EDDIE FECHTER'S

DICE HOLDOUT METHODS

FOR MAGICIANS
BY
JERRY MENTZER

Printed In U.S. A.

Firs t Edition

Graphics By Commugraphics Enterprises

 Copyrig ht 1974 by Jerry Mentzer

All rig hts reserved

No portion of this book, t ext or ill ustrations

may be reproduced i n any for m without writ t en
permission of t he au thor.

II III
 D~1JOO@@UD ©LrD@~
I t is a great p leasu re f or me to i ntroduce t he
work of a ma n who has played suc h an impor t ant
part i n my mag i ca l l i fe.

I first met Eddie Fec hter a t a conve nt i on in Ba­

tavia, New York. Tha t was ove r t we l ve years
ago . Durin g the nex t f ew years I wa s fo rt una te
to be able t o spe nd hundreds of hours in his
compa ny. It was durin g those ye a r s t hat I dev­
e loped a keen inte res t i n e nte rt a in i ng at the
close- up t a b le . Edd ie i s ce rtainl y re s ponsible
for th a t i nt e res t. Eve n to t his da y I perf o rm
many of h i s rou tin es exac tly as he presen ts
them.

Eddie not o nl y compl e t e ly mystifies and bew ild­

ers h is a ud i e nce -- - he entertains and p l eases
them. Edd ie1 s secret is h is perso nal ity. To
know him i s t o l ove him.

The cont en ts of t h is book are no t self work i ng ,

bu t ce rtai nl y a re wi thin the capa b il i t e s of any
seriou s s tu de nt. I wi s h everyone readin g this
boo k wo u ld have the opp or tunity to visit the
"Forks Ho tel" an d wa tch Eddie perf o rm wit h a
dice c up . Hfs execu tion of the ma t e r i al is f law­
less!

Alt hou gh t he re a re many re fe re nces in ma gic al

l iterature per t ai n i ng t o stackin g d ice wi t h a
cup, holdou t work i s re l ative ly unknow n.

I wis h to tha nk Je rry Me n tze r f or ma ki ng this

work available an d f o r Iis h i n ing the I ight" on a
man who is not on l y my dea r pers on a l fr i e nd,
but one of the fines t card, coi n, and d ice ma n­
ip ulators I have ever see n.

Mi chae l Skin ner

IV V
 OOIA\©(x{@OO@lUJ~@

Eddie Fech t er is a fi ne cl ose up magiCia n.

His For ks Hote l i n Bu ffalo, New York has featured
close up ma g i c over the bar and at the ta bl es fo r
over seve nt een years. Eddie is an e ntertai n in g
indiv idual who ge t s as much from his persona l it y
as from t he ca rd , coin and cigare t te magi c he does .

In ad di t ion to his exce l lent close up ma g ic,

Eddie has made a I i fe long stud y of the met hods of
crooked gamb le rs. His I i ght fingered exhi b i t ion s
with five d ice a nd a d ice cup are no t hi ng sho rt
of i ncred ib l e . And all wi t hout relyin g upon
specia l dice or appara tus. Ye t wh i le he knows
many skil l f ul ways t o c he at at d ice , he has ne ver
used his ab il it y to t ake adva nta ge of a he l ple ss
vic t i m. Whe ne ver a di ce hus tle r tr ied to hust le
him, howeve r, t he hustler wa s quick l y overwhe l med
by Edd ie ' s skil l. On at least one oc casi on a
hustler was bad ly beaten in suc h a dice match.

A numb e r of ye a rs ag o his work attracte d the

attention of t he "Nati onal Po l ice Gaze tte" wh ich
r an a large ar t icle repl e t e wit h photograp hs of
dice cheatin g me th od s.

This book cont ai ns most of the d ice methods

that Eddie Fechter has developed over the years.

j
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VI 1.
 Basic Informatio n - Dice Holdout Met hods

Dice i s a game that ha s in tr igued me n f or

centur ies. From the ea r l ie st pr ima t ive yea r s i n
which men cas t bones or sto nes to t odays games
with plas t ic d ice, the basi c fasci na t ion persis t s.
As in all games of c hance, some me n felt th at
cheati ng was the best way to co nq ue r Lady Luc k.
ReI ics of bygone da ys indica t e t hat men qu ickly
learned t o c he at th ro ug h t he use of s pe c ial d ice
t hat we re mi s-spott ed (" Mis-Spots ") or irre gular­
ly sh a pe d ("Shapes"). Today che at ing me thods
have evolved to a remarkable de gree. In add i t i on
to Mis-S pots and Shapes , t here are loaded d i ce,
mag ne t ic d i ce, spec i a l di ce cu ps , pre perat ions
tha t a re sme are d on the dice, an d mec hani ca l de­
vices t o swi tch fa i r d i ce f or spe cial dice, or
vice ve rsa.

Wh ile cheating with spec i al di ce has devel oped

to a great extent, such mechanical methods are
always subject t o d iscovery by anyone a l ert enough
a nd with conf id e nce enough to accuse the chea te r.
Fo r thi s reason the "el i te" of the d ice hustle rs
rarel y resort t o mechan ic a l meth od s. Instead they
control the dice through means of their ski ll i n
handl ing the dice and the dice cup.

Edd ie Fec hter has been arou nd gamblers since

he wa s f i ft ee n yea r s ol d. Wh ile Ed d i e hims el f
i s not a d ice cheat, he is ve ry knowl e dge a ble in
the wa ys of cheating with di ce. He has serious ly
studied t he wa ys gamb lers man i pula t e dice to t he i r
adva nt age a nd has, h ims el f , develope d a number of
ways of hol d i ng out d i ce s o th at one or mo re dice
ca n be contro lled to fal l as de s i re d. Ed di e prob­
ably knows as ma ny di ffe rent ways of hol d i ng out
dice as a nyone I i vi ng today.

