_THE GAME OF FARO_
Faro may almost be said to occupy in America the position of a national
game. The methods of cheating used in connection with it are so numerous
and so ingenious that it becomes really necessary to devote an entire
chapter specially to them. Since there are parts of the world, however,
outside America where the game is little known, and since it is
necessary that the reader should understand something of it to enable
him to follow the explanations, the first step must be to give some
little idea of the nature of the game and the manner in which it is
played. The following paragraphs, then, will contain a brief description
of its salient features, and also of the apparatus or tools which are
required in playing it.
We will commence with the accessories first. These are: (1) the
faro-box, (2) the check-rack, (3) the cue-keeper, (4) cue-cards, (5) the
shuffling-board, (6) the layout, and (7) the faro-table. These, together
with a pack of playing-cards, constitute the apparatus employed. Let us
take the various items in their order as given.
1. _The faro-box._--This is a metal box in which the cards are placed,
face upwards, and from which they are dealt one at a time. Fig. 37
illustrates the back view of such a dealing-box.
[Illustration: FIG. 37.]
It will be seen that the box is open at the back, and cut away at the
top sufficiently to allow a large portion of the face of the top card to
be visible. The plate forming the top overlaps the front side about
one-eighth of an inch, and below its front edge is a slit, only just
sufficiently wide to allow one card at a time to be pushed out, so that
the cards are bound to be dealt one by one, and in the order they occupy
in the pack. They are slipped out by the thumb, which presses upon them
through the aperture in the top plate. The cards are inserted through
the back, and constantly pressed upwards by a movable plate or
partition, below which are springs sufficiently strong for the purpose.
It is presumable that the object of this box is to prevent any
possibility of the cards being tampered with. That it not only can be
made to fail in this purpose, but also to play directly into the hands
of the cheat, we shall see later on.
2. _The check-rack._--This is a polished wooden tray, lined with
billiard-cloth. It is used by the dealer, to contain his piles of
counters and his money. It stands at his left hand, upon the faro-table,
during play.
3. _The cue-keeper, or cue-box._--This is a piece of apparatus used for
the purpose of recording the cards as they are played, and is under the
control of a man who is specially told off to attend to it. By its means
at any stage of the game the players can see at a glance what cards have
already been played, and what remain in the pack. It is constructed upon
the principle of the ancient 'abacus' or 'obolus,' and consists of a
framework of wood, supporting thirteen wires, upon each of which slide
four small balls (fig. 38).
[Illustration: FIG. 38.]
Opposite each wire there is attached to the framework a miniature
reproduction of one of the cards of a suit. In faro, as in poker, the
suit of any card is of no importance. For all practical purposes the
pack may be considered as consisting simply of four aces, four kings,
four queens, and so on. Therefore, no record is kept of the suits of the
cards which have been played, but only of their values. The position of
the balls at the commencement of the game is at the left hand side of
their respective divisions, as shown in the illustration. When a king,
for example, is drawn out of the box, one ball, opposite the miniature
king on the cue-keeper, is slipped to the right, and so on until all the
fifty-two cards have been played, when, of course, the whole of the
balls are at the right of the apparatus. The person who registers the
progress of the game with this accessory is styled the 'case-keeper.'
4. _Cue-cards._--These are small cards upon which are printed the names
of the thirteen cards, a space being left opposite each name, for the
purpose of enabling the players to check off the cards as they are
played. They are sometimes used in place of a case-keeper; but, even
where a case-keeper is employed, they are utilised by the players for
recording the winning and losing cards. Any card which wins is marked
with a cross, and one which loses is marked with a nought. Fig. 39
represents a cue-card which has been partially filled up in this way,
and the cards which have been played so far, it will be noticed, are
readily distinguishable. The cards lost are two queens, two nines, two
sevens, and three sixes. Besides showing what cards have been lost and
won, the cue-card also tells what cards have yet to be played. Thus, at
the stage of the game indicated in fig. 39, there are still remaining in
the dealing-box one queen, one nine, three eights, two sevens, two
fives, four fours, and three twos. This convenient record prevents the
possibility of a player betting upon cards which have already been
played.
