Ep 18. The Ex-King Of Diamonds

When an ex-king cheats at cards, it's not merely for greed. The Saint runs into drama on the Riviera.His reputation as a gambler leads to Simon Templar, the Saint (ROGER MOORE), receiving an invitation to an international baccarat party being held by the deposed King Boris (WILLOUGHBY GODDARD) in Monte Carlo. And it is whilst on his way there that the Saint meets up with a Texan millionaire named Rod Huston (STUART DAMON) and also an extremely attractive girl named Janine Flambeau (ISLA BLAIR), who rejects their joint invitation to dine with them.They learn more about Janine later. Her father, Professor Flambeau (RONALD RADD) has perfected a complicated mathematical system for winning at the gaming tables - a great strain on the temptation to make a fortune, but used by them only to obtain money to pay their most pressing bills.The Professor and Janine are present when the ex-king begins his game with the international gambling set. The banque, run by Boris, has an unprecendented number of wins, and the Professor begins to make calculations which intrigue and excite him so much that he asks the Saint if there are any rough edges on the cards. When he takes part in the game, he suddenly tosses his cards on the table and refuses to play on.The Saint, by now convinced that the game is crooked, quits; but Rod Huston loses a vast amount. He and the Saint decide that an interview with the Professor is called for - and then discover that Janine has been abducted. The trail takes them tc a card factory. There's no sigh of Janine; but they discover cards with slightly tinted backs. The marking is an infra-red principle, and explains how ex-King Borishac been winning so easily.But before dealing with Boris, Janine has to be found. They trace her to Boris's luxurious yacht.The lights go out for Boris when the Saint fixes the lights so that they won't give him any help. But why has he been cheating? It's not mere greed but something far, far more