This book is de si gned f or use by the mag ician

who wi s hes to become fam il ia r with d ice meth ods
2 3
so he can put t hem to use in lect ures regard i ng
gamblin g met hods or in de monstrations of skill.
Throughout the book , termi nology fa mi lia r to
magician s has been used in pre f e rence to terms
used by gam ble rs .
In t h is book are recorded methods of con t­
roll ing d ice wh ic h were shown to the aut hor by
Eddie Fec ht e r . Mos t of t he met hod s de s cri bed
are e i t her o ri ginal wi th Fech t er or ha ve been
mod i f ied by hi m t o f i t h is needs . When these
me t hods a re demons t rated by t heir ori g in ator,
t he re is nothi ng th at reve al s t ha t dice are
bei ng held out. To t he magi ci an look i ng f or
a n impressive s pec i al ty to add to his close
up routi ne, t hese me t hods a re wo rth cons id era ble
st ud y. They are a l s o well s u i t ed to use in an
expos e -lec t ure or crooked gamb l ing met hods.
After read i ng t hrou gh this book it should
became evide nt to t he re ade r why met hods of
th is ty pe are preferred by dice hustl e rs ove r
mec ha n ical devices. Wit h met hods depe ndi ng
upon skill, t he c rooked gamb ler neve r has t o
worry abo ut crooked dice or ot her me c hanica l
devices to i nc ri min at e hi m. By coupling a few
of t he se methods wit h ex h ib i ts of lo aded dice,
mis-spots, etc., a magi c i an ca n qu ickly c re at e
an impressive demonst r atio n.
Most of the met hods of cantrall ing dice i n­
cluded i n t h is book are " holdout" methods. In
esse nce the idea behind dice holdo ut work is
to hol d out one or more dice as the dice are
appare ntly s hake n inside a dice c up . The dice
may be kept outside the cup but held by t he
hand that shakes the cu p, i n the hand t hat isn't
shakin g the cup, or inside the cup where they
are held i n position by the ha nd doi ng the shak­
ing. In a ny case, af ter the cup has been sha ke n
4 5
the held ou t d ice a re secretly introduced back
into the c up prior t o sli d in g the dice out onto
the table or bar top. I n some ca ses , the held
out d ice are set direc t ly on t he table as t he
othe r dice are dropped from the cup. In all i n­
sta nces t he hel d out dice is controlled so that
the desired numbers are uppermos t.
It sho ul d be obvious t ha t su ch con t rol woul d
provide a sub s tan tial advan t age t o the man roll ing
the dice. In "Bar Dice l ' or " India n Dice l ' , hold­
out t ec hniq ues en ab le t he d ice c heat t o consist­
antly roll f rom one- s pot wh i ch count as Aces in
the game. In t he game of "C r aps" played wi t h
two dice, hold ou t met hods al s o of f er su bs tant ial
advan ta ge s. In I'C raps " f o r example a playe r by
controlli ng one dice to roll a f ive on the fi rst
roll ca n completely avoid t he poss ib il i t y of
" craps" and at the same ti me have one c ha nce i n
three of win ning on the f i rst rol l. On subse q­
uent rolls of the d ice, control of t he pr oper
number ca n also be of gre at benefi t. In a game
such as Backgammo n , con t rol of one of the dice
will likewise gi ve the player an advantage.
In us in g dice holdout tec hn iques the mag­
ician-demonstrator like a d ice cheat must be
aware of several factors.
(I) Angles - care should be taken that
no one is sit t ing o r standi ng in a posi t io n
that would reveal t he fact that a dice is bei ng
held out.
(2) Sound - the sound the dice make as t hey
are s haken-rn-the cup is important. Sho uld three
dice be held ou t of f i ve i n play, the fac t t hat
only two dice are sh aking i n the cup would be
noticeable to a n acu te observer. Similiar problems
exist with s ome methods of holdi ng out o ne d i ce
 (3) Re-introductio n - before roll i ng t he
dice o nto the table it is necessary to re- intro­
d uce the held out dice i nto the cup or to other­
wise make it look as if the held o ut dice came
from t he cup.
All t hese problems will be dealt wit h as
they are imp ortan t i n t he methods which f ollow.
The Equ ipme nt :
Be f o re be g i nning t o le a r n the basi c hol dou t
meth od s, the reade r shoul d be s ure he has t he
prope r t ype e qu i pment . The dice , the dice c up ,
and the s urf ace on t o whi ch t he dice wi l l be
rolle d a r e all im po rt an t fac t ors.
The Dice: Eddi e Fec ht e r us es f ive ei gt h
i nch dice wh ich ha ve rounded edges and corners.
Di ce wi th s har p ed ges ca n be pai nf ul f or pr act i ce
and c an ac t ually cut t he pe r f orme r . Fe cht er us e s
whi t e d ice. Shoul d the pe r f orme r have unusua l ly
s ma ll hands he s hou ld not hes i t at e t o use s l igh t­
l y smaller d i ce.
In the case of t he d i ce c up, however, it is l i kely
that t he hei gh t of t he c up wi ll cause more prob­
lems f o r the average performer t han will the d i a­
mete r.
The Worki ng Surf ace: For most of the holdo ut
methods descr ibe d, i t makes I it tle dif f erence
whet her t he s ur face is ha rd I ike a f ormica t able
t op, or sof t I i ke a pad de d tab l e top. In one
or two o f t he de scr ip t i ons herei n, t he su r f ace
does ma ke a di ffer ence. Where the surf ace is im­
porta nt, ment i on wi l l be made of the fact.
It is a good idea, howeve r, f or the per f ormer
to prac t i ce the ho l do ut methods on the same t ype
s urf ace on wh ic h he in t e nds t o demon s t r at e . Th i s
wil l e l i mi na t e any pro b le ms whi c h might arise due
to t he di f fer e nce i n "feel " between surf ace s of
diffe ren t t ype s.

For demonstra t ion pu rposes some per fo rme rs

ma y ele c t to use d ice of several d i f f e re nt co lo r s.
Thi s wi l l enable t he m to more ful l y i mpre ss s pec­
tat o rs wi th their ab ility t o control d ice . With
se ver a l differe nt colo red d ice the per f ormer can
a nnounce i n adva nce t hat he i s co nt roll in g for
ex amp le t he red d i ce or t he wh i t e d i ce. Thi s
will avoi d t he confu sion t hat might a ri se if
se veral wh i t e dice we re rolled and no one kn ew
wh ich of t hem was t he one actually contr olled .

The Cup: The dice c up used by Eddie Fech t er

has outside d ime ns ions of 2. 5 in c hes d i ameter
a nd 3.5 i nches h igh. Inside the cup me as ures
2.2 i nc hes a nd 2.9 i nches respectively. Agai n
if t he reader s houl d find s uch a cup too large
f or his hands, a smalle r cup cou ld be tried .
6 7.
Dice Holdout Met hod One

Th is rela t ivel y easy method ca n be qu ick l y

learned by anyone who wi l l pr ac t ice a bi t. It
is suited fo r those cases where one d ice of sev­
eral mu s t be held out a nd cont r olled. Th is met hod
i n conjunc t i on wit h met hod number t wo wi 11 ena ble
the exh Lbi to r to con trol one dice t o roll a ny
desi red number. Thi s met hod assumes that the
desired num ber is t o the s ide of the di e _v the
pe rforme r's le f t. The me t hod t hat f o llows assumes
t ha t the de sired numbe r i s at the top of one of
the d ice.

Fo r pur poses of ex pl ana t ion it will be a s s umed

t ha t in th is me t hod and a l l ot he rs, t he perf o rmer
wis he s t o con trol the one spot (A ce ) so that i t
l ands up pe rmost on t he dice. In ma ny bar d ice
game s the one s pot counts as an Ace and , t herefo re ,
is the most desi re d nu mbe r . An y other numbe r ,
of co urse, could be s imi la r l y cont r ol led . It
will be fu rt he r ass umed t hat wi th t he exce pt ion
of a coup le of methods de s cr i bed l ater , a t ota l
of f ive d i ce are in pl ay a nd thes e are to be
d r oppe d into a d i ce cup and s haken. The r eade r
will f i nd tha t mos t me t hods des c ri bed in this
book wo ul d a l s o wor k well wit h l ess t han fi ve
dice - pe rha ps as f ew as th ree dice. The ha ndl ing
of fewe r tha n f ive dice shou ld be obvious.