[Illustration:
+-------------------------------+
| Ace + + + + Eight + |
| King + + + + Seven 0 0 |
| Queen 0 0 + Six 0 0 0 + |
| Knave + + + + Five + + |
| Ten + + + + Four |
| Nine 0 0 + Three + + + + |
| Two + |
+-------------------------------+
FIG. 39.]
The case-keeper and cue-cards were primarily introduced with the object
of keeping a check upon the dealer, and of preventing him from using a
pack containing more than fifty-two cards, or in which there was not the
right number of each value. We shall see presently how he manages to get
over that difficulty.
5. _The shuffling-board._--This is a thin slab of wood or metal, covered
with billiard-cloth. It stands in front of the dealer, and upon it are
placed the faro-box and the piles of winning and losing cards. It is
upon this board, also, that the cards are shuffled; hence its name.
6. _The layout._--The designation of this adjunct to the game is derived
from the fact that it forms that part of the table upon which the
players 'lay out' their stakes. Usually it is a green cloth, having
painted upon it a representation of the thirteen cards of one suit (see
diagram of the faro-table, fig. 40).
7. _The faro-table._--This is simply an oblong table, having a recess or
cavity cut out in the centre of one of the long sides. In this recess
the dealer sits, being thus enabled to be as near to the layout as
possible, and at the same time to have all his appliances within easy
reach. Fig. 40 will give the reader a clear idea of the relative
positions occupied by the dealer, the players, and the various component
items of the apparatus.
[Illustration: FIG. 40.--The Faro-Table.
A, shuffling-board.
B, faro-box.
C, pile of losing cards.
D, pile of winning cards.
E, check-tray.
F, case-keeper.
G, layout.
H, dealer.
I, I, I, I, I, players.]
The appliances above described being available, the game is played in
the following manner:--
At the termination of a deal the cards are all lying face upwards upon
the shuffling-board in two heaps at 'C' and 'D,' and the faro-box is
empty. Without taking the cards off the table, but simply turning them
back upwards, the dealer mixes the two heaps together. The pack is then
cut and placed with the faces of the cards upwards in the dealing-box.
The players then stake their money, placing their stakes upon the layout
over the card which they think will win. Each player, of course, may
select any card he pleases, irrespective of the fact that another player
may choose to bet upon the same card. In fact, they can all back the
same card if they like. This, however, is a case which is rather rare,
anyhow at the outset of a game. Meanwhile the top card of the pack has
all along been visible to the players, through the aperture in the top
of the box. This card, therefore, counts for nothing, and no bets can be
made with respect to it. From the top card downwards, the cards
alternately win for the players and the 'bank,' or dealer. The second
card, then, when displayed will win for the players.
All the bets having been made, the dealer draws off the top card and
discloses the face of the second. The top card is placed upon the
shuffling-board in the position indicated by 'C' (fig. 40), and those
players who have staked their money upon the card in the layout which
corresponds in value to the card which is now seen through the window of
the dealing-box will have to receive from the dealer the amount of their
stakes. If no player has bet upon that card the dealer of course has to
pay nothing.
The dealer has now to draw off another card from the box and display the
face of the third. As explained above, this card will win for the bank.
The second card is therefore drawn off, and placed upon the
shuffling-board at 'D,' and the players who have staked their money upon
the card representing the one which is now visible will lose their
stakes to the dealer.
The two cards thus played constitute what is called a 'turn.' After each
turn the dealer pays the money he has lost and receives what he has won.
All money staked upon cards other than those which have either won or
lost remains undisturbed upon the layout. The players are then at
liberty to rearrange their bets in any manner they may think fit, and
the game continues. Again the top card is removed from the box,
revealing a fourth, and placed upon the card already at 'C.' As before,
those who have staked upon the card now showing in the box receive the
amount of their bets in due course. And so on until no more cards remain
in the box.
