The second half of the XIX century. Cuba. Havana. One of the largest centers of gambling entertainment in North and Central America: casinos, races, card betting. It is here - in 1856 - comes one of the most experienced European hustlers in world history. And he comes for a reason.

“I bought a large batch of medium-priced card decks in advance: these are usually bought in bulk for all gambling houses. Each card was marked with a special speck: small neat scratches and punctures. If they notice it, they will probably take it for a normal factory defect! I sent the decks to Havana, where specially hired sales agents distributed them to the casinos. Now my speckled cards were on every table. It was time to play big! And I was off to Cuba!”

Señor Bianco. Born in Spain in the first half of the XIX century, in a family of Greek immigrants. He was considered the best card swindler in Europe.

He was wanted by the police in several countries, and the talented swindler decided to flee across the ocean, and at the same time to conquer the legendary Havana - the gaming mecca of the time -.

“I was not a bad actor. During the game always complained about a huge loss elsewhere, and bemoaned so talented that I sincerely felt sorry for me. The first bet, of course, I lost. But then ... In the hands of familiar cards! Mine! Stolen! By the way, I never played more than twice in the same casino. Why attract attention?”

He really didn't want to stand out from the crowd. Senor Bianco cleaned his own suit, rented a room in a cheap hotel, never ate in restaurants and did not even drink free champagne, citing his habit of a more modest life. Experienced adventurer did not spend a lot of money, except for special fake losses, went everywhere on foot, gave alms to beggars. Suspect in cheating such a restrained and in all things moderate man hardly anyone could! Trouble came from whence one did not expect ...

“Another big player suddenly appeared in Havana.” A colleague of mine, if I may say so. And I knew him well - Frenchman Laforcade! He quickly realized what was going on and offered two options: partnership or police! I chose partnership! “

And the money flowed. In just a couple of months, fraudsters cheated dozens of casinos totaling three million dollars! However, Frenchman Laforcade did not know the measure! Strict rules of the scam - did not observe: spent huge sums, played immediately on the winnings, made large bets. In addition, he behaved very swaggering: bought jewelry, used free booze, constantly boozing, smoking. Senor Bianco was out of his mind,

“What an asshole he is! I warned him not to draw attention to himself! But no. The Frenchman only joked about it. I realized then that this was not going to end well. I had to get out of here. Besides, my speckled cards had worn out, and the casinos were changing their inventory!”

In 1856, the Frenchman Laforcade was exposed and arrested. By then, Señor Bianco was no longer in Cuba. He had safely returned to Europe as a millionaire, and once off the ship, he vanished.

Now he was rich and could well change not only his name, but also his occupation. No one heard anything more about the talented player....