Shady Shenanigans: The Infamous Blue Book of the KC Card Company

"The only sure thing about luck is that it will change." --Bret Harte

I don't now what the numbers are today, but according to Poker Players Research there are a lot of poker players in the world. As of 10 years ago 10% of the adult U.S. population was playing poker. Of these 23 million, 15 million play online for real money and 7 million of these play online at least once a month. 5 million play for real money at least once a month in “Home Games” and 2 million play for real money at least once a month in “Private Clubs.”

When I read these statistics I can't help but wonder how many of these poker players are being fleeced by cheats.

I recently acquired a rare copy of the famous Blue Book, a gamers catalog published by the K.C. Card Co. of Chicago. The K. C. Card Co. was a legendary business that sold both crooked and straight gambling equipment. The catalog features marked and unmarked playing cards, engraved dice with varied spots and monograms types, craps lay-outs, counter magnets, casino furniture, and more.

One page shows a set of coins you can buy with one pair that always comes up heads, one pair always tails and one straight pair. "I'll bet you $100 I can spin this coin and make it come up heads three times in a row." The only skill needed is the ability to do a sleight of hand switcheroo using a bit of misdirection.

As I page through the catalog I half wonder how many poker players who are aware of the variety of ways the crooks can empty your wallet.

The K.C. Card Co. was probably the most famous company that sold marked cards and crooked die. They also sold belly stripper decks (slightly shaved cards), bugs, Kepplinger Holdout devices, and many other things that could be used for magic but were mostly for cheating. Long before I was aware of this company I had a couple decks that were both shaved and marked.

So the Blue Book is kind of a Sears Catalog for magicians and crooks. You would select the products you wanted, fill in the order form and send it by mail. A couple weeks later you're in business. The catalog also had an extra supplement that offered more expensive things like card trimmers and other things that allowed you to make your own gaffs.

This particular catalog, the 1961 edition, is special because it was the last one the company printed before the FBI raided in Chicago. Most of the catalogs of 1961 didn't get mailed that year.

Now I'm not much of a gambler, and though I've played a few hands of blackjack--once in Deadwood and once in Vegas--I have to believe that people playing private games outside of the major casinos are playing a very risky game with all the high tech cheating technology available today.

Here are a few more photos of some items in the catalog, and at the end a link to all the pages.

Terry Roses showed me the ropes on lenses and reading cards w/out 'em.

I don't know about you, but something tells me there are people somewhere being hustled tonight and they don't even know it. Alas. If you're in it for fun, don't bet more than you can afford to lose. 

Related Links
The K.C. Card Co. Blue Book on Flickr
An Interview with the Unexpected Gambler