Fascinating. [" YOU THINK IT'S LUCK " 1952 U.S. NAVY ANTI-GAMBLING FILM w/ MAGICIAN JOHN SCARNE GG44115](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4yXYDEKZdQ0) >Produced in 1952 as part of the "For Which We Stand" series of training films, "You Think It's Luck" was produced for the U.S. Navy by Universal. The film is a cautionary lesson, in that it reveals some of the many ways through which crooked gamblers win at games of chance. The film features John Scarne, a magician and author who was particularly adept at playing card manipulation. While he might have worked as a card sharp, instead Scarne refused to gamble and invested time in developing magic tricks and card stunts. Scarne became known as an expert on cards and other games, and advised the U.S. military during WWII, when gambling among troops was a rampant social problem. Scarne was sent to bases around the world in order to educate soldiers about the dangers of card and dice cheats. >The film begins with a look at how crooked dice can be used to rig the odds in a game of craps. At (:46) shapes, or shaved or altered dice, are shown with one die larger than the other. Loaded dice are shown at (1:10), which change the odds. At (2:00), a substituted die that has the same numbers on multiple faces is shown. At (2;07) John Scarne is introduced and many of his incredible tricks are shown including simulated shuffling of cards (3:40) and deals from the bottom of the deck. At (4:11) Scarne demonstrates how to cheat a blackjack using the "cheater's grip" to preview the next card in the deck, so as to decide whether to deal it or keep it (4:50). At (5:43), "second dealing" is demonstrated as Scarne steathfully manipulates the deck to stack it at (6:16). At (6:28) a way to defeat stacking is shown. At (6:51) a simulated poker game is shown with Scarne working as a crooked dealer in league with a player (7:06) The crooked player shows the dealer how many Jaks he has by using a pre-arranged signal. At (8:00) the dealer signals that he has a stronger hand than his partner by using a clenched fist on the table. The dealer and his croney proceed to use signals to build up the pot. The victim has no idea that he's been cheated (9:44). The film then shows an example of how a cheater can work a table even when he is not the dealer by palming an ace and placing it in the crease of his knee, completely hiding it from view. At (10:18) when he gets a hand with aces, he retrieves the hidden card. At (11:00) the narrator explains how to spot a player who is palming cards. At (11:10) marked decks of cards are shown. At (11:50) it is shown how a player who is peeking at his hole card may also be peeking at the top card in the deck. At (12:08) a simulated game of Rummy is shown, with a demonstration of how cards are stacked. At (13:08) the film switches gears to show some of the negative effects of gambling that have nothing to do with losing money. First, a sailor is shown trying to study an instructional book but is distracted because he is thinking about gambling. At (13:48) another distracted sailor is shown at work, who is daydreaming about using a slot machine and ends up nearly cutting off his fingers. At (14:50) a depressed sailor is shown who is deeply in debt. He ends up stealing from a fellow sailor, but gets caught. At (16:11), the film condemns "gambling fever" and discusses how the world of gambling is carefully controlled so that the house always wins. At (16:30) the game of roulette is shown, which favors the house and has a 5% take. A guaranteed "win" scenario results in a sailor losing two chips. At (17:45) slot machines and punch boards are shown. At (18:16) football betting pools and sports betting is shown with the narrator mentioning that "the percentage favors the operator". Chuck-a-luck is shown, with the house having an 8% margin. At (18:45) the game of crown and anchor is shown with "three winners, three losers" but again the house wins. At (19:03) a gorgeous woman in a nice dress throws dice in a game where the house wins on ties -- resulting in the house winning over 11% more of the time. The film ends with the hapless gambler trying to study the various games so he can win, but of course he ends up flat broke.