Magician Gives Real Deal On Card Cheats

SAG HARBOR, N.Y. (Wireless Flash) -- You have to know when to fold 'em during a friendly poker match, especially if there's a cheater at the table.

Allan Kronzek is the author of "52 Ways to Cheat at Poker: How to Spot Them, Foil Them, and Defend Yourself
Against Them" (Plume), and the renowned magician says that while the big, televised poker tournaments are typically safe, it's the friendly games you have to worry about.

Kronzek says home games with buddies are typically "very loose with the rules," allowing scammers a number of cheating opportunities, from marking and counting the cards, to using a small mirror to see other players' hands.

"You hear about a lot of glamorous techniques, but a lot of cheating is just about getting small advantages
and letting them add up," he said.

Even with a wealth of magic tricks up his sleeve, Kronzek has no plans to put his own thieving techniques into
practice.

"I don't have the temperament to cheat" he said. "It takes a lot of guts and no ethics. That's not me."

"52 Ways to Cheat at Poker" hits stores April 1.