To beg i n me thod one , the one spot of one

die shoul d poi nt t o the pe r f or mer's lef t. The
c up is mouth up on the t ab le

(1) Pi ck up t he die th at will be held out

and hold i t i n t he r i ght han d where th e d ice i s
g ripped be t wee n the sides of the f irs t and th i rd
f inge r s as shown i n Fig ure 1. No t e th at the one
Spo t of the die is against the si de of the r i ght
f irst f i nger . Not e, t oo, th at t he d i e is not
held at t he t ip s of t he f in gers, but rather well

back on t he fi nge rs betwee n t he mi ddl e phl anges
of t he two f i ngers . The d ice is held i n th is
posi t i on th ro ughout the p i cku p of t he ot her dice
and du r ing t he shak i ng ac t ion of t he cup.
The pe rfo rmer shoul d prac t ice p ick i ng up
a d ie f r om the tab le a nd ge t tin g it i nt o t he
pr ope r gr ip us i ng on ly t he ri ght ha nd. In ac t ­
ual prac t ice , the r ig ht f i ngers are not hel d
qu i t e s o st raig ht as s how n i n Fi gure I but mo re
natu rall y i n a s l i ght ly c url ed pos i t ion.
(2) Wi th the ri ght hand pick up t wo more
d i ce a nd ho l d t hem i n the right hand as s hown
in Figure 2. Simult ane ous l y the l eft hand
picks up the re main i ng t wo dice .
@~ 1 'I.
['
~ ~
10.
3) Wit h t he le f t hand drop two dice into the
c up . Then d r op two of the r ig ht hand dice into
t he cup. Retain t he one die betwee n t he r i ght
f i r st a nd t hi rd fi nge r s . Fi gure 3 shows the rig~
hand aft e r i t has d r opped its dice.
(4 ) With t he ri ght hand hol d t he c up with
t he f irs t , second, and t hird f ingers ove r t he
mou th of t he cu p . The ri ght t humb is at t he
bot t om of t he cu p . The se cre t ly held die is
hel d i ns ide t he c up by t he r ight f i rst and t hi r d
f ingers . The die s ho ul d be immedi a t e1 y i ns ide
t he I i p of the c up . Due to t he size of h is hand,
the re ade r ma y f i nd i t di f fic u lt t o g r i p t he
cup i n t h is positio n a nd a t t he same t ime hold the
d ie i n posi t ion. If th is is a problem the reade r
s hould t ry a cup whi c h is not qu ite as hi gh .
(5 ) Wi t h t he ri gh t hand s hake the dice cu p
by movi ng the r i ght ha nd at t he wri st . The
reade r will f i nd t hat unt il he ha s prac t i ced t h is
method quite a bit , t he dice i n the cup someti mes
knoc k t he held out d ie : f rom be tween t he fi r s t and
t hird fi nger s . Wi th prac t ice, howeve r, the r i qht
f in gers de velop enoug h s t re ngth t o hold the die ~
in posi t ion
(6 ) On the last s hake of the box, release
t he die f rom between the fi r st a nd t hi rd f i nge rs
and allow t he die t o slide back into the cup
against the other dice. The die is released by
moving the third fi nger sl i~htly away from t he
cup. Prope r ly done, the die will sl ide back
in t o t he cup wit hou t rotating. The one spot will
re main uppermost .
( 7) Tra ns fer t he cup to the lef t hand a nd wi t h
the left hand slide t he dice f rom t he c up on t o t he
t a ble . By keepi ng t he edge of the c up a gai nst
the t ab le as t he c up is pu lled to t he l e tt, the
d ie that wa s hel d out will sl ide f rom t he c up
11 .
With its on spot uppermost .
2®~
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'f.3@
Dice Holdout Me t hod Two
Th is method wh ich is very similar t o method
one is useful in tha t when both it and t he first
method are master ed, they enable the performer
to control one of the d ice wi t hout havi ng to
positi on it eac h time with the one spot to t he
left prior t o picki ng it up . In t hi s case the
hand! in g beg i ns wi t h the dice lyi ng on t he table
with one dice having a one spot uppe rmos t .
(1) Wi th the right hand pick up t he die
s howin g t he one spot and cl ip the die between
the sides of the right f irst and third fingers
as in t~ previous method . The one spot in this
case is agains t the second f inger.
(2) Proceed as i n method one up t o the
point the cup has been shaken and t he die is
about to be released from the finger grip. Th is
12.
time if the first finger is moved slightly away
from the cup, t he die will rotate one quarter
from and rest one spot up inside the ri m of the
cup.
( 3) Next grip the cup with t he left hand and
layout the dice on the table as in the first
method.
Di ce Holdout Met hod Th ree
This excelle nt met hod is not qu ite s ure fire
but cer t ain l y gives the d ice ha rdIer a n adva ntage
over the normal odd s . In this met hod one die
is held out a nd controlled as the c up is sh a ken .
Then the cup is se t s mart l y mout h down on the
~ table. When I i f ted, the die tha t was controlled,
in about eighty perce nt of the case s will be
sitting on t he ta ble wi th i ts one spot uppermos t .
The method works best o n a hard sur f ace or
one tha t is c loth covered but not t oo sof t. If
t he surface is too soft or s pong y the dice will
te nd to bounce whe n laid down and t hus wil l redu ce
the perce nt age of successful throws.
As a bit of background, Eddie Fechter once
used t his met hod agains t a dice hus t ler wh o had
challenged him t o a dice mat ch a nd was che ating.
Much to t he hu stler's chagri n , Eddie qu i ckly
bested h im . When challenged by a hustler who
was try i ng to take h im Eddie d id not hes it ate
to use h is own expertise with the dice cup.
This con trol begins wi th the die to be con­
trolled lying on t he ta ble with the one s pot on the
bottom - the six s hows on top. The dice c up
should be on t he table with its mout h upward.
13.
 (1) Pick up the d ie wh ic h is t o be control­ t o say, the method can be used with othe r tha n
led and hold it be t wee n the f irs t and third fi n­ f ive d ice. It wo r ks e qually well wit h t hree or
gers as in Fi gure I. In this case, howeve r , t he four d ice i n the cup.
six s pot will be a gai ns t the second f i nger.

(2) Pick up t he ot her d ice, two i n eac h

hand and t os s t hem i nto t he d ice c up as i n met hod
one.
( 3) Gr i p t he c up as show n i n Fi gure 3 a nd
s ha ke i t as de sc ri be d in method one. The held
out d ie i s re t ai ned i ns ide t he li p of the c up
by the right f irs t a nd third finge r s.
~ 3~
(4 ) On the f i na l s ha ke of the cup, release
the he l d die so i t sli des back i nto t he cup
agai ns t the othe r d ice. If t he re ader were t o
l ook at t he d ie that wa s controlled, a s ix
should be ne a res t t he mouth of the c up.

(5) Gr i p t he cup wi th the l ef t hand a nd

b ri ng t he cup mouth dow n ont o t he t abl e to t he
positi on s hown i n Fig ure 4. The action of the
l eft hand is set t in g t he cup onto the table
shoul d be qu c k enoug h t o ho ld the d i ce i n t he
bottom of t he cup un til the cu p hits the tab l e.
The ce ntrifu ga l force of the quick mot ion keeps
the d ice i n place until the cup hits t he t able.
I n par t icul ar it keeps the one d ie in positio n.

