hundreds of small but ultimately certain advantages to be gained in this
manner, if collusion is not suspected. No single player can defeat a
combination, even when the cards are not manipulated.

Two Methods of Shuffling
AS THE reader obtains an understanding of the art of "advantage playing" it
will be seen that the old-fashioned or hand shuffle gives the greater
possibilities for running up hands, selecting desirable cards and palming. Many
players never use the "riffle," that is shuffling on the table by springing the
ends of two packets into each other, though this method is now by far the
more prevalent among men who play for money. While the "riffle" cannot be
employed for arranging the cards, save to a very limited extent, it is equally
well adapted for retaining the top or bottom portion, or even the whole deck,
in any pre-arranged order; and the "blind riffle" can be performed just as
perfectly as the "blind" shuffle. A clever bottom dealer will usually employ the
"riffle," as he rarely takes the trouble of running up a hand. His purpose in that
respect is sufficiently answered by keeping the desired cards at the bottom. If
he has an ally to "blind" cut, everything goes well, but if playing alone he must
either palm the bottom cards for the cut or make a "shift" afterwards. The
"shift" is very rarely attempted in any kind of knowing company, and it is
awkward to make a palm when the "riffle" is used. The deck must be tilted on
its side, and while the movement may pass as an effort at squaring up, it is
not quite regular. The hand shuffle avoids the difficulty, as the deck is held
naturally in easy position for palming, and not an instant is lost during the
operation. The hand shuffle is almost ideal for "stocking" and "culling," and the
curious or interested reader may learn how a perfect knowledge is maintained
of the whereabouts of any particular cards, and how they are collected or
separated, or placed in any desired positions, while the deck is being shuffled
apparently without heed or design.
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Primary Accomplishments
THE first acquirement of the professional player is proficiency at "blind"
shuffling and cutting. Perfection in performing the "blind" shuffle, whether the
old-fashioned hand shuffle or the "riffle" supplemented by a thorough
knowledge of "blind" cutting, makes it impossible for the smartest card handler
living to determine whether the procedure is true or "blind." This ability once
acquired gives the expert ease and assurance in any kind of company, and
enables him to lull into a state of absolute serenity the minds of many players
who may be naturally suspicious. Nothing so completely satisfies the average
card player as a belief that the deck has been thoroughly shuffled and
genuinely cut.

Possibilities of the "blind"
IT IS surprising to find among card players, and many of them grown gray at
the game, the almost universal belief that none but the unsophisticated can be
deceived by "blind" shuffling. These gentlemen have to "be shown," but that is
the last thing likely to happen. The player who believes he cannot be deceived
is in great danger. The knowledge that no one is safe is his best protection.
However, the post-graduate in the art is quite conscious of the fact that he
himself cannot tell the true from the "blind" shuffle or cut, when performed by
another equally as clever. In fact, sight has absolutely nothing to do with the
action, and the expert might perform the work just as well if he were
blindfolded. Nevertheless "blind" shuffling and cutting, as explained by this
work, are among the simplest and easiest feats the professional player is
required to perform; and when the process is understood the necessary skill
can be acquired with very little time or effort. Given the average card player
who can shuffle or "riffle" in the ordinary manner, with some degree of
smoothness, he can be taught a "blind" in five minutes that will nonplus the
sharpest of his friends. But there are many players who cannot make an
ordinary shuffle or "riffle" without bending, breaking, exposing or in some way
ruining half the cards, and such bunglers must learn to handle a deck
gracefully before attempting a flight to the higher branches of card
manipulation.

Uniformity of Action
THE inviolable rule of the professional is uniformity of action. Any departure
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from his customary manner of holding, shuffling, cutting or dealing the cards
may be noticed, and is consequently avoided. The player who uses the old-
fashioned hand shuffle will never resort to the table "riffle" in the same
company; and vice versa. The manner of holding the deck will always be the
same, whether the action is to be true or "blind." In dealing, one particular
position for the left hand fingers is ever adhered to, and the action of the right
hand in taking off the cards and the time or rapidity of the dealing is made as
uniform as possible. In cutting the rule holds good, and the true cut is made
with the same movements as the "blind." Whether the procedure is true or
"blind" the same apparent action is maintained throughout.