There is one advantage enjoyed by the dealer in which the other players
do not participate. When it so happens that both cards of a 'turn' are
of the same value, both kings, for instance, such an occurrence is
termed a 'split,' and a split means that the bank loses nothing, but, on
the contrary, takes half the money, if any, which is lying upon the
card of that value in the layout. This advantage or _refait_ gives the
bank a preponderance of the chances to the amount of about three per
cent.
The above is the simplest form of the game; but, in reality, it is
usually played in a more complicated manner. For instance, the players
can 'string their bets'; that is to say, they can bet on more than one
card at a time. A counter placed between any two cards signifies backing
either of the two cards to win, and then the player will win if either
of those cards wins, or lose if either loses, and so on. A single
counter may be so placed as to back all the high cards to win, and the
low ones to lose, or _vice versa_. By 'coppering,' or, in other words,
placing a special counter called a 'copper,' upon his stake, a player
can bet that any card will lose instead of win.
With this short explanation of the game, we will proceed to consider the
various methods of cheating at faro.
The swindling which is practised in connection with this game, and for
which it affords ample scope, may be divided into two kinds. Firstly,
where the players cheat the bank; and secondly, where the bank cheats
the players. This latter class may again be considered under two heads,
viz. cheating with fair cards and fair boxes, and cheating by means of
prepared cards and mechanical arrangements connected with the faro-box
and other appliances of the game.
We will take, first of all, the methods employed by the players to cheat
the bank. This is done where the players are professional sharps who
have contrived to 'put up a mug' (_i.e._ to persuade a dupe) to take the
bank. The general practice is for one of the conspirators to have a room
of his own laid out for the game, and into this very private room the
victim is decoyed. In a case of this kind the 'rig is worked,' or in
other words the swindle is perpetrated, by means of a dealing-box, so
constructed as to enable the players to know what cards will win for
them, and what will win for the bank. With this knowledge they run no
risk of staking their money on the wrong cards. The contrivances for
effecting this desirable result are known as 'tell-boxes.' Broadly
speaking, these are of two kinds, the 'sand-tell' and the 'needle-tell.'
The sand-tell box is so called because it is used in conjunction with
prepared cards, which have been 'sanded' or roughened on one side, or
both sides, as the case may be.[9] The cards which are intended to
'tell' are left smooth on their faces; all the others are slightly
roughened on both sides. The effect of this mode of preparation is that,
whilst the cards which are roughened on both sides will tend to cling
together, any card which lies immediately upon the smooth face of a
'tell-card' will slip easily.
[Illustration: FIG. 41.]
The box with which these cards are used is shown in fig. 41, which
represents a section taken through the centre of the box, from top to
bottom. Referring to 'A' in the illustration, _s_, _s_ are two of the
springs which press upwards upon the partition _p_, this in turn keeping
the cards tightly pressed against the top of the box, in which the
aperture or window _w_ is cut. These details are of course common to all
dealing-boxes, as already explained. The trickery, however, in this
instance is in connection with the front side of the box. Instead of
being of an equal thickness all round, the front is made double. That is
to say, an additional plate of metal is put inside the box, covering the
whole of the front plate, except that it does not reach the top by the
thickness of two cards.
'B' in the illustration represents an enlarged sectional view of the
mouth of the box. The additional plate is shown at _a_; _b_ is the
normal thickness of the front, and _c_ is the slit through which the
cards are pushed out.
The prepared cards being put into a box of this description, the effect
produced in dealing is as follows. If the third card from the top is one
of those which has been roughened on both sides, the second card will
adhere to it; consequently the act of drawing off the top card will not
cause the second to alter its position in the box. If, however, the
third card should happen to be one of the tell-cards, whose face has
been left smooth, the top card will draw the second one a little
distance to the right over the top of the plate _a_. The second card,
however, cannot be drawn right out, because the slit _c_ is not wide
enough to allow more than one card to pass at a time. It is obvious,
then, that if the players have some means of knowing whether the second
card moves or not, they can tell whether the card immediately underneath
it is a tell-card or the reverse.
