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Tom Gaudette New user 32 Posts |
Since those here have a passionate interest in crooked gambling, please refer to the the link below for a 3 plus hour lecture on the subject by Fast Jack Farrell. The testimonial by Steve Forte says it all.
This lecture covers the various techniques and psychology used by Fast Jack in rough and tumble games, the underground casinos which he ran in NYC and legitimate casinos for over 50 years. What makes this lecture unique are the discussions of how the moves are used and many anecdotes are included as illustration. As you will see, Jack's dice work and knowledge is second to none. Jack's thoughts on natural sleight of hand execution can be applied to sleight of hand magic. As Jack is fond of saying, he handles things like a sucker. http://www.penguinmagic.com/p/7992 |
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SimonCard Special user 601 Posts |
I think I'm gonna get this one.
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dapo24 New user 57 Posts |
I'm buying it for sure <3
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SimonCard Special user 601 Posts |
Did anyone see this yet? I bought it but haven't got a chance to watch it yet. I don't bother to watch it on time since it's not real live lecture anymore.
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jjsanvert Special user Paris, France 581 Posts |
I got it. I think it is great.
JJS
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slim23 Veteran user 309 Posts |
Hey!
I think the lecture is great with a lot of interesting stuff! Some techniques are from a time gone by as the procedures for poker has changed over the years but I think you can get a quick of Jack's idea and way of thinking. He is 80 years old and he can still handle a deck of cards! His crimp move and the fact he puts the deck to cut right in front of the guy is such a awesome tip! That's what I mean by a guy that was thinking outside of the box. His knowledge of dice is unsurpassed and he still has the chops. I asked me him after the lecture if he had practised his coolers because I thought they looked smooth on tv and he said he never practises anymore. I guess it's become second nature to him. I am telling you guys, it is a must and I think anyone interested in cheats and hustling in gambling has to watch. Of course, I have to say my opinion may be biased because I am the one that made the belly strippers for his Gin demo. Jack has shared a lot of stories with me and has helped me with my business (and still does) so I consider him a mentor and a friend. But make an opinion for yourself and check it out. I doubt you will be disappointed. Cheers, Slim |
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jjsanvert Special user Paris, France 581 Posts |
I fully agree. The 3 (yes, THREE) coolers are great, the dice work is great, the tailoring lecture is great, the memories are great.
If you only had one Penguin Live to get, look no further - this is it.
JJS
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Cagliostro Inner circle 2478 Posts |
Did get chance to see the lecture and in a couple of days when I get back to town and have a chance to write a little I will make some comments. Since I was "active" during that era, I can directly related to much of what Farrell describes although he was more "rough and tumble," which was quite dangerous and I was involved with casino and private game country club crowd type hustling.
But will make some comments since I can directly relate to much of what he does and knew some of the people. Would be interested if others who have seen this lecture would add some input even if they feel they are pretty green to all of this. I can't believe only three people commented on this so far. |
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Peterson Regular user 159 Posts |
Well, I saw the lecture and I felt green, that is the reason why I held back my opinion.
My thoughts: 1. First of all, in order to soften some critique that will come, I want to note, that the guy is obviously the real deal and the lecture is worth every penny. 2. There are a lot of things that are debated on this forum and are considered foolish by some and Jack himself shows some of those things. For example: *) Running singles when stacking in the hands *) Exposing half of the deck when setting up the crimp I would like to hear more comments on this from folks who are more educated on this stuff. 3. Obviously jack is a dice expert and the main focus of the lecture is dice. Jack shows his go to dice switch and talks about different stories that help the viewer to understand the ideology and the problems that can be aroused when switching dice. Jack shares his solutions in overcoming those problems and that in itself is neat. 4. I might be wrong, but Jack mentions something on punch, and he says that it is pretty bad method and can be easily felt by others, and that is the reason to avoid it. I would like someone to elaborate on that statement, because there is a huge chunk of history, which positions punch as something more valuable than Jack's comment. In addition to cards, most of the time when I was looking at Jack, I thought that he would screw up his stack or shuffle, because of the way he handled cards, and to my surprise it was not the case. In sum - obviously great lecture and should be viewed by all who visit the Gambling spot. |
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CoffeeBeans New user Germany 39 Posts |
I enjoyed it immensely as well! I'm definitely too green to comment in any depth, but what I found best about the lecture was the stories.
This isn't a lecture teaching moves, it's just exposing them, and giving you an idea of how they used to be used under fire. |
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Gary Plants Special user 549 Posts |
I'm anxious to hear your thoughts Cag.
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camron Regular user 160 Posts |
I watched the lecture and picked up some tips, in particular the psychology behind his poker stack and having a sucker cut at the crimp.
I didn't come to the lecture just looking for moves. The stories kept me captivated, I could've listened to hours more. Another thing I took away is age doesn't men anything. Jack was smooth as hell and had me watching some of the techniques over and over. Peterson, in an actual game the half deck crimp would probably not be as pronounced. I've seen a method or two in various books that are similar to Jack's idea. In the case of punched cards, he mentioned using them to identify cards in the shoe. The method he explained is cleaner/sufficient than having to feel for information. I'm pretty sure he said the peg could be seen and that's why he used the other method. I would also like to thank Gary Plants for helping arrange this interview/lecture.... You've done and continue to do a lot for the community. Thank you Gary. Justin |
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Gary Plants Special user 549 Posts |
Thanks Justin. I'm very happy to hear that you enjoyed the video and thanks for the kind words.