Deportment
THE deportment of the successful card player must be as finished as his skill. A
quiet, unostentatious demeanor and gentlemanly reserve are best calculated to
answer his purpose. Especially the entire suppression of emotion over gains or
losses, Without ability to control his feelings the "advantage player" is without
advantage. Boldness and nerve are also absolutely essential. Ability in card
handling does not necessarily insure success.
Proficiency in target practice is not the sole qualification of the trap shooter.
Many experts with the gun who can nonchalantly ring up the bull's eye in a
shooting gallery could not hit the side of a barn in a duel. The greater the
emergency, or the greater the stakes, the greater the nerve required.

Display of Ability
EXCESSIVE vanity proves the undoing of many experts. The temptation to
show off is great. He has become a past master in his profession. He can laugh
at luck and defy the law of chance. His fortune is literally at his finger ends, yet
he must never admit his skill or grow chesty over his ability. It requires the
philosophy of the stoic to possess any great superiority and refrain from
boasting to friend or foe. He must be content to rank with the common herd.
In short, the professional player must never slop over. One single display of
dexterity and his usefulness is past in that particular company, and the
reputation is liable to precede him in many another.
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Greatest Single Accomplishment
IF REQUESTED to determine from what single artifice the greatest advantage
is derived we would unhesitatingly decide in favor of bottom dealing. But skill
in that respect would be useless without knowledge of the bottom cards, and
to retain them necessitates the ability to "blind" shuffle. Again, the bottom
cards may be lost by the cut, hence the necessity of "blind" cutting. Proficiency
in palming often takes the place of an ally to "blind" cut, but palming in itself is
much more difficult to acquire than "blind" cutting, and is practiced only when
the player is alone, and after other ruses, which are less risky, have proven
unsuccessful. Hence it will be seen that proficiency in one artifice does not
finish the education of the professional card player, and almost every ruse in
the game is more or less dependent upon another one.

Effect of Suspicion
TO BE suspected of skill is a death blow to the professional. His opportunities
are dependent upon belief prevailing among the company he is in that the
chances are even. Players may be alert and watchful, which is quite natural in
all money games, without disconcerting the expert in the least; but where
there is knowledge or even mere suspicion among the players of his ability as
a manipulator, it will suggest retirement at once rather than playing against
the handicap of being especially watched, and a further possibility of getting
his congé from the company. But though under certain circumstances a past-
master at the card table may be suspected, detection in any particular artifice
is almost impossible, and proof of the act is wholly wanting. For those reasons
knowing players require nothing more than a bare suspicion of skill to
immediately seek a less misty atmosphere.

Acquiring the Art
TO ATTAIN the highest degree of excellence at card manipulation much study
and practice are necessary; but proficiency in the art quite sufficient for the
purpose of entertainment or amusement may be acquired with very little effort
if a thorough understanding is first obtained of the best and simplest methods
of accomplishing the sleights. The only proper way to practice is to be seated
in the usual manner at a card table with a looking glass opposite; and much
time and labor are saved by this plan. The correct positions and movements
can be accurately secured, and the performer becomes his own critic.
The beginner invariably imagines his hands are too small or too large, but the
size has little to do with the possibilities of skill. Soft, moderately moist hands
are best adapted for the purpose. When the cuticle is hard and dry, or
excessively humid, the difficulties increase. A simple preparation to soften the
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hands and good general health usually produce the desired conditions. Of
course dry fingers may be moistened, or damp ones dried but either operation
is objectionable.
For superior work the cards should be new, thin, flexible and of best quality.
Cheap cards are clumsy and not highly finished. Cards that have been handled
two or three hours become more or less sticky, and the slightest friction is a
detriment to perfect manipulation.

Importance of Details
THE finished card expert considers nothing too trivial that in any way
contributes to his success, whether in avoiding or allaying suspicion, or in the
particular manner of carrying out each detail; or in leading up to, or executing,
each artifice. Therefore the writer has expended much time and care in
illustrating many manoeuvres that at first may seem unimportant, but all of
which are essential to the curriculum of artistic card handling.