(6) As the cup hi t s t he table, the d1ce i n

i ~~
t he cup move away f rom the bot tom of the cup as
they fall t o the table. Si nce all the dice be­
gi n moving at the same time, the dice above te nd
to hold the controlled dice in position as it
hits t he t able . In the jargon, the other dice
" k ill " the one t ha t was cont rolled. If the dice
is effectively "ki l led " i t will remain one spot ~@
up whe n t he c up is I i f ted. As was sai d ea r l ier
the met hod is not s ure fire, but with prac t ice it
works a bout ei ght y pe rce nt of the time. Need less

14. 15 .
~ 4~

) The only problem with this technique is that

sometimes when the cup i s 1if ted, one or more
dice will I ie atop the others as in Figure 5.
In most dice games t h is is considered "no dice"
and tre throw does not count. This situation
can be avoided if , as the c up is 1 ifted, it is
moved forward. Thi s act ion will sl ide of f any
of the dice that are atop the others.

Dice Holdout Method Four

This method while similar in concept to t he

first three is designed primarily for use in con­
~ ~~ t ro 11 i ng one of two dice. If, for examp Ie, in
playin g " Bar Dice " t he player is down to his
final roll wit h two dice and needs a one spot to
show up, this technique could be used. Simil­
arly the control could be used to good effect in
«iJQ 5~ such games as " Backga mmon 'l or "Craps " . For ex­
ample, in "Craps" a cheat cou ld control one dice
t o roll a five. This would give the player two
chances of winning of the six possible numbers
he could roll. (i .e. The second dice might
show any number from one to six. Thi s plus the
five which was controlled could give totals of
6,7,8,9,10 or 11. Of these 7 o r 11 win.)

Should the player not win on the first roll

and have a point to make, one die could stil l be
control led to give him a favorable edge . If he
had rolled a high poi nt s uch as ni ne or t e n, he
would control one die to give him a high number
suc h as a f ive or a six. While he still might
roll a seven and loose, his chances of rolling
two, t hree, four, five or twelve would be eli m­
® ~~ ina t ed.
~ w
( 1) Begin wit h one die l ying with its one
spot to the Teft. With the right hand pick up
17.
16.
the die and hold it between the r ight f ~ t and
third fingers. Then with the right ha ~ pic k up
the second die also.
(2) Pick up the dice cup with t he eft hand
and wi t h the right hand appare ntly toss :he dice
in to the cup. Act ually release only o ~ die
and maintain the other die clipped bet ~ n the
fi rst and th ird f i ngers.
(3) Immedia tel y take t he dice cu~ nto the
right hand as in Figure 3 and shake t he :up so
that t he f ree die inside the c up h it s c ~ in s t
the fi nge r cl ipped die t ime and t ime a~ n. The
sound of the loose die striki ng the stc one ry
one sounds as i f t wo dice we re be i ng s bJ~en.
(4) Aft er shaki ng t he cup, r eleas~ t he f i ng­
e r cl ip ped d ie so it can sl ide back in t: t he
c up wi th its one s pot up permost. Car e -1st be
exe r ci sed in a llowi ng the d ie t o s l ide 3 c k i nto
t he c up. Shou Id t he c up be t i pped at t :') g re at
an an gle, the di e i s 1 ikel y t o turn o v~ - and ex­
pose a number ot her t han one.
( 5 ) Tra nsfe r the c up t o the left ~ nd and
wit h t he l e f t hand l ay out t he d ice on "le table.
The one d ie shoul d sl i de f rom the cup ~ : h its one
s pot on t op.
Dice Hol dout Met hod Five
This me thod of controllin g one of -i ve dice
is one of the eas lest to lear n. The a ~r a ge mag­
ician f am iliar wit h slei ght of hand me "~ds should
master i t afte r only a few t rials. Ihe a se of
wor kin g, howeve r, does not de t rac t f r o- its e ff ect­
iveness. It is partic ula rly wel l suit ~ to use by
the magician who wishes to exh ibit a fe
18.
met hods of cheatin g at dice.
In demonstrati ng thi s method of dice ho l dout
te c hn ique , t he die t o be held out should be ly­
i ng on the ta b le wit h i t s one s pot up. For ease
in working the die wi t h the one spot should be
near the per f orme r's ri ght ha nd as the d ice 1 ie
On the t able as in Figu re 6. By starti ng wi th
the d ice in this posi t ion , t he ne cessary pa lmi ng
act ion wi ll be ea si e r t ha n i f the one s pot were
loca ted f art her f rom t he hand.
(1) With the right hand, scoop the d i ce t o­
gether and p ick them up. Du ri ng the action of
scoopi ng up t he d ice, the ri ght fourth fing er
pa l ms the die with the one spot as shown in Fi g­
ure 7. Figure 7 is an exposed view of the die.
in t he f i nger palm posit i on. Note that the one
spot poi nt s toward the i nte rior of the hand when
palmed wit h the I ittle finger.
(2) Wi th the right hand drop a l l di ce ex ­
cept the f i nger palmed one i nto the cup. Dro p
the right hand t o the tab le whe re it rema i ns in
a re l axed cond i tion. Ca re sh ould be exercised
to avoid exposi ng t he palmed die to an yone sitt­
i ng tot he pe rf 0 r me r 's r i g ht. 1f t he rig ht han d
were he ld too f l at on the tab le as in Fi gure 8.
Instead t he hand shou l d rest as shown i n Figure
9. In the la tter posi t io n the die is concealed
from v i r tual ly al l an g les .
( 3) Wi t h the lef t hand cove r t he mouth of
t he cup and s hake the d ice thorough ly. The n set
the c up mouth up on t he tab le.
(4) Wit h the le ft hand regr i p the cup as
in Fi gu re 10 a nd turn the c up mouth dow n on the
t abl e as shown i n Fi gu re 11. The cup should be
s et ne a r the right hand.
19.
 ----"FI

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(5) Remove the lef t hand f rom t he c up a nd
with the r i ght hand gr ip t he cup as in Fig ure I: .
With the r igh t ha nd move the c up f orwa rd On the
t a bl e si multa neously I i ft i ng i t. As this is do ~,
the pal med die is fe d under the c up by straig hi­
e n i ng the f i ngers as in Fig ure 13. There wi l l
be no indi catio n t hat t he pa l me d d ie came from
a nyw he re ot he r t han i ns ide the cup . The acti o n
of movin g t he c up f orward s hou l d be s uff icient l
r a pid to c au se t he di ce t o s l ide f orwa rd al ong
the t ab l e as the c up c l e a rs t he dice. The dice
should sl i de only an i nc h o r two.

If t he re ad e r wi ll t ry th is met hod a few

t i mes he will be amazed how e asily the d ice ca n
i ~~ be hel d out and su bse quently re tu r ned to the cu

@
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*@
._-----------­
22 .
 Dice Holdout Method Six
~
Th i s method of holdi ng out a si ngle die
closely parallels the handl i nq of me t hod five.
In this case, however , t he die is he ld out in
the right hand and the left hand shakes the c up
as i n met hod f i ve.
13 8~
As the dice reac h the spot whe re t he r i ght
hand rests, the right f ourth f i nger relaxes i ts
gri p on the pal med die.. and at the s ame t ime
mOve s away from t he dice t ow ard t he performer's
righ t as s how n in Figure 14. As t he rig ht hand
moves away the previously palmed die is l ef t
sitti ng on the ta ble.

