CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

WHEN I CHEATED AT CARDS

WHEN I played before the King and Queen of England at their country home at Sandringham I showed them one trick with cards which interested them very much.

I asked Queen Alexandra to select a card from a pack. It was the jack of spades. I then placed an ordinary small tack in a different part of the pack from the one in which the selected card had been placed. Then I took the pack and threw it against a board which was held up by an attendant. The jack of spades was found nailed to the board by the tack, while all the other cards fell to the ground.

When I had the honour of talking to the King and Queen after the performance, one of them remarked: "I think you must be a very dangerous man to play whist with, Mr. Goldin."

Many other people have made the same remark, and yet I am no card-player and rarely touch a pack of cards outside my professional work. I like to watch other people playing, especially my wife, who is a keen bridge-player.

This habit of watching other people playing cards led me into one of the most interesting episodes of my career. It happened on the second trip I made from New York to England. I sat down to watch a poker-game in the smoke-room of the liner.

There was nothing unusual about the scene when I first glanced at it. Five men were playing. One was young and looked as if he were wealthy. He spoke with a slight American accent, and I immediately decided that he was the son of some American millionaire. I found out later that his father was a steel magnate in Pittsburg. Another was an Englishman, slightly older, very well dressed, and evidently of good family. The other three were a marked contrast to these in looks. They were all middle-aged, and they had a tough look about them. I did not think this was unusual at the time, however, for one sees all sorts of mixed parties on board ship.

At first I thought that the two young men knew nothing at all about poker, for they were losing regularly. Then I noticed that, though they occasionally had good hands and played well, they were always beaten by a hand slightly better. That made me mildly suspicious, and I shifted my place so that I might have a better view of the older men.

Immediately I saw that the man who was dealing was performing a variation of a trick known to every conjurer. He was slipping a card from the top or bottom of the pack to the other end. It is not a difficult trick to do, and if you cared to watch me I could have a certain card at the bottom of the pack and yet take it from the middle or the top at will. I can do just the same if the selected card is placed at the top.

This discovery startled me. I had never come across card-sharpers before and was at a loss what to do. Besides, the trick looked so obvious to me that I could not understand why one of the young men who were being fleeced had not protested. But a few moments' reflection showed me that what was obvious to me, who, after all, was used to all sorts of card manipulation, was not apparent to those others who were watching or playing the game.

My impulse, of course, was to denounce the tricksters, and so save the men from further loss. I could see by their chips that they had lost about £500 between them. Stakes were increasing, and they might lose a great deal more in the course of the game.

But could I butt in and say: "Stop this game. You're being cheated? I had no means of proving my assertion. If I went and brought the ship's captain I could never give him real evidence of the trickery which I knew had been practised. My only course was to wait and watch in the hope that some opportunity would offer itself whereby I might outtrick the sharpers.

I watched for about another hour, and the trickery went on just as before. At about half past eleven the young American announced that he would go to bed, and he thanked his companions for a very pleasant game. "I am sorry that the luck has all been one-sided," he said, "but I suppose that's the game." As far as I could judge, he had lost about £450, and the Englishman £200. The latter paid by cheque, the American partly by cheque and partly by IOU.

They rose and came over to the bar for a last drink. I was sitting close by, and I managed to whisper to them: "There is something queer going on here. Don't ask me any questions. just hang about for a while and watch what happens."

I then walked over to the gamblers at the table. "Poker's a pleasant game to pass the evening, isn't it? I have been quite jealous of you gentlemen during the time I have been watching you."

"Why not join us now?" said one of the trio of sharpers. "We have lost two of our number, but I am quite willing to go on. What about you two gentlemen?"

The others said they were quite willing and did not feel ready for bed.

"My name is Jackson," said the man who had addressed me first. "These gentlemen will introduce themselves. I am afraid I have no head for names."

That's a lie, I thought, for the three of them were obviously hand-in-glove. I managed to avoid giving my name by suggesting that we called for the new "decks" of cards.

"Mind you," I added, "I hope we are not playing for high stakes. I am no gambler."

"Well, let's say dollar limit on the rise," said one.

I agreed to that. The new cards arrived, and were given to me to shuffle.

I shuffled them in a manner which suggested that I was not very used to the handling of cards. But when I placed the pack on the table, something had happened which the three sharpers knew nothing about. There were only fifty-two cards in that pack, including the Joker, and the other one, the ace of hearts, lay in the palm of my hand and was soon transferred to my pocket for use later.

Play proceeded in mild fashion for some time, and no one won or lost anything very considerable. If anything, I was a little up, and the trio had not done anything suspicious. Evidently it was their habit to go easily for the first few hands.

I, however, had been busy. I shuffled the cards four times, and by now I had not only the ace with which I began but also a king, queen, and knave.

My readers may know very little about poker, but they will readily understand that the player who can lay down five cards which form a pair, or three of a kind, or a straight, at will, is in a very strong position.

Poker depends entirely on bluff. You have no idea what your opponents have in their hands. They may be pushing you up on nothing at all. I was quite the equal of the sharpers in this, for it is my business to bluff thousands of people every day of my life. No one can tour the world as I have done, and baffle professional conjurers and illusionists, without being a good actor. I played my part very well that evening. I put down one good hand after another with a look of pleased innocence.

Soon the sharpers were up to their tricks again. I saw that they were manipulating things so that they had good cards.

