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John (Fast Jack) Farrell LIVE (Penguin LIVE)


All the real work, and incredible stories, from his fifty years as a professional hustler. SUPPORT LIVE MAGIC. DOWNLOAD THE FULL LECTURE TODAY.
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"John “Fast Jack” Farrell is an extraordinary card and dice mechanic with a lifetime of astounding gambling adventures. Jack is also the perfect gentleman with a willingness to share his knowledge, which is like hitting the lottery for anyone who finds fascination in the world of crooked gambling. Whether it be the moves, tricks of the trade, or psychological angles, here’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from a true master of his craft. This project is a dead cinch to become a classic that will be treasured by magicians, gambling junkies, and sleight-of-hand enthusiasts for a very long time!" - Steve Forte, Gaming Expert

Who is he?

The last of the old-time dice and card “mechanics” recounts his colorful adventures in and outside the mob running crooked dice and card games all over the country and world. Think Good Fellas meets The Sting. “By pretending to brush some lint from my shoulder I had communicated to my partners that it was time for us to ‘brush’—time to get the hell out of there.” All full-time card and dice hustlers had secret hand signals and spoken codes that enabled us to communicate with each other, even when we were surrounded by unsuspecting players.

From the East Coast to the West Coast, if you were a true full-time hustler this code was part of your arsenal. It was a national code known to only the full time scuffs. We called it the ‘office‘. And they call Jack Farrell “Fast Jack” for a reason, too. For a generation he was the premier dice “mechanic” in the business, a whiz at setting up marks and turning casino nights, clambakes and social gatherings into a piggy bank for himself and his partners. Fast Jack grew out of the era before mega-casinos and easy credit, where cash was still king and gambling took place in basements, kitchens and storerooms. After learning the game at the tender age of twenty-two, Fast Jack wrote plenty of the rules and rewrote the rest of them, becoming a household name amid the circles in which he traveled.

His true-life story reads like a who’s who of the mob’s last hurrah, as he walks the fine line between dollars and sense in the final days before federal indictments became as plentiful as playing cards. From rigging and switching dice to magnetized Craps tables, from running a foolproof horse betting scam to rigging a cold deck, from the Super Bowl to the Kentucky Derby and New York to West Germany, Fast Jack left a trail of marks in his wake that shared the dubious distinction of being played by the very best. A hustler extraordinaire who understood the mindset and sensibility it takes to tilt the odds squarely in his favor while always living to roll another day.

Along the way, he brushed elbows with the likes of John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Joe Louis and Jake LaMotta and enjoyed dealings with the infamous Five Families of New York and the New England mob. The Mechanic peels back the curtain to provide a seldom seen view of the professional hustler. A story of greed as well as compassion, vengeance and redemption, pathos combined with real danger. Because in the world of Fast Jack Farrell, the last hustler, you’re only as good your last roll of the dice, and he was the best ever. “

It is rare that a mechanic divulges his methods. It is even rarer that he does so publicly. Get ready for a unique experience...  Don't miss it!

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Customer Reviews (showing 1 - 10 of 17)
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The Real Deal Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on April 20th, 2017
If you're truly interested in not only how a professional cheat operates, but how he thinks- this lecture cannot be missed. This is not simply an exposure of sleights and ruses with cards and dice with no context, it is an in depth exposition on how these things were implemented by Mr. Farrel and his compatriots in the day. This tour of the hustler's world is expertly guided by Mr. Tom Gaudette, who makes sure that Jack Farrel doesn't forget to pass along techniques (and events, and great stories) that will simply blow you away. No matter your level of expertise, you will learn things that will make you say, "I wouldn't have thought of that in a million years!" I know I did.

Jack Carpenter
7 of 8 magicians found this helpful.
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One of the best! Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on April 20th, 2017
Right from the get go Mr. Farrell draws you into his world. His combination of technique and storytelling makes for the perfect lecture format. Although "up in years" his hands still dance with cards and dice, the product of decades of practice. I can honestly say I was unfamiliar with his work before this lecture. And by the end I readily admit I have a new hero! Within 24 hours of watching this I purchased his book online, and watched the movie "Yonkers Joe" that he mentions a few times during his video. I can't recommend this lecture enough, even if you never do a thing with cards or dice, his stories of "back room gambling" and Vegas from years gone by is well worth the price!
5 of 6 magicians found this helpful.
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Extraordinary Report this review
Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on April 18th, 2017
If you could only see one Penguin Live, look no further - this is it. Here is a mix of extraordinary moves and extraordinary memories by an extraordinary man. Thank you so much for this Mr Farrell.
5 of 6 magicians found this helpful.
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John (Fast Jack) Farrell LIVE - fantastic! Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on April 20th, 2017
I have an interest in the things that really happened in the days where "advantage play" might have been called "cheating." Mr. Farrell's Lecture delved into the milieu that was gambling in the time when it was common.