On reference to the illustration it will be manifest that the actual
distance moved by the second card when drawn aside in this way can only
be very slight. Indeed, it would not do to allow of much movement, or
the dealer might notice it. Therefore, special means have to be adopted
to enable the sharps to detect the small difference in the position of
the cards. The necessary indication is readily obtained by means of what
are known as 'sighters.' These are simply minute dots upon the faces of
the cards. Upon each card one of these dots is placed, in such a
position that when the card comes to the top the dot will be close to
the edge of the aperture, but if the one below it is a smooth or
tell-card, the slipping sideways of the card brings the dot away from
the edge, and it appears farther to the centre of the opening. Fig. 42
is a diagram representing the top of a sand-tell box under both
conditions. The dot marked _m_ is the sight. In practice, it is much
finer than here shown, being in fact only just visible. 'A' indicates
the position of the dot when the card below happens to be one which has
been roughened. 'B' shows the card drawn to one side, bringing the dot
away from the edge, thus intimating the fact that the card immediately
underneath is a tell-card, the face of which has been left smooth.
[Illustration: FIG. 42.]
The general practice is to make all the court cards 'tell.' The
advantage thus gained is that it is not necessary to bet on any
particular card, but simply to back the high cards to win and the low
ones to lose, or _vice versa_. This is not so liable to cause suspicion
as having all the aces, for instance, to tell. In a case of this latter
kind, the slipping of the card would indicate that the next card to be
revealed would be an ace; therefore, if the conspirators are to win, at
least one of them must bet upon an ace turning up. Whereas, if all the
picture cards are made to tell, not only are there more tell-cards in
the pack, but it is only necessary for one player to bet upon the high
cards generally. The box simply tells them that a high card will show
next, and they make their bets accordingly.
Of course, it would never do for all the players to stake their money
alike. That would let the cat out of the bag, with a vengeance. No; if
the next card is to be a high card, one of them will bet upon the high
cards; the others will bet upon particular small cards, avoiding the
high ones. They cannot possibly lose on the next card, because they know
that it is not one of the low cards which comes next.
It will be remembered that, in the description given of the game, we saw
that the bets are made just before the dealing out of each pair of cards
or 'turn.' Therefore the indication given by the tell-box is only of use
to the players before a turn commences, that is to say, before the
first card of the pair is shown. They cannot change their bets until the
second card of the pair is shown and the turn is played. Therefore,
supposing the box indicates that the first card of the next turn, the
one that wins for the players, is a court card, and that one of the
players has consequently backed the high cards, the others must be
careful how they arrange their bets. It may happen that one of them has
put his money upon a card which will be the next to turn up; and this
being the one which wins for the bank, that stake will be lost.
Therefore, they have to arrange matters so that the highest stake which
can possibly be won by the dealer is less than that of the player who
has staked his money upon the card or cards which they know will win on
the first draw. Or it may be that the other players will 'copper' their
bets upon the low cards and thus play for absolute safety.
These manoeuvres are necessary, and are here pointed out because they
may be of assistance as a guide to the investigation of suspected cases
of cheating by the means just described. If it should be found that, in
a game of faro, it constantly happens that one of the players--not
necessarily the same player--always wins on the first card of a turn,
and that on the second card the others either do not lose at all, or, at
any rate, that the amount which either of them loses is less than that
which the other has won, it may be safely inferred that cheating is in
progress.
The second kind of tell-box, which is used for the same purpose as that
we have just investigated, we have already referred to as the
'needle-tell.' This box is also used with prepared cards, but the
preparation is of a very different kind. In this instance there is no
roughening of the surfaces of the cards, but those which are required to
tell are cut to a slightly different shape to the others. In some
respects the needle is an improvement upon the sand-tell; the cards are
more easily shuffled than is the case with the 'sanded' ones, the
clinging of which might arouse suspicion with an intelligent dealer. The
dealing-box, however, is more complicated in its construction.
The tell-cards are cut with a slight projection at one end. Fig. 43 will
give an idea of the exact shape. The projecting end will be noticed at
_a_. Needless to say, in the cards actually used the defect in the card
would not be more pronounced than is absolutely necessary.