Technical Terms
MANY of the methods of card manipulation explained in this work originated
with us, and we have, in describing the various processes and conditions, used
certain terms for the sake of brevity, to designate the particular matters
referred to. The reader desiring to follow the action intelligently must clearly
understand the meaning of the terms. A careful perusal of the following
definitions will save much time and perplexity in comprehending the processes
described:
Stock:
That portion of the deck that contains certain cards, placed in some particular
order for dealing; or certain desirable cards placed at top or bottom of the
deck.
Run:
To draw off one card at a time during the process of the hand shuffle. There is
little or no difficulty in acquiring perfect ability to run the whole deck through
in this manner with the utmost rapidity. The left thumb presses lightly on the
top card, the right hand alone making the movement necessary to shuffle.
Jog:
A card protruding a little from any part of the deck, about quarter of an inch,
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to fix the location of any particular card or cards. While shuffling, if the top
card is to be jogged, it is pushed over the little finger end of deck by the left
thumb, the little finger preventing more than one card from moving. If the first
card is to be jogged, that is, the first card in the right hand, it is done by
shifting the right hand slightly towards either end of the left hand packet
during the shuffle, so that the first card drawn off by the left thumb will
protrude a little over the end of the left-hand packet.
In-Jog:
The card protruding over the little finger of the left hand.
Out-Jog:
The card protruding over the first finger of the left hand.
Break:
A space or division held in the deck. While shuffling it is held at the end by the
right thumb. It is formed under the in-jog when about to under cut for the
shuffle, by pushing the in-jog card slightly upwards with the right thumb,
making a space of from an eighth to a quarter of an inch wide, and holding the
space, by squeezing the ends of the packet to be drawn out, between the
thumb and second and third fingers. The use of the break during a shuffle
makes it possible to throw any number of cards that are immediately above it,
in one packet into the left hand, without disarranging their order. The break is
used when not shuffling, to locate any particular card or position, and is
infinitely superior to the common method of inserting the little finger. A break
can be held firmly by a finger or thumb of either hand, and entirely concealed
by the other fingers of the same hand. It is also the principal aid in the blind
riffles and cuts.
Throw:
To pass from the right hand to the left, during a shuffle, a certain number of
cards in one packet, thereby retaining their order. A throw may be required at
the beginning, during the process, or at the end of a shuffle; and the packet to
be thrown may be located by the jog, or break, or by both.
Culls The desired cards:
To cull is the act of selecting one or more desired cards, and may consist
simply in making the selection as discreetly as possible while gathering up the
cards for the deal, or it may be the operation of a much more obscure and
apparently impossible feat--that of gathering the desired cards rapidly and
easily, from various positions in the deck, to the bottom, during the process of
a shuffle that appears perfectly natural and regular.
Blind:
Any method of shuffling, riffling, cutting or culling, designed to appear regular,
but in reality retaining, or arranging, some preconceived order.
Upper Cut:
To take or draw off a packet from the top of the deck.
Under Cut:
To draw out a packet from the bottom of the deck, during the process of a
shuffle.
Run Cut:
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To draw off several or many small packets from the top of the deck.
Top Card:
The card on top of packet held in the left hand, or the original top card of the
full deck, which about to be shuffled.
Shuffle Off:
To shuffle without design, in the ordinary manner.
Shuffle:
The old-fashioned method of shuffling the cards from hand to hand.
Filet Card:
The card on top of packet held by the right hand to be shuffled.
Shift:
To return the two portions of the deck to the positions occupied before the cut
was made.
Riffle:
The modern method of shuffling on the table by springing, the ends of two
packets into each other.
Crimp:
To bend one or a number of cards, so that they may be distinguished or
located.

Erdnase System of Blind Shuffles

Position For Shuffle
THE deck is held much as usual in the left palm but more diagonally, so that
the first finger from the second joint lies up against the outer end, the first
joint of the little finger curled in against the inner end, the second and third
fingers slightly curled in against the bottom, and the
thumb resting on the top, near the outer end, about
the middle. The right hand, when about to shuffle,
seizes the under portion at the ends between the
thumb and second and third fingers, and the first
finger rests on the upper side. (See Fig. 1.)
This position, and especially that of the first and little
fingers of the left hand, is essential for the process
of blind shuffling and stocking. The first and little
fingers hold and locate the Jogs, which, in
connection with the Break, the Run, and the Throw,
make this new mode of stocking and culling possible. The position is easy and
quite natural in appearance. There is no strain on the fingers. The deck fits
fairly on its side, across the palm, and the left-hand fingers are in much the
same position as they would naturally take when the hand is about half closed.
It is an excellent manner of holding the deck for the true shuffle, and should
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be strictly adhered to on all occasions.