Aside from a fine and talented individual, Mr. Farrell imparted a sense of what it was like to make a living as a gambler or hustler. He also was humorous and serious; this is as real as I have seen. One cannot leave out the gentleman with him (I hope I have this name right) Tom Gaudette, who added much with his commentary.

I read Mr. Farrell's book and saw the movie. Seeing the man in person, his precision, and most importantly hearing about the era added realism, feel, and humanity to his story.

For anyone with even a slight interest in this topic, this is a must see.
4 of 5 magicians found this helpful.
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Fascinating Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on November 14th, 2017
I could listen to Jack for hours on end!! His flawless technique and explanations of how card mechanics and dice hustlers operate is simply fascinating. There is so much to learn here. In Darwin Ortiz"s book, Gambling Scams, he discusses the number of private gambling houses on the East Coast and how suckers would get separated from their money by guys like Jack Farrell. It was hard for me to understand this "underground gambling culture" and how it was organized. Well... Jack Farrell puts it in perspective and shines a bright light on the techniques, misdirection, props, signaling and partnering of the hustling community. What makes this lecture so interesting is how he accents the techniques with real-world stories on how this life was dangerous and life threatening. He could be a character from "Goodfellas"!! Great display of technique and super-interesting stories from a man who did hustling for BIG MONEY for 50 years. His displays of cold-deck switching and dice switching is jawdropping. The fact that he would carry 11 sets of dice in various spots in his coat and vest to carry out switches was amazing. A ton of material is covered and I highly recommend it. Terrific lecture!!
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
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John (*Fast Jack) Farrell Live Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on April 29th, 2017
This is a terrific download. Fast Jack is the real deal. If you perform any gambling material you will want to download this lecture.
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
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Jack Farrell Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on April 26th, 2017
Many thanks to Tom Gaudette (and Gary Plants) for introducing and facilitating this highly interesting and illuminating talk/demonstration, by John (Fast Jack) Farrell, to the magic community. This video provides and preserves an important oral history of a seldom (if ever) explored aspect of Americana — the life, times, and techniques of a professional card and dice mechanic. While the video straddles the crossroads of magic and hustling, it does not present glamorous and polished moments of infotainment as so often seen in performances of so called "gambling experts." Rather it is a fascinating exposé of the hard reality of Jack's education and journey to the elite levels of card and dice hustling. Jack explains the card and dice moves that earned him the money; more importantly, he puts them in the context of the actual situations in which he was involved. If Penguin had just presented the stories that Jack tells, it would have been a gold mine. If Penguin had presented just the demonstrated techniques, it would have been a gold mine. This video is a double gold mine!
2 of 3 magicians found this helpful.
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Mind Blowing! Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on April 25th, 2017
You don’t have to be a card/diceman or ‘into’ gambling and cheating techniques and history to get a thrill out of this lecture. Fast Jack takes you into a world, a world he knows as good as anybody. You won’t want to take a break while watching this one. Just like his book is a page turner, this lecture has you on the edge of your seat.
2 of 3 magicians found this helpful.
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Amazing Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on July 1st, 2017
An amazing compilation of gambling cheats employed in real life games. Jack also tells interesting stories on the way, and the second part of the lecture is focused on dice, which i don't think you can find anywhere else. He doesn't go too deep into the first technique he teaches with cards, but if you explore it for yourself, you will really appreciate how simple yet amazing the technique he teaches is, and a vast amount of possibilities open up that would otherwise require years of practice with false deals.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
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View Behind the Veil Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on May 8th, 2017
Hustler, Mechanic, Conman, Sharpie, whatever you term you use, Fast Jack is the real deal. Fascinating look at high stakes private and casino gambling that most of us would never even hear about. His Dice switch and cold decking demos were worth 10 times the price. Even if you never use a technique the stories he relates are worth every penny.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
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