Cardsharper

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who engages in fraudulent practices during card games to deceive opponents and illicitly profit
2. An individual adept at using tricks and cunning to alter the outcome of card games in their favor and financially benefit from it
3. Someone who dishonestly manipulates card games to win unfairly and gain money or advantage

Etymology: A "sharper" was, in English, a cheat or swindler of any kind, and the word "sharp" had long carried the sense of acute, shrewd dealing before it ever meant a dishonest one. Adding "card" narrowed the target: a cardsharper is someone who cheats specifically at card games, using marked decks, hidden cards, or sleight of hand to deceive opponents and take their money. The compound is transparent in a way many English words are not. "Card" is the familiar playing card, and "sharper" supplies the general idea of a fraudster. Put together, the word names a specialist in a particular kind of fraud, one whose trade depends entirely on the table and the cards in front of him.

Synonyms: cheat, con artist