Blind Shuffles

THE objects of blind shuffling are to retain a top stock, i. e., to retain in the
same order the upper portion of the deck which has been prearranged for
dealing' or to retain a bottom stock, which usually consists of certain desired
cards placed together at the bottom, to be taken from that position at will,
during the deal, by bottom dealing; or to retain the whole deck in a certain
order, which is rarely attempted, though quite possible. Under the respective
headings of “Stocking" and “Culling" it will be learned how the blind shuffle
runs up the cards in any desired order, and gathers certain cards from any
position to the bottom; but the several methods of retaining the top and
bottom stocks are treated separately.

1. To Retain Top Stock
UNDER cut about half deck, in-jog first card and shuffle off. Under cut to in-jog
and throw on top.
This is the very simplest form of the blind shuffle and leaves the upper portion
of the deck in the same order. The shuffle may be continued ad libitum.
The reader who has prepared himself with a knowledge of the position given
for hand shuffling, and the definitions of the list of terms, will have no difficulty
in understanding the above directions, and executing the blind at the very first
attempt. However, as a first lesson in the A, B, C of
card manipulation, the following description of the
action is given at length, viz.:
Hold the deck in the manner described for the Shuffle.
Seize about half the deck from beneath with the right
hand (under cut), draw out and shift the right hand a
little inwards over packet in left hand, so that when
the first card is drawn off by the left thumb it will
protrude slightly over the little finger (in-jog). Then
shuffle off the balance of the cards in the right hand on top of those in the left.
(See Fig. 2.) Then seize with the right hand all the cards beneath the in-jog
card, which protrudes over the little finger of the left hand, and throw them in
one packet on top. When seizing the under cards beneath the in-jog, its
location is found by the right thumb solely by the sense of touch, and without
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the least hesitation or difficulty. The in-jog card is held in position by the little
finger, and is concealed by the cards on top of it.
The weak point about the foregoing blind is that the last movement is a throw,
or under cut, and it may be noticed that only part of the deck is actually
shuffled. This objection is entirely overcome by the use of the break, which is
illustrated in the following blind shuffle.

2. To Retain the Bottom Stock and Shuffle Whole Deck
UNDER cut about three-quarters of the deck and shuffle off about two-thirds,
then in-jog one card and throw balance on top. Under cut to and include in-jog
card (see Fig. 4), and shuffle off.
This blind retains the bottom stock and apparently
shuffles the whole deck. The only difficulty in the
action is in including the jog card in the second
under cut. The jog card is pulled back by the thumb,
creating a space above it; then as the under cut is
made, the thumb tip is pressed into the opening by
squeezing the ends of the under packet, and the
upper packet is not disturbed, because the thumb
nail slips easily across the card above it as the lower packet is drawn out.
When a jog is formed during the process of any shuffle, and the right hand is
shifted a little in or out as the case may be, to allow the jog card to fall in the
proper place, the right hand does not at once return to its former position, but
gradually works back as the shuffle progresses. This leaves the cards in the left
hand a little irregular at the ends, and effectually conceals the fact that any
one card is purposely protruding. The ablest shuffler cannot keep his cards
quite even, and the irregularity appears even more natural than if in perfect
order.
As blind shuffles for retaining the whole deck in its original order are never
practiced at the card table, and are only adapted to conjuring purposes, the
methods will be found fully explained in the second part of this work.
The foregoing shuffles are simple and easy, and when perfectly performed,
absolutely indistinguishable from the true.