Prope rly timed t he movements of the two

hands and t he toss ing of t he dice from t he cup
appear as i f a ll five dice we re rolled from the
cup and the ri gh t hand s impl y moved as ide to
provi de space f or t he d ice to land. A bi t of
pra ctice is re quired t o c oo rdin at e t he act ion s
of the t wo hands . Once t he knack of t i ming is
ac hie ved t he perf ormer will f i nd t hat t h is is an

*@.,-----------------------~
e asy method of ho l d in g ou t a sin gle di e . Th is
@ me t hod is wel l sui ted to use by magicians f o r
demonst rat ion pur poses as i t employs move ments
tha t many magic ia ns ma y a lready know.

Eddie Fec ht e r s ays that t he same ho ldout

me t hod coul d be wo rked by a pair of dice chea t s .
One man wo uld d rop the dice into the c up pal mi ng
one in t he process. The cup wou ld t hen be pass­
ed to the man's accompl ice who s hakes the d ice
in the cu p. Aft e r sh ak i ng t he dice t he acc om­
pI ice rolls t hem t oward the f i rst man's ha nd
Where t he die i s conce a led. The f irst man wo uld
t hen move h is ha nd asi de as the dice fr om the c up
a r ri ve - the pa I med die i s Ie f t I y in g on t he
table top.

24. 25.
~ 14 ~GJ,

t he position of the one spot.

(2) Drop the t hree dice th at are not palm­

ed i nto t he cu p . The n wit h the right hand pi ck
up t he die t ha t re ma i ns on the tab le and drop
it i nto the cu p. Wh i le al I t he di ce could have
been picked up and f o ur dropped into the cu p
at once , t he psycho l ogy of dro pp i ng three dice
~ t hen re t ur n i ng to p i c k up the remai n ing die is
B ~
very good. As t he r ight ha nd picks up the final
die, it can be ve ry re l axed and i nnoce nt i n app­
earance as i t drops the die into t he cup,

(3) Drop t he r i ght hand to the ta b le ed ge

~l:lJ t!JJ 0 and rest the fingers on the tab le edge as show n
in Figure 16.

Dic e Hol dou t Me t hod Se ven ~------------~-------

® I 15 ~e
This method is f or holdi ng out one of five
dice. As in some of t he prev ious met hods both
hands are brought in to pl a y . Re ade rs fa m!l i ar
wi t h Shoot t he Wo rks by Ed Mar lo will s ee some
s imil a ri t y be t wee n th i s me thod and t he hol dout
met hod atti bu ted to Tony Plat t i n the Marlo book.

The dice to be held out shou ld be lyi ng on

the table with t he one spo t poi nting away from
the pe r f ormer and to his left. It is advanta geous
t hat t his dice be near t he perfo rmer .

(I ) Scoop up four uice wit h t he rig ht hand

and thumb pal m the die to be held ou t i n the
position s hown in Fi gure IS. In Fig ure 15 t he

$~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0~
othe r dice are not shown so th at t he position of
the held out die c an be more clea r ly see n. Note

26. 27.
~ 18 ~CJ,

Note that in Figure 30 t he le ft fi ngers conceal

the die from view. F igure 21 is an exposed
view from underneath the hands showi ng the sit ­

~
uation at this pOint.

(9) Immediately the right hand releases

its grip on the cup but remains agai ns: t he
mouth of the cup as both hands lower t , e cup
to the table. The left ha nd then roll s t he d i ce
out of the cup by moving the c up rathe ~ sharp l y
t o the left. Actually only four dice ~ol l fror,l
the c up. The fi ft h ' die whic h has bee n cl ; pped
between the finge rs i s laid on the tab ' e as the
left hand is ready t o move the c up awa to the
left . Note that t he le ft kn uckl es and the cl i­
~® r!1l0 pped die a re very near t he t able top. Note,
too, t hat t he right ha nd st ays i n f ron ! of the
mouth of t he cup and s creens it fr om t re v iew
of onlookers on the per fo rme r's rig ht ~ide. If
the ri ght hand we re not kept in positi cn, the
v iewers migh t see t he die pi nc he d be t\een the
left second an d third fingers as ex posed i n Fi g­
19'­ ure 23.

As t he cl i pped die is re leased t~e l ef t

hand sho uld move sl ightly to the rig ht to Im part
a b it of sl idi ng motion to the dice. The left
hand t he n moves bac k t o t he le ft to r o l l the
other dice f rom t he cup, Simulta neous ly the
right ha nd moves away t o the r i ght.

( '> ~
30. 31.
 ---~----:®
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 When readi ng the above desc r iption, steps
7, 8 , and 9 may see m painfully i nvolved and im­
possi ble to do at any th ing approachi ng a reason­
able pace. Act uall y the ma neuvers can be accom­
pI is hed quite readily and t he ac ti ons look si mply
as i f the c up were transferred from the r i ght
ha nd to the lef t hand and the dice were rolled
from the cup. Practice , however, is required
t o achieve s moothness and surity of action.
Proper l y done, the entire action of holding
out the di ce, t ra nsferri ng the c up from hand to
hand, and layi ng out t he dice is angleproof. The
o nl y angl e fr om which anything can be see n is
f rom directly under the performerls hands . So
if t he performer avoids worki ng on glass top
t able s, this tech n i que is a n excellent one f or
demon strat ion pu r poses.
Dice Hol dout Method Eight
This method was developed as an outgrowth
of met hod seven and i t overcomes one possible
objection to method seven .
The objectio n is this. In met hod seven
when the right hand thumb palms the dice and
d rops t o the tabl e edge as in Fi gure 16 anyone
act ually c heating at dice wo ul d be vul nera ble.
Sho uld another player su spect something crooked
and g ra b the chea ter ls right ha nd, held be
34 .
caug ht with a dice in his hand and a shortage of
ac cept able explanations. For demonstrat i on pur­
poses, of course, the die palmed in the right
ha nd presents no big proble m, but to the dice
hust ler it could make a ve ry b ig difference.
In most cases the dice chea t wants to keep
any held out dice in t he cup or immediately ou t­
s ide t he c up. Then i f anyone s ho uld grab fo r the
cup or t he hand hold i ng the held out dice, the
hus t le r could simply allow eve r yt hi ng t o drop
and scat t e r. This is not to s ay t hat the d i ce
hust ler oft e n ge ts ch a lle nged. Mos t hu stlers are
dar ned good and no one short of a dice expert
wo ul d suspect t he m of che ating.
This ha ndl ing meth od avoid s the pot e nt i al
haza rd in here nt i n method seve n.
( 1) Begin as in method s e ve n an d contin ue
th rough s tep 2 of me t hod seven.
(2) Now ins t e ad of g r asp i n g t he cup wi t h
the le ft hand as in met hod seven, imme dia tely
gra sp it wi t h t he r i ght hand a s i n st ep 5 of
method seve n. The l e f t th i rd f i nger s tead ies
th e cup as the right hand pres ses t he pal med die
agai ns t the cup and cover s the mout h of t he cup
wi t h the fi nge r s.
(3) Next s hake t he cup with the rig ht hand
and f i n is h as i n steps 7, 8, and 9 of me t hod
se ve n.
Th is sequence has all the angle proo f adva n­
tages of met hod seve n without t he hazard of hold­
in g ou t a die away fr om the di ce cup. For dem ­
ons t ra t ion pur pose s this method has t he disadvan­
tage of not appearing quite as clean as the prev ­
ious method.
35.
Dice Holdout Me t hod Nine t he dice into the cup,

