As a child in Australia in 1994, having read the late Darwin Ortiz’s book Gambling Scams (1984), I got a pen and paper and wrote a letter to his publisher in New York City. In December 1994, my family moved to another city, I was now in a new school, but reaching Darwin Ortiz was still important enough that I spontaneously decided one evening to see if I could find his phone number. I knew he lived in Washington, D.C., so I called directory assistance, and I got his number.
I went to the pay phone and dialed. Ortiz answered. After confirming that, yes, he was the author, I learned that it was 2:15 a.m. in Washington, and I apologized. I explained to him that I was 15 years old, lived in Australia, and had been practicing card cheating techniques. He listened attentively. “Did you send a letter to my publisher?” he asked, saying he only recently received it. I asked Mr. Ortiz if we could write letters to each other, but as he began to speak, I suddenly noticed that my money in the pay phone was about to run out. He laughed. I told him I’d call again tomorrow. The next day he gave me his address, and we exchanged paper letters by mail for two years.