I'm gonna have to go with Steve Forte. If you guys ever watch the 52 section of the Gambling Protection Series you'll know what I mean.

Just like to add this to the topic of "best living card mechanic".

In my past, I was doing this for a living. So, being PRETTY, and SHARP, were two terms, that I practiced hours, and hours a day NOT TO BE.

In other words, all my moves, I praticed so I can make them SLOPPY and therefore, I would be OUT OF SIGHT. When I made a move, the people don't know what hit them. In my opinon, that is the ultimate test of how good a mechanic you are. Also, pretty card handling was a NO-NO.

I have went to extremes at times, but I prefered not to go to extremes. When I went to extremes, my cover is at risk of being blown, and that would be the difference in making the money or not. Or the difference in being able to play at this game for the next year, or being told I can't play any more.

To be able to handle the cards in a way, that NOBODY even has the slightest idea that you are good, IMO, is one of the criteria of being a good mechanic.

I recall in my early years, when nerves played a big part in my ability to manipulate the deck. I recall one time, I had to excute, but my hands were shaking.. I said to myself, I got to do this. I had practice hours and hours, doing this move..But, now was the real thing, real people, real money, and real danger. I recalled exactly what I did like it was yesterday. I PUT ALL MY MONEY IN THE POT. That was a messge to my inner self, that if I don't perform, I am will be broke. and being broke, meant, the bills don't get paid, and I don't eat.

I picked up the deck, and dealt three of the most beautiful seconds that anybody has ever saw!! (patting myself on the back). Also, along with physical excution of the moves, there is also a mental-bond that a mechanic has to have/make with the players in the game. That is a must, and goes along with the skills of a mechanic. The mechanic has to know what people know about him/her at all times. After excuting the seconds, I set the cards down before I dealt myself the card on top the deck and went through the motion of looking at my hole card. I was waiting for some assurance from the other players that I had not be detected.. Then I heard the reward coming from one of the players "come on, give yourself your card". I smiled, knowing that I was completly out of sight. So, with the deck sitting on the table, I took one hand and took the card and laid it on my hand. That made me a straight in the game of 5 card stud..

Once again, from my real life point of view, the real beauty of a mechanic is being stealth!! Being able to excute on others and others don't even have the slightest clue of what is going on, is the real test skill.

ceh

Cool story ceh. I have a question. If mechanic is th term for the card handler...was their a term for the guy that got fed hands? Thinking of a partner game here.

Now, you have to school me! What are "fed hands"???

Like I was a mechanic, I ran up hands, dealt seconds, and marked the cards. I could do all this on the fly. I prefered to use as less weapons as needed to get the job done. And the job was to win the money without anybody being the wiser. The latter part was more important than the former.

There were other card hustlers would swing out and/or hold out with cards. We called them "swing artists"..My expertise was being a mechanic.

I have played with partners..Usually I prefer to play alone. Partners never understood the importance of being STEALTH. Partners have almost got me hurt too because of that. and most of the time, partners didn't have class or expertise.

Yes, I was a card mechanic to a high degree and my goal was to win the money, but I also was a gentlemen with plenty of class too.

ceh

ceh, eostresh is asking what you called your partner if you worked with one. You know, the mechanic runs up the hand, and deals it to his partner, who takes the money. I think I've heard the term "takeoff man" but I don't think it really matters.

I may be wrong, but the way I read you, seems like you worked single-o.

EDIT: should have read your whole reply, considering you already explained how you worked.

Yes, when I said "fed hands" I meant dealt good hands to. So if you were at a game with a partner you wouldn't always be dealing yourself good hands, the partner would "look" like the big winner. Anyways, I realize you didn't work with partners much but if you happen to know the slang term for the non-mechanic half of the team that would be great.

Just to clarify, the reason I ask is to help write some patter for a gambling demo I am working. It is a shuffling problem in which I tell the spectator that they will play the part of the partner and they get to choose the number of hands being dealt as well as which hand will win.

Anyways if you guys happened to have a term for that guy it would be good to know it. @Splice-thanks. Take-off man "sounds" good enough for my purposes. I have been calling him the "bully" but I think that is actually the term for the Ace of Spades.

You are correct, 98% of the time, I am work by myself. Not bragging, but it was kinda of hard to find somebody playing on my level. My level consisted of being COMPLETELY STEALTH. Other players didn't have that trait, some didn't care. Also, two are easier to catch than one..

I will tell you this, card machanics did have a UNIVERSAL SIGNAL. This signal applies to all games and all situations. The flat hand palm done meant NO, that could mean don't bet, it meant no. The balled up fist meant "YES", such as raise the pot, stay in the pot, etc..

Like I said, partners make it easier for you to be discovered.

Story coming.