The basic idea be h i nd t h is hold out met hod (4) The cup is t he n shaken with the rig ht
was fi r st shown to Eddie Fechte r by Carme n ha nd. After shakin g t he cup, the cup and sec­
Damico. To the best of Edd ie' s recollec t ion re t ly hel d die are t ra ns f er red t o the lef t hand
t he year he fi r st le a r ned i t was e i t her 195 1 o r and the dice are laid out on t he table. The
1952. The ma ne uvers re qu i red i n thi s hol dout actions i nvolved in t he tran sfer fr om ha nd t o ha nd
met hod are ve r y s mooth and as wi t h t he previ ou s a nd the layout of the dice are exact l y as de s cr ­
met hod, pract i cally angle proof. i bed i n ste ps 7, 8, and 9 of met hod se ve n.
To begi n t h i s hol dou t me t hod, one die s houl d
be lyi ng on t he t abl e wi t h its one spot poi nt ­
i ng away f rom t he pe rf ormer a nd t o his le ft .
The le f t hand should be hol d i ng the c up mouth
up .

(1 ) Pi ck up the die t o be hel d out i n

the r i ght hand . Gr ip t he die between the
r igh t t h ird finger an d t he pa l m of the ha nd as @$ ~
shown in Figu re 24. Not e the pos it ion of the
one s pot in t his i II us t ra t ion.

Wi th the r ight hand cont i nue and p i c k up

three more d ice in add i t ion to the one he l d
between the pa l m and th ir d f i nger.

( 2) Move the right hand t o t he cup and

d rop three d i ce in t o t he cup , Reta i n the one
hel d by the t hi rd fi nge r. S imul t a ne ou sly br i ng
the pal med d ie agai nst t he side of t he c up as
t he rig ht ha nd gr ips t he cu p a s i n Fi gu re 25.
As t he r i ght ha nd place s the di e aga i nst t he
c up, the l eft th i rd f i ng e r s t eadi e s the cup as
i t d i d in meth od se ve n and as s how n in Fi gure
17.

(3) Ap pa r e nt l y as a n afte r t hough t t he

lef t ha nd pic ks up t he rema i n i ng d ie and t he
~ ~
r i ght f i nge r s move asi de s l i ghtly a s in Fi gure
26 to provide rOOm f or the le f t hand to dro p the

36. 37.
 As an added note on t he l a yout of t he dice, <J9
the die cl i pped betwee n the lef t second and
third fi ngers ca n eit her be se t down firs t as t he
dice cup is moved to the left t o layout t he dice,
or t he f inge r c lipped die ca n be laid down after
the ot her f our d ice clea r the cu p and h i t the
t a bl e . ~ 26~~

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Dice Holdout Met hod Ten ~Q ~
27 fc1)
This proced ure f or holdi ng out dice was
photographed a number of ye a rs ago and pho t o­
graphs of the me t hod ap peared i n t he " Nat i ona I
Police Gazette" i n conj unc tion with an article
on crooked gambl ing. This met hod is well s u ited
to holdi ng out One of several dice and , if
practiced well, i t is very ef f ective as a dem­
onstration met hod. Needless to say, it would
also be of use to t he dice cheat.

To be gi n t h is met hod, the dice cup sh oul d

be mouth up on t he t a bl e. The die t o be held ou t
shou ld rest on t he ta ble with its one spot faci ng
away from the per f ormer and to h is le ft.

( I) Pic k up the die that will be hel d out

in the r igh t hand. Grip the di e bet wee n the ~ ~~
r igh t humb and th ird f i nge r . Some performers
may f eel it e asier to grip the die betwee n the
thumb a nd second f i nger, but concealment, of t he
die will not be as good if the second finge r is
us ed . Fi gu re 27 s hows the position in which t he
die s hould be held. @~

(2) With the r ight hand pick up one more

die and simultaneously with the left ha nd scoop
up the other three d ice.
(3) Bring bot h hand s near the mouth of t he
cup and drop the three dice f rom the left hand
and the single die from the right hand into the
cu p . Bot h hands drop their dice at the same time
so that the sound of the dice hitting in the cup
conceals t he fact that only one die actually falls
f rom the right hand. If the right hand dropped
its die seperately, an audi ble discrepency would
be noted as t he si ngle d ice from the right hand
hit t he c up bottom.
(4) The left hand then covers the mout~
of the cup as in Figure 28. Note that only t1e
left fingers grip the c up. The left t humb is
free and does not hold the cup.
(5) Wi t hout hesitation the right hand e>mes
up to the cup and places the die i t holds ir: o
the space between the left pal m and the cup a 5
shown in Figu re 29. The die is left in this
pos i t ion where i t Is held by the left hand as i n
Figu re 30. In actual performance, the left "'and
: . I J~

40. 41.
 (OQ
29~
pushes the die fir ml y against the cup_ Due to
the flexa b il ity of the cup, the cup yields and t he
die will be largely concealed as in Figu re 31_

