Various deceptive Tricks performed with Cards.

keep aloof from such associations as are almost invariably to be met with within the purlieus of a cockpit.

VARIOUS DECEPTIVE TRICKS.

There are many gamblers, who, as long as they have any money in their pockets, feel very dignified, and would often say that they would not so far degrade themselves as to exhibit a petty trick for money. But their dignity invariably departs with their money; and when their money is all gone, they will not hesitate to introduce any trick, however mean, for the purpose of winning the smallest sum. Whatever may be the evil practices of these men, however desperate they may be, they can always find associates; it is enough that they are smart at something;-if at gambling, he will make a good partner for some other gambler; if at fighting, he is the right kind of a man for a company of gamblers, as he can be of great service in the frequent serious affrays that happen among them.

Men of this class are always ready to make a penny by any means they can. If they cannot get a man to sit down to a game of cards with them, they will by degrees introduce some trick, which he will be likely to bet on. Ofttimes a man will take a pack of cards, and say to another, "I can tell the top card after you have cut them, if you will tell me the bottom card." Then, if you should say that he knows the cards by marks, &c., he will offer to turn his back to you, or be blindfolded, and still bet on doing it; and many persons, who have never seen the

Various deceptive Tricks performed with Cards.

trick, would be willing to bet against his doing it, but would lose. This trick is done by putting the pack together in regular order, and having a word to represent every card; and they being put together by those words, the situation of any particular card is easily known. These words run in this manner: "The sixty-second beat the ninety-third then comes the king with eight hundred and forty thousand men, and seventy-five women." The cards are put up as follows: clubs, hearts, spades, and diamonds- turning the cards face up, and putting them together face up according to the words, as follows for "the sixty," lay down the six of clubs; second," put upon these the deuce of hearts; "beat," ace of spades; "the ninety," the nine of diamonds; 'third," the three of clubs; "then comes the king," the king of hearts; "with eight hundred," the eight of spades; "and forty," the four of diamonds; "thousand,” the ten of clubs; "men," the jack of hearts; "and seventy," the seven of spades; "five," five of diamonds;

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women," the queen of clubs. These words will be repeated over in the same order, and the remainder of the pack put together after the following order, laying them face up on the thirteen that are already put up: 6 of spades; ace of diamonds; 9 of clubs; 3 of hearts; king of spades; 8 of diamonds; 4 of clubs; 10 of hearts; jack of spades; 7 of diamonds; 5 of clubs; queen of hearts; 6 of spades; 2 of diamonds; ace of clubs; 9 of hearts; 3 of spades; king of diamonds; 8 of clubs; 4 of hearts; 10 of spades; jack of diamonds; 7 of clubs; 5 of hearts; queen of spades; 6 of diamonds; 2 of clubs; ace of hearts; 9 of spades; 3 of diamonds; king of clubs; 8 of hearts; 4 of spades; 10 of diamonds; jack of clubs; 7 of hearts; 5 of spades; and queen of dia

Various deceptive Tricks performed with Cards.

monds. These cards are all put together face up, and then turned backs up, to be called off in the same order. This trick requires practice to do it well, and to recollect the sequence of the cards. Wherever the pack may be cut, the card at the top will always be the card immediately following the bottom card, according to the above order. For example, if, in cutting, the bottom card should be the five of diamonds, the top will be the queen of clubs. From this, any one can understand this trick, as well as learn to what an extent men will tax their ingenuity to plan out and practise such despicable cheats for the purpose of swindling those who do not understand them. There are other methods of putting up cards for the purpose of knowing the order in which they will run off. The above, however, is sufficient to satisfy any one that this can be done, and that none need bet against it with the expectation of winning.

There are other tricks of drawing cards. A man will hold you a pack of cards, and tell you to draw one; and after you have drawn one, you put it back in the pack, and shuffle the pack. He then offers to bet that he can tell what it is. You might, after the pack had been so well shuffled, suppose it quite impossible. But do not bet on it; for he can tell. If they should be advantage cards, he can tell by the back when you draw it out; if they are not, he will sometimes force a card. This is done by projecting a little some three or four cards that he knows, and has previously looked at. These cards, by projecting a little, are most handy to you, and you will be most likely to take one of them; if so, he knows what you have got as soon as you draw it. Another method is, by bending the whole pack back a little; you then draw one, and while you are looking at it, he will

Various deceptive Tricks performed with Cards.

bend the pack in a contrary direction, and when your card is put in the pack, from being bent in a contrary direction, it will press against the others, and wherever it may be, will cause a slight opening, and by that he can always tell where it is.

This trick is sometimes practised as follows: A man will take a pack of cards, and show you the top card, and say, "You see this card on top ;" and after you have looked at it, he puts it back; perhaps it may be ten of hearts. He will say, "I will bet you it is the ace of spades; but you have seen it, and you know it is not. He then has the ace in the middle, and slips the bottom part of the pack on the top so quickly that you cannot see him do it. He will then say, "Now, sir, I will bet you that this top card is the ace of spades;" and you might be willing to bet, not knowing that he has changed them; but, in betting, you would certainly lose by his artifice.

At other times, he will face one half of the pack against the other, and after showing the top card, he will turn the pack over, and the one on that side will be what he said the one on the other side was; and you will be deceived by not noticing his turning the pack over. There is, I might truly say, no end to the tricks and deceptions of cards, and all of them should be most carefully shunned.

There is a trick often played called "the three jacks." A man will seemingly have three jacks on the top of the pack. He will then put the three top cards, which you suppose to be jacks or aces, whichever he shows you, in various parts of the pack. He will then take one and put it in near the bottom, and another near the middle, and another higher up, and then shuffle them, and offer

Various deceptive Tricks performed with Cards.

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to bet you they are on the top, or all in one place in the pack. you think quite impossible; but never bet against it. The manner in which this is done, is as follows: He will turn the cards face up; then the bottom cards will be the top when they are turned back up. He will have the three jacks placed at the top when the cards are back up; he will also have three other cards on the top of these. He will then turn the face up, and instead of showing the three top cards, he will show the three jacks, and you suppose them to be the top, or rather the bottom, as they are then turned. He turns the pack back up, and puts the three top cards (which are not the jacks) in different places in the pack, and leaves the jacks on the top. Then, after using a little trifling deception, perhaps he will tell you to blow on them; and then he will offer to bet you that they are still on the top. You, supposing that you saw them put into different parts of the pack, will think yourself safe; but you will be deceived, and lose your money if you should bet.

There is another trick often introduced by sporting men, for the purpose of deceiving and making money by it. It is called "thirty-one;" and I would caution all not to play or bet with a man who introduces it; for, most probably, if he does not propose betting on it at first, he will after he gets you interested, and pretend to teach you all the secrets of it, so that you can play it with him; and perhaps he will let you beat him if you should play in fun; but if you bet, he will surely beat you. It is played with the first six of each suit the aces in one row, the deuces in another, the threes in another; then the fours and sixes-all laid in rows. The object now will be to turn down cards alternately, and endeavor to make thirty-one points by so turning,