3. To Retain Top Stock and Shuffle Whole Deck
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UNDER cut about three-quarters of deck, in-jog first card and shuffle off.
Under cut again about three-quarters of deck, forming break at in-jog (see Fig.
3), shuffle off to break and throw balance on top. This blind apparently shuffles
the entire deck, but really leaves the top
portion in the original order.
There should be no difficulty in forming
the break. The right thumb presses
slightly upward on the in-jog card when
seizing the under portion, and the space
created is held by squeezing the ends. It
should be done altogether by touch,
although from the position it is in, the
operator might glance at it without being noticed. It is practically impossible
for a spectator to see it unless immediately behind the performer. When
shuffling off to the break, the right hand holds the cards firmly and the right
thumb gives the warning by the sense of touch when the break is reached. If
desired, the right hand may shuffle off, quite carelessly, several cards at a
time, and throw the last lot up to the break, by slightly decreasing the
pressure on the ends. Above all, a uniformity of time and action must be
maintained, though it is not at all essential to the blind to shuffle rapidly.

Blind Riffles

THE riffle, i.e., shuffling the cards on the table by springing the ends of two
packets into each other, is by far the more prevalent method in use among
regular card players. The possibilities of the riffle, for all practical purposes at
the card table, are limited to retaining the top or bottom stock; but in these
respects it is quite equal to the hand shuffle as a blind, and the apparent
process of thoroughly mixing the cards may be indulged in to any extent
without disturbing the order of the top or bottom portion, as the case may be.
The order may be arranged to a very limited extent, but the expert who uses
the riffle cares little for stocking. His usual procedure is to place the desired
cards at the bottom and retain them there. However, if the opportunity has
occurred for arranging a top stock, it can be retained during the riffle just as
easily. A blind cut should always be alternated with each, or every second
riffle.

2. To Retain the Bottom Stock
UPPER cut about half deck with right hand
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and place the two packets end to end in position for riffle. Seize both packets
at sides close to adjoining ends between second finger and thumb of each
hand, the third and little fingers curled in, with the first joints resting on top of
packets. Raise thumb corners and release bottom stock; first with left thumb,
then continue action with both thumbs until all cards are riffled in. (See Fig. 8.)
Push both packets together in the ordinary manner and square up.
There is no necessity of covering the bottom stock as in the instance of the top
stock, when squaring up; because unless it is very large it is not noticeable,
and more than a half dozen cards are rarely held there. However, the same
plan used to conceal the top stock may be adopted if desired.
Perhaps a simpler way to perform the blind is to leave the bottom stock on the
table without riffling it at all, and the left thumb to pick up the cards above it.
The right thumb, of course, picks up the entire right packet. This method
prevents any possible difference in the sound of the riffle, though when
cleverly performed it is imperceptible to the ear.
This riffle can be varied by drawing out the bottom half with the right hand and
leaving, or first releasing, the bottom stock with the right thumb. However, all
blind riffling should be occasionally alternated with blind cuts, and when the
action is gracefully executed without either haste or hesitation, it is absolutely
impossible for any eye to follow the action or detect the ruse. Execute blind cut
“No. 4-- To Retain Bottom Stock" with this riffle.
In performing the Top Stock Riffle, the use of the third fingers and the
positions of the hands and other fingers, are very important, as concealment is
an essential of the blind. But in the Bottom Stock instance, and especially
when the stock is small, the action of not interlacing the bottom cards is not
perceptible, and the handling of the deck should be as open and artistic as
possible. Hence the use of the second fingers and the curled up positions of the
third and little fingers.
Just here we are reminded that comparatively few card players can make an
ordinary riffle with any degree of grace or smoothness, and especially few
understand how to square up properly. But the whole process is of the simplest
nature, and so much easier than clumsy force, if the right method is adopted.
The position given for the Bottom Stock Riffle is the proper one for all ordinary
occasions. (See Fig. 8.) The entire work should be done by the second fingers
and thumbs. The least possible pressure should be exerted when springing the
corners together, the cards being hardly perceptibly bent. When the corners
are interlaced, shift the hands to the outer ends, seizing the side corners with
thumbs and second fingers, and telescope the two packets about two-thirds.
(See Fig. 9.) Now shift the hands again,
bringing the thumbs together at inner
side, and a second finger at middle of
each end, and square up the deck
perfectly by sliding the thumbs outward
along the side, and the second fingers
inwards along the ends (see Fig. 10) until
they meet at the corners, squeezing or
pressing the cards into position in the
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action.
The blind process of riffling the two
packets truly together, and squaring up in
a slightly diagonal position, then
withdrawing the packets, throwing the
original top one on top again; or pushing
the two packets completely through in the
diagonal position, leaving the order of the
whole deck the same, is quite possible, but very difficult to perform perfectly.
But there is seldom a desire and never a necessity of preserving the complete
order at a card table, and the foregoing methods are much easier to execute,
more perfect as a blind, and answer every purpose.

