Helping with gambling routine

Feb 17, 2011
185
0
Quebec, Canada
Hi everyone, I will play in a webserie called Mafiapoly soon and I'll be playing a gangster that specialize in casino and other money related gambling. I'll play as a hustler and for that role I was imagining myself as doing three card monte and some poker demo. I already have Fondation 1 by Jason England and my level of expertise is beginner (well, mostly new in fact). For the serie, I want to "show" a little what could be possible for a real card shark and professionnal hustler but the only idea I have are: three card monte, poker demo and "the shell game". I don't have any book or DVD for the card monte or the shell game. Do you guys have any suggestion about any book where I can find those move? Also, what do you think I should practice or what should I know for my role? For the record, the webserie is "amateur" based and I'm a beginner at magic. Thank you in advance.
 
Aug 16, 2011
141
18
Hi everyone, I will play in a webserie called Mafiapoly soon and I'll be playing a gangster that specialize in casino and other money related gambling. I'll play as a hustler and for that role I was imagining myself as doing three card monte and some poker demo. I already have Fondation 1 by Jason England and my level of expertise is beginner (well, mostly new in fact). For the serie, I want to "show" a little what could be possible for a real card shark and professionnal hustler but the only idea I have are: three card monte, poker demo and "the shell game". I don't have any book or DVD for the card monte or the shell game. Do you guys have any suggestion about any book where I can find those move? Also, what do you think I should practice or what should I know for my role? For the record, the webserie is "amateur" based and I'm a beginner at magic. Thank you in advance.

I sent you a link in PM to DST by Luke Dancy and David Regal. It has some really awesome effects that you can start doing for the routine. Just remember, everything requires practice, but this will definitely help for the webseries you guys are filming and definitely improve your 3 card monte with the kicker ending that is on the DVD.
 

Colin

Elite Member
Jan 25, 2013
152
22
How long do you have to learn the routines before you would be filming them. If you are at a beginner level it may be wiser to just prearrange what you are doing when filming. If you are not filming an actual magic show and don't already know how to properly preform the slights it would be better to work out a routine with the other actors in the know than try to pull off a complicated gambling demo. It would be better to do a smooth presentation of what could be done than a hastily learned attempt to actually show what you can do.
 
Feb 17, 2011
185
0
Quebec, Canada
Well, it's not too soon, I know the director so I can tell him when I'm ready to do some "demo".I know I can use some "stack" and do some false shuffle (I already know the overhand and can do the push through shuffle). I would estimate that in 6 month, I'll do the "heavy stuff".
 
Apr 6, 2011
540
6
Lansing, MI
The push through false shuffle IS heavy stuff. To execute it properly is one of the harder moves out there in my opinion. For what your doing, which to be honest I'm really not clear on, I would recommend starting with some crimp work and packet controls. A perfect resource for which is Jason England's Dead Cutting download. Foundation's one is great, but has a solid couple of years worth of work required to even make a dent on. I can't remember precisely which moves are in one, but for what you're doing I would recommend his work with the strike second deal, the Zarrow shuffle, and of course the dead cut. Oh and if your feeling daring, there is no substitute to bottom dealing.

This is a bit of a stretch, but with a bit of work on the presentation a two card monte could work wonders for you. Go pick up Kard Klub from Brad Christian. That DVD will teach you TONS about blocking, misdirection, framing, presentation, and of course, the two card monte. As far as a three card monte is concerned, there's about a billion good, cheap versions available all over the place. Just be careful to get something geared towards sleights vs gimmicks, and demo's vs magic performance. And remember, kicker endings are great, but what hustler would give two $#@%'s about a kicker ending? You want everything to be clean and simple. You win, every time. Not under impossible conditions, but under NORMAL conditions.

Any combination of the Jason England work I recommended will provide you with KILLER poker routines. Personally I would drop the three card monte idea entirely in favor of the two card monte, keeping in mind you have to change the two card monte to be a hustle instead of an effect. Now, in magic, most magicians strive to ensure there effects are not challenging or affronting the spectator. This should tell you that most magic effects naturally tend to challenge the spectator, which is excellent news for you. Because that means that most any magic affect, can be turned into a hustle with very few modifications. On that note, you should without question pick up a copy of Bobo's coin magic, along with Card College Light vol. 1.

