Charlatan

Issues 1 to 10

1999-2005
Written by Karl Fulves
Work of Various
132 pages (Stapled), published by Selfpublished
Illustrated with drawings by Joseph K. Schmidt
Language: English
84 entries
Cover photograph
Creators Title Comments & References Issue Year Page Categories
Bob Friedhoffer Cup Con two nested plastic cups, problem is to separate them without touching, different presentations
 		1 1999 1
Karl Fulves Charlatan
1 1999 2
Karl Fulves Wrong Game
  • There Was A Crooked Man
cards turn over one by one to display a poker hand, backs change color, then faces change into better hand, credit information on packet tricks
Inspired byRelated to 1 1999 3
Sam Schwartz Back Flip Count six-as-four count
 		1 1999 4
Karl Fulves Machine Secrets on the beanshooter holdout, different handlings
 		1 1999 7
Karl Fulves Passing The Buck
  • handshake combinatorics puzzle in which a bill is transferred
  • on the bill-catching bet, thread
 		1 1999 12
Mel Bennett Coasters winning strategy for betting game with Ace through Seven or seven numbered coaster
Inspired by 2 2000 13
Karl Fulves House Money
  • Art Of The Steal
chip short changing strategy with the dealer
 		2 2000 16
Joseph K. Schmidt Rail Shot proposition pool bet, trick shot
 		2 2000 17
Karl Fulves Auto Draw three-handed draw poker, combination of bottom deal with jonah card ploy
Related toVariations 2 2000 18
William Zavis Aces Up blocking off principle, credit information
Also published here
  • The Sphinx, Vol. 49 No. 8, Oct. 1950
 2 2000 19
Karl Fulves Jump Start chosen card travels from one five-card packet to another
 		2 2000 20
Karl Fulves Clip Banker Broker Transfer
2 2000 20
Karl Fulves Matrix Poker
  • There Was A Crooked Man
spectators choose four cards face up from group of sixteen cards, values added and gag prizes for that number are handed out, Matrix Force application
Inspired byRelated to 2 2000 22
Karl Fulves Charlatan
2 2000 24
Herb Zarrow Switch Poker cards switched back and forth between two poker hands, performer wins
Inspired byRelated to 3 2000 25
Karl Fulves The Game of 13 blackjack variation as a three card monte presentation
 		3 2000 27
Karl Fulves The Secret Out
  • There Was A Crooked Man
apparent riffle stacking explanation with Aces out-jogged while doing lengthwise shuffle, Aces end up in other hand when dealing the out-jogged cards alternately with top cards
 		3 2000 28
Karl Fulves Roundabout on a bar bet in which a coin leaning against a glass must be hit away with another coin
Related to 3 2000 30
Karl Fulves Machine Secrets intro
 		3 2000 32
Karl Fulves Dice Dropper body holdout
 		3 2000 32
No-Gaff Deck Switches
3 2000 33
Karl Fulves Topit Switch
3 2000 33
Karl Fulves Pocket Gaff using a jacket hanging on a chair next to the dealer as servante
 		3 2000 34
Karl Fulves, Jack Dean Blackjack Switch cased deck switched one-handed when turning to the side, deck dropped into jacket pocket and deck under arm dropped into hand
 		3 2000 35
Seasonal Scams
3 2000 36
Karl Fulves St. Patrick's Bubbles bet about bubbles in stout beer floating downwards
 		3 2000 36
Karl Fulves Mrs. Jane Doe check scam
 		3 2000 37
Titanic Thompson Titanic's Stone Skip bet about skipping flat stones on sand
 		3 2000 37
John Scarne Heads Or - ? wobbling throw
 		3 2000 38
Glass Trap paper napkin rolled up and put in glass bottle, bottle put upside down on table, bet about removing paper napkin
 		4 2000 39
Joseph K. Schmidt Crook's Crimp setting a crimp or bridge, riffle shuffle
 		4 2000 41
Karl Fulves The 4th Die two white dice rolled, same total arranged with two red dice, one red die left open and the other three are covered, performer removes two card which, when added to the red die, add up to the same total as the three hidden dice
Inspired byVariations 4 2000 42
Martin Gardner, Charlie Miller Miller's Strip-Out push-through sequence with a straight cut, credited to Miller, letter from Martin Gardner from 1992
 		4 2000 43
J. W. Sarles Crimp Cut Aces setting bridge during tabled riffle shuffle
Inspired byVariations 4 2000 44
Karl Fulves Nu Way Crimp setting bridge during tabled riffle shuffle
Inspired by 4 2000 45
Karl Fulves Crimp Practice stranger card in a deck
 		4 2000 46
Mel Bennett Hopscotch puzzle/game in which coins have to be moved on a layout
Inspired by
  • Martin Gardner article in Parade Magazine, May 23, 1999
Related to 		4 2000 47
The Giraffe Puzzle match layout puzzle, see page 62 of next issue for solution
Also published here
  • Martin Gardner article in Games magazine, Oct. 1997
 4 2000 48
John Scarne Instant Stack three-of-a-kind is overhand stacked in five seconds, fourth card shown as kicker
Variations 5 2001 49
Karl Fulves Pair-A-Dice two-part bet with four dice
 		5 2001 52
Karl Fulves Lift Secrets on shoplifting strategies
  • Snatch & Stuff
  • Box In A Box
