The Gaming Table: Its Votaries and Victims. Volume 2 (of 2)Steinmetz, Andrew
History
The Gaming Table: Its Votaries and Victims. Volume 2 (of 2)
Steinmetz, Andrew
Gambling
'When the poor barmaid returned (taking out the queen from your pocket)
with the wine, great was her astonishment to find the room empty. "Lor!"
she exclaimed, "why, I do declare--did you ever!--Oh! but I'm not agoing
to be sarved so. I'll catch the rogues, all of them--that I will." And
off she went after them, as shown by placing her ON, or at any rate,
AFTER the first.
'Now, to catch the three seemed impossible; but the ladies have always
smiled at impossibilities, and wonders never cease; for, if you have the
goodness to cut these cards, you will find that she HAS caught the three
rogues.'
When the cards are cut, proceed in the USUAL WAY after cutting--NOT as
required in the last trick; and taking up the cards, you will find the
queen and three knaves together, which you take out and exhibit to the
astonished audience.
Of course, one of these knaves is not one of the three first exhibited,
but the one which you slipped on your left hand at first. There is no
chance of detection, however; simply for the reason before given--nobody
suspects the trick.
4. How to name every card in a pack successively turned up by a second
party, and win every trick at a hand of Whist.
This is, perhaps, the most astonishing of all tricks with cards.
Although it may be true that whatever puzzle one man invents, some other
man may unravel, as before observed, I am decidedly of opinion that this
trick defies detection. At the first blush it seems very difficult to
learn; but it is simplicity itself in explanation.
Begin by laying out the cards in four rows according to the suits, all
of a suit in a row side by side.
The cards must now be arranged for the trick. Take up the six in the top
or bottom row, then the two in the next row, the ten in the third, and
the nine in the fourth, placing them one upon the other in the left
hand. Then begin again with the row from which you took the six, and
take up the three. From the next row take the king. These numbers will
be easily remembered with a little practice, amounting altogether to 30,
made up thus--6 and 2 are 8, 8 and 10 are 18, 18 and 9 are 27, 27 and 3
are 30--KING.
By repeating this addition a few times, it will be fixed in the memory.
Proceed by next beginning with the row next to the one from which you
took the last card or the king, and take the eight; from the next row
take the four; from the next the ace; from the next the knave. These
cards make up 13. Therefore say, 8 and 4 are 12 and 1 are 13--knave.
From the next row to that whence you took the knave, take the seven;
from the next row take the five; from the next the queen. These cards
make up 12. Thus, 7 and 5 are 12--queen.
It thus appears that you have taken up thirteen cards consisting of the
four suits, successively taken and being arranged as follows:--6, 2, 10,
9, 3, king; 8, 4, 1, knave; 7, 5, queen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account