The Sharper Detected and Exposed

The book begins with the author's argument that exposing sleight-of-hand will protect the public and aid magistrates, then collects anecdotal accounts and classifications of professional gamblers and confidence men operating in private and secret gaming-houses. It recounts episodes of duping, initiation of sharpers, ruinous schemes, and the interplay of dupers and duped, and it examines social tactics used to entrap victims. A substantial technical section systematically describes cheating methods—false cuts, substitutions, marked and doctored cards, rigged shuffles, and concealment devices—and concludes with practical precautions, examples of game-specific frauds, and minor social ruses to watch for.