The Expert at the Card Table

Description of the book

Despite his widespread influence on the magician community, the author's identity remains an unsolved mystery. Many believe his real name was E.S. Andrews (S.W. Erdnase spelled backwards). (See Gardner's Foreword, pp. vii-ix.)

Originally the author started selling the book for $2.00 in 1902 and the next year it dropped to $1.00 and he sold the rights. Although the author did not renew the copyright, the book has remained in print since 1902, albeit small private printings on occasion. The influence of this book is such that it has been issued in annotated form; translated into Japanese, German, Spanish, French, and Italian; and issued as a series of DVDs by a professional magician, demonstrating and explaining Erdnase's techniques and methods. Among numerous demonstrations of techniques described in the book, the most comprehensive reviews of the sleight of hands are the same-titled DVDs published by Allan Ackerman, Wesley James, R. Paul Wilson, Revelations series of Dai Vernon, and, most recently, Jason England's one-on-one talks. A featured show of the story of Expert of the Card Table is also performed regularly by UK magician Guy Hollingworth.

"The Professor" (Dai Vernon) is credited with popularizing this influential text in the community of professional magicians. Well past ninety years of age, Vernon was fond of quoting from it, with page numbers, when discussing card techniques with his colleagues at the Magic Castle.

In Expert Card Technique, Jean Hugard said of it, "... perhaps no other book in all the list of conjuring books has been so avidly read, so affectionately regarded." Erdnase's glossary of terms was in itself extremely influential, and has been reproduced more or less directly by numerous authors, including Hugard, and Henry Hay.

The book is divided into sections. Each section describes individual card manipulation techniques. This article will describe the sections in précis form.

Foreword, Preface, and Introduction

Martin Gardner wrote the foreword to the 1995 edition. S. W. Erdnase's preface and introduction from the 1902 edition follow.

Card Table Artifice

Professional Secrets begins Erdnase's general discussion of card play with emphasis on card manipulation for the advantage of the reader, magician or card sharp.

Technical Terms

Erdnase defines important specialty words and topics to be used throughout the remainder of the text.

Erdnase System of Blind Shuffles

Sixteen shuffles and card cutting techniques are explained. Those are divided among eight subsections on different types of shuffles and cuts, with illustrations.

Bottom Dealing

The technique of bottom dealing is explained, with illustrations.

Top and Bottom Dealing with One Hand

The technique of bottom dealing is explained. Illustrations omitted.

Second Dealing

The technique of second dealing is explained, with illustrations.

Ordinary Methods of Stocking, Locating, and Securing

Techniques of arranging the order of the cards in the deck are explained, with illustrations. This is referred to as "stacking the deck" in modern terms. As Erdnase uses the terms, the "stock" is the portion of the full deck that has been "stacked" with "culled" cards.

Stock Shuffle

Techniques of arranging the order of the cards in the deck, while shuffling, are explained, with illustrations.

Erdnase System of Stock Shuffling

Seven individual techniques are discussed in detail, with illustrations. Each technique applies to a different number of cards to be stocked, from two cards to twelve and two methods of Euchre stocking.

Erdnase System of Cull Shuffling

Four individual culling techniques are discussed in detail, with illustrations. Each technique applies to a different number of cards to be culled. Erdnase defines culling as "the act of selecting one or more cards." The culled cards may be stocked, as described earlier in the text.

Erdnase System of Palming

Five card palming methods are discussed, with illustrations.

To Maintain the Bottom Palm While Dealing

The technique is discussed, with illustrations.

To Hold the Location of Cut While Dealing Shifts

Three techniques are discussed, with illustrations.

To Ascertain the Top Cards While Riffling and Reserve Them at the Bottom

The technique is discussed, with illustrations.

Mode of Holding the Hand

The technique is discussed, with illustrations.

Mode of Skinning the Hand

The technique is discussed, with illustrations.

The Player Without an Ally

The general strategies are discussed. Eight techniques for implementing the strategies are discussed in detail, with illustrations.

Three Card Monte

Techniques for both European-style and Mexican-style three-card Monte are discussed, both honest and manipulated, from the viewpoint of the dealer, with illustrations.

Legerdemain

Twelve sections define and discuss over thirty techniques of performance magic, with illustrations. Erdnase defines legerdemain as sleight of hand with cards, as opposed to his definition of card tricks.

The techniques Erdnase presents, with illustrations, in this section are as follows:

Legerdemain (a general discussion of sleight of hand card illusions)

Card Tricks

Fifteen card tricks are discussed. Erdnase defines card tricks as including either or both sleight of hand and self-working illusion effects. The latter do not always require legerdemain for their performance.

The techniques Erdnase presents, with illustrations, in this section are as follows:

Card Tricks: Explanatory (a general discussion of card tricks)