Card Cheating Technique: The Second Deal
The second deal is simultaneously the most useless technique in all of card cheating and the most useful technique in all of card cheating. While the word “most” the this thesis statement is a slight exaggeration, the sentiment holds true. Why? It all comes down to information.
The second deal is a sleight-of-hand technique that allows a cheat (or a magician) to secretly deal the second card from the top while appearing to deal the top card. If you know the top card of the deck, you can choose to either deal it to another player, or use the second deal to retain it on top. Then, the card can be dealt to a hand of your choice. In essence, the second deal gives you the choice of who gets which cards, although you’re limited to a choice of whatever card is currently on top vs. whatever card is currently second from the top.
You can glean this information from 1) the glimpse or 2) marked cards. Glimpses are a family of techniques that allow the cheat (or magician) to secretly see what the top card (or the second card, or the bottom card, etc.) is. However, with the glimpse, you have to do the technique again each time you want to know what the top card is. Marked cards (called “paper” by cheats) are a far better alternative. These types of cards have been modified so that by looking at the back, you know what the card is. There are myriad methods of marking cards, far too many to cover in this post or video. All that matters for the sake of this discussion is the concept. By looking at the back of the top card, you know exactly what card it is so you can decide whether or not to use the second deal.
However, when using marked cards, you really don’t need the second deal. You can just use the marks for information. Sure, it’s nice to be able to control who is going to win. But just knowing who is going to win is more than enough to gain a significant advantage, and you don’t have to risk getting caught doing the second deal. According to cheats I’ve spoken to, most simply use marked cards for information, not for second dealing.
Ultimately, the second deal is a valuable tool in the arsenal of a card cheat or a magician. It allows you to constantly decide whether to deal the top card or retain it for later. Its applications in magic are many, especially when used covertly…something that may or may not occur a few times in the video. See if you can spot it!
CREDITS:
The opening demonstration is a performance of “Jacks or Better” by Darwin Ortiz from his book “Darwin Ortiz at the Card Table.”
CHAPTER ONE: I learned the second deal from Jason England’s “Foundations” series, “The Expert at the Card Table” by S.W. Erdnase, and conversations with both Gazzo and Darwin Ortiz.
CHAPTER TWO: I got the idea for this side-by-side clip from a similar sequence in Steve Forte’s “Gambling Protection Series” DVD set.
CHAPTER THREE: These three misconceptions are points of contention among magicians. However, among the sleight-of-hand artists who do the second deal well that I’ve spoken to, there is far less disagreement. I present my own take on these issues from a decade and a half of practice, and certainly welcome any counterarguments.
CHAPTER FOUR: Special thanks to my mysterious friend for permission to use a clip of his hands. Now I feel inferior. Thanks, man. Also, the phrasing of the difference between card cheats and magicians comes from a line in Ricky Jay’s show “Ricky Jay and his 52 Assistants.”
CHAPTER FIVE: I learned the one handed second deal and the third deal variants from Steve Forte’s DVD set “Gambling Protection Series,” Darwin Ortiz’s DVD “Darwin Ortiz on Casino Gambling,” and Ed Marlo’s “Revolutionary Card Technique.”
CHAPTER SIX: The glimpses I perform are the heel peek and the bubble peek. Both are demonstrated by Steve Forte on his DVD Set “Gambling Protection Series.” I got the idea of using red backed cards amongst a blue deck from a demonstration in Darwin Ortiz’s DVD “Darwin Ortiz on Casino Gambling.”
CHAPTER SEVEN: I learned about the practice of using marked cards solely for information from Steve Forte’s “Gambling Sleight of Hand” books and from conversations with my friend from Chapter 4. The final demonstration is an amalgamation of techniques I’ve learned from Gazzo and Darwin Ortiz. The core of the method goes back to Walter Irving Scott. To learn more, read “Phantoms of the Card Table” by David Britland and Gazzo.