When I was some hundred dollars to the good, I began to laugh and said that I seemed to have underestimated my skill. Would they agree to a raising of the stakes? To them my words must have sounded like sweet music. Here was a sucker offering himself as a sacrifice. Naturally they agreed.

I will not bore you by telling you all the ins and outs of the game. I went on winning steadily, and my opponents began to be thoroughly annoyed. They had no inkling of the tricks I was playing on them. But they had to take steps to stop my run of luck, and one of them managed to see the cards he had given me. He must have been pleased with what he saw.

I had in my hand the three, four, five, and six of hearts. The fifth card was the knave of diamonds. Now, this hand needs either a two or a seven to be a good hand. If I did not get one of those the hand was completely worthless.

My opponent knew what was in my hand, and he looked surprised when I said I did not want to draw. He glanced hurriedly at his confederates.

The man on my right opened the betting. I raised him. The man on my right raised again.

By that time I had raked in about 1000 dollars, and I pretended that I was being a bit reckless. When the betting came round to me again I raised to 500 dollars.

Two of the men threw in their hands, and would not go further. They knew that their partner had me well in hand, and that I was bluffing on a hand that meant nothing in the hope that I should squeeze them all out.

The dealer raised to 1000 dollars, and I put up another thousand. The atmosphere was charged with drama. The young men at the bar came across to watch more closely. The two sharpers who had dropped out pretended to be little interested, but really they must-have been overjoyed at the turn of events.

Only the dealer seemed a little worried. For a moment, as I watched the frown on his face, I thought that he was going to raise again. Instead, he put up his 2000 dollars and threw his hand on the table, saying, "I'll see you."

His hand contained three fours and two sixes. That is a "full house", and is very strong, being beaten only by fours, a straight flush, and a royal flush.

I then put down my hand. There were the four hearts three, four, five, and six. Then I put down the joker

In poker the joker is a "flying" card. It can be used to make up anything. In this case I could use it to make up a straight flush with my four hearts. This beat his "full house".

I put my hand out and took the pool. There were some 8000 dollars in it, and it was well worth having. The young men began to congratulate me. The crooks stared.

Then the dealer burst out: "It wasn't the joker.

Then he stopped suddenly. He could not say that he knew he had given me the knave of diamonds and not the joker. He would have given the whole game away. He lapsed into an aggrieved silence. I could imagine the words which were running through his head.

This left me in control of the situation, and you may be quite sure that I enjoyed myself to the full. All my showman's instincts came to the top, and I felt completely in my element.

"Now," I announced, "there is going to be a little settling-up between the six people who have been playing poker at this table this evening. I should be glad if the two gentlemen who retired from the game a little time ago would tell me exactly how much they lost."

From the pile of notes before me I counted out two piles, one equal to the American's losings, the other to the Englishman's. "I want you gentlemen to take this money and give it to these men with whom we have been playing. They will, I am sure, give you your cheques and I0Us back."

"But we can't do that," burst out the American. "This is your money. We saw you win it."

"I want you to do as I ask," I told him, and then both the young men obeyed.

Then I turned to the man who had been dealer in the last game. I pushed the rest of the notes over to him.

"That makes up the rest of the sum," I said. "Now you are not out of pocket, but have all the money you began with. If you want the rest of the pack, here they are."

I made a pass in the air, and, apparently out of nothing, produced two kings, a queen, and a knave. I laid them on the table in front of him.

That was too much for him.

"So we've been playing with a card-sharper, have we?"

"No, gentlemen," I answered. "You have been playing with a professional entertainer. And I think that on reflection you will decide to be grateful for the fact that I have not made any charge for the show I have put on tonight."

I handed to each of them one of my professional cards. Their faces were studies. It is impossible for me to describe the expressions which appeared on their "tough" countenances.

"When we arrive in London," I continued, "you will find me at the Palace Theatre. If you care to watch me there I have no doubt that you will learn some new tricks. I have some illusions which will interest you, and I have some card-tricks other than those I have used tonight."

One of them cursed audibly, and then all three shambled out. The two young men, who had tumbled to at least some of the trickery which had been going on in that smoke-room, came and pumped my hand and slapped my back until I had to protest. They began to ask me for all sorts of explanations, but I refused to speak.

"It's my bedtime," I told them. "I shall sleep all the better because of the knowledge that I have saved you from being fleeced."

That was, I thought, the end of that episode; but to my surprise it had a sequel not very long afterwards. I was on the stage at the Palace, doing some small tricks in preparation for my big illusions. Suddenly I heard a commotion in one of the boxes. A group of some six or seven young men were making their way in.

"University rugger night," I thought. "Now for some interruptions and no end of trouble."

Other turns that night had been unmercifully ragged, and I could not expect to escape my share.

To my surprise, all was quiet for the first of my illusions. I had a man bound to the mouth of a cannon. A light was put to the touch-hole, the gun roared, and the man disappeared.

During the turn of applause which followed I heard a voice shout, "Jolly good, Goldin!" I looked up at the box again and saw that my two young friends of the boat were there.

It was evident that they had been celebrating, for the American rose in the box and announced, "Horace Goldin once did me one swell turn, and I'm here to say that he's a jolly fine fellow. If anyone interrupts his show, out he goes quick. What I say goes." With that he waved to me, and said, "See you later, old man."

They came round to my dressing-room after the show, and we had a really good time. They were both up at Cambridge, and this was one of their big celebrations. They saw to it that I enjoyed myself as well. We were at the Café Royal until an early hour, and even then they were trying to convey to me their thanks for the good turn I had done them.