Best of luck,
Tyler
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sep 2, 2007
1,186
16
42
London
There are quite a few tricks you can use to "cheat" a gambling demo. Some ideas:

1. Begin with the four aces on top of the deck. Shuffle one card on top of them using a table riffle. Perform a slip cut and deal the four aces face-up onto the table. This gives the impression that you've located all the aces with a shuffle and a cut.

2. Begin with the deck set so the aces are in every fourth position. Perform any full-deck false shuffle. Then deal around four hands around the table to give the impression you just stacked the aces for yourself with one shuffle.

3. Get a one-way forcing deck. Display the top card, turn it face down and begin dealing into a pile. Turn over the top card of the deck again to reveal "the same" card still on top. You've just imitated a second deal demo.

4. Set up the deck with the aces at every fourth position and add four aces from a matching deck. Lose these duplicate four aces into the middle of the deck. Deal four hands. You've just imitated a centre deal demo.

etc., etc.

You get the idea. Add a bit of acting (study how someone like Steve Forte or Jason England would perform these moves if they were doing them for real) to a pre-set deck, some dupes and a couple of basic false shuffles, and you can replicate most cheating manoeuvres.
 
Feb 17, 2011
185
0
Quebec, Canada
@Teedee: Thank you for your imput, I'll do that if I can't do it "live" and without stacking.

@Tyler: In fondation, I have the bottom deal and the second strike and the pushthrough shuffle. Why do you suggest the Zarrow shuffle? And for the three card monte, it's not a preference but I always see the scam with 3 cards so I assume that hustler use the three card monte more often. Maybe easier to fool someone? For Bobo's book, I heard about it, but could you explain to me how it could be useful in a gambling/hustle related theme? Not that I criticize but I really don't get the coin with the card.
 
Have you read Expert At The Card Table? It's pretty much required reading for what you're talking about. It will give you an excellent foundation in exactly what you're going to be doing; both the history and the moves. From there, you may want to check out L&L's "Worlds Greatest Magic: Expert Card Technique" dvd series, as well as the gambling series by Darwin Ortiz. You'll learn a ton and come away with plenty of ideas, I'm sure.
 
Feb 17, 2011
185
0
Quebec, Canada
Well, in fact no I didn't read it... Now that you're talking about it, that is a great idea :). And do you know where I can buy the Gambling series?
 
Jun 27, 2013
13
0
While a lot of the resources being suggested such as Expert at the Card Table, Expert Card Technique and Darwin Ortiz material are all absolutely brilliant I don't really see a relative beginner mastering this material in 6 months. I think a better approach would be looking at pseudo gambling routines (as TeeDee suggested). Jason England and Paul Wilson also have two DVD's out called 'The Unreal Work' which have a number of these sorts of routines. I haven't actually seen these but my understanding is that some of the material is relatively easy (although some is much more advanced).
 

CalvinTan

Elite Member
While a lot of the resources being suggested such as Expert at the Card Table, Expert Card Technique and Darwin Ortiz material are all absolutely brilliant I don't really see a relative beginner mastering this material in 6 months. I think a better approach would be looking at pseudo gambling routines (as TeeDee suggested). Jason England and Paul Wilson also have two DVD's out called 'The Unreal Work' which have a number of these sorts of routines. I haven't actually seen these but my understanding is that some of the material is relatively easy (although some is much more advanced).


I agree. I would concentrate on pseudo gambling routines. Also, there are a variety of trick decks that could help, such as a stripper deck. You'll be able to do all your fair share of shuffles and cut to all four aces easy.
 

WitchDocIsIn

Elite Member
Sep 13, 2008
5,877
2,945
Yes. That is what you should be doing. These skills take years to master to the level of doing a proficient demo. Each.

The false shuffle/cut sequences in Expert at the Card Table are really good. Still some of my favorites. Add in the push-through false shuffle and up-the-ladder sequence, along with some other false cuts and shuffles and any stacked deck will appear mixed. Then simply deal and claim to be doing much more than only dealing.

3 Card Monte is a genuine card hustler game. There are variations such as 3 Disc Monte used a lot in Europe as I understand. EATCT details how to do it, and even how to do some nice variations with bending the corner of the card. Ricky Jay used that on Arsenio Hall's show way back when.

If you are going to try to play this part you should really be doing the research to understand the character. Might even be advisable to e-mail someone like Daniel Madison and see if he'd impart any personal experience.
 
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