Simul t aneous with the r ight hand plac i ng

t he die i n the lef t hand, the le f t ha nd begi n
shaki ng the d i ce cup_

~~

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42. 43.
:r-----­

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(6) As the le ft ha nd stops shaki ng the c up ,
the left ha nd is rotated n inety degrees i n an
upward d i recti on t o t he pos i tio n of Fi gure 32.
The r igh t han c t hen gri ps the c up a nd bot h ha nds
mome nta r i ly g ri p t he c up as in F igure 33 . Dur­
i ng t he time bot h ha nd s are on the c up, the
hel d out dIe i s gr ipped betwee n the ri ght sec­
ond and th i rd fin ge rs in a s im ilar ma nne r t o
t he way t he le ft ha nd gr ipped t he held out die
i n me thod seve n , eight and n ine .
(7) Bot h hands the n move dow n to the ta ble.
The r i ght han d the n car ri es the dice c up to the
ri gh t f irs t se tt ing the sec re tl y he ld die on
the t ab le . The le ft hand move s t o the le f t
a s t he r ight hand s pi ll s the di ce f rom t he cu p .
As i n p re v i ous me t hods the action of t he fre e
ha nd i s simply i ntended t o scree n the mou t h of
t he cup f r olll vi ew s o that v iewers on the per­
for me r ' s l e f t s ide ca nn ot see t he cl i ppe d die
where it i s he l d unde r the c up by t he s e cond
and th i rd fi nge r s of the r i ght hand.
Like previo us me t hods, this on e ca n be
vi rtually ang le pr oof i f well done.
~ (4) Cover the mo ut h of t he c upwJt h the
~ l e f t f i nge rs as i n F i gure 28 . As i n t he pre­
46.
Dice Holdout Method Eleve n
Here is a method t hat is su itable for hold­
i ng out either one or two dice f r om a gr oup of
fi ve. For explanatio n pu r pose s t he me t hod of
holding o ut five d ice wi ll be expla i ned. For
hol d ing out a s i ngle die t he me th od is s im ­
ilar. Th i s met hod also was photographed for
t he art ic le al::oll t Edd ie Fecht e r wh i c h ap pe ared
in t he "Na t iona l Poli ce Gazet t e " a numbe r of
ye a rs ag o.
To be g i n t he hol dou t of t wo d i ce, have two
d i ce lyi ng o n the tab le wi th t heir one s pot s up .
The c up s hou l d be mouth up on the t a b le .
( I ) Pic k up the t wo d i ce that wi l l be he ld
out and grip them bet wee n the right thumb and
t h i rd f in ger as shown in Figure 34 . Note that
the one spots of the d ice are uppermost.
(2) Pic k up one mo re di e in the rig ht
ha nd and s coo p up the re ma i n ing two d i ce i n
the l e ft hand.
(3 ) Dr op the t wo d ice f rom t he left han d
and the s i ngle l oose d ie ~ fr om t he r i ght ha nd
in to t he dice cup at the s ame time. As ment i oned
pre vi ous ly, i t i s nece s sa ry t o d rop a l I di ce at
t he s ame time. Ot he rwi se a n ac ute observer
ma y notice a d is c repe ncy in the s ou nd of the
dice la nd in g in t he cu p.
v i ous method note that t he th umb i s free and
the cu p is held by t he l e ft f i nge r onl y .
(5) The r i gh t hand t he n app r oaches the
l eft ha nd a nd deposi t s t he t wo di ce i t hol ds
be t wee n t he cup and t he le f t pal m as i n Fig ure 35 .
47.
 (tJQ
~5~
The d ice a r e gripped between t he cup a nd t he lef t
hand as in Figure 36. Note t hat in this case
the one spo t s face away from the lef t palm. As
soo n as the dice are i n position , the lef t hand
begins shaki ng t he cup.

(6) Af t er the c up has been s haken, t he

ri ght hand ret ur ns to the le f t hand and g rips t he
cup as s hown in Figure 37 . Not e that the cu p is
gripped by t he f i rs t and secon d fingers of t he
ri ght ha nd across t he bot t om of the cup. The
r i ght thumb and t hird fi nger proj e ct dow n t he out­
s ide of t he c up whe re t he y re- gri p the pa l med
d ice i n t he same position t he y were o r i g i na l l y
held. Fi gu re 3R sh ows how t he cup ap pe a rs to
@
® ~®
o nl ooke r s at th-is poi nt. Figu re 39 i s an ex pos ed
vi ew of how the two dice are held o ut s id e the
cup.

0 t(;J 34 ®~
@
~ 36 ~~

't l@ ~ *@. ~

48.
---------------------@
49.
@$ \ 37 §..

(7) The r i ght ha nd t hen places the cup

mouth dow n on t he t a bl e as in Figu re 40. The c up
i s then moved forward abo ut six inches and is
s imul taneous l y I i f t ed f rom t he t abl e. As the
cup i s I if ted the ri ght thumb and f inger release
their grip on the d ice .

The f orward movement of the d ice cup wi ll

ca use the two he l d out d ice t o sl ide forward
a lon g t he ta ble f o r a d i s t ance of one or t wo
i nc he s. The d ice f rom in side the cu p a lso s l id e
fo rwa rd and the comb ined acti on of a ll dice
make it see m as if all dice come f rom i ns ide
the cup.
~ (&) This method of holding out d ice is not
ang l e proof and care must be taken to gua rd
against the vi ew of pe op le behind the pe r f ormer.
If used on ly under t he pr oper circumstances
th is is an exce lle nt ho l dout method. It is
idea lly su i ted for use in an exhibition of sk i ll
am @j';)
in handl ing d ice .
,~ 38 ~,

The reader might fe e l t ha t three dice cou l d

be he l d out t hr ough the use of this met hod. As
f a r as the mec ha n ical ma ni pul at ion is conce rned,
three d i ce could be held out. Unfo rtunat e ly
the re i s one ver y big p robl e m involved i n hol d­
ing out mo re t ha n t wo dice. The proble m i s
soun d. Sho ul d mo re t han t wo d ice be he l d out,
the rema ining dice i n the cup s imply won1t
sou nd as if f ive dice were bei ng sha ken. The
sound pr od uced wil l sound as i f on l y t wo d ice,
we re be i ng shaken. There f o re i n a game invo l­

----------- -
v i ng f ive di ce it seems as i f t wo dice a re the
maxi mum number of di ce that ca n be held out
without de tect ion .

~QJ (JJJ~

50. 51.
 t!b
®~ 39 (if))
Dice Hol dout Met hod Twelve

This proced ure of holding o ut a die, and

the one wh ich follows, are suited t o t he s itu­
ation where i t is desired to control one of two
dice whic h will be s hake n in the dice box. While
it is d if f icult to s imulate the sound of two dice
shaki ng together i n a dice cup when one d ie is
actu a lly bei ng held sta t i"onery, th is method f air­
ly closely app roximates t he sound one wo uld ex­
pect if t wo dice were bein g shake n. It is ple nty
deceptive for de mon s t ratio n pu rposes.

One die should be lyi ng on t he ta ble wi t h

t he one s pot uppe rmost.

~ ~~ (1 ) With the ri ght hand g ri p the d ice cup

wit h the t humb a nd fourt h f i nger. The o ther
three f ingers of t he ri ght hand re s t ove r the
mouth of t he cup.

(2) Wi th the rig ht hand approach the di e

t hat will no t be held out . By mov i ng the r i ght
®
® ~ / ~~ f irs t , s econ d and th ird fingers out f rom t he
mou t h of t he cup as i n Fi gure 41 and scoop the
d ie in t o t he cup.

(3) Now approach t he d ie that is t o be held

out and mOve t he ri ght fi nge rs as if t hey were
scoopi ng t he die i nt o the box. Act ually the di e
is gripped betwee n t he right firs t and t h ird
fi ngers and t rap the dice agains t the ri m of t he
cup. Fig ure 42 is an exposed view of how t he
die is held by the right fingers against t he cup
edge . Note that t he six spot is lowermost and
thus the one spot would be on t op of the dre.

~@. . . . . . . . . . . . ._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _4_0~~ ~
52. 53.
~~) @1!1J

<o~

(gQ 42 ~

.~ 41
~ ~~

(4) Shake the dice cup wi th an up and down

mot i on of the right wris t. Thi s mot io n wil l cause
the free d ie to move back and fort h i n the cup and
st ri ke t he one that is be i ng held . The s ound of
the d i e h i tt i ng t he other c reat es a fa i r s imu l at ion
of two loose dice ratt l i ng around in t he cup.