Blind Cuts

THE blind cut is a natural sequence to the blind shuffle or riffle. As the cards
are cut in almost all games, there would be little advantage derived from
clever shuffling, were the order to be subsequently disturbed in cutting. The
able card handler with a player on his right to blind cut, has the game well in
hand. Yet though the advantages are greatly increased by the assistance of an
ally, the reader will learn how it is quite possible to play alone and still have a
very tolerable percentage of the chances in one's favor. Both hands are
invariably used to make a blind cut. The first described is an excellent one for
retaining either the top or bottom stock and is in common use among
professional players.

1. To Retain Bottom Stock-Top Losing One Card
SEIZE the deck with left hand at sides, near end, between second finger and
thumb, the first finger tip pressing on top. Seize the upper portion of deck with
the right hand, at sides, near end, between the second finger and thumb.
Raise the deck slightly with both hands and pull out the upper portion with the
right hand, but retain the top card in the left hand by pressing on it with the
left first finger tip. (See Fig. 11.) Immediately drop the left-hand packet on the
table and bring the right-hand packet down on top with a slight swing, and
square up.
The action is very simple and easy
to execute, the movements are
perfectly natural and regular, and,
if performed gracefully, is very
deceiving. The process displaces
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the top card. sending it to the middle, and if this blind is used when the top
stock is to be retained, an extra card is placed there during the shuffle.

2. To Retain the Complete Stock
THE following is a very bold and bare-faced blind, but if cleverly executed it
appears natural:
Seize the deck at sides near the ends between the second finger and thumb of
each hand, but the left hand seizing the under portion, and the right hand the
top portion. Draw out the under portion rapidly with the left hand and place it
quickly over towards the dealer, the right hand following slowly and with an
upward swing, drops the top portion again on top.
The movements are natural and the blind can be accomplished very neatly. If
the plan of drawing off the top portion with the left hand is tried, and then the
right following more slowly with the under packet, it will be seen that the
identical movements are made in the true cut. It is the movement towards the
dealer that makes the blind possible.

3. To Retain the Top Stock
THE next two methods of blind cuts are among the most subtle and
undetectable manoeuvres in card handling. The design and use of the break
originated with us, and by its aid blind run cuts can be alternated with the
blind riffle, until the most critical sceptic will admit that any prearrangement or
knowledge of the cards must be hopelessly lost in bewildering confusion.
Seize the deck with both hands, at sides, near the ends, between the thumbs
and second fingers; raise it a little from the table and draw off the top stock
with the thumb and second finger of the left hand, dropping the left-hand
packet on the table, and bring the right-hand packet down on top of it, but
retain firm hold with the right hand, and form the break with the right thumb
while squaring up the deck. (See Fig. 12.) The left thumb helps to form the
break, by holding the space between the two packets while the right thumb is
getting the new hold on the whole deck. Then
raise the whole deck again with the right
hand, and with the left, draw off the upper
portion in small packets between the thumb
and second finger until the break is reached,
dropping the small packets on the table, one
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on the other (see Fig. 13); and then throw the balance on top with the right
hand. This leaves the top stock intact.
Properly performed, it is impossible to
detect the ruse. The break is formed
on the inside, and at one end only,
and is effectually' concealed at the end
by the right-hand fingers. To see the
break the observer would have to be
stationed directly behind the operator.
The performer himself cannot see the
break, unless his hands are well advanced on the table. When drawing off the
small packets, the break is found by the left thumb solely by the sense of
touch. The action should not be hurried, and this method of cutting is quite
commonly used by many players for the very opposite purpose.