  • No-Gaff Methods
 		5 2001 53
Joseph K. Schmidt The Un-False Shuffle cutting sequence to lead into a top stock control, double duke application
Related toAlso published here 5 2001 55
Karl Fulves Cheating At Blackjack: The Spread
Related to 5 2001 58
Karl Fulves Amnesia Aces
  • There Was A Crooked Man
humorous stacking presentation in which Ace packet is forgotten on the table during the shuffling sequence and then put into the deck in the middle of the deal, yet Aces are found in dealer's hand
Related to 5 2001 60
Martin Gardner Three Dice Bets
5 2001 62
Robert E. Neale Con-Tainer milk carton container that is used to drop out different-colored balls for probability bets
  • The Prop
  • Handling
  • Illustrating False Odds
  • Preventing Favorable Outcomes
Related to
  • Martin Gardner's column in Scientific American, Dec. 1970
 6 2001 63
Michael DeMarco Turn Fourth variation using two red dice, two white dice and a handkerchief
Inspired by 6 2001 66
John Scarne Double Play two spectators cut deck and remember bottom card while performer's back is turned, performer shuffles, names both cards and their positions, then cuts to two Aces, risky, exploiting corner crimp property when cutting from ends or sides
 		6 2001 67
Corner Crimp
6 2001 68
Bill Reid The Gin Cheat system for cheating at gin rummy
 		6 2001 72
Joseph K. Schmidt Jump Shot trick shot bet
 		6 2001 73
Karl Fulves Don't Bet On It game in which the spectator eliminates cards based on color distribution in pairs, he always ends up with one card
Inspired byRelated to 6 2001 74
Karl Fulves Charlatan Four Card Monte casino game
 		6 2001 76
Karl Fulves Scam School long article with a collection of various cheating and scamming schemes and systems
 		7 2002 77
Karl Fulves On Short Changing Scams
7 2002 84
Karl Fulves Payphone Test
7 2002 86
Bill Jacobs Gravity Dice dice and toothpicks put in paper cup and turned over, some cling inside and fall out on command
Related to 8 2004 91
Bill Jacobs Penny Pincher thumb and finger hold cup and move in seemingly impossible way around the cup, posed as a problem
 		8 2004 93
Bill Jacobs Silver Slap coin bounced off bar to land into shot glass, coin slapped onto liquid in cup and it bounces out (posed as a problem)
 		8 2004 93
Karl Fulves The Count Of Cards two cards are pocketed from packet, performer names them, presentation about simple card counting system for blackjack
Related to 8 2004 94
Karl Fulves High-Low Count blackjack system
 		8 2004 96
Walter Rollins Chip Tip on the one-handed chip/coin faro shuffle
 		8 2004 98
Burling Hull The Pass Surpassed three-card control with crimp and honest riffle shuffle around block with selection
Also published here
  • Bulletin of Latest Sleights and Tricks, 1914
 8 2004 99
John Scarne Stock Holder performer and spectator alternately cut the deck and deal the top card to the other, performer names the cards he dealt to spectator and performer has four Aces
 		8 2004 100
Karl Fulves Envelope Illusion optical illusion in which envelope seems to small to fit a playing card, with short card-to-envelope routine
Inspired by 8 2004 102
Karl Fulves Hot Slots strategy for playing slot machines, temperature of coins that come out
 		8 2004 103
Karl Fulves The Whip Cup controlled shots with cup, ungaffed
 		8 2004 105
Martin Gardner Mate In One winning on the opening move
 		8 2004 107
Joseph K. Schmidt One Hand Ace Cutting in the hands, royal flush kicker
Inspired byRelated toVariations 9 2005 109
One Hand Thumb Drag Production thumb reaches in and drags out card
 		9 2005 111
Jerry K. Hartman Popover Move
9 2005 112
Jerry K. Hartman J. K. Hartman addition to Schmidt's routine and Popover Move usage in it
Inspired by 9 2005 113
Karl Fulves Karl Fulves addition to Schmidt's routine
Inspired by 9 2005 114
Karl Fulves The Covered Check four bets with check piece on chess board
Related to 9 2005 115
Nick Trost Bottom Deal Gilbreath two-phase deal after an honest riffle shuffle by the spectator, bottom deal demonstration and then fair deal
VariationsAlso published here 9 2005 117
Joseph K. Schmidt The Stevens Control handling of the Stevens Control
Related to 10 2005 119
Joseph K. Schmidt J.K.S. on Stevens handling of the Stevens Control
Related to 10 2005 122
Karl Fulves Little Feat cards are cut into deck with spectator
Related to 10 2005 124
Karl Fulves On-Command Stack overhand stacking demonstration with borrowed deck
 		10 2005 125
Roy Walton Reverse Motion Shift
Also published here 10 2005 127
Roy Walton Round Up two Queens lost in deck, Aces as well, Aces gather between the Queens
 		10 2005 129
John Scarne Three Seconds Later fast riffle stacking demo, combined with second deals
 		10 2005 130
Karl Fulves Cheating At Blackjack: The Ungaffed Show
Related to 10 2005 131
Data entered by Denis Behr, November 2021.