Darwin Ortiz<\/a>, himself a highly regarded expert on magic and gambling, notes that a key reason for reading the book is the \u201cquality of thinking\u201d in regard to sleight of hand with cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you are at all interested in sleight of hand,\neither to inform yourself of what\u2019s possible or to learn a detailed and elegant\napproach to the art, it is certainly worth reading. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a player, you might glean some idea of what\nyou might be facing across an unknown table. There\u2019s some important advice\ngiven to cheaters concerning deportment and confederacy that all players should\nat least be aware of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How it Can Help You Understand The Ways Cheaters Think And Operate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Certainly, the sleights are all intriguing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their construction and description are like manna\nfrom heaven for serious students of the art of sleight of hand but, in truth,\nit requires a connoisseur\u2019s taste to fully appreciate both what is being taught\nand the means in which it is described.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a way, it\u2019s a bit like recommending\nShakespeare to someone interested in seeing a play or two – it can be an\nacquired taste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So let me boil it down for you: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Remarkable advantages can be obtained by manipulating\ncards secretly at the card table. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cards can be culled, stacked and controlled\nusing various techniques and what is described in this book will give you an\nappreciation of the kind of skill required by dedicated card thieves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More importantly, manipulation is not necessary\nwhen two or more cheaters enter a game and manage their actions using signals\nor betting strategies to work together against a table of individuals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In one short description, Erdnase instructs the\nreader on how to work a game without an ally (playing \u201csingle-o\u201d) using sleight\nof hand to beat the cut etc. but when another cheater is at the table, methods\nbecome much easier. And if the two cheaters are sitting together, extremely\nsimple moves can reap huge rewards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confederacy without sleight of hand will get\nmost of the money most of the time and when I began playing poker seriously, I\nwas stunned to find it was commonplace to find players who clearly worked\ntogether at the table. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Online, it can be much worse. And as online\npoker has evolved, providers have taken steps to identify collaborators at\ntheir tables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a future article, I\u2019ll describe how I crossed\nthe line to take on a group of collaborators with sleight of hand and the surprising\nlesson I learned in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For now, just remember that when players collude,\nthey can secure the kind of advantage an expert cheater could only dream of\nwhile working alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Back to the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As an interesting item to own, peruse and perhaps\nread just a little; of course, I think you should be interested. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you play for money, why not learn a little\nabout how cheaters think and operate? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the actual information in the book is mostly\noutdated – there are better ways to do a lot of what\u2019s described (though some\nmethods remain superior, particularly for conjurors). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps you will be amused or intrigued by\nErdnase\u2019s writing style, or by his attitude towards the subject of sleight of\nhand both for cheating and conjuring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
His comments on various methods like marked cards<\/a> and hold outs will certainly be of interest. But always think: \u201cI wonder what\u2019s possible these days\u201d, because I promise anything taught or alluded to in the cheating section has been excelled. <\/p>\n\n\n\nA modern copy of the book, available to buy from various retailers. [Image: Amazon]<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nAnother Mystery: Who Was Erdnase?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n One other reason to own a copy is to wonder\nabout the author himself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
S. W. Erdnase remains a mystery and is still\ncompletely unknown to the community of magicians who continue to analyse and\ndiscuss his or her work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why would the writer of such a book never reveal\ntheir identity and why would they publish their work under a pseudonym that is\nso clearly an anagram. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read backwards, it reads \u201cE. S. Andrews\u201d but it\nmay also represent \u201cW. S. Sanders\u201d who is one of several candidates being\nconsidered as potential authors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are at least two documentaries being made\non the subject but, personally, I\u2019m not sure I want to know who wrote the book\nsince their writing has evoked so much mystery and fascination for the art of\nmagic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, this book may be the key to the\ndevelopment of close-up table magic where performers no longer had to rely on\nbeing apart from the audience and could manipulate cards under the noses of\npeople while they watched closely, using techniques that might have started\nlife as cheating methods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Expert at the Card Table<\/em> is at least an important curiosity for anyone with a serious interest in cards, whether for players, performers or cheaters. <\/p>\n\n\n\nAnd I whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone who has read this article all the way to the end.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In this article, I\u2019d like to introduce you to a book many might find interesting and, in some parts, informative …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":21888,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3644,3267],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
The Expert at the Card Table \u2013 A Must-Read Book: Review<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n