
A street‑wise narrator runs a covert operation that turns ordinary card games into a high‑tech con. Using a tiny radio receiver, two concealed dimes and a pocket transmitter, he silently signals his partner Henry about every card the opponents play, letting them skim a steady cut of the pot. The scheme thrives in the cramped loft where Henry’s struggling electronics shop doubles as a gambling hub, and the narrator’s constant motion keeps the cheating hidden.
When a fresh, cocky youngster joins the crew, his loud laughter and reckless behavior start to attract unwanted attention. Their delicate balance is threatened the moment a wealthy Chicago dealer, Chapo, walks in with a taste for big stakes and a low tolerance for spectators. The narrator must decide whether to keep the operation running smoothly or risk everything by confronting the new variable, all while the hidden devices continue to buzz beneath the surface.
Language
en
Duration
~16 minutes (15K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
Dec 10, 2019
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Best known today for a single science-fiction short story from 1960, this elusive writer left behind a neat little blend of gambling, telepathy, and magazine-era pulp energy. Very little biographical information appears to survive, which gives the work an extra air of mystery.
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