[Illustration: FIG. 43.]
The dealing-box is so constructed that when either of the tell-cards
arrives at a certain position (usually the fourth or eighth card from
the top) the projecting corner presses against a light spring and causes
a little 'needle' or point to project from the side of the box.
Frequently one of the rivets with which the box is put together is made
to push out a little. Whatever the index may be, however, it does not
move sufficiently to attract attention. It is only those who are looking
for it who know when it 'tells.' A movement of one thirty-second of an
inch is ample for the sharp eyes of the swindlers to detect.
The mechanism of the needle-tell, however, is not used solely in
connection with cases where the players cheat the bank, it also forms a
very necessary accessory to the 'two-card' box to be presently
explained. Then it is used to let the dealer know when he is coming to
the 'odd,' or fifty-third card.
Having thus elucidated the comparatively simple methods used to cheat
the dealer, we now proceed to investigate the more complex devices
employed in those cases where the bank cheats the players. As stated in
the earlier part of this chapter, the players may be swindled either
with fair cards and a fair dealing-box, or by means of mechanical
appliances.
When the dealer elects to cheat without the use of mechanism, he is, of
course, compelled to resort to manipulation, and to 'put up' the cards
in such a way that they will help him to win. The reader will doubtless
remember that in the description of the game 'splits' were mentioned as
winning for the dealer. That is, when both cards of a turn are of the
same value, the dealer takes half the money staked on the card which has
split, or turned up twice in succession, the suits, of course, not
counting. It is obvious, then, that if the dealer in shuffling the pack
can contrive to put up a number of cards in pairs of the same value, his
chances of winning are greatly enhanced. Splits, therefore, are the
stronghold of the faro dealer's manipulation. If he can only make them
plentiful enough without leading the players to suspect anything wrong,
he is bound to win in the long run, and to win plenty.
Whilst dealing out the cards in the first game, the dealer determines in
his own mind what cards he will make split in the second game. We will
suppose he has just drawn a nine from the box, and that this card has to
go into pile 'C' (fig. 40). Now, by the laws of the game he is bound to
place this card upon the top of the pile to which it belongs, therefore
he does so. He may, however, with apparent carelessness, place it just a
little on one side, so that he can distinguish it from the other cards.
He now waits for the appearance of another nine, and this time one
which will have to go into the other pile, 'D.' This one is disposed in
the same manner. He has in sight, therefore, two cards of the same
value, and if these two cards can be brought together during the
shuffle, they will constitute a split. Seizing a favourable opportunity
in evening up the two piles of cards, he may skilfully 'strip' the two
nines--that is, draw them out from the others and place them at the
bottom of their respective piles. There is no fear of losing them now;
they are always to hand when required.
It is not necessary, however, that the cards should be put at the
bottom. So long as they are each in the same position, in the pile to
which they respectively belong, that is all the dealer needs. Suppose
the ninth card from the bottom of pile 'C' to be a king, all the man
wants is to have the ninth card of pile 'D' a king also. If, therefore,
the ninth card of that heap is placed a little to one side, and all the
succeeding cards are put above it in like manner, that will leave a
division in the pile, into which a king can be stripped at a convenient
moment.
If the players are sufficiently lax to allow the dealer to throw the
cards carelessly into two heaps, instead of making two even piles, the
case is, of course, much simplified. He has only to put the cards
directly at the bottom or wherever else he may desire to have them.
Given the fact of certain cards having been placed in pairs, one of
each pair in the same position within its pile, the problem which
presents itself for solution is, How can the dealer shuffle the two
piles one into the other, so as to bring the proper cards together? In
short, How are the splits put up?
[Illustration: FIG. 44.]