(5) After sha k i ng, the r ig ht hand move s to ~

~
~~
~
the tab l e and s e t s the hel d out d ie on the table
wit h i ts o ne spot uppermost. Th i s i s done by e x­
tend i ng the r ight fingers and pl ac i ng the d ie on
the tab l e . As soo n as the di e i s rele ased, the
r i ght hand moves back awa y fr om the tab led d ie .
The r e a rward moti on of t he ri ght hand and cup
caus e s t he se cond d ie to f all f rom t he cu p .

54. 55.
 @
~

Pract i ce is required to make s moot h the act­

ion of sett ing one d ice on the table and t hen
roll i ng the second dice fro m the cu p. The act­
ions can be mas t ered wi t h practice and t he hold­
out t ech n i que ma kes a very interestin g de monstr­
a t ion i tem f or use in a lecture on c rooked gam­
b li ng.

Di ce Holdout Method Thirt ee n

Th is me th od is very s i milar to t he previous

met hod in execu t ion but has t he added feat ure
t hat a fte r s haking t he d ice , t he cup is t r ans­
f erred t o the left hand and bot h d ice a re drop­
@~, ---------------------~
..
@

ped f rom the cup. It avoi ds the d i f f ic ult timi ng

requi r ed to set down the one die from t he fi ng­
ers as in t he pre vi ous method.

To begin one die should be on the table

wi th i ts o ne s pot fac ing away fr om t he performer.
~flf) \ '( 44 ®~
( I ) Pi c k up the t wo dice as i n me t hod
twe l ve wi th one d i e bei ng scoope d in t o the cup
and the second d i & bein g hel d be t ween the rig ht
first and th i rd f i nge rs agains t t he rim of the
cup. The One s pot is agai nst the se cond fi nge r
of the ri ght ha nd at t his poi nt .

(2) Proceed to shake the cup as In t he

previous method permi tti ng the dice to s tr ike
one a nother si mulati ng t he sou nd of two dice
sh a k i ng f reely in t he cup .

(3) Af te r the r i ght hand has shake n the

c up, move the r ight hand toward t he lef t hand
at the same time bri nging t he cup to a ho r izon­
t a l position whe re it is gri pped by t he left
'f3~ ~
56. 57.
hand as in Figu re 43 . Du ring the move men t of the
right hand to the le f t , t he r igh t second f in ge r
rotates t he die: t hat had bee n res t i ng aga i nst
the r i m of the cup and gives it a one qu ar ter
tur n . The d ie will end up re s ti ng in side t he
c up ne a r the mout h . The one spot of t he d ice
will be on t he t op. Fi gu re 44 shows a s t op a c t ­
ion of the r i gh t second fi nger rota t i ng the di e.
In ac tu al prac t ice t here is nO pau se. The ro t a ­
t io n is made pos si bl e by t he ri ght s econd fi nge r
rotati ng the d ie us i ng t he ri m of t he c up as
a p ivot poi nt. The fi r s t a nd t hird f i ngers of
t he hand ret a in t he d ie a nd perm it it to be ro­
t ated unde r f a i rl y good cont r o l.
As s oon as t he d ie is g i ve n a qua rt er turn,
the r i ght hand s t ops mo vi ng to the le ft and r e ­
le a se s i ts gri p on t he die .. The d ie, due t o
its ow n mome ntum wil l sl ide back int o the cup
but the one s pot wi ll remain up pe rmost.
(4) The left hand t he n s l ides the two d i ce
from the cup . The f i rst di e will be the one
which was cont r ol l ed and i t wil l s lide out of
the cup wit h its one up pe rmost.
~f))
58.
Met hod Fourt een
Th i s i s not a holdout met hod , but it i s a
method of cheat i ng a t dice wh i c h accompl ishe s the
s ame purpose as holdout me t hods. Either al t ern­
a t ive res ul ts in cont rol of the di ce. The me thod
wh ic h foll ows i s spe ci f ic a ll y use f ul in t he game
of " Li ar 's Di ce " where on l y the ma n who r o l ls
the d i ce gets a c han ce t o l ook at the m bef o re a ll
bets a re dow n. The method is e as y to master and
ma ke s an ide al e x pos e item.
In "Liar 's Di ce" the roller shakes the dice
in t he c up and se ts it mouth down on the table.
He then t i ps the cup forward and peeks at the
d ice. He ca n the n either tell the truth or lie
about the d i ce he roll ed. If he rolled a pair
of ones (Aces) he can sa y he rolled three Aces.
If no one challenges hi s 1 ie, he wi ns.
Thi s method of cheating e nables the dice
hust le r to i mprove his original roll i n man y
cases. He re 's how it works.
6)G}
59.
 egQ 45~
As s ume that the cheater has shaken five dice
and t ur ned the cup upside down on the table as in
Figure 45. He then ti ps the cup fo~ward as in
Figure 46 . As the cup is tipped, both hands are
used to shi~ld the dice from viewers at his sides.
In Fig ure 46 two Ace s have bee n rolled.

Now as the c up is set back over t he dice,

t he cheat e r allows his r i ght th um b to st ri ke
another die as in Fig ure 47 and g ive i t a quarter
turn . The quarte r turn bri ngs a nother Ace upper­
most.

Of course, the cheater wil I not be ab le t o

i mprove his own r ol l in ever y case, but he wi 11
l/iItJ]) ~ E> of te n be ab le to impr ove h is d ice. Aft er all
he ca n ut i1 ize ei t her t humb to rotate a f avora bl e
die. In rare cases t wo dice ca n be rota ted one
by each thumb to br i ng up t wo f a vora b I e numbe rs .

In any eve nt the t ec hn i que g ive s the che at e r

~ 46~
a s ub sta nt ial advantage over the pl a ye r who is
not che ating. The onl y bad an gle on th is che at­
i ng met hod is direct l y be h i nd t he perfo rme r. In
the case of I'Liar's Dice ", si nce the di ce are
supposed to be sec ret , the che ate r would arouse
no suspicion if he asked anyone behind hi m to
move.

~
 ~ Method Fiftee n

While t h is also is not a holdou t method, i t

is i ncl uded here because it is a use ideally
s u i t ed to use in a game of "Bar Dice " we re at
@0 47 ~~ one t ime ex t e ns ively played at ba rs fo r d rinks
o r cash. A beer we t bar is ideal for th i s cheat
met hod.

Dur ing the cours e of a dice game whe n t wo

dice appear wi t h t heir One s pot s upward, the
di ce cheat d rags them s ix spots dow n, th ro ugh
a puddle of li qu id th at ha ppe ns t o be st andi ng on
t he ba r . If on the next shake e i t he r s ix spot

/l~
hit s t he ba r, i t will tend to st ic k to t he ba r.
Wi t h the s ix s pot stuck t o the ba r, of cou rs e , a
one spot will be on t op .

Wh ile t hi s met hod i s not s ure f ire , it g ives

t he d i ce c heat a pe rce ntage ad vantage t hat a
pl aye r roll i ng f a i r d ic e doe s not e njo y , As in
all other methods in th i s book , not hing s usp icious
i s used , just the di ce a nd cu p. Th i s I i ke t he
*@. @
ot he r me t hods, i f prac tice d suf f ic ient ly wi ll en­
ab le t he re ade r to qu ic kly develo p an intr i gu i ng
demons t ra t ion of che at i ng at di ce.

Ii