The Magician and the Cardsharp

Dai Vernon (June 11, 1894 – August 21, 1992) was a Canadian magician. His expert sleight-of-hand technique and extensive knowledge garnered him universal respect among fellow magicians and the nickname of The Professor.

He was born in Ottawa as David Frederick Wingfield Verner.The Professor and the still vexing mystery of “The Expert at the Card Table,” by the so-called “S. W. Erdnase” is one of the great stories in the world of playing cards. Erdnase’s book was originally sub-titled, “Artifice, Ruse and Subterfuge at the Card Table: A Treatise on the Science and Art of Manipulating Cards”.

“Artifice, Ruse and Subterfuge at the Card Table”(!)

The magic of language is the most potent magic of all…

For further reading, I recommend the incredible book, “The Magician and the Cardsharp: The Search for America's Greatest Sleight-of-Hand Artist”, by Karl Johnson. The book is about Vernon’s quest to find a quasi-mythical card mechanic who could allegedly deal imperceptibly from the middle of the deck in a live game of poker.

But Johnson goes far beyond that obsessive quest and in the process, he has written a book for the ages.

I will not give any more away. Buy the book!