This is accomplished by means of what is called the 'faro dealer's
shuffle.' It must not be thought that this manipulative device is
essentially a trick for cheating; on the contrary, it is an exceedingly
fair and honest shuffle, provided that there has been no previous
arrangement of the cards. By its use, a pack which has been divided into
two equal portions may have all the cards of one half placed alternately
with those of the other half at one operation. In faro, the manner of
dealing the cards necessarily divides them into two equal parts. This
being the case, they are taken up by the dealer, one in each hand.
Holding them by the ends, he presses the two halves together so as to
bend them somewhat after the manner shown in fig. 44, in the position
'A.' The halves are now 'wriggled' from side to side in opposite
directions, with what would be called in mechanism a 'laterally
reciprocating motion.' This causes the cards to fly up one by one, from
either side alternately, as indicated in the figure at 'B.' Thus it is
evident that those cards which have been placed, with malice
aforethought, in corresponding positions in the two piles, will come
together in a shuffle of this kind, and form splits. This shuffle is a
very difficult one to learn; but with practice and patience it can be
accomplished, and the cards can be made to fly up alternately, without
any chance of failure. A dealer, skilled in the devices we have just
touched upon, can put up four or five splits in one deal, if he thinks
it advisable so to do. By the use of such means he is also enabled to
arrange the cards so as to checkmate any player who may appear to be
following some particular system of betting. Finding that the players
are, on the whole, inclined to back the high cards, the dealer may so
arrange the pack that the low cards only win for them, the high ones
falling to the bank. In this, however, he runs a great risk. It may
happen that the players, finding themselves constantly losing on the
high cards, may alter their mode of play, and back the low ones. That
would be bad for the bank unless the dealer had a mechanical box which
enabled him to alter the run of the cards. Such boxes, however, are
obtainable; and their description is included in the branch of our
subject which treats of cheating the players by means of mechanical
contrivances, and to which we now proceed.
In cases where the dealer uses apparatus for cheating, his requirements
are three in number. Firstly, he must have what is known as a 'two-card'
dealing-box, that is, a box which will allow him, whenever he pleases,
to withdraw two cards at one time, instead of compelling him to deal
them singly. Secondly, he must have an 'odd,' or fifty-third card.
Lastly, he requires a mechanical shuffling-board, which adds the 'odd'
to the pack, after the cards have been counted at the commencement of
the game.
The two-card box is one of the most expensive cheating tools a sharp can
use. The prices charged for them are something exorbitant, as may be
seen on reference to the catalogues. To be of any use, however, they
must be well-made, and then they will earn their cost in a very little
time. Badly-made, the sharp would find that, however cheap they appeared
to be, they would really be the most expensive and ruinous contrivances
he had ever known. They are made in many varieties, and known by as many
poetic names, but the effect is the same in all cases. Pressure being
applied to some part of the box, the mouth is caused to open
sufficiently wide to allow two cards to be drawn out together. The best
boxes are those high-priced commodities of which the catalogues say that
they will 'lock up to a square box.' This does not mean a rectangular
box, but a box that will bear examination. 'Fair' and 'square,' in this
instance, mean the same thing. The only fault in the description is that
the box, being false, cannot possibly become genuine with any amount of
locking. It should be said that when locked it _appears_ to be genuine,
and may be examined without fear of the trick being detected. Some boxes
are made to lock by sliding them along the table. The bottom moves a
little, this movement serving to fix all the movable parts. Some are so
arranged that they are always locked. That is their normal condition, so
they can be examined at any time. When it is required to widen the mouth
and allow two cards to pass out together, a small piece of wire, or
'needle' as it is called, is made to rise out of the shuffling-board or
table; this, pressing against one of the rivets, or into a little hole
in the bottom of the box, unlocks the mechanism for the moment. Another
form of the two-card box is one which has the bottom plate made of very
thin metal, the 'springing in' of which, when pressed upon in the
centre, unlocks the 'fake.' Some of the forms which unlock by sliding on
the table are the most complicated, requiring sometimes three movements
to free the working parts and allow the slit to widen. The movements,
of course, have to follow in proper succession, as in any other kind of
combination-lock. This prevents any accidental unlocking of the box
whilst it is in the hands of strangers.[10]
At the beginning of the game, then, the cards are counted to make sure
that there are the proper number, and we will suppose that the
dealing-box is a two-card with needle-tell attachment. One of the cards
in the pack, therefore, will be cut with the projecting corner. We will
suppose it to be the king of diamonds. Another king of diamonds, also
cut to 'tell,' is held out in the mechanical shuffling-board. Whilst
shuffling the cards, the dealer causes the holdout to add the 'odd' card
to the pack. Thus there are two kings of diamonds in use.
