{"id":21879,"date":"2020-04-29T17:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-29T22:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/?p=21879"},"modified":"2020-04-30T03:09:32","modified_gmt":"2020-04-30T08:09:32","slug":"the-expert-at-the-card-table-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/the-expert-at-the-card-table-book\/","title":{"rendered":"R. Paul Wilson On: Why You Should Read \u201cThe Expert at the Card Table\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this article, I\u2019d like to introduce you to a\nbook many might find interesting and, in some parts, informative when\nconsidering what\u2019s possible in terms of cheating at the card table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the magic community, S. W. Erdnase\u2019s book The Expert at the Card Table<\/em><\/a> is considered to be an important, seminal work on the subject of sleight of hand with playing cards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It features two distinct sections, the latter\nconcerning the performance of magic with cards teaching several ingenious\ntricks and moves, mostly drawn from other conjuring books of the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is the opening section of the book that sets\nErdnase\u2019s work apart from other books of the period since it not only exposes but\nteaches<\/em> methods suitable for cheating at the card table. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This combination of cheating and magic was not\nonly novel but proved extremely important to the development of card technique\nboth for performers of miracles and stealers of money!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a reader of this article on this site, the\nchances are good that you have little interest in card magic as a performer\n(although I strongly recommend seeking out a great close-up magician for your\nown entertainment) but there\u2019s at least one important lesson to be gleaned from\nthis book that applies to players both online and in the real world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Little Bit About The Book<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Published in 1902, the book quietly entered the\nmarket with little fanfare other than a few ads, one of which appeared in a\nconjuror\u2019s magazine from the period. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
An old copy of “The Expert at the Card Table”, currently available to buy. [Image: abebooks.co.uk]<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Some years later, several magicians began to\nsing the book\u2019s praises and one young sleight of hand artist mined the book not\nonly for methods and ideas but for the foundation of a new approach to card\nmagic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dai Vernon<\/a> was influenced not only by the magic section, which was not untypical of other books in terms of content, but by the cheating section and in particular, the advice given to potential cheaters in live games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The writing style of the author leaned towards a serious, detailed approach to teaching the complex methods revealed in both sections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than simply expose the workings of a move like the bottom deal<\/a>, Erdnase would carefully detail finger positions, pressure points and hand motion during the deal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He would address flaws in each sleight and offer\nadvice on timing or suggest ways he might be assisted by a partner at the\ntable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the magic section, he would approach moves\ndesigned to secretly cut the deck with great precision but not written in long,\ndreary instructions. Instead, his text was tightly compiled to reveal more and\ngreater detail on each analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Material \u2013 What\u2019s Included And What\u2019s Not<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In actual fact, the book is written in such a\nway that the more one knows about the art of manipulation with cards, the more\none gleans from Erdnase\u2019s book. But this is in some ways a double-edged sword. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With greater knowledge of the possibilities at\nthe card table, the more questions a student might ask about what Erdnase\nchooses to teach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, so much is missing from the book in\nterms of cheating methods from the time that an expert reader soon wonders\nwhether the author was a professional cheater, or a magician who was fascinated\nand educated regarding the methods of crooked gamblers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s missing? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n