This happened about 30 years ago. I have a couple REAL CLOSE FRIENDS. Okay, those friends know what I can do, and most of the time backed me, and found me games. One of these close friends had a brother who was working with a couple WELL KNOWN BANDS. Every so ofter the brother would call and tell my friend to put me on a plane and send me to where the band was playing. Because on payday, the band, singers and dancers would all play poker..Oh yeah this was real sweet. I was knocking them to their knees and having big fun..

The money would be split 3 ways. The two brothers got 1/3, and I got the 1/3. It got so good, that the brother who was working with the company managing the band, got a me makeshift job so I could travel with the bad. Talk about the wolf traveling with chickens, that is what it was.

Every weekend, I was winning a ton of money, and having fun all week. Nobody was the wiser in teh game. Now, if you noticed, I said the brother was a CLOSE friend, and being a close friend, know what I am doing. Now, the brother that I am with, the one that is taking me around also knows how good I am. He didn't need to do anything. You know he almost got me hurt big time, and messed up the whole thing.

What happen was this. I got full control of the game. That means I am in command, and winning the money in a way that is acceptable to the players. I don't need any help whatsoever! This brother who got me in the game, had the gall to get in the game and try a move!! He was DETECTED RIGHT AWAY, AND everybody put two and two together, although nobody ever saw me do anything, but they knew I was winnning all the time, we got thrown out. No we didn't get hurt, but my cover was blown.

That is what partner would do for you..Now, I always had backers, and people that knew were games were at. But, playing with another player wasn't my cup of tea. Most other players didn't understand the IMPORTANCE OF BEING STEALTH. Most of the time, other players had jobs, if they didn't win, they still going to sleep and eat. This was my job and I know that being stealth, got me the money, and it kept me safe..

Didn't mean to run it..

So you were a thief?


-Widding

He was an artist dude!
I love that story. Keep kicking around in my mind what bands were big 30 years ago.

Eat Me...

Now, for your next question..

Thief is a relative term. I mean, isn't just as bad to let someone undeserving keep all that money? Not to mention, you know when a thief hits, but an artist slips under the radar.


CEH, great answer.

Don't bother with that [edited], I always run into DIPCHITS every now and then. Mostly JEALOUSY is their main ingredient.

They were well known bands/groups, in fact I know one of them is still going on, and their music is still up for sale..

Always got a story.. I played in the Capitol too. Yeah, the Capitol in Washington DC... It was a Post Office Game. One of my buddies worked for the Post Office, and he eased me in. That was a thrill. In the Capitol and taking off the money...

Thanks, let me tell you of how I felt when I was just starting out..

I had some offers to be taught before because peeps would say I had some natural ability ( quick thinking) playing card games. But, no, I I said I would like to learn to keep it off of me. One day I am at a game, and I noticed a lady slipping cards in her lap. Later on, when she was away from the table, I told her I saw what she did, and was wondering why and respectable lady like she was would do such a thing. Sheesh, she told me "all is fair in love and gambling".. Not only that, in later years I saw all kinds of so call respectable people doing sloppy things to get the money.

In one of my earliar posts, I mentioned, I always was respectful and a gentleman. Since my skill was on a high order and performed in meticalusly, people that were sharp enough to catch it, were smart and respectfull enought to appreciate the skill, and would not SCREAM..

Let me state that again. Anybody sharp enough to see what I did, was cool enough not to holler, and a lot of times game me a thumbs up. Such as, giving an athelete the thumbs up when they make an expert play.. Also, anybody that gave me the sign they knew what was happening, I replied back that they COULD NOT LOSE in this action. That is what I called being a gentlemen, and that carried me through decades of playing without any problems.. It is called respect.

Also, to get a good as I was, in my learning years, I played other players too, sometimes they beat me, and sometimes I beat them, it was an outwitting game. However, after my learning years, I reached what a Karate fighter would call ten degree black belt. On top..Anything that came before me after my learning years, it was I win or a draw. And draws didn't come up that much.

But, playing other players, put a real sharp edge my skill. Along with my mechanic skills, their was a great deal of cunning to be learned, feeling for openings, and feeling danger too.

So you're saying that sometimes people caught you and didn't say anything because they appreciated the skill?
That sounds like the biggest piece of BS I've heard in a long time, there is no way that people will be fine with losing their money to a cheat, the second someone will notice something funny about your game they'll call you out, just like even the most mannered people in the world will let a magician know that they saw the secret.
If a cheat gets caught he either gets kicked out of the game or gets beaten up by the other players.
So unless the games you've been talking about were Bridge games at senior homes, there's no way someone would let you keep playing after catching you cheat.
Don't try lying to magicians next time.

Why would you beat up somebody cutting you in on the action?


Personally I could care less if it is a tall tale or a true tale as long as it is a good tale.