4. To Retain the Bottom Stock
SEIZE deck at sides, near the ends between the thumb and second finger of
each hand, raise a little from the table and draw out the bottom stock with the
thumb and finger of the right hand and let the left-hand packet fall on the
table. Bring the right-hand packet down on top, retaining the hold until the
break is formed by the left thumb, which is held at the edge of the under
packet in readiness. Square up the deck and raise it again from the table with
both hands; draw off top packet to the break with the left hand and drop it on
the table. Then continue the left-hand action, drawing off small packets,
dropping them one on the other, and throw the last packet on top with the
right hand. This leaves the bottom stock intact. The action is much the same
as the preceding blind, the difference being in the position of the break. It is
very important to adopt the proper positions for the fingers in these cuts. The
deck should be as much exposed as possible, and the open manner of the
whole process makes the blind so much more effective. The cards are handled
solely by the second fingers and thumbs. The third fingers are curled up
against the ends of the deck and assist in squaring up, and keeping the cards
even. The first fingers are curled up on top so as to be out of the way and not
obstruct the view.
To form the break, keep the left hand in the position it occupies as it drops the
packet on the table, the finger and thumb held open apparently to seize the
deck again when the right-hand packet is placed on top. This enables the left
thumb to aid in forming the break the instant the two packets are brought
together. The right hand packet is placed on top with a sidling movement
instead of straight down, which greatly facilitates the forming of the break, and
also prevents the sound from indicating that a space is held. There is nothing
difficult about the performance of these blinds. With a perfect understanding,
they can be fairly well executed on the first attempt.
This method of blind cutting is particularly adapted for working in with the
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blind riffle. It appears to assist in mixing the cards, and inspires the most
positive conviction of good faith in the performance. The following combination
of the riffle and cut will illustrate the point....

5. Combination Riffle And Cuts

To Retain Bottom Stock-Riffle 2 and Cut 4
EXECUTE Riffle 2. Then execute Cut 4. Then Riffle 2 again. Then draw off with
left hand about half the deck in small packets, bring the right hand over on top
with the balance, and form a break in squaring up. Then pull out under packet
with the right hand and execute Riffle II again. Then pull out a small packet
from the middle of deck with the right hand and throw on top. Then draw out
about half from the bottom with right hand and form break. Square up, draw
out under part again with right hand and execute Riffle II and so on to any
extent.

Fancy Blind Cuts

THE next blind described is in common use among advantage players, and
while it has an excellent appearance to the uninitiated, we consider it far
inferior to Cut 3 and Cut 4 as a card table ruse. The principal objection is that,
once known as a blind, it can never be worked again, as the action is showy
and easily recognized.

1. To Retain the Complete Stock
SEIZE the deck at sides, near ends,
between second finger and thumb of
each hand. Draw out about one-third of
deck from bottom with right second
finger and thumb, and place on top but
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retain hold. Then hook tip about half of the under part, with the third finger
and thumb of right hand, and raise the whole deck from the table with both
hands. Now suddenly draw out the middle packet with the right second finger
and thumb, the lower packet with the left second finger and thumb, and
release the top packet with the right second finger, which will allow it to fall on
the table. (See Fig. 14.) Drop the left hand packet on top, and then the right
packet.
The hands must be separated rapidly, and with some degree of skill, to allow
the top packet to fall fairly on the table, but this is the only hurried movement
in the cut. The other two packets are thrown on top carelessly and without
haste. A little practice is required to execute the ruse gracefully. It is pretty
and well worthy of an effort to acquire. We have elaborated upon this cut, and
the following formula for a four throw blind is the outcome:

2. To Retain the Complete Stock
SEIZE the deck at sides, near ends,
between the second finger and thumb of
right hand, and the second and third
fingers and thumb of left hand. Draw out
about one quarter of deck from bottom
with right hand and place on top, retaining
hold. Then slightly raise about one third of
the under packet with the second finger of
the left hand, then seize about one-half the
remaining lower packet with the third finger of the right hand, holding the last
or under portion firmly with the third finger of the left hand. Raise the whole
deck from the table and separate both hands suddenly (see Fig. 15), letting
the upper packet which is released by the right

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