The cards being put into the dealing-box the game begins. The dealer
keeps his eye upon the needle-tell, and meanwhile unlocks the mechanism
of his box; that is, if it is made to lock, which is not necessarily the
case, although safer. When the needle indicates the fact that one of the
duplicate cards--in this case a king of diamonds--is immediately below
the top card in the box, the dealer has to be guided by circumstances.
If the card will win for him, well and good. He deals the cards as they
should be dealt and the king falls to him. It is evident that it would
never do to have two kings of diamonds turn up in the game, the
cue-keeper and cue-cards would record five kings. So the dealer still
watches the needle, and when he finds that the second king of diamonds
is the top card but one, he exerts the necessary pressure upon the box
to widen the slit. Then, instead of withdrawing only one card two are
passed out together, and placed as one upon one of the piles. This
squares accounts with the case-keeper.
It may happen, of course, that when the first of the tell-cards comes to
the top it would lose for the dealer. In that case he would work the
'squeeze,' and deal out the odd card with the one above it. Then he has
to take his chance with the second of the duplicates, and the game
becomes simply what it would be if honestly played. The advantage to the
dealer resulting from the employment of the 'odd' is that it provides
him with the means of winning, or at the worst prevents him from losing
on one turn of the deal. This may not seem very much, but added to the
chances of splits turning up it really means a great deal.
When the dealer is a proficient in sleight-of-hand he will carefully
note the line of play adopted by certain 'fat' players, or, as the
unenlightened would say, players who bet heavily. During the next
shuffle he will put up the cards so as to cause these 'fat' men to lose,
and somewhere about the middle of the pack he will place the 'odd.' Or
it may be he will so arrange matters that the shuffle and the cut will
bring one of the duplicate cards about a third of the way down the pack
and the other a third of the distance from the other end. Thus he will
have two opportunities of withdrawing two cards at once, either of which
he can use as may suit him best.
Supposing that hitherto the heaviest betting has been on the high cards,
the dealer will put up the pack in such a way that only the low ones win
for the players. That is to say, the cards will come out alternately
high and low, the high ones falling to the bank. As the game proceeds
the first of the tell-cards by degrees comes nearer and nearer the top,
and the dealer looks out for the needle-tell to indicate its approach.
By this time, perhaps, the players may have noticed that the high cards
are losing, and therefore may have altered their play, betting now upon
the low cards. If this is so, the bank will begin to lose, but not for
long. When the tell-card has become the second from the top the dealer
manipulates the two-card device and draws out two cards at once. The run
of the game is now altered. The cards still come out alternately high
and low, but the high cards now go to the players. As they have taken to
betting on the low ones they lose in consequence. If, however, the
players show no signs of changing their mode of betting when the first
tell-card nears the top, the dealer does not alter the run of the cards,
but goes straight on. When he comes to the second duplicate card he
must deal out two at once, or the 'odd' would be discovered.
The cases given above are put in the simplest form, for clearness; but
it must not be imagined that anyone investigating a suspected case of
cheating would find the cards arranged to come out always high and low
alternately. The dealer knows better than to risk anything of that kind.
He would be caught directly. The cards are merely put up in a general
sort of way, so as to give a preponderance in one direction or the
other; the dealer being at liberty to alter the general run of the cards
at either of the two duplicates. Of course he might even have two extra
cards in the pack, these and their duplicates being tell-cards. That
would give him a choice of two out of four opportunities of altering the
run; but the more devices he employs the greater the chances of
detection. One turn in the deal is plenty. It gives the dealer all the
opportunities he needs; and in the long run he is bound to win. It is
said that in some 'skin' houses in New York decks of 54, 55, or even 56
cards are frequently played on soft gamblers.
