In this article, I’d like to introduce you to a book many might find interesting and, in some parts, informative when considering what’s possible in terms of cheating at the card table.

In the magic community, S. W. Erdnase’s book The Expert at the Card Table is considered to be an important, seminal work on the subject of sleight of hand with playing cards.

It features two distinct sections, the latter concerning the performance of magic with cards teaching several ingenious tricks and moves, mostly drawn from other conjuring books of the time.

It is the opening section of the book that sets Erdnase’s work apart from other books of the period since it not only exposes but teaches methods suitable for cheating at the card table.

This combination of cheating and magic was not only novel but proved extremely important to the development of card technique both for performers of miracles and stealers of money!

As a reader of this article on this site, the chances are good that you have little interest in card magic as a performer (although I strongly recommend seeking out a great close-up magician for your own entertainment) but there’s at least one important lesson to be gleaned from this book that applies to players both online and in the real world.  READ MORE