Most poker players probably take it for granted that casinos will probably have a quality set of playing cards at the table. They simply take a seat and see what cards come their way. If there’s an issue with a deck, a fresh set of cards will quickly be put in play and the action proceeds.
Quality cards may now be a luxury but in the Old West, players like Wild Bill Hickok, Doc Holliday, and even author Mark Twain faced a completely different environment. Decks were much more difficult to come by and a set of cards may be used in a saloon game for weeks on end.
This could mean bends, stains, and other markings that could help cheaters and other players more easily recognize read opponents’ cards. And, of course, knowing what cards an opponent had made your own play easier.
Some cheaters, known as “cardsharps,” took advantage of the same decks being used for long periods of time even more. Dark and smoky saloons and gambling houses combined with the decks’ poor production quality, favored unscrupulous players.
“Needle tips were delicately soldered to rings, then used to punch holes in well-camouflaged spots in the aces,” author James McManus notes in the Cowboys Full: The History of Poker. “The banks of certain cards were deftly marked or stained in precise locations – difficult enough to begin with, but especially so when the marks had to be accurately applied, read, and remembered amid the kaleidoscope of badly, lit fast moving action.”
Cheating at the Table
Mark Twain saw plenty of this as a young man aboard steamships along the Mississippi River. He became a player himself, but also noted the prevalence of cheaters who used mark cards and other methods to separate passengers from their hard-earned money.
“Poker would, presumably, have been a part of Twain’s frontier world and there is every indication that he knew the game well,” says Dr. Peter Messent, former head of American and Canadian Studies at the University of Nottingham (UK) and author of the book Mark Twain and Male Friendship. “Certainly its rituals would have suited his liking for male companionship and for the good talk to be had there.”
However, the cheaters made a real impact on him on the young riverboat pilot who would go on to become one of the country’s greatest authors. The cardsharps often worked in teams and Twain seemed to pity some of those taken advantage of.
The story “The Professor’s Yarn” from his book Life on the Mississippi features a poker tale revolving around a rancher who gets swindled (although there is a surprise ending) aboard a ship bound for California.
Better Cards & Security Measures
Certainly today’s quality cards, such as those produced by Copag, make marking and bending decks much less common. Although cheating will never fully go away, today’s decks make it harder.
Dealers and card room staff are also more vigilant in watching for cheating as well. The wide availability of new decks also makes it easy to replace marked decks more quickly – along with better interior lighting and security cameras.
Playing cards and poker have certainly come a long with since the days of Doc Holliday and Wild Bill, and players should be grateful. Hopefully the game is now more about player skills than marked cards and cheating.
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Written By: Sean Chaffin