It is possible for the dealer and players alike to be in a general
conspiracy to cheat the bank. The dealer is not necessarily the banker.
The bank may be found by anyone; the proprietor of the gambling saloon,
for instance. But a dealer would be very foolish to cheat his employer.
In a private game, if a dupe can be put up to find the bank in money,
that is all right for the sharps. They are, one and all, at liberty to
go in and win--and they do.
The reader may be interested in knowing that in America some of the
dealers who are employed by proprietors of gambling houses, or saloons
as they are called, will demand a salary of four or five thousand
dollars. It is said that a very expert dealer is worth that amount per
annum, and that he can get it. It strikes one as being a somewhat high
rate of pay for a man whose sole duty is to shuffle and deal out cards
for a few hours a day, if that _is_ his sole duty. Suspicious
persons--and there are a few such in the world--might be tempted to
believe that there is more in the dealer's duties than meets the eye,
and a 'darned sight' more. Whatever opinion may be entertained upon the
subject, we can all join, at any rate, in hoping for the best, and in
praying for the _bettor_. Though when a man is idiot enough to lose his
money, as some do day after day, in a game where his own common sense
ought to tell him that he stands every chance of being cheated, he may
be looked upon as a hopeless case. There is nothing that will ever knock
intelligence into him, or his gambling propensities out of him. The only
system of treatment that could be expected to do him any good would be a
lengthened course of strait-waistcoat, to be repeated with additions
upon any sign of a recurrence of the malady.
Two or three years ago an Englishman won 5,000_l._ in one year at the
Cape, in a sort of rough-and-tumble game of faro. He ran the bank
without either cue-cards or case-keeper, and also without a dealing-box,
as in the prehistoric times in America before the losses experienced by
those who 'bucked against the tiger' forced these implements into use.
He dealt the cards out of his hand. The miners played against him for
gold-dust and he nearly always won. His operations were of the most
primitive kind. He simply had a lot of packs of cards, apparently new,
but which had been opened and arranged. Some were packed for the high
cards to win; some for the low ones. He would take a pack down, give it
a false shuffle and begin to deal it. If he wanted to alter the run of
the cards, he could at any time do so by merely dropping the top card on
the floor. This he did very cleverly, and nobody noticed it, because the
floor was always littered with used cards. Having no case-keeper to
record the game, the missing cards were never missed. What about the
poor miners? Well, they _must_ have been flats if their equilibrium
remained undisturbed through a lively game such as that. They deserved
to lose all that the dealer won.
This sharp is now in England 'mug-hunting.' He is at present acting as
bear-leader to a young man who has just come into 1,700_l._ a year. He
makes most of his living at 'lumbering' and 'telling the tale,' and his
stronghold is the bottom deal. The writer has great pleasure in
acknowledging his indebtedness to him for much of the information as to
the methods of the common English sharp. He is a swindler, but a most
agreeable and gentlemanly one.
This _Faro_ is a hard-hearted monarch whose constant delight appears to
be a slaughter of the innocents; though one can hardly suppose that his
victims are often the heirs male of Israel. Be that as it may, however,
Faro's victims can hardly hope for succour from a daughter of Faro, for
his only offspring are greed and fraud. And those who bow the head and
bend the knee to Faro are simply ministering to these two, his children.
Those who waste their substance on Faro are merely forging fetters for
their own limbs, and giving themselves body and soul to a taskmaster
from whose thraldom they will find it difficult to escape.
To descend from metaphor to matter of fact, there is no game which gives
freer rein to the passion of gambling than faro. There is no game in
which money is lost and won more readily. Above all, there is no game in
which the opportunities of cheating are more numerous or more varied. If
these are qualities which can recommend it to a man of common sense,
call me a gambler.
FOOTNOTES:
[9] See Chapter IX.--'Prepared Cards.'
[10] See reprint of dealer's advertisement, p. 300.