The Expert at the Card Table

"The Expert at the Card Table is the most famous, the most carefully studied book ever published on the art of manipulating cards at gaming tables." ?from the Foreword by Martin Gardner.For almost a century, this book has been considered indispensable to attaining the highest level of card mastery. In it, S. W. Erdnase, a supreme master of card manipulation, teaches card enthusiasts how to perform the dazzling tricks and sleights ? many of them his own creations ? that made him famous.The first section of the book deals with card table artifice, or, to put it more bluntly, cheating at cards. Step by step, Mr. Erdnase demonstrates his own systems of false shuffling, false riffling and cutting, dealing from the bottom, and such slick moves as palming cards, "skinning the hand" ? even three-card monte.The second section covers legerdemain: the art of forcing a card, one- and two-hand transformations, the devious "slide" and more. Card handlers will love Erdnase's selection of dazzling card tricks, including The Acrobatic Jacks, The Exclusive Coterie, The Divining Rod, The Invisible Flights, A Mind Reading Trick, and many others.In an informative Foreword to this edition, Martin Gardner relates the unhappy details of the author's personal life, and recounts the history of this famous book, whose methods, Mr. Gardner asserts, "are as useful today by magicians and card hustlers as they were in 1902. This book is still the bible of card 'mechanics,' and as much a delight to read as it was in the early years of this century."

Foreword to Dover EditionPrefaceIntroductionCARD-TABLE ARTIFICE Professional Secrets Hold Outs Prepared Cards Confederacy Two Methods or Shuffling Primary Accomplishments "Possibilities of the "Blind" Uniformity of Action Deportment Display of Ability Greatest Single Accomplishment Effect of Suspicion Acquiring the Art Importance of DetailTECHNICAL TERMSERDNASE SYSTEM OF BLIND SHUFFLES POSITION FOR SHUFFLES BLIND SHUFFLES I. To Retain Top Stock II. To Retain Top Stock and Shuffle Whole Deck III. To Retain Bottom Stock and Shuffle Whole Deck ERDNASE SYSTEM OF BLIND RIFFLES AND CUTS BLIND RIFFLES I. To Retain Top Stock II. To Retain Bottom Stock BLIND CUTS I. To Retain Bottom Stock. Top Losing One Card II. To Retain Complete Stock III. To Retain Top Stock IV. To Retain Bottom Stock COMBINATION RIFFLE AND CUTS V. To Retain Bottom Stock FANCY BLIND CUTS I. To Retain Complete Stock II. To Retain Complete Stock ONE-HANDED FANCY TRUE CUT TO INDICATE THE LOCATION FOR THE CUT I. By Crimp II. By Jog III. By Crimp IV. By Jog BOTTOM DEALING TOP AND BOTTOM DEALING WITH ONE HAND SECOND DEALING "ORDINARY METHODS OF STOCKING, LOCATING AND SECURING" STOCK SHUFFLE ERDNASE SYSTEM OF STOCK SHUFFLING Two-Card Stock Three-Card Stock Four-Card Stock Five-Card Stock Twelve-Card Stock Euchre Stock Euchre Stock ERDNASE SYSTEM OF CULL SHUFFLING To Cull Two Cards To Cull Three Cards To Cull Four Cards To Cull Nine Cards ERDNASE SYSTEM OF PALMING "Top Palm, First Method" "Top Palm, Second Method" "Bottom Palm, First Method" "Bottom Palm, Second Method" Bottom Palm When Cards Are Riffled TO MAINTAIN THE BOTTOM PALM WITH DEALING TO HOLD THE LOCATION OF CUT WHILE DEALING SHIFTS Two-Handed Shifts "Erdnase Shift, One Hand" "Erdnase Shift, Two Hands" TO ASCERTAIN THE TOP CARDS WHILE RIFFLING AND RESERVE THEM AT BOTTOM MODE OF HOLDING THE HAND SKINNING THE HAND THE PLAYER WITHOUT AN ALLY Dealing Without the Cut Replacing the Cut as Before Holding Out for the Cut Shifting the Cut Dealing Too Many Crimping for the Cut Replacing Palm When Cutting The Short Deck THREE CARD MONTE Mexican Three Card MonteLEGERDEMAIN SHIFTS Single-Handed Shift The Longitudinal Shift The Open Shift The S. W. E. Shift The Diagonal Palm-Shift THE BLIND SHUFFLE FOR SECURING SELECTED CARD FORCING PALMING The Back Palm CHANGES The Top Change The Bottom Change The Palm Change THE Double-Palm Change TRANSFORMATIONS. TWO HANDS First Method Second Method Third Method Fourth Method Fifth Method Sixth Method TRANSFORMATIONS. ONE HAND First Method Second Method "BLIND SHUFFLES, RETAINING ENTIRE ORDER" First Method Second Method Third Method Fourth Method Fifth Method METHODS FOR DETERMINING A CARD THOUGHT OF A. By the Riffle B. By Springing Flourish C. By the Cut D. By the Gaze TO GET SIGHT OF SELECTED CARD THE SLIDE FAVORITE SLEIGHTS FOR TERMINATING TRICKS Catching Two Cards at Fingertips Leaving Selected Card in Hand of Spectator The Revolution Cards Rising from the HandCARD TRICKS Explanatory The Exclusive Coterie The Divining Rod The Invisible Flight TRICKS WITH PREARRANGED DECK The Traveling Cards The Row of Ten Cards The Acrobatic Jacks A Mind-Reading Trick Power of Concentrated Thought The Acme of Control The Card and Handkerchief The Top and Bottom Production The Three Aces The Card and Hat