Karl Johnson is the author of The Magician and the Cardsharp, a 2006 book about how, in the 1920s, Dai Vernon set out to find a legendary cardsharp named Allen Kennedy who could deal from the center of the deck. Recently, Johnson had the chance to discuss the book, his views on the intersection between magic and gambling (spoiler: he calls them “kissing cousins”), and more on the American Gambler Book Club podcast, hosted by David Hill.
The interview took place in New York City’s 69 Atlantic after the two watched Prakash Puru perform in the close-up venue. “It was great to have such a well-posted interlocutor in David Hill, a true expert on the history of gambling, and the author of the great book The Vapors about another colorful U.S. gambling capital, Hot Springs, Arkansas,” Johnson told THE EYE via email. “It made for a uniquely probing—and I hope entertaining!—hour of conversation about the intersection of these two fascinating subcultures.”
It’s a fun discussion, and one that’s sure to delight many a magician and/or card cheater.