Lucky at Cards

Released in 1964 as The Sex Shuffle (blech!), this first-person narrative follows Bill Maynard, a low-end magician-turned-high-end card mechanic. After fleeing Chicago with broken teeth and a dislocated thumb courtesy of poker players who caught him dealing from the bottom, Bill sets up business in another town. In his first card game with new suckers, Bill has the bad luck of meeting Joyce, who immediately notices he's cheating. Joyce, the trophy wife of wealthy attorney Murray Rogers, is a former grifter who has tired of the good-girl life after trying to go legit. She needs an able accomplice to fleece her husband for enough cash that she can get away and live big. Joyce trades her centerfold bod for Bill's help, and the two launch a scheme to frame Roger for a phony murder so Joyce can enjoy hubby's money while he rots behind bars. Narrator Alan Sklar's gritty baritone is perfect for this tawdry tale.