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chappy Special user 764 Posts |
If you have not yet seen it, I hope I can offer a few reasons that you should.
Over the years I’ve seen plenty of debate about what works and what doesn’t, what’s important and what isn’t, but often opinions are too heavily influenced or too quickly dismissed by personal experience of very specific conditions. Farrell is a living example of what it takes to be a successful ...er...operator! Magician, Tom Gaudette accompanies John “Fast Jack” Farrell, his purpose as John puts it to activate his memory. Tom provides prompts throughout the lecture, including at the very beginning where Farrell explains that much of the work he is sharing is no longer in use today, and he provides a few examples as to why. Tom does a great job of helping extract extra details within John’s descriptions. Tom also mentions that thanks are owed to Gary Plants for his part in making this happen, so thank you Gary. Folks here know that moves are only a small part of a successful play in any gambling scenario, but there is a reason that much of the material available on gambling techniques focuses on individual moves rather than on the big picture of how everything comes together: because it is much easier to describe one small aspect than exactly how the whole thing works. For those seeking an insight into how all of the separate parts come together you’ll need to study this lecture over and over to piece everything together in the right order. For astute viewers though, this lecture contains a TON of information in great detail. I think that this IS a teaching lecture. Along with his book, the work is all there for anyone to extract. Here's a very small snippet of what it covers: Farrell describes the basic mechanics of a run-up with a few interesting examples of its application, moving through overhand techniques in Poker and Hold’em, through Gin and other games including a faro run-up technique, and some bits on false shuffles and cuts, hops, crimps, and so forth. After some info on using strippers, he moves onto cold decks, then dice where he goes into a lot of detail including tailoring of his custom suits, aprons, magnet holdouts, surface preparation, running private games, using the stick/cane, and along the way shares not only choreography of moves but also of entire plays albeit sometimes in a roundabout way, along with some great stories. I quite like the fact it’s not always put together in an order that those without prior knowledge would easily understand, and that some work is necessary. For example, if you look at the run-up near the start, you'll see how he goes straight into the “move” rather than the surrounding context and necessary set-up required to use the play successfully. This is because Farrell shares the information in a way that makes sense to him, and also because he is essentially lecturing biographically, by beginning with the first thing he was taught. While he skips huge chunks of information sometimes during his explanations, he does eventually divulge almost everything across many small and almost incidental remarks throughout the lecture while covering a range of topics. If it seems like he finishes on a topic before explaining important parts, he generally covers other relevant information at a later point in the lecture. If you’re looking for information on how the cards made their way to the bottom in the first place for a run-up you’ll find details at 11:30, 12:20, 12:55, 20:45. How about when to actually do the move in the context of what is happening during a game, see 12:31, 1:34:56. What about the different roles each crew member plays, see 33:50, 134:30, 135:10, 135:40. Beating the cut, (15:10), signalling (11:50, 35:02, 43:30), bypassing anti-cheating precautions (19:45, 32:00, 139:52), cleaning up (136:15), the importance of being natural, reading people and of avoiding suspicion (23:25, 54:28, 57:38, 142:30) and so forth. This is the pattern of the lecture, but all of the information is there. Of course John goes on to cover essential things such as the importance of knowing how to play well legitimately, when and why to use cards with work, distraction techniques, who set up the games and dozens of other things, which as I said, provide most of the whole picture, provided you take time to put it all together in the right order. Farrell often tips only one or two examples of a concept or gambit, or explains examples that only pertain to specific conditions but a lot can be taken by taking those small parts and putting them together or applying them to other conditions. John Farrell is around eighty years old. If you were to focus on his technical handling too closely, well.... you would certainly learn a few things, but you might miss the more important things that clearly illustrate why he was such a successful operator for fifty years. I thoroughly enjoyed the format, his stories and the wealth of detailed information that you simply won’t find anywhere else. Thank you John "Fast Jack" Farrell.
FARO FUNDAMENTALS, DETAILS OF DECEPTION and THE DEVIL'S STAIRCASE at www.thedevilsstaircase.com
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fastjack711 New user 11 Posts |
I am overwhelmed and humbled by the gracious comments from you people. I make no excuses for how I made a living for over fifty years but to be honest, I loved every minute of it, but ,to be truthful , if I had a choice I would not repeat it. Having said that and having lived in the shadows of a sub-culture for over fifty five years where getting a pat on the back, hearing the words of ,job well done or hearing or receiving any form of accolades was non-existent,it is foreign to me receiving your kind words .As my journey of life is in the home stretch I am amazed by the caliber of people that I have met ,especially the people that embrace the craft and art of magic.
At anytime, I am open for your questions and will answer each question with sincerity and truthfulness. Thanking you all once again for your gracious comments. PITCH TILL YOU WIN, fast jack |
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SimonCard Special user 601 Posts |
@fastjack711
Dear Mr. Farrell. Welcome to the forum. I really appreciate that you are willing to share your stories and techniques. Thank you. |
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MVFAN Regular user 126 Posts |
Welcome Fast Jack,
One question. You mentioned in your YouTube video about a movie script being written about your life. How is that progressing? Thank you for your Penguin lecture and book. Both "Double George". |
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fastjack711 New user 11 Posts |
MVFAN,
The script is written , the only issue is the investors- your a fast learner with that ,double george,,, thanks for your interest,, |
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Bobbycash Special user Australia 694 Posts |
It was a great lecture, I ended up ordering the book after it.
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IanKendall Special user Edinburgh 571 Posts |
I'm working my way through it. So far, resisting the urge to jump forward to the dice work
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