Scarne, John & Audley Walsh (editor): A Treatise on the Sucker Effects of Three Card Monte
©1933 Audley Walsh
©1972, D. Robbins and Co. Inc. Brooklyn
Softcover, saddle-stitched, 5.5x8.5", 48 pages

You Can't Win
Image courtesy e-Bay seller LomaVistaMagic
Three Card Monte
Image from Magicref

Comments (Neal Reed): Originally published in the 1930's by A.V. Walsh as John Scarne Explains Why You Can't Win. Illustrated with 43 photographs. While the language is dated (circa 1930) and not as easy to understand as later works (like Sal Piacentes) it presents almost all the basic concepts of Three Card Monte. This book is to three card Monte what Erdnase was to card handling, and is probably responsible for more people learning three card Monte than any other single volume.

Contents:

5 What a Great Magician Has to Say About Scarne (Nate Leipzig)
6 Letter: by John Scarne
7 Contents
8 Definition of Gambling Terms: such as "Berries", "Chicken Feed", "John Law", etc.
9 Forward: A.V. Walsh
10 Introduction: about Monte, grifters, and the players in a typical scam
12 Grifter's Signals: several methods described
13 Familiar Phrases in Gambling: more definitions such as "Hipe", "Shills", etc.
15 Three Card Monte: the basic routine described (traditional, non-gimmicked cards)
19 Series of Deceptive Moves: an outline
21 Bent or Crimped Corner, Grifter Method: how to use the Bent Corner sucker gag
24 The Flip: a sort of Mexican Turnover move
26 The Flip Change: follows the above
26 Moves with Flip and Flip-Change: outline using the above moves
27 Grifter's Marked Corner (Using the Flip and Flip-Change): another sucker gag
28 Scarne's Monte Slide: three cards are shown face up, each snapped with a finger and laid on the table, yet the Ace is not found
30 Scarne's Triple Climax: using a one-way back, the spectator thinks the performer has made a mistake
33 Scarne's Method of the Crimped Corner: Scarne's variation
35 Scarne's Marked Corner: one corner is marked with a pencil, yet the spectator is suckered
37 The Stamped Ace - Scarne's Method: this time, a stamp is placed on the Ace...
40 Scarne's Method of Torn Corner: even though a corner is torn off the Ace, spectator picks the wrong card
41 Scarne's Push Over Change: another move useful in a Monte routine
42 The Mexican Turn Over: card switch described
45 The Daub: how to use it
47 A Poem
48 Advertisement


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