On Oct 2, 2018, Mr. Bones wrote:

...Regardless, I suspect we're saying approximately the same thing ... but saying it from completely different viewpoints - and elaborating on completely different aspects of the same basic idea.

On Sep 30, 2018, Cagliostro wrote:
I should also mention that around hustlers and capable people, I have never heard anyone discuss a center deal in any serious vein. It is not even mentioned except perhaps on rare occasion in jest.

The center deal is almost entirely a concept bandied about by magicians and demonstrators. It is not seriously discussed among hustlers as having any real practicality for serious hustling.

Dai Vernon started the entire center deal discussion with his revelation of the Kennedy Center Deal. I believe that was in the 1940s. It was supposed to be "oh, so hush-hush" among the upper echelon of magicians at the time and some poorer versions of the center deal appeared in Expert Card Technique thereafter.

It appears credible that Kennedy used his version of the center deal in some of the private games in which he played in the 30s and 40s. How much money he made with the move, how serious the games he played in were and how effective the move was under fire cannot be determined objectively and the stories by Vernon and his followers are basically hearsay. Vernon loved to use hyperbole and one upmanship on the other magicians and no doubt could embellish his revelations to a certain degree or perhaps even greatly.

However, Tony giorgio said he saw the Kennedy Center deal demonstrated at the Magic Castle in LA a few times, mostly by Charlie Miller who had evidently mastered the move. He said the move had a somewhat unnatural grip and dealing procedure and was somewhat awkward. Giorgio also said there were much better and more practical ways to get the money other than the center deal, ways that did not require the great skill and practice needed to master the move and were more deceptive.

On Oct 11, 2018, KardSharp89 wrote:

I am or I guess I should say... I was a professional mechanic for over 30 years. I have played in some of the biggest games in the world and I can promise you...the center deal has been used effectively under fire many many times. We don't talk about it much...because, well...why would we? lol

On Oct 11, 2018, KardSharp89 wrote:
...... I was a professional mechanic for over 30 years.....

On Oct 16, 2018, Peterson wrote:
Https://www.insidemagic.com/magicnews/20......session/

On Sep 13, 2007, Ron Conley wrote:

My Take on the Center Deal

The center deal I saw from the catwalk of the Rainbow Club in Gardena is much different than what people believe. These were bridge size plastic Kims cards and only two cards were dealt the aces. This was eight-handed Draw Poker; the deck was 52+joker if you put two aces on the bottom and the cards are cut near the center. This puts the aces in approximately position 25 and 26, holding a break, and, dealing the first 7 cards put the aces in position 18 and 19. The first ace is dealt from position 19, the second from position 11. This would more of a high-center than a center. If you chose to deal the first card to yourself off the top, you would end up dealing centers from positions 11 and 3. There is no way to deal more than 3 centers with a cut near the middle; if the cut is deep, then, 2 cards is it. This, of course, pertains to the eight-handed game as played in Gardena, then the "Poker Capital of the World."

The small Persian man I saw doing the centers at the Rainbow always dealt the first two from the center. There was a definite false move when he picked up the deck, as the cards were never completely squared up. When he dealt the centers, his tempo changed; the deck went up higher but he did get them out and nobody at the table complained. Games like the 10 and 20 draw were usually pretty soft, so I don't believe that there were any tough spots in the game he was in. When I first saw it, I though he was dealing bottoms, but couldn't find the hop. Yes I'm aware of the move of holding out a couple of cards and capping them back on the bottom after the cut. There is also a neat little move used by some bottom dealers where a small group of cards slide under as the halves are put together, sort of like a blackjack muck with the upper part of the deck for cover. Getting out the binoculars and moving over to get an angle left no doubt this was the center deal.

So was this the ultimate move. The cheater that's so good that he can move on anybody and never be caught; sorry but that whole concept is a myth. This fellow does not make the top 1000 on my list. I never got to see this from the table but from what I saw upstairs it had to look bad. I do not believe this guy was a pro, having been around hustlers all my life. I have yet to have a single one tell me they saw or knew a center dealer. There's been a couple rare cases of a single blind center being dealt when location was used in A-5 lowball, for example: the top of the deck has 5 picture cards. Your single opponent is pat. As you pick up the deck to deal, the bottom is peeked. It’s another loser, so you take one from the center not knowing what it will be. These are not good moves and were only used in soft games without anyone gunning the deck...

...I hope this at least clears up my position on the center deal. Whether you believe it or not will be your call.........Ron

On Oct 17, 2018, Jerry wrote:

Ron Conley - "The One Man Bird & Bunny Show"?

On Oct 11, 2018, KardSharp89 wrote:

I respectfully disagree with you on that (re the Center Deal). I am not a magician (all though I love magic and have a great respect for magicians) I am or I guess I should say... I was a professional mechanic for over 30 years. I have played in some of the biggest games in the world and I can promise you...the center deal has been used effectively under fire many many times. We don't talk about it much...because, well...why would we? lol

On Oct 18, 2018, Jerry wrote:

Wish list - "The Collected Writings of Giorgio". I would purchase this book in a New York Minute.

On Oct 18, 2018, Jerry wrote:

Taking a chance and ordering "The Real Deal".